Cook Serve Forever Early Access Preview

Early Access Preview code used, with many thanks to Vertigo Gaming

Cook Serve Forever is a narrative-based time management cooking simulation game by Vertigo Gaming Inc., released in Early Access in May this year.

Storyline

Cook Serve Forever is a narrative-based cooking spin-off game of the popular Cook, Serve, Delicious! series. We are introduced to Nori, who is inspired to cook by her mother and the famous Chef Rhubarb. Nori wants to win stars in a Michelin-like rating system called Couteau d’Or and thus change her life. She moves around the game map with her food truck and her partner, Brie as her helper and cheerleader. As the game progresses, a new storyline is introduced, revolving around the sun exploding, which is conveyed through TV and radio broadcasts.

Structure

Currently, the game is only 25% complete, with 11 locations in one area. There appear to be five more locked areas. By playing multiple levels at each location, the player unlocks the next location and achievements stickers for each location.

Game Mechanics

At the beginning of each day, you choose a menu, and then you have several shifts throughout the day. Before each shift, you choose perks that can either make the shift easier or harder.

The food preparation involves pressing the WASD buttons in a specific order, which is displayed on the screen, along with the next combination. I didn’t see any correlation between the types of food and the button combinations, so it doesn’t matter what you choose from the menu beyond the different artwork. In some cases, you must press the “any” button, which means pressing any of the WASD buttons, and it doesn’t matter if the whole “combination” is made up of the same button. The game doesn’t penalize you for laziness.

You can also be asked to press “prev”, which is the last WASD button used. You may need to press and hold a button, and so on; the game introduces some challenges along the way. As a whole, all you need to do is press the WASD buttons, and you don’t even need to look at the food being served.

Visuals and Soundtrack

Cook Serve Forever is visually pleasing, with an anime aesthetic. The dialogue and voice acting are well-executed, and the soundtrack is catchy and enjoyable. I wouldn’t mind buying the soundtrack separately. The developers have taken great care in creating a visually appealing game with a well-composed soundtrack that enhances the overall gaming experience.

Early Access Condition

Although the game is in Early Access, I didn’t notice any bugs or performance issues during gameplay. It took me approximately four hours to complete the 25% of the available game. There are also Steam achievements available.

Final Thoughts

Cook Serve Forever is a unique cooking simulation game with a captivating storyline, pleasing visuals, and a catchy soundtrack. For me, the game mechanics were too simplistic, making the cooking part of the game almost obsolete. If the narrative is expanded or the game mechanics overhauled, the game has potential. Still, at this point, it is difficult to recommend it, especially at the current price point (€28,99 euros, 20% off for owners of Cook, Serve, Delicious games).

You can find the Cook Serve Forever Steam page here.