The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends Review

Game: The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends
Genre: Simulation, casual, cooking
System: Steam (Windows)
Developers | Publishers: Soma Games | Forthright Entertainment
Controller Support: No
Price: US $4.99 | UK £4.29 | EU € 4,99
Release Date: February, 21th 2024

A review code was used, with many thanks to Press Engine.

A good surprise: the release of The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology this week! Of course, Acts 1, 2 and 3 of the Lost Legends had been released on Steam before, but now it’s been put into one anthology. Paula reviewed the game, which you can read about here.

A feast is laid out on a table in The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends, capturing the essence of a medieval banquet. The table is set with wooden trays filled with large blocks of cheese, rustic bread, and bowls brimming with vibrant grapes. Earthenware pitchers and goblets suggest a hearty drink to accompany the meal. Candlesticks with burning candles provide a warm, flickering light that enhances the textures of the food and drinkware. In the foreground, a plate with a cut piece of cheese, grapes, a knife, and a fork invite players to partake in the feast. Settings gear icon is visible in the upper left, indicating game options. Published on: LadiesGamers. — The intro scene of the game, like a medieval banquet!

What was a bigger surprise to me was the simultaneous release of a more casual game based on Brian Jacques’ children’s book series, The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends. Set before the events in The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology, you get to meet Woodlander characters in the peaceful town of Lilygrove while Scout-Chef Rootsworth serves them their favourite dishes. Help Rootsworth get ready for the Harvest Cookoff!

A screenshot from The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends featuring a recipe for 'Apple Butter Bliss.' The interface includes a tutorial book in the top left corner and a character portrait of 'Coyle Twiddlebin' on the right, who likes apple and mushroom but dislikes onion. The recipe card in the center lists ingredients: butter, apple, cream, and lemon, with a directive to 'Stirfry the solid pieces until soft.' Below the card, there are sliders for taste profiles labeled 'Savory,' 'Soft,' and 'Sweet.' The bottom of the screen shows cooking controls with 'Off,' 'Low,' 'Med,' and 'High' heat options, and action buttons for 'Shake' and 'Spices.' In the visual representation of the pan, sliced apples are being stir-fried, garnished with what appears to be pink snowflake-shaped spices. — Now, doesn’t that sound awesome, Apple Butter Bliss?

The World of Redwall

Like in the book series of Redwall, The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends revolves around various anthropomorphic animals residing in Redwall Abbey and the nearby Mossflower Wood. You are Rootsworth, who isn’t cooking at the Lilygrove Scout Corp this time but at his own little cottage. His friends and fellow members of the Scout Corp visit him to taste some of his nice cooking. Like Robin Springhunter, Captain Barktale and Foxglove Brooker.

A screenshot from The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends displaying a grading panel for a cooking challenge. The grading criteria are listed as 'SKILL,' 'FLAVOR,' 'GUEST,' and 'OVERALL,' each with an 'A' grade. On the right side, two round portraits of anthropomorphic mouse characters are shown. The first character has a grey coat and a warm expression, wearing a brown scarf. The second character appears elderly with white fur and a chef's hat, dressed in a green garment. Between the portraits, on a wooden table with a red tablecloth, a plate of food is displayed, presumably the result of the cooking effort being graded. — I’ll have to tell my family I can really cook straight A’s!

Well, I say Rootsworth is cooking, but it’s really up to you to make the meal into a good one. You start with a few recipes and a very helpful merchant who makes sure you can buy a base stock of veggies, fish, oil and such. You choose a recipe and get to work. This means doing some mini-games to dice the vegetables, peel the potatoes and cut the fish. After that it’s time to cook: you follow the instructions of the recipe, set the right amount of heat, put ingredients in the pan at the right time, shake the pan, stir the contents and add spices as you go.

A screenshot from The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends showing a completed recipe called 'Spongy Beanbrick Treats.' The recipe card on the left lists ingredients including red cabbage, green onion, apple, portobello mushrooms, and beanbrick. To the right, the finished dish is presented on a round wooden platter, featuring sliced brown mushroom caps arranged atop chopped green onions and beanbrick, garnished with red cabbage leaves. The 'FINISH' button at the bottom right indicates the end of the cooking process. The visual representation of the dish suggests a combination of textures and flavors, carefully prepared and ready to be served. — Not exactly sure what the spongy brick is, but it looks colourful

When you’ve plated up, it’s time to be rated. You get a mark for skill in cooking, the flavour of the dish, and whether you’ve taken your guest’s preferences into account. It leads to an overall grade.

Like Meeting Old Friends

After you have made a few dishes, the world opens up to you: you can see the overall map and the places where ingredients can be found. Rootsworth doesn’t have to get them himself, but he can send three scouts out to various places. When they return, Rootsworth’s pantry will be well stocked.

A screenshot from The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends displaying a character selection panel alongside a stylized map. The panel lists three characters: 'Liam Rivermouse' with an ETA of 59 minutes, 'Sophia Ryemaid' with an ETA of 84 minutes, and 'Brunach Wheelright' with an ETA of 59 minutes. Each character has a circular portrait next to their name—Liam is a grey mouse with a blue background, Sophia is a pink mouse with a purple background, and Brunach is a grey mouse with a green background. The map on the right shows a fantasy landscape with rivers, mountains, and forests, marked with blue waypoints. Structures like a castle and houses are illustrated, suggesting different locations the characters might visit or missions they could undertake. — The overworld map and the three scouts

Access to the recipes, a journal Rootsworth keeps about his encounters and his guests’ preferences and the world map is managed through his little cottage in The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends. You see it from the side, with the rooms opened up to click on. And when a new guest arrives, there’s a knock on the front door.

The image shows a quaint and cozy cottage nestled in a lush green forest setting. The cottage has a thatched roof with overhanging straw at the edges, and the walls appear to be made of wattle and daub. A stone chimney with smoke gently billowing out suggests a warm fire inside. The front of the cottage is adorned with hanging plants and flowers, adding to its rustic charm. In front of the cottage, there is a wooden fence and a wheel, implying a pastoral lifestyle. The surrounding area is well-kept with bushes and shrubs neatly trimmed, and the dense forest in the background conveys a sense of peaceful seclusion. — What a cozy little cottage it is!

All of it looks very pleasing like you are looking at a print in a children’s book. There’s a good tutorial showing what you need to know step by step, though I guess if you are used to cooking games, everything is pretty much self-explanatory.

A screenshot from The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends featuring an in-game book or card titled 'Robin Springhunter.' The card, with an ornate border, displays a portrait of a character – a mouse with gray fur and a green hat – and a passage of text celebrating Robin as a 'dear friend' and a 'first Lilygrover to really appreciate my flare for food.' The text humorously notes Robin's preferences, stating a dislike for parsnips and a fondness for 'only the freshest trout from local ponds.' In the background, the cozy interior of a room includes 'Rootsworth’s Journal' on a shelf, artwork on the stone wall, and lush green plants beside a wooden bench covered with a red cloth. — Robin was the first to come to taste my cooking. This is an entry in Rootsworth’s Journal.

The Stars of the Show

The stars of the game are the characters that come for a good meal. I’m sure, for fans of the Redwall books, it will be a feast of recognition. The guest’s daily joys and little problems are well fleshed out, and the chats in the text balloons never feel forced and add to the enjoyment of The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends.

A cozy interior scene from The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends. The room is furnished with two plush green armchairs and a wooden table adorned with lit candles and a cheese platter. Bookshelves stocked with books line the walls, and potted plants add a touch of greenery. A framed map hangs prominently on the wall, labeled 'Foragers.' The warm glow of a fireplace on the right creates a welcoming atmosphere. Iconic game interface elements like a settings gear, an arrow indicating 'back,' and decorative stained glass window patterns complete the inviting, storybook setting. Published on: LadiesGamers. — What a lovely place to sit and relax

When the game was released there were more animals in this game than the Lillygrove characters. There were some bugs that marred my fun playing. But now that it had a major update, I played it again. Fortunately, the bugs have been ironed out and it has completely changed the fun. It feels more like a real game now, with some light management sim elements included.

The fun is in the cooking, but also in managing your ingredients and finding the best recipes to make, so you can serve your guests the most perfect meal. Making the best dish you can, means you earn more coins so you can buy more ingredients. Pick the places to send your scouts too with care, as they might find the ingredients you need.

A screenshot from The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends featuring an inventory management interface for trading. The screen is split into two sections; the left side is labeled 'MY ITEMS' and the right side 'MERCHANT'S ITEMS.' The player has 345 coins, as shown by the coin icon at the top. Both sections have tabs for sorting items by categories: 'All,' 'Veggie,' 'Fish,' 'Liquid,' and 'Spice.' Items in the player's inventory include carrots, olive oil, butter, almonds, apples, trout, bass, and beanbrick, each with a 'SELL' button and a numerical quantity. The merchant's side has similar items for purchase, such as apples, bass, beanbrick, various bell peppers, cabbages, carrots, celery, chili peppers, and cream, each with a 'BUY' button and a quantity indicator. The top right corner has a friendly reminder saying 'Have a look around!' with a portrait of a merchant character. — My pantry and everything I can buy from the Merchant

Visuals, Controls and Music

The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends looks lovely. It really manages to capture the atmosphere of Brian Jacques’ books, without having to fear a nasty rat messing it all up. The tale of the inhabitants of Lilygrove is an enchanting one, and the anthropomorphic animals come to life.

The soundtrack is never intrusive but adds to the overall feeling of the game, transporting you back to the time of Robin Hood. The sounds made when you do your chopping, peeling and cooking make you feel like a real chef.

A screenshot from The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends featuring a chopping tutorial. A large carrot is placed on a wooden cutting board, with a score of '69' visible on a circular target overlay, indicating where to slice. A chef's knife is positioned above the carrot, aligned with the dashed line on the cutting board, ready to make a cut. The carrot is already partially sliced, and the cut surface shows realistic texture and detail. The tutorial label at the top left corner suggests that this is an instructional step within the game, teaching players precision in food preparation. — Slicing the carrot in this mini-game

I’ve tried playing the game on the Steam Deck, but it’s not very comfortable to perform the mini-games on a handheld device. It does work, but the button controls don’t always feel natural.

Conclusion

The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends has such potential and tells an interesting tale. Although I haven’t read the entire series, I do have the first book and have looked forward to seeing the world of Lilygrove for myself. The visuals are enchanting, the background music is great, and the characters you cook for are the stars of the show.

Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot