I know I’m not the only one that’s really happy for Nintendo and the success they’ve had with the Switch this year. The console has seen some amazing game releases, whether these are heavy hitters like Mario and Zelda, little indie gems that have been ported over or debut efforts making their first appearance on the switch. One that certainly caught my attention just before its release was Battle Chef Brigade, a story based puzzle game about cooking. I can safely say I’ve never played anything like this before but what I can say is I enjoyed it immensely.
Battle Chef Brigade is a side scrolling puzzle brawler set in the fantasy world of Victusia and follows the story of Mina, a 21 year old cook at her family restaurant. Struck with a serious case of wanderlust, Mina runs away from home to put her cooking skills to the test at the Battle Chef Brigade.
What initially peaked my interest about this game was how charming the visuals are. The bright and vibrant illustrated visual style really set this apart from a lot of games out there and the animation makes it actually feel like an illustration has come to life from a page of somebody’s sketchbook. Both the characters and areas within the game are drawn very well and they all piece together beautifully.
The visual style also does a great job of complimenting the gameplay. This is divided into two separate gameplay types. The main area of gameplay involves piecing together and cooking recipes using a match 3 puzzle format. The basic premise of this consists of 3 elements: Fire, Water and Earth. These elements are found in different ingredients that can be located in the hunting area, I’ll explain this aspect further in a moment. With each element matched it increases in level, this is used to create more complex dishes in the duels and competitions that Mina takes part in. Amongst these elements are also several other ingredients and tools that affect the flow of the gameplay can be obtained from the shop located in the city centre. All of these add another layer of depth and provides a challenging puzzle experience. The diversity in the challenges given to the player are presented in the form of judges requesting a particular element being prominent in the recipe. This combined with a specific ingredient decided by the announcer and the fact that you’re under timed conditions really makes you think before you throw any old ingredient in the pot.
Now, this is where the second gameplay element comes in. To actually form a recipe you need to gather your ingredients. You can’t just nip down to Tesco, you actually have to kill monsters and harvest veg from the conveniently placed hunting area. The combat involved in doing this feels great, it’s very similar to other side scrolling brawlers with varied attack types. The controls are responsive and Mina moves quick and gracefully with each swing of her knives. The only noticeable issue I have with this is that the monsters aren’t really a challenge to take down. Some of them did take a beating but it wasn’t anything a short button mash couldn’t handle. I just never felt as though a monster would be able to completely run my health bar down. This aside, the different types of monsters and the ingredients they produce are well varied and adds another level of strategy when collecting for recipes. The two gameplay mechanics work in tandem extremely well and the need to learn all aspects are essential as the difficulty escalates quickly as you progress. The duels aren’t the only areas of these mechanics are used however, in the city centre where Mina spends most of her day to day time there are shops where she can earn some money completing tasks that involve these mechanics. I found these to be a nice touch and helped me practice the puzzle elements more which in the long run helped me in duels.
The voice acting within the game is of decent quality too with all encounters being fully voiced which for a game of this price is rare but a great thing to see. Each character’s personality benefits from this and created some truly likeable characters. The story, while being nothing special provides character development and meaning behind their motives. It didn’t grip me as much as I wanted it to but it did give the gameplay some context and gave me a reason to keep playing. The music in the game fits the aesthetic well but isn’t particularly memorable. I can’t complain however it really does add to certain situations, whether you’re concentrating on nailing a dish in a one-on-one or simply taking a stroll through town, the music adds an extra layer of depth.
As an overall package Battle Chef Brigade is a great indie release for the switch and I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing it. The game’s extremely charming visuals and solid gameplay design makes it a stand out and honestly, if you have a switch you should own it. Despite a slightly lacklustre story it has created a unique and interesting gameplay style that works well and remains fresh throughout the adventure. The game took me around 17 hours to complete, which for the price is a great deal. Although there are many great games currently being released on the switch eShop, this for me is an essential pick up. 8/10.
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