It’s fair to say we’re a pretty lucky bunch. Food isn’t hard to come by for most of us, and cannibalism isn’t really something we will ever have to think about I expect. Of course, that also means that we won’t have anyone out there in charge who expects us to deliver tasteful dishes of human meat to them, but if that wasn’t the case, then chances are some of us would end up running around like the little characters within Cannibal Cuisine, one of the latest titles to arrive on Xbox.
For those unaware of Cannibal Cuisine, this game is essentially a love letter to the massively popular Overcooked! series in both design and difficulty. The goal of each level, of which there is 20 spread across 4 main stages Jungle, Temple, Beach and Volcano, is to obtain a score high enough to hit a 3-star rating. To do this you’ll need to deliver the requested meals to the ever-hungry Hoochooboo’s, which are the gods that occupy the land, and this can be done as a solo player or as up to 4-players in an online or local cooperative fashion.
With the title proving a bit of a giveaway you can probably already guess that the meals you’ll be preparing for said hungry Hoochooboo’s consist mostly of the remains of some unexpecting humans that can often be found nearby, and by mixing fresh human meat and ribs with all manner of fruit and vegetables such as banana’s, eggplants, chilli’s and more, you’ll have all the necessary requirements to then put your skills against the clock to the test and prepare those unique meals.
As a big fan of the aforementioned Overcooked! there is a lot of expectation when a game tries to replicate that very same formula, and within just the first ten minutes, and the first few levels of the game, one thing became very noticeable, and that is that Cannibal Cuisine appears to be more of the same, just much harder than the beloved games it looks to emulate. Now of course this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I’m not one to be put off by a challenge, but when a co-op partnership who are struggling to even achieve a one-star score on any given level, you know things are difficult. Sadly, that was the case on just the 4th level of play within the opening Jungle area, and whilst the gameplay was just what I was hoping for, the challenge could certainly do with being dialled down a little.
If you take away the overbearing difficulty though, Cannibal Cuisine isn’t a bad attempt at the now-classic formula. In each level, meal recipes appear at the top of the screen with a timer, and you’ll need to run around dispatching live humans with your club or weapon of choice before putting the meat you get from them onto a fire along with the appropriate ingredient as requested. Of course, whilst this is ongoing, you’ll also need to be preparing the next meal, juggling your ongoing meals and ensuring they don’t burn and of course preparing the food for the next one. That alone sounds like enough of a challenge and when you throw additional hazards such as volcanic rocks, rivers, spikes, pits, and crumbling platforms into the mix, amongst other hazards, it doesn’t take long to see just why this can be such a challenging affair.
Before getting into the levels, however, you’ll first need to decide your aid of choice, or rather your ability. Players can choose from a number of different characters and selectable appearance options to make their chef stand out, but the only real difference will be the chosen ability that you take into a level as the rest is purely cosmetic differences. The abilities most used will undoubtedly be Fire Breath and Dash, with the former allowing you to spew fire and cook skewers twice as fast, as well as cooking food on skewers whilst it is on the ground, whilst Dash gives that immediate burst of speed which can be vital when trying to get one last dish out before the timer runs out.
Aside from these players can also choose Stomp which will create a shockwave that dazes and temporarily stuns enemies, whilst Totem allows you to place a totem on the ground to heal nearby cannibals, something that can help should be taking a beating from a human that just refuses to give up its meat!
Whilst it could just be my over-reliance on Dash and Fire Breath to get an extra meal out in most levels, it did feel like the Totem and Stomp abilities felt rather underwhelming in comparison to the aforementioned options and even in 4 player co-op, we still found no real use for them over the additional speed in cooking or moving.
As with most games that look to present fast-paced party action, controls are vitally important, and Cannibal Cuisine seems to be a game that manages to get this right – for the most part. You see controls within the game are simplistic, with A managing the attack, B used as the action button, X for your ability, and Y to consume any foods you may pick up should you be running a little low on health after mismanaging the meat of your ingredients. There were a few instances in which placing food on a skewer in preparation to cook wouldn’t actually release the food, but this was very rare.
As mentioned before Cannibal Cuisine does also come packed with the free DLC, The Curse of The Scarab King, which contains 5 levels and a challenge level, much like each of the 4 main stages within the base game. It’s not major, but it does bring with it switches and gem disabling traps, as well as a new Egyptian style aesthetic that feels refreshing and we’ll always welcome free content. Much like the rest of the game, the gameplay feels rather complete and of good quality, although those spike traps are certain to prove a stumbling block for many players.
Before we get into the artistic side of things, we can’t forget to mention that there is also a Versus mode for players to get stuck into should you wish to, however, like with the main co-op options, there is no way for this to be done via matchmaking and you will need to either invite a friend or play locally against a friend in versus should you want to compete against one another. It’s not the best mode on offer, as co-op is certainly a better way to play, but it’s a viable option if you’ve exhausted every star in the game.
Onto the visuals and once more, Cannibal Cuisine compares to that of aforementioned Overcooked! and if such a thing was possible, you’d be believed for saying this game is essentially just a reskin over that of which we’ve already had, albeit one that comes lacking any real and notable narrative experience. That’s not a bad thing and you won’t find me complaining about the cartoonistic efforts, especially given they’ve already been given the Series X|S once over with updated visuals for next-gen consoles, and on a Series X it certainly looks nice.
One thing that did grate a little was the soundtrack. This is mostly because it just felt too repetitive and not in a catchy foot-tapping way, but rather an ‘I’ve had enough of this’ way. Of course, even with the sound down, this game can still be enjoyed and with friends involved chances are you won’t be paying that much attention to it anyway.
Conclusion
Overall, if you like Overcooked! and are looking for more of the same that isn’t cheap and nasty like the several other options currently available on the store, Cannibal Cuisine isn’t a bad shout. It’s not overly priced, it’s got a fair challenge to keep you going for a while and the co-op play is seamless. Sure, meal variety could have been a little more exciting but for what it is, it’s not a bad effort and will certainly do the job until we hear from Overcooked! 3 at some point.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
