Recipe for Disaster

Recipe for Disaster is a restaurant management sim with an interesting social twist. You have to fight against your annoying staff, worse customers, and chefs with awful cooking skills. If anyone reading this has worked in the service industry, you know how unbelievably awful it can be and this game really captures that feeling and makes you fight through it as best you can before it all falls apart at the seams. If you are looking for a management game that will truly test your patience then you are looking in the right area. Let’s dive on into it.

Gameplay

You play as the head chef, and also kind of the establishment manager. Those are usually two separate jobs but times are tough, I guess. Anyway, here you are taking up all the responsibilities and doing your best, only for things to somehow mess up. Let me explain all the things you have to keep an eye on.

First of all, you have to build the restaurant. Not brick by brick, thankfully, but you will have to design the layout and choose exactly where everything has to go. This is a level of creative freedom that lets you put things where you think they should be, but also means that it is entirely up to you to make sure all the appropriate facilities are available. It functions a bit like Restaurant Flipper and To the Rescue!

In this same vein, you also have to make suer that you hire and fire people, make sure they’re being paid enough and that they are happy working there. Make sure that the environment is clean and well presented for both customers and staff, and that all the equipment is safe and functioning. You also get to choose what clothes they wear and I found that customization option to be really nice. It lets you put everything exactly the way you want it.

You need to pay close attention to the customers, and make sure they are being taken care of properly. You need to be aware of dietary requirements, food allergies and their personal preferences. Some of these things aren’t too bad if you mess up but others could have devastating ramifications for the establishment. And that’s only a little bit of what you have to focus on. This game asks a lot of players and only those with the will of iron can handle it.

Visuals

The characters designs in this game are minimalist but that’s not to say bad. There is as surprising amount of detail here from characters facial expressions to the environments of the kitchens and the building itself. Rich in color and style, this title makes for a truly stunning experience.

Sound Design

With everything in the kitchen having its own little sound when it is used, this game manages to set the scene beautifully and engages the player quite well. The joyous music is almost reminiscent of The Sims 4, as it idles in the background. Just enough to assist in focus but not too overbearing as to take focus away.

Pros

• Excellent visuals
• Great gameplay
• In-depth systems

Cons

• Is not easy to play when you’re struggling to focus