Title: Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Developer: Vertigo Gaming
Publisher: Vertigo Gaming
Genre: Simulation
Available On: PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch
Release Date: October 14
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch
Hit the road and reconnect America, one meal at a time. Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! returns with the classic simulation restaurant gameplay for new and old players.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is the third in the massively popular Cook, Serve, Delicious! series, developed by Vertigo Gaming. In these games, you must cook food for customers as quickly as possible to earn money.
Even though this is the third game, it has taken a dramatic turn with the new story campaign. From the jump, it’s bonkers yet incredible in a way you would expect in a Hideo Kojima game.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! is Back and Better Than Ever
In the year 2024, a massive war has ripped apart America but, more importantly, destroyed your highly successful restaurant. Discovered in the wreckage by two search and recovery androids, they suggest you turn their vehicle into a food truck.
From there, the game is broken up between different zones as you navigate stops to serve customers. Travel through Buttermilk County, Metro-Central, and Newer Orleans as you perfect the art of food truck cooking. You then will join up with the Iron Cook Foodtruck Championships and compete to be the best food truck in America.
The levels are broken up between stops, where you will interact with customers and satisfy their cravings. On the way to each stop, you can prep meals to ease the cooking process and help keep customers happy. Outside of the usual food truck stables like tacos and sandwiches, there is also a ton of worldly dishes like ratatouille and haemul pajeon.
Once at a stop, you must navigate the different menus, preparing dishes, and adding any extras before serving them to customers. Customers get cranky with ease, so you must get your food out quickly and precisely before time expires. After each level, you are rated based on how well you did, earning medals and XP to unlock new upgrades for your truck.
Gameplay Captures Hectic Nature of Running a Restaurant
The gameplay of Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! captures the hectic nature of running a restaurant. Almost like when a popular MMO is ported to console, the controller is divided into different shortcuts to navigate as you cook the dishes.
For example, to cook a grilled cheese, you start by holding the left trigger, then press X to butter the pan, Y to place bread, A to butter the bread, B to place cheese, then swap to the right trigger to top the bread and butter on top. Writing all that out makes it seem like a mess of a game, but once you learn the shortcuts, it is quite easy to develop a pattern. From there, you must multi-task to finish dishes while keeping customers happy.
The Nintendo Switch version of Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is especially great as you can play the game via the traditional controls of through the touchscreen in handheld mode. Knocking out a level or two before bed makes the Switch version stand out well among the other versions. The only problem is that in handheld mode, the text is almost impossible to read at times.
The game has a variety of difficulty options for different kinds of players. Higher difficulty dishes require more work to cook but will result in higher rewards. The game also includes a Chill mode, where there is no rush cooking the dishes.
Chill Mode Helps Assist New Players
The Chill mode does cap you at a silver medal for rankings, but you can still progress through the story. It’s also a great way to learn the dishes without the pressure to get them right immediately.
Outside of the cutscenes, the game has a simplistic art style as it is mostly still images of people as you look out from inside the food truck. However, the art for each of the dishes is well done and mouthwatering.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! also includes a local-co-op mode so that you can bring your friend in on the action. Thanks to the drop-in system, your buddy can pitch into your single-player campaign without any issues.
Play Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! By Yourself or With a Friend
Many of the newer additions and assists make this the best time to get into the fun yet the hectic style of Cook, Serve, Delicious!. With over a hundred hours of content to explore with you or a friend, it won’t seem like you will get bored anytime soon.
Even if you prefer a more laidback experience, this is one you don’t want to miss out on.
Verdict: Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! continues the legacy of hectic yet rewarding simulation gameplay. With a bonkers story and assist modes, it really is the best time to jump in on the action.
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