Ever since Nori was young, she’s dreamed of becoming a top chef, just like her idol Chef Rhubarb. Now an adult and operating her own food cart, Nori sets off to the big city of Helianthus with her girlfriend Brie to try and make her dreams come true. While the Early Access launch of Cook, Serve, Forever from Vertigo Gaming Inc. only includes the beginning of Nori’s journey, it already delivers plenty of chill and charm around fun, intuitive gameplay that lets players challenge themselves as much as they feel like.
Get BWT in your inbox!
Get BWT in your inbox!
The core gameplay loop here is relatively simple. Each day, the player works through three shifts making dishes from a set of six options they selected at the beginning of the day. Every ingredient is applied through a series of button prompts of various styles such as holding a button for a set amount of time, repeatedly pressing a button until a counter is filled, or pressing multiple indicated buttons simultaneously. While the core element is simple numerous combinations can arise that will keep players on their toes, especially once they start applying their mid-day perks.
At the start of each shift, the player will have the option of applying one of three perks to the rest of their day. Depending on how much challenge a perk presents, the player’s reward for the day can rise. This allows the player to customize each session to fit their mood at any given time. Want to unwind with Nori and Brie for a few minutes? Drop in and choose easy perks that maintain a low challenge level so you can just chill out as the game’s relaxing music washes over you. Or, if you are feeling like a challenge, you can add extra randomness to the orders like mystery prompts that are only revealed once the player reaches them or don’t press prompts, where the player has to press any button except the one indicated. This fluctuating challenge allowed my Early Access playtime with Cook, Serve, Forever to fit whatever mood I was in. While the fun, intuitive, and adaptive gameplay is the star of the show, the charming cast of characters that populates the game’s world is just as critical to its overall appeal.
The dual anchors of this wonderfully charming cast are Nori and Brie. The fun and often silly interactions the two have both in cutscenes as well as during gameplay never let the player lose track of the fact that Vertigo Gaming’s clear focus is for them to have fun and feel good whenever they play the game. Nowhere is this more notable than with how frequently Brie complements Nori about her cooking, without directly addressing her by name. Oftentimes, omitting Nori’s name in her dialogue makes it feel much more like Brie is breaking the fourth wall, complementing the player directly, rather than her girlfriend. This allows Cook, Serve, Forever to cheer you on without feeling cheesy about it.
My Early Access experience with Cook, Serve, Forever was further enhanced by its colorful and fun visual presentation. The food is always shown in bright, lovely colors, making its assembly as the player works through their button prompts a treat to see. With each dish having several different variations, it was interesting to see the numerous modified outcomes of each dish in the few seconds break the game gives before the next dish begins. Combined with the gorgeously chill tunes that the game always has to play and the overall presentation of the game fluidly reinforces its characters and gameplay.
With this initial release into Early Access, Cook, Serve, Forever brings roughly the first quarter of its story to the game currently. With regular updates planned by the devs, till the full launch comes early next year, players willing to jump in early can experience Nori and Brie’s journey as it rolls out over time. With quality-of-life improvements already being implemented through player feedback, Vertigo Gaming has established its commitment to growing its latest game into something its fans will love.
With its fun characters and intuitive gameplay that lets players customize each gameplay session, Cook, Serve, Forever looks to be a great choice for players looking to play games and chill. I personally know I will be coming back to this experience for a long time to come when I need to escape the frustrations and challenges of every life.
Cook, Serve, Forever is available now in Early Acces on Steam. It is currently scheduled for a full launch early next year with other potentially other platforms to be determined.
