Software:Cooking Companions
| Cooking Companions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Deer Dream Studios |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Engine | Ren'Py |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | PC
Consoles
|
| Genre(s) | Visual novel |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Cooking Companions is a 2021 psychological horror visual novel video game developed by Saint Paul, Minnesota-based[1] team Deer Dream Studios. The story follows a group of friends that find themselves trapped in a cabin as food runs out. The game was released on 7 October 2021 for PC and on 29 April 2025 for consoles. A standalone sequel, Dread Weight, was later released.
Plot
The game follows a group of friends (likely fleeing the Holodomor):[2] Karin, Mariah, Anatoly, Gregor and the protagonist, that find themselves trapped in a cabin deep in the woods of the Tatra Mountains. As time passes, starvation begins to set in and strange events start to occur. The player meets a cheerful group of five vegetables known as the Chompettes and the game starts with light-hearted atmosphere, but growingly becomes more dark and scary with progress.[3][4][5]
Gameplay
The player can explore the rooms of the cabin and decides with which characters to spend time and build their relationship with.[3] The game also offers a "New Game+" mode after completion.[6]
Release
The game was released on 7 October 2021 for PC,[7] and Serenity Forge later released the game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series on 29 April 2025.[3] A Kickstarter campaign was later started for a standalone sequel, Dread Weight.[8]
Reception
Writing for Mein MMO (de), Cortyn said that "Disturbing images, cruel backstories, and the odd well-placed jump scare make the game a great experience, which you should definitely experience at night in a dark room". The author also wrote that players that enjoyed Doki Doki Literature Club would probably like Cooking Companions too,[4] a comparison that other reviews made as well.[6] A review in The Outerhaven praised the game's replayability.[6] In TheXboxHub, Richard Dobson wrote that while Cooking Companions "doesn’t quite hit the heights" of Doki Doki Literature Club, it was still able to forge its own identity.[9]
References
- ↑ "Press Kit" (in en-US). https://www.deerdreamstudios.com/press.
- ↑ "Cooking Companions". https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/CookingCompanions.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Cooking Companions - Official Launch Trailer". 30 April 2025. https://za.ign.com/cooking-companions/209102/video/cooking-companions-official-launch-trailer.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cortyn (2023-10-09). "I wanted to play a cute game on Steam, then I chopped up and cooked my roommates". https://mein-mmo.de/en/i-wanted-to-play-a-cute-game-on-steam-then-i-chopped-up-and-cooked-my-roommates,1044266/.
- ↑ Watton, Neil (2025-04-29). "Don't Get Eaten - Deceptive Horror VN Cooking Companions Serves Up Dread" (in en-GB). https://www.thexboxhub.com/dont-get-eaten-deceptive-horror-vn-cooking-companions-serves-up-dread/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Agress, Andrew (2025-04-29). "Cooking Companions Review (PS5) – Let Them Cook". https://www.theouterhaven.net/cooking-companions-review-ps5-let-them-cook/.
- ↑ Romano, Sal (2025-04-08). "Horror visual novel Cooking Companions coming to PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch on April 29" (in en-US). https://www.gematsu.com/2025/04/horror-visual-novel-cooking-companions-coming-to-ps5-xbox-series-ps4-xbox-one-and-switch-on-april-29.
- ↑ "Horror VN Dread Weight exceeds Kickstarter goal" (in en-US). 2023-06-13. https://nichegamer.com/horror-vn-dread-weight-exceeds-kickstarter-goal/.
- ↑ Dobson, Richard (2025-05-31). "Cooking Companions Review". https://www.thexboxhub.com/cooking-companions-review/.
External links
- Cooking Companions at The Visual Novel Database
 |  |
