I’ve always liked cooking games. They’re relaxing, though; at times, they can be a little stressful if you’re under the pressure of customer timers. There’s just something satisfying about cooking a dish from scratch in a video game. The more detailed and intricate, the better.
Cooking Simulator in Prison
Can You Cook My Last Meal takes those familiar cooking mechanics and throws them into the world of a prison chef. You are said prison chef, working in Shoton Prison in the nation of Torsia. Here, the Enhanced Death Penalty System is in place, and you’re responsible for the last dishes the death row inmates will ever eat.
Before you start each dish, you meet with the inmates. They request a meal of their choice, but you also have the opportunity to read their profiles, detailing the crimes they’ve committed. It’s up to you if you want to give them the meal they asked for; you can always swap chicken for a shoe if you think they deserve it.
After choosing your ingredients, you can start preparing the dish. The recipe appears on the left of the screen, which you can follow step-by-step. It goes into quite a lot of detail, going over specific cuts and ingredient mixes.
Stories to Unravel
There’s certainly something mysterious about the main character. While we don’t know much as of yet, the shot of him standing in his dark bedroom indicates there may be more to his story than meets the eye. What made him take this job? It’s not a role that everyone could take, not even talented chefs.
You also learn about the stories of the inmates, and whether or not they feel as if they were wrongly sentenced. While it’s not in your power to change their fate, you can reach your own conclusions as you cook their meals. I’m going to assume that the game gets pretty dark at times, and one of the tags on the official Steam page for Can You Cook My Last Meal is ‘Choices Matter’. So, perhaps, you do have a semblance of control. Over what, though, we don’t know.
A Unique Premise
With a charming pixelated art style, I’m reminded of Papers, Please. I really enjoyed that game, so I’m quite looking forward to this title. The dishes you cook actually look delicious despite being largely pixelated; in fact, my stomach’s rumbling right now while writing this.
And yes, you can indeed cook a deep-fried shoe. If you think an inmate deserves an inedible last meal, then go ahead. I’m not sure as to how they’ll react, though. And will you get in trouble with your superiors? A lot of Can You Cook My Last Meal is a mystery right now, but I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for the latest updates.
If you like narrative-driven games with a heavy focus on psychological themes, you should check out Amrita’s piece on SOMBRAS: Negative Frames.
The post Can You Cook My Last Meal is a Death Row Cooking Simulator appeared first on Gamezebo.
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