Cooking Companions
| Cooking Companions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Deer Dream Studios |
| Publishers |
|
| Engine | Ren'Py |
| Platforms | |
| Release | PC
Consoles
|
| Genre | Visual novel |
| Mode | Single-player |
Cooking Companions is a 2021 psychological horror visual novel video game developed by 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
[edit]
The game follows a group of friends (likely fleeing the Holodomor):[1] 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.[2][3][4]
Gameplay
[edit]The player can explore the rooms of the cabin and decides with which characters to spend time and build their relationship with.[2] The game also offers a "New Game+" mode after completion.[5]
Release
[edit]The game was released on 7 October 2021 for PC,[6] and Serenity Forge later released the game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series on 29 April 2025.[2] A Kickstarter campaign was later started for a standalone sequel, Dread Weight.[7]
Reception
[edit]Writing for Mein MMO, 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,[3] a comparison that other reviews made as well.[5] A review in The Outerhaven praised the game's replayability.[5] 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.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Cooking Companions". TV Tropes. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ^ a b c "Cooking Companions - Official Launch Trailer". IGN. 30 April 2025. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ^ a b Cortyn (2023-10-09). "I wanted to play a cute game on Steam, then I chopped up and cooked my roommates". Mein-MMO. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ^ Watton, Neil (2025-04-29). "Don't Get Eaten - Deceptive Horror VN Cooking Companions Serves Up Dread". TheXboxHub. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ^ a b c Agress, Andrew (2025-04-29). "Cooking Companions Review (PS5) – Let Them Cook". The Outerhaven. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2025-04-08). "Horror visual novel Cooking Companions coming to PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch on April 29". Gematsu. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ^ "Horror VN Dread Weight exceeds Kickstarter goal". Niche Gamer. 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ^ Dobson, Richard (2025-05-31). "Cooking Companions Review". TheXboxHub. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
External links
[edit]- 2021 video games
- 2020s horror video games
- Cooking video games
- Indie games
- Linux games
- MacOS games
- Nintendo Switch games
- PlayStation 4 games
- PlayStation 5 games
- Ren'Py games
- Serenity Forge games
- Single-player video games
- Video games about cannibalism
- Video games set in forests
- Video games set in mountains
- Video games set in Poland
- Visual novels
- Windows games
- Works set in the Tatra Mountains
- Works about the Holodomor
- Xbox One games
- Xbox Series X and Series S games