Battle Chef Brigade Review

Developed by Trinket Studios and Published by Adult Swim Games, Battle Chef Brigade’s mixture of puzzle solving and platforming, is a recipe for success that will leave you salivating for more.

Taking place in the mythical realm of Victusia, an elite group of chefs known as The Battle Brigade are renowned for hunting dangerous monsters, and turning them into delicious dishes. But to gain admission into the Brigade, the chefs must first compete in a high stakes competition, which will have you hunting and cooking against Victusia’s finest culinary masters. The game follows both Mina and Thrash as they journey into the competition, before facing a contagious diseases which threatens to wipe out the entirety of Victusia.

To be blunt, I really enjoyed playing this game. With every passing second I found myself becoming more invested in this cooking completion, than any of the actual completions I’ve competed in. Unlike many other puzzle games, Battle Chef Brigade’s gameplay never grows tiresome or tedious, and is a consistent pleasure. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it switches between puzzle solving and platforming/combat, or perhaps the story is more engaging so it encourages you to continue. Whatever the case may be, I am certain of one thing, that this is the most enjoyable puzzle game I have ever played.

If I had to nit-pick, I would say that the animal virus is perhaps the weakest part of the story, which is a shame because it takes more of the story. Whilst still somewhat engaging in its own right, the plotline follows Mina as she seeks to find out what is effecting the animal products. This also effects the puzzle solving aspect of the game, as the player must now ensure that their dishes do not include any of the poisonous meat, and whilst it does pose a fun challenge it is somewhat of a weakness. In my opinion, the original storyline of Mina attempting to battle her way through the competition is far more interesting and enjoyable.

Whilst the Story Mode is the main feature of the game, Battle Chef Brigade also allows you to compete in a ‘Daily Cook-Off’ and ‘Local Multiplayer’. Both of these modes are very much similar to the competitions that Mina and Thrash compete in, however they have no ramifications to the story, are treated like mini-games. Daily Cook-Off will have you facing off against an AIs whereas Local Multiplayer, will allow you to compete against other players. They do allow you to choose which character you play as, but other than that the two other modes offer no different forms of gameplay.

The Anime-styled graphics not only highlight the beauty of the cuisine featured within the game, but also adds to the mystic of Victusia. Anime always features high concepts, and is very over the top in terms of character and setting, and Battle Chef Brigade is no exception to this rule. All of the fantastical creatures you encounter, seem so whimsically animated, that you will suspended your disbelief, and allow yourself to be transported into a world which is not our own. For this reason I highly commend the graphic design, and can truly find no faults.

Furthermore, the music featured within the game also adds to world-building. The game even opens with an epic/upbeat tune which introduces the characters in a fun montage, that is very much reminiscent of anime’s such as Pokémon and more specifically Food Wars aka Shokugeki no Soma, (I would like to point out that I don’t really watch Anime’s so I am sorry if I sound stupid with my examples. My apologies to all the anime fans reading this). Other songs also fulfil the purpose of progressing and complimenting the story, particularly during the contest, in which it builds to dramatic fashion and really helps to rope you in.

My final point of the game is a critical one, as was perhaps the one thing that I disliked the most. Many of the cut scenes seem prolonged and drawn out. The characters will discuss meaningless things, before finally mentioning something which allow the narrative to progress. This means you are endlessly pressing X and listening to dialogue that is of no use. If it were up to me, these cut scenes would be clear and to the point, as there is really no need in pointless dialogue.

Trinket Studios have created a masterpiece here, and I would highly recommend Battle Chef Brigade. If you’re a chef with an iron stomach, a monster hunter or a lover anime, this game is the perfect game for you. But even if (like me) you don’t fit into any of these categories I would still recommend picking up a copy. Playing this game has been a delight and very much a surprise, I have loved every second of it and as soon as I am done typing this conclusion I’ll probably go play on it again!

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.