RPGs and JRPGs Where Cooking Is a Central Mechanic

Many RPGs and JRPGs are intense, epic affairs, with terrifying boss battles and high-stakes stories that have the world hanging in the balance. Although there are certain titles in this genre, like the Persona series, that still make time for slower-paced, slice-of-life moments, it is a sad reality within these RPG and JRPG worlds that matters are simply too pressing to make time for the little things. Does it have to be that way, though?

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Cooking is one of life’s great pleasures, and there are a handful of RPGs and JRPGs that make time for it in their stories, even if there’s a main quest happening somewhere else. Beyond simply having it as a feature, cooking in these titles is the crux to gameplay overall, providing powerful buffs or being an integral way to spend resources over the course of a game. For those looking to engage in a little gastronomic experimentation, these RPGs and JRPGs have some in-depth cooking mechanics.

5

Monster Hunter World

Some Lovingly Rendered Meals At The Cantina

Systems

Released

January 26, 2018

One of Monster Hunter World‘s most beloved features comes in the form of utilizing ingredients to be cooked and prepared with attention and care. Players do not need to provide these ingredients to the cantina, but more can be unlocked as a result of quests, and after this point, it’s just a matter of paying for a talented feline chef to do the cooking.

The sheer attention to detail that goes into these cooking cutscenes, as well as the boosts they give players before they head out on missions, has made them an incredibly popular feature within Monster Hunter World. An exciting prospect is seeing this cooking mechanic – already an iconic part of the series – expanded in future installments, with players perhaps able to cook their own meals from their own harvested parts.

4

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Cooking At Camps Is An Incredible Boon

Systems

For absolutely no reason at all besides “why not”, Capcom decided to use beautiful, gloriously high-definition captures of real meat cooking during the cutscenes of food being prepared in Dragon’s Dogma. Cooking at campsites is an essential part of the journey, as this is the main way to restore health on long trips and also provides an incentive to those more meager battles against wolves and other small beasts (small compared to the cyclops that just used your pawn to break the world hammer throwing record).

As such, while the live-action scenes themselves might be little more than a gimmick, albeit an appreciated one, the act of aging and cooking meat is a fine skill in Dragon’s Dogma 2 that is central to taking long journeys and camping in the wild.

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3

Pokemon: Sword and Shield

Meals Are Great Buffs For Pokemon

Systems

Released

November 15, 2019

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Sandwiches are on the menu in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, but for those who don’t want to relive high school lunchroom traumas every time they make a meal for their Pokémon, the predecessor to Scarlet and Violet, Sword and Shield, has a curry system that’s just as in-depth and beneficial to the entire team – with some lovingly drawn meals to go along with the experience.

Every curry has unique effects, but broadly speaking, these meals are vital to training and bonding with Pokémon because of their three universal features: they increase happiness, they restore HP, and they provide experience. These curries are an excellent way to add just a bit of immersion in players’ travels with their Pokémon and are a great central mechanic that also focuses on Nintendo’s new(ish) philosophy of prioritizing ways to make players feel bonded and attached to their Pokémon.

2

Muramasa: Demon Blade

Grill And Steam Delicious Food

Action RPG

Fighting

Action-Adventure

Systems

Released

April 9, 2009

Publisher(s)

Marvelous, Rising Star Games

An excellent and highly unique title from Vanillaware, who might be more recently known for Unicorn Overlord, Muramasa is a fantastic and versatile take on side-scrolling and RPG formulas, two genres that don’t usually mix.

Food can be prepared and purchased in town to provide mechanical effects for the player, much like the other entries on this list, but what’s interesting about this game is that the method of preparation alters the overall benefit, with the option to steam or grill most foods and receive a different bonus respectively.

1

Harvestella

Explore, Farm, And Cook To Create Some Powerful Buffs

Systems

Released

November 4, 2022

Developer(s)

Live Wire

Square Enix’s take on the cozy farming genre is a sci-fi fantasy masterwork, underrated among JRPG fans, but still standing as an excellent experience for those who want to take things a bit slower in their game.

Cooking is the final result of all the other systems in the game. Harvesting resources, collecting enemy loot, and of course, tending to crops, all culminate in the special foods players prepare that can quite literally make the difference between succeeding or failing in a dungeon, so essential are their effects.

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