Cook Me If You Can

Once again you've knocked it out of the park with your modeling skills! It felt hectic and fast-paced running after all these different ingredients, and seeing them stack to make the final recipe was very satisfying! It's in a similar vein to your big VR Cooking game which is nice, I could see these games as both existing in the same "world". A small bug I encountered was ingredients clipping a bit into other objects which would make them unreachable . This probably just has to do with some colliders. Otherwise this was a fantastic game!

Reviewing several months later, I like that this actually seems like an early version of your VR game, or like a DLC or something. The dedication you have in cooking games is really awesome, and the scenes (the traditional paintings, the tool models and even the calligraphy) are well done. The only thing that's not so pleasant is the scene-skipping bug in the demo version, but it's already fixed right? Good job overall, Xander!

I love the low poly aesthetics of the game. It was really fun and funny to be controlling a pan around the room. The ingredients are varying and unique, and it was really fun to be trying to catch them. It almost feels like they are live objects that do not want to be cooked. One suggestion would be that, some of the hard shadows might be too dark. I think using high key lighting, adding maybe a bit more fill lights to the shadows can make the environment pop more. 

Some of my favorite moments were during the second phase of the game, when I finally caught up with an ingredient that was clearly running away from me. It also felt really satisfying to see the ingredients all come together. It was fun to be a floating pot while playing this game.

I just want to start my comment off with saying I ran into a really funny bug in the third round where three bananas were pinning me to the wall and I couldn't move. It was both confusing and awesome at the same time haha 

I think your game is so beautiful and the music choice is perfect for really topping off the whole experience. I agree with Yuen that allowing players to have a bit more control over the camera would feel better and more natural. I think in terms of gameplay you made a really fun experience! I was thinking it could be nice to have some little reward after each completed dish before immediately switching to the next level. Perhaps after players complete a dish you could put the actual recipe on the screen with a bit of text about it.  In terms of the assignment I think that the different emotions can be emphasized more. For example in one of them if you want to induce stress you create a scenario where people are coming over for dinner and you're in a very obvious time crunch or something. 

Playtester Name: Chang

Developer Name(s): Xander

Playtest Date : Nov 22, 2020

What were your favorite moments of the game?- 

- It was fun to see the bananas chasing me in the final stage. The recipe changed randomly in the first stage, so I could play the game in different ways every time which is great! This is a necessary feature when playing repeatedly. Also it's nice to see foods flying smoothly in the air.

Where do you see room for improvement?

- I tried the 3rd stage many times, but in the end I couldn't clear it. I thought it would be nice if the field of view was wider so the player could avoid bananas. 

When did you stop playing and why?

- I haven’t stopped.

What was confusing or intuitive about the interface or controls?

- Recipe hides the text on my screen. I think it happens because I’m using a 4K(16:9) resolution? Other than this I really liked the typeface that you chose and the UI  theme with a yellow color palette. 

What was confusing or intuitive about the game mechanics?

- The tray controls are so soft and move the way I thought. The tray controls are so smooth and move as I thought. The idea of getting a penalty when hit by a banana is fun, so I think it gives enough difficulty for the game.

What was frustrating or imaginative about the visual art, or sound design?

- The background music is very oriental and seems to suit the game well. It would be better if there was a sound effect when hitting a banana. 

Traditional objects such as Korean doors, lamps, and tables seem to be really well described. I also love the pattern that you draw on the door and ByoungPung(folding screen). Nice detail!

Do you have any other feedback that you would like the designer to hear?

Always love to see Korean stuff in your work. I don't think I have ever made any Korean stuff  in the game yet, even though I'm Korean, haha Hopefully there will be a chance to work on the project together next time.

Aesthetically, this game is wonderful! The low poly models and the harmonious colors really make it very easy on the eyes. I also really appreciate the sound effects and the feedback that you receive when an item pops into your basket! It really makes the game feel responsive. I think my only critique would be to perhaps add a player controlled camera? I felt a little restricted with the space I was given, and sometimes, all the ingredients would get crowded into a corner of the space or the edges of the room, and I wouldn’t be able to see them very easily. However, overall, I think that this game is really quite charming, and fun to boot!

Nice and simplistic game with flying naneirs. Though the emotions are a bit iffy on my part dealing with cooking, I can see how the game gets more difficult and adding on to the level requirements,  but it could feel a bit more of that emotional difference.