Monster Menu: The Scavenger’s Cookbook Review (PS5)

Monster Menu: The Scavenger’s Cookbook is a turn-based, technique RPG roguelike that sees a gaggle of adventurers within the unsuitable place on the unsuitable time, caught in an more and more troublesome dungeon whereas getting ready to hunger.

Selecting your main character, you’re immediately thrown into a complete host of customisation choices, from selecting which of the eight character designs you’ll use as your place to begin, to which job class they’ll be. Together with the usual adjustments of hair, eye, and pores and skin color, you possibly can even customise sprite illustrations and character traits. We spent far longer than we care to confess within the customisation screens, taking part in round with totally different combos to create the right celebration.

The hungry adventurers should search escape from the dungeons, all of the whereas scavenging for meals and sustenance. Loot factors dotted all through every flooring present key gadgets for cooking, like hay, or typically, even weapons and different fight tools. Battling enemies means you possibly can loot their our bodies for elements, that are positive for primary preparations within the dungeon for a fast repair, or you possibly can take them again to base camp for a correct meal. Objects will degrade over time, so it’s greatest to make use of issues whereas they’re contemporary — until you’re getting tactical, and might one way or the other use the unfavorable results to your benefit.

Every flooring of the dungeon is comparatively quick, however the issue steadily will increase as you progress, with a day and night time cycle prompting enemies to change into stronger when the solar goes down. Progressing to the following flooring by way of a portal offers the choice to retreat to your base camp for a relaxation, the place you possibly can cook dinner and eat meals, craft objects, and sleep. It will replenish stats, and there are a couple of to juggle: the usual HP, but additionally energy and hydration. Traversing the dungeons will deplete your vitality ranges, with some battle strikes lowering these stats, each of which could have a unfavorable impact on the adventurers in the event that they drop too low.

If the lead character’s HP reaches zero then it’s recreation over. All character ranges are misplaced upon defeat, and also you’ll have to start out the dungeon from the primary flooring, protecting your tools and any discovered expertise. Although the flooring are quick, it’s greatest to take your time and degree up steadily to make progress in preparation for the potential issue spike, in any other case you’ll pay the value for making an attempt to hurry via. The sport’s move can really feel fairly protracted consequently, and there’s a certain quantity of degree grinding from the off.