Space Chef Review – Serving Up Charm With a Side of Repetition

Space Chef Review

In recent years, cozy life simulators have gained many fans. Titles like Stardew Valley and Dave Diver have created a cult fan base due to its relaxing nature, rich environments and addictive gameplay. Space Chef strives to capture the same spirit, but the highlight is the space setting. Will this strange concept make a tasty meal or will it run out of ingredients?

Space Chef is a game made up of several moving parts that you manipulate as part of the main gameplay loop. You play as a restaurant owner whose main goal is to sell delicious dishes to hungry customers. While you can cook bugs and serve them for a quick profit, expanding your menu is where the big money really comes in. To do this, you will have to go into space, explore distant planets to collect exotic fauna and mysterious creatures for your recipes.

Into the unknown

The five planets you visit are unique, each containing unique creatures, fruits and vegetables that allow you to create new recipes to delight your customers. When venturing into uncharted territory, you'll need to be prepared to fend off predators, although these encounters never feel overly challenging, in keeping with the game's relaxing tone. Besides fighting off the wildlife, you'll also need the right tools to gather ingredients, which means gathering resources to craft a wide range of useful items for your journey.

You will find trash and trash everywhere as you explore the universe and deliver freshly prepared goods. Once you collect them, you can create new items to improve your ship, kitchen, and more. While space pirates roam, you need to be sure to upgrade your ship to protect yourself and your exotic goods. While there is a huge variety of items to find, materials to craft, and ways to personalize your restaurant, as with most life simulators, patience is key. Over time, the possibilities expand; however, it's a slow start that lacks clear direction.

Cooking is a fun activity with simple mini-games similar to Overcooked where you have to stir and flip dishes while getting a star rating. This expands further in your journey with new appliances and even bots that will help you go from takeout to big restaurant. Since you have time, you will have time to prepare and deliver the dish to the customer, but since this is not your only task, you will have to plan your day to make sure you get all your work done. There's a fair amount of micromanagement involved: shuffling inventory items, crafting, gathering and cooking, but none of these tasks are particularly interesting. It all starts to feel like busywork, and that boredom sets in quickly.

Teamwork makes the dream come true!

A nice addition is the ability to play together. The low stakes and fast pace of the game make it easy for casual players and younger players alike to become part of the adventure. Its cute cartoon design also adds to the appeal as everything is well animated and carefully designed to make it visually appealing. It comes with a nice country soundtrack that further enhances the game's character. The personalities you meet along the way help flesh out the world, but I never became fully immersed in their stories. Each of these is felt on a surface level, reinforcing the game's penchant for repetitive, task-oriented play.

Space Chef combines cooking, crafting, and adventure into one seamless quest, but none of its individual parts truly shine. Progress may be slow, but the variety of options is steadily increasing, allowing you to prepare the strangest dishes and serve them to your customers. The planets are varied and there is no shortage of small challenges to keep you busy. However, while there is plenty to do, few of these activities seem particularly rewarding. Its simple mechanics make it accessible and best suited for short gaming sessions rather than long stretches of time. With so many cozy games offering stronger controls and life simulator elements, Space Chef is in danger of slipping quietly into the background.

***PS5 code was provided for this review***