This is Lindsey, game director at Timberline Studio. Today I’d like to tell you more about how the concept of taste is an integral part of how we built our cooking and gameplay systems in Beastro, our upcoming crunchy and cozy deck builder coming to PS5 in Spring 2026.
We know there’s a lot to unpack there, so let’s get into it.
Tastes like biomes
In the world of Beastro, our regions are divided by types of taste: bitter, salty, sour, sweet and umami. Each of these flavors has its own culture, creatures and color palette. Depending on where the character is from will determine their palate and what they want their food to taste like!
Over the course of our four chapters, you’ll venture into different flavor biomes to fend off monsters that have invaded from another dimension. Your task is to fight them and protect the spirits of taste in these lands.
First, you’ll find yourself in The Marshlands, the closest region to the Umami Forest. The Umami lands and their inhabitants are characterized by depth of life and heartfelt ingredients. Mushrooms are the staple of this region and the mossy mixture of earth in which they grow. This biome is full of deep greens and browns. We wanted it to be dense, enveloping and comforting at the same time. I often think of Umami as a substantial bowl of stew, and we try to unleash that energy in the characters and the setting.
Our heroes, the Guardians
Word quickly spreads that voracious monsters have arrived and are wreaking havoc on the Taste Wilderness. Heroes from the flavor factions, the Guardians, were sent to protect everyone and suppress the invasion wave; however, none of them can fight on an empty stomach.
Soon these Guardians arrive in our quaint town of Palo Pori looking for a meal, but they get more than a full stomach. The food that our chef Panko prepares with the support of the fire god Flambé releases the power of flavor spirits from the ingredients, granting Guardians magical abilities, enabling them to engage in unique card battles with monsters.
Each Guardian has their own motivation that drives them to defeat the monsters. As champions of their people, they all strive to leave their mark on the world and show that they can save the world on their own.
The Umamis try to unite everyone, especially the amiable creatures in the wild who lack the ability to fight monsters. Oyshi, our Umami guardian, is always cheerful to offer a protected home to a little creature in need.
And our third playable Guardian, Kalan, comes from the land of Bitter. Bitters are known as defenders of this world, charged with ensuring the survival of all flavors… and they take this responsibility very seriously.
Kalan is very determined and wants to strengthen Gorzki’s role as a defender. Kalan has less stamina than other Guardians, but his palate leads him to the healing properties of many Bitter ingredients. It is essential to eat leafy vegetables. Due to their devotion to a taste that many others would rather avoid, they feel that they are just a little bit better than everyone else, and Kalan will be cheerful to remind you of that. They prefer black coffee because why spoil a wonderfully bitter thing with another taste?
Unlocking the magic of taste
While the first Guardian may have arrived due to hunger, Oyshi soon helps recruit the others to Palo Pori to unlock their own flavor magic. As a chef, it’s your job to balance their desired flavors with the magic you think they’ll need to succeed in the wild.
Palo Pori and the restaurant at Beastro are built around the concept: from the city to the table. Many of the ingredients you apply are grown, harvested or caught from the sea to prepare meals for the Keepers. As you fry, chop, cook, bake and assemble meals through a variety of mini-games, you’ll develop a pleasant flavor profile for your caregiver, balancing and enhancing the flavors of your meal.
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This is all done in “mise en place”, where you place the ingredients and determine how to prepare the best all-around meal for your guest that will unlock the magic and effects needed to defeat the monsters, as each ingredient not only has a flavor, but also a power level… and many of them also have effects!
You’ll have to explore, learn, and experiment as different ingredients combine to unlock recent powers that will empower each guardian and allow them to fight fiercer enemies each round.
We can’t wait to tell you more about our game, but for now we leave you with a recent gameplay trailer that describes a bit more of the mechanics we mentioned above.
Time for me to have a snack! Thank you for taking the time to learn about Beastro!
