We all created a storm in farming games like Star Dew Valleysurvival and casual MMO games Zelda game. But these systems are rarely that intricate, and they are almost never tied to overall story progression or character development. Magical delicacyCooking is at the heart of every aspect of the game, making it even more cozy.
IN Magical delicacyYou play as Flora. She is a juvenile witch who has come to the port city of Grat to expand her knowledge and mastery of magic in a place where, rumor has it, witches have always thrived. When she arrives, things change. Everyone expects Flora to already know her craft, and few seem to have any knowledge of witches.
Despite this, the settlement seems keen for Flora to assist as many people as possible, cooking up a storm and providing plenty of food, as well as a few magic potions if necessary. She is left to her own devices after being tricked into buying a compact shop in the middle of Grat, where she knows absolutely no one.
The intro is quick, but gives you all the information you need to move forward. Despite a decent story that will draw you in with its mystery and intrigue, the game is pretty fast-paced. The main mechanics of the game revolve around meeting modern residents of Grat, talking to them to get a request for food, and then delivering that food.
Of course, nothing is that elementary. Flora must learn modern recipes by finding them around Grat or buying them with currency earned from deliveries. Ingredients must also be collected around Grat, bought or grown in Flora’s shop.
Even if you have all the ingredients you need, Flora’s kitchen has a wide range of cooking equipment that you can upgrade, allowing you to cook increasingly advanced recipes. One of the first tools you unlock is the oven, which you’ll need to complete a few deliveries and meet some engaging characters before you can even get close to obtaining.
The cooking system itself is enjoyable and informative. I spent a good few minutes pondering what ingredients to exploit for each one, staring into the pot or oven to make sure I was getting the best result. Ingredients are divided into specific types, such as herbs, mushrooms and ground, and each recipe requires a bit of a specific type. There are also basic ingredients, such as rock salt, that must be used in some of the dishes you’ll be cooking.
Ingredients can be ground and processed in other ways before being cooked into more intricate recipes, but everything has to be discovered organically. For example, I bought some wheat because I knew I needed flour, and everything clicked when I bought a mortar and pestle from Flora’s store. This allowed me to grind the wheat into flour to create the requested dessert.
Magical delicacy It’s not just about delivering food to make people joyful. Over the course of the story and by making more deliveries, Flora will unlock potion recipes that can unlock paths and skills to discover more Grat, access modern ingredients, and raise her skills as a magical culinary wizard.
You’ll feel the game’s inspiration from 2D platformers and Metroidvanias as you progress through the game as you progress and unlock modern areas of the stunning environment. But the game is also about slowing down and relaxing. The Grat is filled with benches for Flora to sit on and relax, moving the camera away so you can fully admire the pixelated environments and listen to the cozy soundtrack playing in the background.
I played Magical delicacy for hours, but it never felt burdensome. The game’s natural sense of progression and regular deliveries are a satisfying reward for the work you put in, and even waiting for the day-night cycle to pass while you enjoy the sounds of a port city makes sense, as you wait for ingredients to grow or characters to move.
The controls are tight, with only a few tricky platforming sections that require you to exploit your muscle memory to the max, though they aren’t imperative to the main story and only unlock cosmetic items. Aside from one graphical issue where the moon followed Flora’s head right behind it on one screen, I had no issues at all.
Magical delicacy It’s a joy to play and a relaxing experience that, while strenuous work, is no more stressful than flipping through a recipe book and wondering how to make a dish you’re craving.
It’s one of those games that will linger in your mind even when you’re not playing it, as you think about what the characters asked for and how you can meet their needs. There’s something to learn in every session, whether it’s a modern exploit for an ingredient or a story revelation you’ve been waiting for.
Take a few bouncy puzzles from a 2D platformer, a dash of progression from a Metroidvania, a story from a great indie title, a ton of pixel art, a mouthful of relaxing melodies, mix well and bake until you see a personality emerge from it. If that sounds tempting, then yes Magical delicacy for you.
