This is Lindsey, game director at Timberline Studio. Today, I’d like to tell you more about how the concept of flavor is integral to how we built our cooking and gameplay systems in Beastro, our upcoming crunchy-cozy deck builder, coming to PS5 in Spring 2026.
We know that’s a lot to unpack up there, so let’s get into it.
Flavor as biomes
In the world of Beastro, our regions are broken up by flavor types: bitter, salty, sour, sweet, and umami. Each of these flavors has its own culture, creatures, and color palettes. And depending on where a character hails from, it will define their palate and what they want their food to taste like!
Over the course of our four chapters, you’ll venture into these various flavor biomes to fight off the monsters that have invaded from another realm. It’s up to you to fight them off and protect the flavor spirits in these lands.
You’ll first find yourself in The Marshlands, the nearest region of the Umami Wilds. The Umami lands, and its denizens are signified by their depth of life and heartier ingredients. Mushrooms are the foundation of this region and the mossy, mishmash of land they thrive in. This biome is full of deep greens and browns. We wanted it to feel dense, enveloping, and comforting at the same time. I often think of Umami as a big bowl of stew, and we seek to hit that energy in the characters and environment.
Our heroes, the Caretakers
Word spreads quickly that ravenous monsters have arrived and that they are wreaking havoc on the flavor wilds. Heroes from the flavor factions, the Caretakers, are sent to protect everyone and quell the tide of the invasion; however, none of them are capable of battling on an empty stomach.
Soon, these Caretakers arrive in our quaint little town of Palo Pori in search of a meal, but they get more than a full stomach. The food our chef, Panko, prepares with the help of the fire god, Flambé, unlocks the power of the flavor spirits from within the ingredients, granting magical abilities to the Caretakers, allowing them to engage in unique card battles with the monsters.
Each Caretaker has their own motivation that’s driving them to defeat the monsters. As champions for their people, they all seek to leave their mark on the world and show they can save the world on their own.
The Umamis seek to bring everyone together, particularly the friendly creatures in the wilds who lack the skills to fight off the monsters. Oyshi, our Umami Caretaker, is always happy to offer a safe home to a small creature in need.
And our third playable Caretaker, Kalan, hails from the land of Bitter. The Bitters are known as the protectors of this world, entrusted with the responsibility to ensure the survival of all flavors… and they take this responsibility very seriously.
Kalan is very single-minded, looking to reinforce the Bitter’s role as the protectors. Kalan has less stamina than the other Caretakers, but his palate leads him toward the healing properties of many Bitter ingredients. It’s important to eat your leafy greens. Because of their devotion to a flavor many others would choose to avoid, they feel they’re just a little bit better than everyone else, and Kalan’s more than willing to remind you of that. They prefer their coffee black, as why would you ruin a lovely bitter thing with another flavor?
Unlocking the magic of flavor
While the first Caretaker may have arrived due to hunger, Oyshi soon helps recruit the others to Palo Pori to unlock flavor magic of their own. As the chef, it’s up to you to balance their desired flavors and the magic you think they’ll need to be successful in the wilds.
Palo Pori and the restaurant in Beastro are built around a concept of: from town to table. Many of the ingredients you use are grown, gathered, or fished out of the sea to cook up the meals for the Caretakers. As you sauté, chop, boil, roast, and assemble your meals through the various mini games, you’ll find yourself developing a nice flavor profile for your caretaker as you balance and enhance the flavors of your meal.
This is all done through “mise en place,” where you place your ingredients and determine how to create the best well-rounded meal for your visitor and one that unlocks the magic and effects they’ll need to defeat the monsters, because not only does each ingredient have a flavor, it has a power level… and many of them have effects too!
You’ll have to discover, learn, and experiment with how different ingredients combine to unlock new powers that will make each caretaker stronger and allow them to battle more ferocious foes with every round.
We can’t wait to tell you more about our game, but for now, we’ll leave you with a new Gameplay Trailer that shares a bit more about the mechanics we mentioned above.
Time for me to get a snack! Thanks for taking the time to learn about Beastro!
