The cozy roguelite dungeon crawler and restaurant simulation game Cuisineer makes its way to Xbox today, bringing a buffet of new features to hungry players. Whether you want to try a new outfit for protagonist Pom, swing new weapons like the Salt ‘n’ Pepper Shakers while adventuring, or set the perfect ambiance in your restaurant with the gramophone, there are layers of flavor in this Xbox offering.

One feature I’m especially excited for you to sink your teeth into are the new seasonal festivals. With this release, Pom’s hometown of Paell will celebrate eight brand-new festivals, and I’m going to prepare you to make the most of them by highlighting four festivals today. For each one, I’ll let you in on the goodies you can grab and showcase an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at some cute concept art.

Spring Reunion

Each season has two festivals, and one of Spring’s is known as the aptly named Spring Reunion, which takes place on the date of Spring 9. The townsfolk of Paell decorate the town and hide eggs in unexpected places, and they’re all up for grabs. This is an egg-cellent opportunity to gather some last-minute supplies before opening your shop as customers today are in the mood for egg-based dishes.

If you want to take these bright and cheery colors with you into the seasons ahead, then make sure you have some profits saved up to purchase a set of Spring Reunion furniture, and the Spring Bunny outfit, made available by merchants in town for a limited time.

Fireflame Festival

The Summer festival I want to spotlight is the Fireflame Festival, which takes place on Summer 19. The Cuisineer developers are a small team based in Singapore, which makes sense if you’ve seen the dishes and delicious food illustrations in this game. The Fireflame Festival brings another helping of cultural inspiration from Asia.

Summer is hot and that means spicy. During this festival, customers crave meals with Tasty Spice and Flaming Spice ingredients. Luckily you can search around the Cheelee lanterns in town for these ingredients. Make this occasion extra special by visiting town at night to release beautiful lanterns or fireworks to light up the sky. But make sure you save some time to grab the Fireflame restaurant decorations and Festive Dragon outfit from town merchants before the festival comes to a close.

Harvest Jubilee

Fall promises a bountiful harvest. See for yourself during the Harvest Jubilee, which takes place on Autumn 7. The trees of Paell take on an autumnal hue, and your fellow residents have even decorated the fountain in front of your restaurant as a giant pumpkin. And while harvests are important, so is candy. Check the numerous candy baskets around town to gather up some sugar in the form of Sweet Sap ingredients that will be perfect for satisfying the sweet tooth your customers bring to your restaurant on this day.

If you’re the type that wants to bring this farm-to-table energy to your restaurant even after fall ends, the merchants in town have you covered with the Farmer outfit and Harvest Jubilee furniture. Fun fact: dressing up in the Farmer outfit will have you matching Pom’s best friend, Biscotti.

Solanum Gala

The year closes strong with Solanum Gala on Winter 17, one of the coziest festivals yet. Red, green, and white abound in the snowy town of Paell, and a giant Solanum tree is right outside your restaurant. Your customers keep the color theme by asking for dishes with red and green Tomato ingredients, and yes, you can gather free Tomatoes around town.

My absolute favorite part of Solanum Gala is the festive outfit you can purchase. Turn Pom into a ‘Santa cat’ with the Nyanta outfit. The hood fits Pom’s cat ears! For those who want to hold on to the holidays for as long as possible even after Solanum Gala has ended, you can purchase some merry furniture for your restaurant on this day only.

Preview the Outfits

In closing, here is the adorable concept art for each of the seasonal outfits I mentioned. The festivals I showcased today are just scratching the surface of the new features available in Cuisineer’s Xbox release, out tomorrow, January 28. Happy cooking!

Cuisineer

XSEED Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$29.99

Pre-order

Upon receiving a startling letter from her parents, the independent adventurer Pom swiftly returns home to Paell, only to find her parents gone and their beloved restaurant abandoned. Now left with mounting debts and a village in dire need of some fine cooking, Pom will have to delve into the deepest dungeons for the scarcest spices, rarest meats, and the most valuable vegetables she can find to keep her parents’ dream alive.

Dive into dungeons and cook up a storm as Pom, an adventurer-turned-restaurateur! Cuisineer‘s food-focused action challenges you to build your dinner the hard way: by dungeon-diving for materials and ingredients. Wield your cooking utensils against giant chickens, artillery shrimps, fire-breathing peppers, and other pesky perils, sipping boba tea along the way. Work with local artisans to customize your kitchen, and tailor your dining hall to the needs of loyal patrons eager to experience the rare recipes you’ve cooked up.

The Xbox Series X/S and Windows Store release of Cuisineer plates its enticing gameplay with fresh ingredients like new weapons, year-round festivals, a wardrobe feature, and more tasty inclusions that are sure to spice things up.

A Smorgasbord of Dungeons
Explore procedurally generated biomes such as the Green Ruins, Frozen Fjord, and Konpeito Swamps that change their size, shape, and resources every time you visit.

Craft Your Own Culinary Experience
Cook over 100 different recipes from around the world, from crunchy Popiah rolls to rich Kaya jam, from double-fried crispy chicken with zesty lemon, to sweet treats piled high with berries. Get the right dishes to the right customers and customize your kitchen and dining hall with the help of local artisans.

Master the Flavors of Fighting
Knock out monsters and rivals with Salty, Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Umami, Frosty and Toasty powers that unleash flame, poison, chain lightning, and other fantastic effects. You can also fight with unique utensils and gourmet gear, like Spatula, Smackerel, Swordfish, and the newly added Konpeito Fist weapons!

Take Quests to Go
From Naicha the Bubble Tea seller to Alder the big friendly carpenter, Paell is full of sweet and spicy townsfolk to befriend. While you’re dungeon diving, be on the lookout for items the townsfolk need. You’ll be rewarded with gold, new items, and even more recipes to take your cooking and adventuring to new heights.