What is it that they say about the
family that eats together, stays together? Or is it the family that plays
together who stays together? Both could be true for Cooking Mama: World Kitchen,
whose food-preparing gameplay will have you itching for a bite of something
real.
Mama, the chef who makes cooking
possible within this world, is back to give you a helping hand in preparing
dozens of new recipes. When I say “helping hand,” I really mean “nudge you
along,” as you are not given more than the most basic on-screen instructions.
It’s up to the player to figure out how to crack open an egg, how much batter to
pour into a pan or how to catch toast before it falls to the ground. (Needless
to say, Mama needs a new toaster.)
If you’ve played the last game for
Wii or either of the DS releases, then you already know the basics of World
Kitchen. This edition could easily be described as an arcade game since it does
not waste time with a story mode (what would be the point?), lengthy
voice-overs, unnecessary mini-games or any other trivial element found within
some of the Cooking Mama knock-offs.
World Kitchen introduces several new
and/or revised cooking mechanics, such as the way eggs are broken. Instead of
shaking the remote in a particular manner, you’ll study an odd-looking egg meter
– which has four possible ways the egg could crack – and wait for the arrow to
scroll up and down. When the arrow reaches the icon of the crack you wish to
inflict, shake the remote. If done quickly enough, you’ll break open the egg in
perfect form. If you miss, the egg may not have been hit hard enough, giving
players a chance to try again. But it may also be hit too harshly, which may
break the egg and prevent it from having any use in the recipe.
Minor changes like this won’t have
an effect on most players – they just make the game a bit more procedural. The
mini-game additions are much more notable, as Max – the quintessential hungry
dog – is now a part of the Cooking Mama experience. If you’re slicing meat too
quickly (which is easy to do given the simple Wii-shaking mechanics), a slice
may fly off the counter and head in the direction of your canine friend. That
won’t pose a problem if he’s napping. But if Max happens to get a whiff of the
airborne item, watch out. He’ll run toward the meat and swallow it whole.
That’s where Mama, with her
surprisingly quick feet, must beat Max in a race to prevent this valuable
ingredient from becoming a doggy treat. Two race meters appear: one for Mama and
one for Max. Shake the remote as fast as possible to make Mama run toward the
meat. If she beats Max in the race, she’ll leap into the air and catch the meat
on her plate, avoiding the need to use the “Five Second Rule” (a rule not
acceptable in Mama’s kitchen). But if Max wins, he’ll catch the slice in his
mouth, happily eating while creating an amusing scene to watch.
Max loves a tasty snack.
This and other Mama and Max-oriented
mini-games are baked right into the main game. So let’s say you’re trying to
make toast for a delicious club sandwich. The toaster is either very old or has
a spring in the bottom, ‘cause it launches every piece high into the air. Catch
the toast by shaking the remote when a flash appears underneath each piece. If
you miss more than one piece, Mama will attempt to catch it, prompting another
racing mini-game. This one, however, is without the threat of Max: he’s not
interested in bread.
Veggie-catching – another new
element – is reminiscent of the food mini-games in the Game & Watch Gallery
titles for Game Boy Color. Holding the Wii remote sideways (like an NES
controller but with the buttons facing toward the player), you’ll tilt it left
and right to make your aspiring chef – a young boy or girl – move from left to
right. With skewers in hand, he or she must catch the veggies as they fall, and
avoid salt and pepper shakers, which magically appear for some unknown reason.
Veggies must also be peeled, sliced
and mashed, the latter of which creates a mash-based mini-game where vegetables
are rolled across the cutting board. As each veggie rolls by, the player must
shake the Wii remote downward to mash the veggie before it passes. Miss and your
chef will be stunned for a moment, wasting valuable seconds in a world where
time is everything.
On the whole, the game changes and
Max mini-games do not evolve the Cooking Mama series very much, but they do
present some interesting possibilities. Max brings a great comedic element to
the series.
In addition to the main mode (where
every completed dish unlocks the next recipe in the list), there is also a
friend mode where you can use any unlocked recipe to try and impress a virtual
friend. Basically, it’s the same game all over again but with a slightly harder
difficulty. Mama won’t provide any pointers, but as you’ll quickly learn, she
doesn’t provide many to begin with. In most cases this is a game of trial and
error: you’ll shake, wiggle and tilt the remote until each portion of a recipe
makes sense, then move onto the next. Recipes are laid out in a specific order;
no portion can be re-played individually. Thus, the frustrations of the last
game are still present. Not all of the mini-games work seamlessly.
By now, however, Cooking Mama fans
should be used to the annoyances. Overall, this is a fun and silly game that
will satisfy the craving of those wishing to experience another Wii cookout.
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Gameplay: 7.4
Classic Cooking Mama gameplay with new and revised cooking mechanics and
hilarious mini-games with Mama’s dog, Max.
Graphics: 5.0
The "new" 3D graphics are supposed to make the game look more realistic
(that’s what you’d think, at least). But they are counter-productive, thanks in
part to the cel-shading, which makes the recipes less visually appetizing.
Sound: 6.0
Same as before: childish and quirky. Considering that this is the fourth
game in the series (two for DS and two for Wii), some new music and sound
effects are really needed.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
You’ll have to fight hard to get a perfect score on all the recipes. But if
you suck and still want to play through them all, the game won’t stop you.
Concept: 7.0
World Kitchen isn’t as impressive as the first Cooking Mama, but the new Max
mini-games are hilarious.
Multiplayer: 5.0
The co-op is pretty basic, offering just eight recipe steps (not full
recipes) that can be played with a friend or AI teammate.
Overall: 7.1
More of the same with a few additional spices, Cooking Mama: World Kitchen
isn’t the freshest game in the market. But fans of the series should be
entertained, especially those who can appreciate the silly humor that it
provides.
