Steam 'creepy-cozy' free demo will leave you hungry for more; we've played it

Steam users, especially those with a Steam Deck, simply must try Creature Kitchen, a self-proclaimed ‘cosy-creepy’ cooking-sim about feeding things that go bump in the night.

Creature Kitchen is set in a mysterious house that stands alone in the woods, filled with curious oddities and visited by curiouser beings.

It was developed and published by The Rat Zone, and the core gameplay revolves around inspecting the peculiar wildlife surrounding your new home and feeding them a variety of gourmet meals.

Each creature has its own tastes and preferences, so you’ll need to scour the area for recipe cards if you want to leave everyone nourished.

At the time of writing, the game has a spectacular rating of 99% Positive, with nearly 7,000 reviews.

READ NEXT: Hogwarts Legacy 88% rated rival drops generous free new offering

I played the Creature Kitchen demo on Steam Deck and immediately bought the full game

After spotting this game on Instagram, I felt compelled to give it a go. I don’t own a PC, so the only way I could play it was through my Steam Deck. Luckily, it’s Steam Deck verified and left me utterly obsessed.

The demo itself took around 45 minutes of playtime. You need to take a photo of every creature you encounter to figure out what they’d like to eat, and then find the ingredients stashed away in the house, out in the yard, or hidden in an endlessly looping pantry.

The Rat Zone

I was left thoroughly enamoured by the gameplay loop, and for $7.99/£6.69, I knew the full experience would be worth it.

HowLongToBeat reckons around three and a half hours of playtime is all that’s needed to complete a full playthrough, and after rolling credits myself, I’d say that’s a fair assessment if you want the game’s true ending.

The only times your progress will be halted is if you run out of recipes, as some creatures will only eat certain types of food. For example, the demon who lives in the pantry will only eat Italian dishes.

To find more recipes, you’ll have to either scan the environment, root through cupboards or complete simple puzzles. These puzzles also tend to net you new ingredients, and every ingredient you pick up will be automatically stocked in the pantry or fridge from that point onwards.

I don’t want to spoil what kind of creatures you’ll encounter or how to summon them, as first meetings are half the fun of this game.

What I will say is that the only complaint I can think of is how badly I want more of this game. A sequel or some sort of randomised mode is high on my wishlist after playing, but there’s enough content in the game as is for two complete playthroughs; one for the base ending and one for the true ending.

Creature Kitchen is, without a doubt, one of the best indie games I’ve played this year, and it’s actually encouraged me to use my Steam Deck more after several months on the shelf. The free demo is available now, and I’d highly recommend you play it and the full game if it’s your cup of tea.

READ NEXT: PC gamers save $170 in new 8-game bundle that includes 2024 award winning RPG