Battle Chef Brigade

 Switch
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 46
  3. Negative: 5 out of 46

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  1. JJ1990
    Nov 23, 2017
    9
    Imagine a fantasy world where Humans , Orcs, Dwarves and other fantasy characters travel to exotic locations to hunt diverse monsters such as dragons and rhino-buffalo only to cook them and Prepare them into delicious cuisine moments later and compete to see who has the best chops in a global tournament . This is the world of Battle chef brigade.where you play as Mina an optimisticImagine a fantasy world where Humans , Orcs, Dwarves and other fantasy characters travel to exotic locations to hunt diverse monsters such as dragons and rhino-buffalo only to cook them and Prepare them into delicious cuisine moments later and compete to see who has the best chops in a global tournament . This is the world of Battle chef brigade.where you play as Mina an optimistic Human in this fantasy world who dearly wishes to leave home and compete in this years tournament. You'll join her as she begins her quest , meet new friends, and try to uncover a deeper plot .

    The presentation of this game is great from the voiceovers which bring all of the quirky characters to life (I love the two headed Cyclops who banters with himself? his brother head?) . Mina herself is both relatable and adorable a woman who can bring down a dragon but has a hard time conquering her alarm clock . The art aesthetics of the game are great too , I almost feel like I'm watching an anime or reading a Manga at times , Everything looks and is Hand Drawn . Unfortunately there is a lack of animations which some might find immersion breaking but I have yet to find a place where I think an additional walk cycle here or more frames of animation there would amplify my experience. Lastly the music is great , subtle but much like the art and voiceovers it keeps you sort of energized as you balance the diverse mechanics of the gameplay .

    The core gameplay for Battle chef brigade centers on two primary mechanics 2D brawling / platforming for hunting and collecting ingredients and a matching puzzle game for the actual cooking .portion . I Expected this to be a Puzzle game with a tacked on crappy action sequence but truly the fighting feels fantastic and it requires more than just button mashing . Doing a 4 hit combo into a dodge move before unleashing your whirlwind magic to get some ribs for your entree will definitely happen .

    The puzzle-focused cooking is great too . There are gems of thee element types ( Water, Fire , Earth) and by combining the gems you can level up and amplify the flavor and quality of each ingredient in your your entree. Even this is deeper than I expected though as The type of pans you cook in can determine if it becomes a match two or match three sequence , you can implement sauces which will change gyms and by mixing special non-element Items you can further enhance your dish .

    So you've spent a few minutes hunting , you have spent a few minutes preparing your dish , now what? Time to present your Meal to the judges ! I think the actual inclusion of Judges makes this game even more Awesome. Before each round in the tournament your character and opponent get a small ceremonial intro , the Judge is presented and they mention what flavors they enjoy and you are given a meal theme item to implement . once You've finished prepping the meal they will evaluate your opponents Dish and then yours and whoever scores highest wins the round . The dishes when finished look delicious and have made me legitimately hungry and hearing the judges critique your and your opponents dishes feels real as they talk about the flavors they like but perhaps the lack of presence in the theme item .

    Much like the theme of this game it's mechanics it provides and stirs together enough different aspects in its own unique way that it feels fresh , fun , and fulfilling . My only gripe is that an " Arcade mode" or quick tournament ladder mode of some sort would be amazing but for what it's worth the game does provide a daily cooking challenge so that you can compete against other players and two " free modes" where you can practice just hunting or just cooking respectively .

    As someone who went into Battle Chef Brigade not knowing a ton about it it has been an absolutely delightful and appetizing experience.    … Expand
  2. JoshiWindo
    Nov 25, 2017
    10
    This game wanted to sell us a fantasy rpg story featuring cooking with battle chefs. It delivers in both themes thanks to an amazing art and story direction, solid music and fun mechanics.

    Duration: 9 hours. Easy and hard mode and online challenges for extended replayability. Pros: -The art direction is gorgeous. Hand-made and vivid. -Realistic and relatable characters -The story    This game wanted to sell us a fantasy rpg story featuring cooking with battle chefs. It delivers in both themes thanks to an amazing art and story direction, solid music and fun mechanics.

    Duration: 9 hours. Easy and hard mode and online challenges for extended replayability.

    Pros:
    -The art direction is gorgeous. Hand-made and vivid.
    -Realistic and relatable characters
    -The story and settings are introduced very well.
    -Fun combat and cooking mechanics.
    -Customization allows for a lot of styles of playing.

    -Cons:
    -No loose ends on the story, but somehow you are left wanting more of the world.
    -The battle and cooking idea limits the overall product. The game is perfect on its own but It's hard to see how it could be improved.

    I hope to see more from the studio and congratulations in such an amazing feat.    … Expand
  3. Kingphazer
    Jan 21, 2018
    6
    I finished playing BCB (Battle Chef Brigade) yesterday and gave myself time to reflect on the game itself. I bought this when the day the game was released, but with finals and adult responsibilities I put off playing the majority of the game until recently. That being said, the game is not long by any means and if you don't completely suck at bejeweled-like puzzles, the game should takeI finished playing BCB (Battle Chef Brigade) yesterday and gave myself time to reflect on the game itself. I bought this when the day the game was released, but with finals and adult responsibilities I put off playing the majority of the game until recently. That being said, the game is not long by any means and if you don't completely suck at bejeweled-like puzzles, the game should take you no longer than 10 hours to finish the story.

    Without spoiling too much of the story, 100 years ago monsters had wiped out most of the animal population which led to a chef and a soldier creating a culinary school designed to train "chef-soldiers," to fight monsters and cook them. You play as Mina Han, a young cook who's dream is to be free from her nest and showcase her cooking, through join the brigade. She makes a few friends on the way while weaving through twists and turns at almost every corner.

    BCB in its basic form is a puzzle game tied together with a side scrolling brawler, with some elements of RPGs included. During hunting portion of the game, players are required to go kill these monsters for monster parts, in which the parts will be made into some delectable creations. Each monster part has a combination of 1-4 orbs ranging from 3 different colours. During the cooking portion of the game, the player "stirs" the dish and combines orbs of the same colour. You are given cooking utensils and accessories to assist you in your conquest to be there best chef at the brigade, as well as items that help you out while hunting.

    BCB does a lot of things right. It's a lighthearted, fun adventure and the art and scenery fit hand in hand with the overall theme of the game. The dishes in which you create look awesome and I found myself trying new ingredients to see just how many dishes I could create. While there's not a lot of actual animation, the game looks tremendous and the attention to detail is incredible. The voice acting was unexpected, but I thought it was well done and add a bit of depth to the characters. Unfortunately, that's everything positive for the game.

    The game is short on actual things to do. Yes the cooking and hunting is fun when combined, but when you're not battling to be the best chef, part time jobs are offered for you to make money, and split the core game into hunting, stirring, and puzzle solving on their own. Without the competitiveness of a timer and trying to score higher than your opponent, these mini versions of the game fall flat.

    The story starts off good, but becomes a tangled mess through the end. I won't spoil anything, but I will say you don't change characters suddenly when you're like 70% through the game already, and then change again. It breaks the flow and narrative already established. And kind of a nitpicky thing for me, there were times when I was playing the game undocked and I couldn't hear the voice acting over the music. I know this is something small and not really game breaking, but if you add voice acting, it's sloppy if you can't actually hear what the actors are saying.

    This is a clear indie game, and I had high hopes coming into this. I love cooking and was hoping this would scratch an itch for me, but I was overall disappointed. If Trinket studios were to revisit the world of Victusia, I think they can do better. Mix the sound better, make a story that flows and if you want to take the game to the next level, let me make my own character. I thought Mina's story was fine, I just wished I got to customize her appearance a bit, you know, give me a little bit more freedom.    … Expand
  4. Taf
    Nov 26, 2017
    8
    I really enjoyed the game, hunt and gem match nuances. Lots of fun.
    The storyline was well thought out.
    BUT ... it was so short. I have finished the game easily.
    They could have fleshed it out so much more. :(
  5. AllySky
    Jun 12, 2018
    10
    Game had so much charm, it should have been an anime. We desperately need a Battle Chef Brigade 2, because the first one is a must buy.
  6. joehi1
    Oct 18, 2018
    8
    Battle Chef Brigade is one of my only regrets of any Nintendo Switch game I have purchased however, the regret is that I didn't purchase it sooner. While you may not get a deep twisting narrative from this title you will get a fun match 3 style game that some how manages to blend in action rpg style combat in a manner that is near flawless. The environment and atmosphere of the game isBattle Chef Brigade is one of my only regrets of any Nintendo Switch game I have purchased however, the regret is that I didn't purchase it sooner. While you may not get a deep twisting narrative from this title you will get a fun match 3 style game that some how manages to blend in action rpg style combat in a manner that is near flawless. The environment and atmosphere of the game is brimming with colour and every time you take down a big creature to get ingredients or match up a lot of ingredients to make a great meal it feels so satisfying. The customization also helps add a little diversity to the game which it greatly appreciates. Overall Battle Chef Brigade is a shorter game but you're still looking at 6-10 hours to complete with post game options as well such as daily challenges so that you never completely run out of things to do. Battle Chef brigade is a wonderful indie title that unfortunately didn't get the respect it deserved at launch. I definitely recommend Battle Chef Brigade for anyone who's looking for a fun action rpg without a seriously deep narrative.

    Cons

    May feel short on content for some

    Story is average    … Expand
  7. Grunty
    Sep 1, 2018
    7
    A weird mix of mechanisms (a light platform for collecting, a light match three for cooking, a light rpg for the story) which works together nicely with nice graphics. Not the best game ever, but fairly good enough.
  8. pmasterfunk
    Aug 5, 2020
    6
    I tried really hard to like Battle Chef Brigade. It's by no means bad, but after finishing it, I feel like it has some big issues that will prevent me from going back.

    The cooking part is pretty fun, but I can't say (after finishing the game mind you) that I have any idea what I'm doing. The mechanics are fun, but I find some of the time limits a bit too strict for me to be able to    I tried really hard to like Battle Chef Brigade. It's by no means bad, but after finishing it, I feel like it has some big issues that will prevent me from going back.

    The cooking part is pretty fun, but I can't say (after finishing the game mind you) that I have any idea what I'm doing. The mechanics are fun, but I find some of the time limits a bit too strict for me to be able to actually plan out more than one meal, and instead I just throw stuff in based on color rather than what might actually work out together as a meal.

    The action is pretty weak. Controls are floaty, hit boxes seem kinda wonky, and there is basically 0 difficulty involved in the action sequences. The idea of fighting interesting monsters to cook their innards is cool, but there aren't that many types of enemies, and there are basically only 3 areas with 3-5 different enemies to beat. After a few chapters, you'll basically have seen every ingredient in the game.

    The graphics are nice, but the hand animated anime-styled sprites are probably animated 'on twos' for a lot of actions, which looks pretty jarring with the game running at 60 fps. Some battle animations look really good, Mina's dash/parry looks great, and her somersault kick attack also looks good. But the walking animations all look kinda floaty, some attacks seem/feel really slow, and it annoyed me.

    The story is pretty bland, and the first 3 (of 6) chapters have nothing going on, then there's a bit of plot in chapter 4. Finally, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next... then chapter 5 is filler.

    The big bad is unremarkable, we only see him for the first time in the game in the second to last scene in the game. The good guys are also unremarkable, although nice and pleasant, their personalities are so weak and interchangeable that I wouldn't be able to tell who is talking without looking at the names on top of the text bubbles. There's basically no personal growth going on for anyone, good or bad. The voice acting is pretty good at least. The fake accents may annoy some.

    All said and done, I'd like to see a vastly improved sequel. With good action, a solid story, and interesting characters, it would be right up my alley. I suppose you could say that about any average game, but I do like the concept. I'm just disappointed with the execution.    … Expand
  9. ijol
    Feb 7, 2019
    8
    I love how they took a very interesting point of view in world full of monsters: culinary. This game did a great job combining puzzle, strategy, and platformer genre. It gets more complicated throughout the story which really makes you always come back to play (or not, if you just need something silly to play with).
  10. Moltor
    Mar 8, 2019
    10
    This game is soooooooooooo much fun the characters are great the story ok and the game play is super good the only downside are the long loading screens and the short campaign.
  11. Polarisao
    Nov 8, 2019
    10
    loved this game ! couldn't put it down - very unique, interesting and fun. short game but worth the price
  12. Rincryo
    Jul 1, 2020
    8
    Nice little cooking/action rpg like game, cute characters and great voice actors. Also great art style

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best Switch Game of 2017
86
#86 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
70
#70 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Edge Magazine
    Jan 9, 2018
    70
    It's insubstantial but sweet, then: Trinket Studio's game may not linger long on the palate, but while it lasts, this delicate confection leaves a pleasant taste indeed. [Issue#315, p.118]
  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Jan 7, 2018
    90
    What they've served up here is filling, delicious and sure to please every gaming gourmand. [Issue #31 – January/February 2018, p. 26M]
  3. Cubed3
    Jan 2, 2018
    80
    Battle Chef Brigade is very entertaining and no Nintendo Switch owner should be without. The production quality is a bit on the cheap side when the story is being presented, and some of the background art can be a bit on the amateurish side, but there really is nothing else like this. Mina is a very likeable character and proves to not only be an awesome cook, but a decent fighter, too. This is an unlikely recipe that turned out to be a real hit. Whether it is in the kitchen or the battlefield, nobody can beat Mina.
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