If you’re looking for a witchy game to play this Halloween season, Magical Delicacy is the perfect game for you.
Magical Delicacy is a pixel game developed by Skaule where you can explore a town and cook different recipes and magical dishes. The game was released on July 16, 2024, available on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox.
The story follows the adventure of Flora, a witch who moves to the harbor town of Grat where magic and witches are welcome. With a shop rented to her, she opens Flora’s Magical Delicacies and fulfill the townspeople’s dish orders. Make use of your kitchen tools and whip out the most delicious dishes you can come up with!
Diverse Characters and Storyline
Each character in Magical Delicacy has their own uniqueness and beauty. Their personalities blossom in the story the more you interact and unlock them by fulfilling their dish requests. The storyline of follows a linear plot with many optional encounters for open-ended plays. The beautiful pixel art style and relaxing music adds to the charm of the characters and the story itself.
Extensive Cooking System
Since the main premise of Magical Delicacy is cooking, the activities and interactions are centered around it. Unlike other games such as Stardew Valley, cooking takes a while to be completed, and the tools need have to be either purchased or unlocked via quest.
The player can install cooking stations in the kitchen, such as an oven, cauldron, and skillet. Furthermore, ingredients are obtained through farming, foraging, or buying from merchants. With these ingredients, you can create magical dishes and tasty treats to deliver to the townspeople.
Players can choose to follow recipes or experiment and create new ones. While your dishes are being cooked and processed, you can explore and do other tasks. Once your creation is ready, you can deliver the tasty treats, potions, tea, and meals to customers and friends.
Metroidvania 2D Platformer Gameplay for Exploration
Magical Delicacy is a metroidvania-inspired game where players navigate through platforms in jumping and running mechanics. Platform your way around the town and explore as much as you can while also gaining more experience in cooking. More areas in the map will open as you go on.
Like other games, there are also a lot of secrets and hidden areas in Magical Delicacy. Furthermore, some of the areas are only accessible during certain times of the day. In addition, you will also unlock new items and abilities as you progress.
Does Magical Delicacy Have a Down Side?
Although I won’t view this as a drawback, you may, depending on your style of play. Magical Delicacy is a video game that requires player action because of its stress-free design.
By default, players aren’t given any map. They have to look for one from a seller. Additionally, there map doesn’t display any points of interest after you obtain it.
Though the merchant can also provide such information, I feel like it’d be better to just have it on the map altogether. Another item you may buy from the seller is markers and waypoints if you’d like to use them.
If y’all have played Hollow Knight, then you’d be familiar with this map mechanic because they are very similar. Though it does promote and encourage players to explore the world, first-timers may find the mechanic a bit much for their taste.
Feedback from the Magical Delicacy Community
Within months after its release, Magical Delicacy garnered positive reviews across platforms. It was also featured multiple times by different game streamers. So, how good is Magical Delicacy according to its players?
The game is an easy favorite for those who are into platforming games. It’s cozy while challenging at the same time. Though the tutorials are not very specific, there are hints all over the game for easy navigation. There are also mini games for tasks such as harvesting ingredients.
Although most reviews are positive, some do not regard this game as cozy due to its main platforming feature. Since most of the items and areas are unlocked via exploring and jumping around platforms, it can get quite frustrating.
Some also request more quality-of-life features and customization.
Given the game was only released this year, we hope these reviews and suggestions will be heard and updated accordingly. If you’re still deciding whether you vibe with this game or not, the devs also included a demo of the game on Steam.
