Fruitbus is more than just a cosy game, it’s a beautiful cooking simulator that celebrates life with food. I adored making emotional connections with customers throughout the cooking journey, with patrons revealing more about themselves with every dish. Although the complexity of the gameplay sometimes hindered those bonding sessions, it was a beautiful journey nonetheless.
A Juicy Story!
The Fruitbus is a food truck you grew up with, lovingly owned by your grandma, who has now passed it down to you. In a heartfelt note, you learn of her deep affection for her truck, and her desire for all of her loved ones to gather for a final farewell feast.
You’re tasked with bringing everyone together to celebrate her life, and highlighting how food can form and foster connections.
After picking up the food truck from an impound lot, you set off on a ferry to travel the islands of the Gustum Archipelago, where you can forage for an array of ingredients and take in stunning scenery. Along the way, you’ll meet unique characters who all share nostalgic memories of the Fruitbus and how your grandma impacted their lives with her cooking. With big shoes to fill, it’s your responsibility to gather all the RSVPs for the farewell feast.
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While getting a yes or a no answer may seem straightforward, most characters ask something of you before they decide. These favours may involve making their favourite dish, helping out around their home, or meeting them in unique locations to learn more about their stories.
You’ll discover that Grandma wasn’t universally loved, however, and that she regrettably tarnished some relationships in the past. Not least the relationship with her own daughter, as you fund out that Grandma often put her business before her family. These aggrieved characters require some extra convincing before they will agree to attend the bash.
Navigating these challenges will not only test your skills in the kitchen, but also your ability to repair broken relationships. Each favour brings you closer to fulfilling grandmas last wish of having her friends and family gather for a final celebration of her life, and also a deeper understanding of the legacy she is leaving behind.
Let’s cut to the cheese (Gameplay).
Fruitbus has all the elements you would expect to find in a cosy game. You can craft tools and buy upgrades for your bus, forage for ingredients, create vibrant dishes and engage in charming conversations. However, as laid-back as Fruitbus looks from the outside, it is quite methodical on the inside.
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Until you unlock the backpack upgrade, you have to get by with what you can hold in your hands, which can feel limiting. When foraging you can only grab two pieces of fruit at a time, before you have to run them back to your truck and return to gather more. If you need to use a tool, like a shovel to dig up carrots, you can only carry one carrot back with you at a time. It’s the same when cooking; you have to put down your knife to pick up a bowl, essentially needing to free up a hand just to grab something quickly.
As mentioned, there are upgrades you can buy; the backpack really helps with foraging! I wish I’d learnt about them much sooner, as they really would’ve helped with the menial tasks. If you’re starting a new game of Frutibus I would make the backpack your first priority.
While I appreciate the game’s attention to detail and its effort to create a realistic experience, the tedious and repetitive tasks could get quite frustrating. If it was pure cooking simulator, I could understand these limitations, but for a cosy game, it felt a bit excessive.
We make a beautiful pear (Graphics & Soundtrack).
Fruitbus‘ art style is charming and colourful, much like a vibrant fruit salad. The game differentiates between key characters and background characters — or ‘tourists’ — by illustrating them in a slightly different style. A subtle but handy design feature that helps you locate the important face in the crowd.
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The soundtrack is whimsical and comforting, which frames the game perfectly. Each environment has its own set of ambient sounds, like the lapping water from a waterfall, birds singing in the trees, and chattering animal-like sounds in the jungle. The music and ambiance pair together to create a really cosy atmosphere.
Grape minds think alike (Should you buy Fruitbus?).
The game has some minor bugs that need to be ironed out, but nothing game-breaking. It also has an ‘unstuck’ option in the menu which acts as a reset for your character if you find yourself in trouble. I also hit some minor lag, especially as I became quicker at the game’s tasks.
As far as cosy games go, Fruitbus has a lot of depth. While the methodical and repetitive gameplay took some getting used to, I still enjoyed my time with the game overall.
Cooking themed games have a special place in my heart; I love being able to forage ingredients and unlock new creative recipes to try out. The story that unfolds as you travel the archipelago, speaking with its inhabitants, is a very sentimental one. Pairing it all with mouthwatering food is a chef’s kiss!
Krillbite Studios have whipped up a fruity cocktail of story, gameplay and cosy vibes that is deliciously sweet, albeit with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Fruitbus is releasing on Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox X|S and Xbox One on October 28th.
Quest Daily scores Fruitbus:
7/10
A copy of Fruitbus was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this review.
