One Piece Grand Gourmet: Nintendo Switch Review

Developed by Kairosoft
Published by Bandai Namco
Platform: Nintendo Switch 

The cosy restaurant simulator really hit its peak with Dave the Diver, an easy, yet somehow never quite relaxing game that covered all the bases and offered all the necessary enhancements to a simple sim.

One Piece: Grand Gourmet however, goes for the more chaotic approach to the restaurant simulator, taking in the characters from the much-loved anime series and demands that you feed every single one of them.

After a storm separates them from their crew, Sanji and Luffy find a restaurant ship that's being victimised by a group of fake Straw Hat pirates. These troublemakers are on the scene to ensure that Sanji's mentor, the Baratie, is given a bad name and it's up to Sanji to clear it - and beat the fakes in a series of culinary battles.

As with most simulators, One Piece Grand Gourmet starts simple - build the floating restaurant, feed people, get money and upgrade. The more comfortable the restaurant is, the more people will stay and spend - but conversely, the busier it gets, the harder it is to achieve your aims.

If you're a fan of the One Piece lore, then this really is the game for you - but for newcomers, it can be a touch overwhelming, no matter how cutely executed it is. Occasionally, the game leaves you feeling like you're watching, rather than contributing and while it's a case of sorting out what dishes go where from just four food types (main, side, desserts and drinks), Grand Gourmet starts to feel more like it's a chore rather than a pleasure to run a restaurant - especially due to the chaos.

But for those versed in the lore, the game is a brilliantly different way of capturing the success of the series and powers on the idea that you'll get a lot out of serving your fave characters and others. Just simply doing things to attract customers will get you through the first levels, but any more than that you'll need to start thinking about strategy - from what kind of meals to craft to what kind of decorations to use, the game's going to reward you when it should and punish you when it needs to.

Ultimately, how you feel about One Piece Grand Gourmet, no matter its cuteness and adherence to its lore, will depend on what you want from a restaurant sim - if you're after a more active kind of game, that's not this - but if you enjoy watching the chaos, this serves up what it needs in spades.