Cooking is a thing I think about almost on a daily basis, not because of the usual pesky reason that is my mortal coil demanding sustenance, but because I love to do it! Having a family background in hospitality will do that to you. Of course, doing this whole writing about games thingy is a bit of a different beast, but cooking does still often crop up in games. My only problem is I often wish it was a central aspect of a game, rather than a singular, miniscule feature. Lucky for me, a new restaurant management RPG called The Hearth and Harbour from the team behind The Pale Beyond has just been announced!
In The Hearth and Harbour, you play as Kit, who’s left their home behind in hopes of finding a new life, all while trying to avoid a war that’s on the way. Kit ends up in a harbour city called Lewthport, acquiring a rundown restaurant to restore – though this does require paying off a substantial loan. That’s where you come in! It’s up to you to decide what kind of establishment this becomes, like a greasy spoon, a fancy bistro, or something a bit gourmet.
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What this means in practical terms is choosing the layout and decor in the first instance, and once you’re up and running, The Hearth and Harbour turns into a turn-based tactical game where you have to seat customers, take orders, and make sure food arrives in good time. Happier customers, more money.
Outside of working hours, you’re able to wander around Lewthport. There’s a market to pick up ingredients from, you can build relationships with your suppliers, maybe head to the pub for a pint. There’s an opportunity to build a community here, and subsequently that affects how successful your restaurant ends up. You have to make important narrative choices through conversations too, it all seems quite neatly complex.
Not only is it made by The Pale Beyond developer Saltstore Studios, but The Hearth and Harbour is set in the same world and time period as the survival game. There’s no release date just yet, but you can count me in on keeping an eye on this one. You can wishlist it on Steam now.
