The Video Game Chef: 76 Iconic Foods from Pac-Man to Elden Ring

by Cassandra Reeder

Bring your favorite video game foods to life—spanning the ’80s to present day—with easy recipes for game nights, themed parties, and just for fun!

If you’ve ever stopped in the middle of a quest because the on-screen food looked too good to be true, prepare yourself—they’re not just pixels anymore. In The Video Game Chef , Cassandra Reeder (aka the Geeky Chef) has perfectly re-created favorite health boosts, level-ups, cooking challenges, and more , compiling 76 recipes from popular and cult video games from the 1980s to the present day for gamers of all ages,
   
Along with the easy-to-make and delicious recipes are stunning video game–style food illustrations and recipe notes that are chock-full of fun and fascinating information about the foods and the games , allowing The Video Game Chef to immerse you in your favorite fantastical worlds while satisfying your appetite

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food, Video Games

208 pages, Hardcover

Published September 26, 2023

About the author

Author Cassandra Reeder launched her blog The Geeky Chef in 2008, bringing fictional food and drinks from a vast array of fandoms into reality with simple and fun recipes. Since then, a series of cookbooks based on the trailblazing blog have been published, including The Geeky Chef Cookbook and The Geeky Bartender Drinks. In 2023, she released The Unofficial Princess Bride Cookbook, a delicious celebration of the classic cult film. When not conjuring up recipes for fictional food, Cassandra can be found having adventures and perusing the food carts in Portland, OR with her husband and two little geeks.

Reviews

[Tawfek]

For my babies, Can't wait to cook food and play video games with you, my loves.

DNF doesn't matter in which page, because this DNF is not something bad with the book, i just thought there would be more balance between Game lore and cooking recipes (Which is unrealistic, the book is literally a cooking book)
The Author sounds like an amazing chef, i was salivating at some of these stuff, and i was suspicious of others, looking at the red potion recipe >.> 🥤<.<
I loved her forward so much, i think it's pretty sweet and cute.
I will not be reposting this review, so that someone who actually gives the book the time it deserves, finish it and write about it get the spotlight.
Book is recommended, to People who are interested in learning Games cooking recipes, the author shows a lot of ingenuity in that regard, To all Moms like the author who want to video game and cook for her children, to all moms like the author who would love to surprise their kids with a game oriented meal in their birthday, the book covers 76 games.
And to dads too, WTH, my dad just made me a sandwich after all!

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

The Video Game Chef is a fun, quirky, and unique cookbook based on video games across different decades.
The book isn't set out as you usually find with a cookbook e.g. starters, mains, desserts but is set out in a chronicalogical format, which is a little confusing at first until you get your head around it but also added to the retro theme of the book. Dishes are also labelled as beginner, normal, and expert, making it great for all levels of cooking skills. I especially enjoyed the information linking to each dish about the game it is linked to/inspired from, making it a fun and intriguing collection of recipes. The only think that knocked down my rating for this book was the lack of photographs for finished dishes as this was very disappointing as I visually like to see how a dish turns out before making it and found this very strange to have not been included. Photography styles from each decade included in the book would have made this an amazing cookbook.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really fun cookbook with unique recipes! The recipes are really creative and are inspired by different video games. There are recipes inspired by different video games from different decades making this perfect for all ages. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Cassandra Reeder, Quarto Publishing Group/Epic Ink and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.

[BookBabeNails · Rating 4 out of 5]

»—-Booksta ¸.•´*¨`*• Book Blog •*`¨*`•. 25+ Book Discord-—«

This cookbook is absolutely adorable. As someone who has played a lot of these games, I loved all the extra details like beginner, normal, & expert mode and the helpful hints along the way. The art is so retro and cool as well. I can’t wait to try some of these recipes out, especially Yoshi’s Cookies, The Elders Scrolls Sweet Rolls and the Spicy Ramen from Destiny!

I also appreciate the way these recipes and the games they represent are listed in chronological order so there’s something for everyone from the 80s to present day. The little tidbits about the connection between each game and its recipe were interesting and fun.

The one component I really think this cookbook is missing is photos of the actual food. The food artwork is cute, but it doesn’t motivate me to cook as much as seeing how good the real food will look when I’m done making it. I’ll still try some of these recipes out and I think this book would make a fun addition to a gamer’s kitchen.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Rae | The Finer Things Club CA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sorry to say, but 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘧 just wasn’t for me. I picked it up because I’m throwing my gamer husband a 1980s-themed birthday party soon and thought this would be a good source of inspiration. While the illustrations are cute and fun and the cookbook covers a good range of video games, the lack of real photography made it difficult to get excited about any of these dishes. Also, the way it was organized—by era rather than by recipe type or even by game—didn’t help me envision a meal. I should have taken the title at face value, this will likely appeal more to true gamers who like to dabble in cooking or own hobbyist items rather than party hosts or home chefs with a certain theme in mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Anja - · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipies are fun and very fitting for most of the games featured, though I must admit that some of them seemed a little plain and uninspiring, the lack of actual photos of the dishes lessened my excitement, and eventhough the illustrations are very well done they weren't too inspiring in and on themselves.
It's also a bit difficult to navigate since It's by era rather than mains, dessert etc.

All in all it's fun but nothing too mind blowing, sadly.

[Jennyfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Video Game Chef is a quirky cookbook based on video games, from the original retro Pac Man to 2022's Elden Ring. The games included are cult classics, and of course they all feature food in some way or form.

The book is laid out chronologically, rather than by theme or food type, so there sometimes seems a mishmash of roasts following desserts and noodles. But it works. There is a proper index, sorting them by type at the back.

As for the recipes themselves, they were well thought out and easy enough to follow. As I wasn't familiar with many of these games, I won't have liked some more graphics or illustrations so I could see what the finished product would be. These recipes aren't all child or family friendly, but there are (some) modifications you can make to them. There are definitely some I'll try!

Overall this was a well written recipe book, formatted in fantastic retro style.

~Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

[Azthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Geeky Chef Cassandra Reeder brings to life the pixelated cuisine that Player Characters have been virtually salivating over since the 80s when Pac-Man was first released. Ever wondered what those squarish circles our yellow little friendly vigorously chomped down tasted like?
Here is your chance! This iconic cookbook boasts 76 different recipes inspired by video games from the 80's until present day. No need to worry about farming or drop rates with this book!
The recipes are divided by year of game release and rated by difficulty level and items needed (common to legendary!).
Some of my favorites include "Wallmeat" for those fans of Castlevania, "Ration" for old school Konomi lovers, Sea Salt Ice Cream for who follow the adventures of Sora with his keyblade, and of course the infamous "Cake" from Portal is also included (or maybe it's just a lie.)
Each recipe comes with interesting factoids about it's gaming origins as well as hints and mods to help out with crafting.
Perfect for any gourmet gamers out there!

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the advanced copy.

I'm a gamer, and I'm also a foodie who loves to cook, so seeing this cookbook in particular excited me... at first. I'm unsure if the TOC will be available online, but I heavily recommend looking at the list of recipes before buying this book, to see if it's something you'd be interested in. The recipes heavily favor JRPG games (specifically Nintendo games - lots of Nintendo), which means a lot of the dishes are Asian or Asian fusion. This also means most of the savory recipes have chilis, peppers, hot sauce, or chili oil in them, so if you have problems with spicy food, this is not the cookbook for you. There are multiple recipes from/inspired by Mario, Final Fantasy, or Zelda games.

Now to how the book is set up: there is a lot of cute usage of video game language. Each recipes has a difficulty level (there are 3), and the list of equipment needed/recommended is sorted into types like common (ex: spatula), rare (ex: grater), epic (ex: spring-form pan), or legenedary (ex: ice cream maker). This is super cute in my opinion. The book's layout is also inspired by video games - specifically pixel games of the 80s/early 90s, including the artwork. There are no actual photos of any of the recipes though, which I think is a big miss.

I appreciate the quick summation at the start of most recipes that explains the game it's inspired by/from... but what I'm really missing most is the WHY. Why this recipe? Why this game? Some recipes will give a sentence to one of these, but it felt rare, and I'd have liked it for every recipe. Or, if it does happen to answer the WHY, then it doesn't include a quick summary of the game or what it's about... confusing.

The recipes themselves are the sort of things you can typically find online (a lot of classics or twists/fusions of classics), but they're given cute video-gamey names. Some are just inspired by the game or items in the game, while others are based on food or recipes found in the game. Some, I don't understand why she chose... like the Pork and Beans for Fallout 3, or, the biggest WTF for me, the Witcher 3 recipe: Gingerbread.... Why not use one of the recipes from the game, like she does for the Deus Ex Coq Au Vin?? The blurb before the Witcher recipe even mentions what a foodie pack the Blood & Wine DLC is! You can find recipes for some of the food items in game (same as Deus Ex)! Just a weird choice for that game.

For an example of a classic, the very first recipe in the book are Power Pellets, from Pac-Man. Obviously that's not a real food, not in real life or in the game; instead the author found a food that was similar to an item in the game, in this case the pellets Pac-Man is avoiding the ghosts to collect. What are Power Pellets, though? That classic Christmas cookie - snowballs, of course! Which, to be fair, she does seem to give her own spin to in most cases.

Then there are the recipes where she gets really creative - an excellent example being the second recipe in the book: Mushrooms, from Super Mario Bros. I think the closest food I can compare it to is stromboli? But it's not really stromboli (needless to say, this is noted an ***Expert level recipe as it requires some creative construction). Sometimes the creativity goes to far though... like for the Elsweyr Fondue. I love that she went big, with one of the more fun foods from Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, but it's a blue cheese/cream cheese fondue... I like both of those and I love fondue but this turned my stomach just reading it. The whole recipe is one I'd never try because I eat all these foods separately, I know their flavors, and it does not sound good altogether. At all. The recipe feels very "throw everything and the kitchen sink" in it.

I will be making The Secret of Monkey Island Grog though (non-alcoholic for the kids to enjoy) for our next family gathering this summer! But I will never, in my life, make that nasty Peanut Cheese Bar. Cheddar, chocolate, and biscoff cookies? Gag. I don't know if this will be a book add to my cookbook collection, but I'm currently leaning towards 'no'.

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read filled with the food you crave when playing a video game. Does the food you see on screen while playing a video game look tasty well this new cookbook brings it all to life. Filled with 76 recipes it will bring your childhood to life in the form of food. It includes games from the 80's up until now. You'll find pictures that show you exactly what.its suppose to look like and fun facts not only about the food but also the games. I tried two of the recipes and they turned out deliciously. The Butter Cake from Silent Hill 2 was a simple and yummy sweet treat. Minecraft's Suspicious Stew turned out well and was perfect for a cool evening. This is the perfect book for any video game enthusiast!

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this cookbook! So many good recipes from so many good video games over the years. I've already made. few recipes and they were delicious. I have a bunch more I'm planning to make!

This would make a great gift or any video game lover/ cooking lover in your life.

[Hannah Logue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This recipe book is really neat and I genuinely enjoy the concept of a lot of these foods. I am very excited to try the simpler recipes. However, I think there are a lot of recipes in this book that are very time and energy intensive. Some of these recipes would even require me to buy some new cooking equipment which I find surprising considering that I thought of myself as a rather invested home cook.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this review and more on my blog, uncovered-books.

I received a free copy of The Video Game Chef from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Lots of people play video games as a way to relax after a week of work. Have you ever noticed that some video games have some nice looking food in them? Well here in The Video Game Chef, you are able to recreate some of the food items that your favourite video game might have in game.

The Video Game Chef is broken down into different eras of video games: The 80’s and 90’s; the early 2000’s; 2010 to 2015; and 2016 to present (which is 2023 at the time of publishing). Each era of video games are equally represented, with different genres being represented as well. We have food from video games such as Diablo, The Legend of Zelda, World of Warcraft, Portal, Mass Effect 2, Final Fantasy XIV, Overwatch, and Genshin Impact (which is the reason why I actually requested a copy of this book to read, my brother is obsessed with Genshin Impact and I wanted to treat him to something).

Firstly, the font used in the cookbook for the recipe headers was really annoying. I understand that they are going for a retro video game vibe but it made my eyes hurt to look at the page for too long. Fortunately the recipe font is more standard for easy reading. Personally none of the recipes looked of particular interest to me, the only one that I am going to try is the one from Genshin Impact for my brother. While I have played a few of the games that are included in here, none of those recipes really sparked my interest. I think that the biggest reason why is that there is no photos of what any of the dishes look like. A handful of them have game style drawings of the dish, but since this doesn’t actually show what the dish looked like, I was not interested in trying to go online to see what the dishes looked like in game, if that is even possible.

If you are interested in trying to recreate your favourite food from your favourite video games then The Video Game Chef will be good for you, otherwise look elsewhere.

[Nienkethepanda | dauntlesswxzard.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the little blurbs about each of the games and how food fits into them more than the recipes themselves. I’m not sure I’ll make more than one or two of them, but I liked reading about the use of food in games like Portal and The Witcher. I also loved the art style found throughout the book.

**read for Book Scavenger Hunt - read a book (fiction or nonfiction) where food is a significant factor**

[Fellow Introvert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Video Game Chef Cookbook authored by Cassandra Reeder and published by Epic Ink is a very creative cookbook to say the least. I was pleasantly surprised to see a cookbook inspired by video games available for ARC review, since I love unique and themed cookbooks, and I've got to say it was a great cookbook to get ideas for dinner from if you want to try out some interesting recipes.

This cookbook's mission is to bring your favorite video games food to life which it does a very good job at. While some of the food isn't always exactly from the video game, it is inspired by the video game which is just as great being as some video games just don't show any food whatsoever. The author did what they could with what they had, and they did a phenomenal job at it.

Thoughts:

° The cover is nice, unique looking, and I was expecting more color from the rest of the cookbook like the cover, but the beginning and end were all black with white and green text. And the rest of the pages were all white with black and green text. And some boxes with information were green or black. I don't think this is a very big deal though as the coloring didn't distract from the recipe or the illustrations. And simple is sometimes better.

° Now onto the controversial subject in the other reviews for this cookbook: the illustrations. I know that real food pictures would have been better to know what it would look like, but since this is a themed cookbook I don't really mind. At least there are some form of pictures, some cookbooks don't even have those. And the recipe can look like whatever you want because there's no fixed real image. Just have fun with it! And the illustrations, they are very beautiful, and they look like their coming from the actual video game. The only thing that did bother me about this is that there weren't illustrations for every single recipe so you had to guess what those recipes looked like on your own.

° There are 76 recipes in the cookbook, each recipe inspired by a different video game which I think is pretty impressive.

Some video games listed: Dishonored, Don't Starve, Final Fantasy XIV, Destiny, Far Cry 4, Life Is Strange, Undertale, Dragon Age: Inquisition, etc.

° Some humourous quotes from the cookbook:

"The logic of video games dont always make sense. In the real world, it's not a good idea to eat a roast chicken that came out of a trash can, no matter how many pipe-related injuries you've sustained." (Page 8)

"It can be humorous, like a strange taco in a glovebox." (Page 8)

"It can even break the fourth wall, like a giant anthropomorphic cheeseburger appearing in the middle of the California desert." (Page 8)

° I thought some good additions were:

The hints - tips, suggestions, or supplementary information that'll help you with recipes and ingredients (such as what they are, what they taste like, etc.)

The easy mode tips - how to make a recipe easier and quicker to make (such as using boxed cake mix instead of making a cake from scratch, using a premade spice rub, etc.)

The mods - suggestions for alternative ingredients or cooking methods (such as how to make a recipe vegan, turn something a different color, etc.)

The difficulty levels for the recipes: Beginner, Normal, and Expert

The information blurbs about the recipe - the blurbs tell you about the recipe, where it came from, why it was chosen for this game, etc.

° There are a lot of ingredients for some of the recipes, but I'm sure it would be alright to omit some ingredients if you didn't mind. And if a recipe seems too spicy, add less spices. Or vice versa if there's not enough spice.

This was a fun-filled gaming inspired cookbook, and if I'm ever wanting to make a unique meal for fun or I'm having a game themed dinner night I'll be sure to try out a recipe or two from this cookbook.

I give the cookbook 4.2/5 controllers 🎮

* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily *

[Bee Ostrowsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Video Game Chef makes a great case for why gamers and home cooks can and should learn each other’s skills.

It stumbles just out of the gate, however, with a beginner-difficulty recipe that calls for a teaspoon of lemon zest without mentioning how to get lemon zest. Beginners need a walkthrough to tell them to wash the wax glaze off the lemon, pat it dry, and use a vegetable peeler to get just the top yellow bits without the bitter white pith. They also need to know to cut this up into very small pieces before measuring a teaspoon (or that they want to use a third to a half of the zest that one lemon can produce). And a beginner is unlikely to have a stand mixer (which is listed under “Rare Items”), so there should be some explanation of how to cream the butter and sugar by hand. Since lemon zest and butter creamed with sugar show up in multiple recipes, readers would have benefited from a “Cheat Codes” section that explained things like this.

I personally would worry more about messing up the blancmange (“normal” difficulty) than the Portal cake (“expert” difficulty); there are plenty of chances to burn the food while cooking a cornstarch-based pudding and reducing a raspberry coulis, and releasing the blancmange from its mold in a single piece is a more subtle art than removing a disc of cake from a greased and floured pan.

But I’ve been learning some fascinating powerups, like mixing gelatin powder into a cold pineapple-based punch. I’m assuming that the cold and the papain will prevent the gelatin from setting, but that it will slightly thicken the brew. And I’m learning lots of in-jokes, like the “Jill Sandwich” from Resident Evil, and the “colorless water” that goes into a Mana Potion. (I mean, I’m assuming “colorless water” is some sort of in-joke. If that’s not the reason for specifying ‘colorless’, the author might want to contact the local water authority.) And I am in awe of the idea of using za’atar, harissa, smoked paprika, and freakin’ catnip to make the spicy-sweet Moon Sugar that Khajiit loves so much. (It doesn’t have its own entry in the Table of Contents or in the indices, since it’s a sub-recipe of Elsweyr Fondue. Look for it on page 119.)

The Video Game Chef goes beyond the expectations of most cookbooks, including not only a table of contents (showing that the recipes are organized by the era in which the video game appeared) and an index based on the main ingredient of each recipe, but two other indices showing how the recipes fit into categories (appetizers, snacks, and condiments; mains; “potions”; and sweets and treats) and difficulty levels. Such thoroughness could only have been exceeded by including an index by ‘verse and game, like “ZELDA: The Legend of Zelda (1986), Red Potion, 20. Twilight Princess (2006), Superb Soup, 90. Breath of the Wild (2017), Creamy Heart Soup, 170.” The games for most recipes won’t fall into a game universe, and that’s fine, but I personally would love to be able to find all the Nintendo recipes at a glance for a themed party.

I’d definitely check this cookbook out of a public library to try a few recipes, and if my family’s food preferences were broader we’d probably try lots more of them. Fans of cooking and video games will eat this up.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a great niche-style cookbook that, as a fan of my The Geeky Chef Cookbook: Real-Life Recipes for Your Favorite Fantasy Foods - Unofficial Recipes from Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and more was just the quality of cookbook i expect from the author.

The cookbook gets high marks for:
Commitment to the bit- everything is 100% in game lingo and it is adorable.
Cooking education- the way everything is explained and scalable to the skills and equipment you have makes for a really accessible cookbook.
Humor- the spot on game references and humor make for approachable recipes and will be a hit with any fandom.

I will ding a few marks for:
Lack of pictures- people love pictures of the food in real life as a guide for success.
The mass appeal of the recipes- these thematic recipes, while well written, tested and designed, might not always appeal to American/Eurocentric palettes. This is a good thing since trying new foods is fun and educational, but depending on the target audience, this might not be a great match.

Overall this is a very fun novelty cookbook that had, for me and my family, tons of great recipes to try. This would make a great gift for the video-game fans in your life.

[Brynna Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has recipes inspired by games across many eras. The recipes are separated by them, so you have the 80s and 90s, then the early 2000s, 2010-2015, and 2016-present. Some of my favorite games have recipes in here like Stardew Valley's Blackberry Cobbler, FFXIV's Priestly Omelette, League of Legend's Poro-Snax (how CUTE!), Diablo's Mana Potion, Genshin Impact's Sticky Honey Roast, and Pokeblocks from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. If you love a wide variety of games and want a cookbook that has something from everygame you love, this would be it! Their kitchen utensil page is also separated like it would in a video game; Common items include a spatula and baking sheets to name a few. Rare items include a deep fryer, Epic ones have a bamboo mat or a food steamer, and lastly Legendary Items are ones like ring molds, canoe pan, takoyaki pan, and a wok.
Each recipe denotes whether it's beginner, normal, or expert. Some recipes have hints, a MOD, or an "Easy Mode" that swaps out a more advanced part of the recipe with an easy alternative.
I am someone who likes photos in my cookbooks. This one has a lot of art which is awesome! It's art of the food in the game environment. It's unique and I love the detail.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group – becker & mayer!, and Epic Ink for this ARC! ♥

[Karalee Shotola · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Video Game Chef includes 76 recipes inspired by video games from the 80s to the present. Each recipe includes the video game it is inspired by, an introduction, difficulty level, ingredient lists, and numbered directions. Many of the recipes do not include a picture and the ones that do only include an illustration. Even though the recipes are inspired by video games, I would have loved to see real photos to know what the dish is supposed to look like. Also, since the recipes are organized in chronological order from the 80s to the present, it is hard to find a recipe to make because the snacks, mains, desserts, and drinks are all mixed together. To find a dessert, you have to go to the end of the book, look through the list of recipes, and then go back to the page it is on. Despite these cons, there are a few recipes I would like to make including The Cake inspired by Portal, Blackberry Cobbler from Stardew Valley, and Mixed-Fruits Sandwich inspired by Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The cookbook might be good for gamers as there are recipes for all beginner, normal, and expert cooking levels, but the lack of photos and the chronological order brings down the cookbook.

[Emerald Maple · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cookbook without photos of the food just doesn't do it for me. I am more of a visual person when it comes to cooking and the illustrations vs actual pictures is a miss for me. Especially when the recipes come from a chef who could make the dishes.

The ideas for recipes from each game are super cute though. I loved the beginner to expert levels and mods, all game themed and it would probably help get a game enthusiast who can't cook to try. The recipes are a bit of a strange mix, everything from a grilled cheese sandwich (The Sims 2) to Coq au Vin (as dated as Deus Ex). Might be nice to mention which recipes can be mix & matched for a meal.

The recipes are heavy on Asian inspired for mains and a lot of desserts. Some dishes are not really game night food (stews, a roast dinner etc) unless you are having dinner followed some games. Then some just seem really childish, like adding a "tongue" of spam to a burger for Fortnite which I would do for a 5 year old but not game night.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book, but it wasn't what I expected. There are no pictures or anything of the recipes suggested in this book. While the recipes are video game "themed", they're not really based on anything. Some of them are standard recipes with a video game name attached and others are inspired by the game, but again nothing that would make me say oh this is clearly that stew from Zelda or the banana from Pac-Man that would differentiate it from any other recipe. It feels like a stretch to say these recipes are specific to any game or tied to them in a meaningful way. I think this could have been better off as a standard recipe book.

[PatchesAtTheEnd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I'm very bad at it, I do love cooking so when I saw this book was up for advance copies I was definitely going to read it.
I love the 'title screen' and the level system, the variety of video games and the little opening for each recipe.
The instructions were clear and I really liked the stylised pictures. It would have been nice to have some kind of picture for all of them or real pictures to assist but it was mostly fine without.
My favourites were the Animal Crossing sandwiches and the Persona 5 pancakes : )


Thanks to Netgalley, the Publisher, and Cassandra Reeder for the arc.

[Mary Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was such a great cookbook. I love how the recipes represent different video games from the 80s-2010s. I love seeing how there are different games being represented. From PacMan to Mario Brother to Sonic the Hedgehog to Resident Evil and a lot of games that are not super popular. And how it has different "levels" on the difficultly on the recipes from beginners to expert. There are so many recipes in here that I want to try and one cookbook I am so excited for it to come out.

[Andy N · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable cookbook that took me down memory lane. All the recipes in it represent different known and unknown games from the 80s, 90s and 2000s. The artwork is cute, but I would have preferred photos of the dishes to illustrate.

Even so, the retro vibe throughout the book is very well done, and I love the short descriptions of each recipe and their connection to each game. How the levels of expertise needed for each recipe is also well thought of.

I’ll definitely be trying a few of these out!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

[Curious Madra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for this graphic novel in relation to cooking.

Now I will admit,there is no hope of me being a star baker chef that would make the delicious food that’s shown on most cookbooks. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see Reeder’s “real life food” for each dish they made. I just would have liked to see what they looked like regardless. I just felt the graphics in this didn’t give me the wow factor. Good effort overall but the graphics weren’t above the list for me unfortunately..

[Marte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoy cooking collections like this and this was no different! It contains a lot of fun recipes and I really like how it divided them into levels of difficulty! It also has a lot of stuff inspired by a diverse range of video games, old ones, new ones and everything inbetween. A few of the recipes seemed a bit randomly and thinly connected to the game, but most was good choices! If you like to have video game inspired cookbooks, this is definitely for you!

[Allison Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading through this book. A gamer at heart, this was absolutely my jam: Harvest Moon 64 is a favourite game of mine, so it was a delight to see it featured. I even made the corn pasta for dinner! I've also made notes for some of the other recipes, and will definitely be trying them out soon.

*I’ve received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and am leaving my review voluntarily.*

[Shannon Temme · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG I absolutely love every aspect of this book and I am so excited that someone thought to do this! There are all kinds of treats from many of my fave home and arcade videogames. I actually cannot wait for this one to come out in print as I will definitely be buying one for my home and a few friends homes as well. Thank you for coming out with this much needed addition to any true gamer or game enthusiasts collection!!!

[Christine V · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really creative way of putting forth a recipe book. This holds a variety of recipes including recipes based on retro video games, such as pokemon, pacman, mario brothers, etc. While I might not become a great chef based on this book, but this might be a great way to start your child cooking with your help. Also a great gift for people who love retro video games, or video games in general.