Magical Delicacy Review: Food for Thought (Nintendo Switch)

Magical Delicacy is a game I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on since its announcement trailer from over a year ago. I’m a huge fan of all things cozy, witchy, and cooking – so serving them all together on an 8-bit pixelated plate is a dream come true! The 8-bit art style just does something for me, truly. I love a good narrative driven management game like Coffee Talk or The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, so I had really high hopes for this release. Although I thought I would absolutely enjoy this game through and through with no faults, there were a few issues I wasn’t expecting that impacted my experience.

Magical Delicacy is available on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and Steam for $24.99. 

Begin your journey at the docks.

Story – Magic Is Boiling Over

The story behind Magical Delicacy is full of magic and mystery. You’re assigned to play a 22 year old witch named Flora, who has just arrived in the harbor town of Grat. After being given a shop (that you’ll eventually have to pay back), you’ll be able to start creating all sorts of different recipes for the townsfolk. Ranging from baked goods, stews, potions and more – everyone in the town needs your help via your magical cooking skills – including 2 other witches from opposing covens. As you progress through the game, you’ll uncover some fantastical secrets of the town and its inhabitants. 

The shop is equipped with customizable cooking tools and you can purchase more later.

Gameplay – Not Your Average Comfort Meal 

Okay, the mechanics of this game is the sole reason why my cozy spirit was slightly crushed during gameplay. I have both praise and gripe about the way this game works but overall I really enjoyed the spirit of it. 

Platforming/Navigation 

For a cozy-intended game I really think the Metroidvania platforming style was the wrong choice. Combined with the poor mapping, it made gameplay much more longer than needed and honestly made me put the game down a few times out of frustration. The map itself was more abstract than average, and did not come with any sort of markers directly. You had to buy the markers for merchants and points of interest which I feel is completely redundant considering the fact that you also have to continuously buy ingredients, extra space, and pay back the price of your shop.

Tip: utilize the accessibility options available for platforming.

This game’s platforming really makes it feel like more of an exploration experience than anything else. Of course, fast travel becomes available after locating two different villagers and completing their orders. Thankfully, there are accessibility options that allow for easy platforming (disables the motion platforms) and to disable mini games while harvesting ingredients or cooking. Even with this, the map is all over the place so you’ll still have to climb, fly, shape shift, and jump around to your locations.

The map design could definitely be more immersive or detailed.

Cooking

Crafting recipes in this game was way more limited than I expected, but it left room for creativity. To me, it was difficult because of the different requirements for the townsfolk’s tastes. You had to pay attention to the types of ingredients being used, the type of flavor, the cooking method, and sometimes even the time of day. It took much trial and error for some orders to be completed correctly while others were very straight forward. It can also be expensive to make mistakes! Having to constantly replenish my ingredients – and having to traverse across the town to hunt them down – was frustrating and left my funds dwindling. However, you’ll be able to purchase a keepsake from Tauno that will aid you in crafting recipes. Trust me, it will help out tremendously. 

Don’t struggle like I did, buy the keepsake to aid with cooking.

Luckily, you’re able to make some extra cash on the side by selling your extra dishes through the store window. But you can only sell them while in the store (so, you can’t leave to continue your missions) and only during a specific time frame of the day. You can also grow some of your own ingredients in the shop’s garden but as the game progresses it’s like those basic ingredients aren’t needed as much. My biggest con was that there’s no way to discard of failed meals. 

Main Story

Following the main story of this game is a bit askew and takes effort to keep track of considering the platforming, recipe making, and exploration aspects. Magical Delicacy uses a faded red exclamation mark to point out when the orders align with the main story, so make sure to pay attention. Some of the orders required certain time frames to be completed in and while there is a time skip option available, it is only allowed at night. I did enjoy the story in general, but if you’re not a big fan of management games then you might have some trouble progressing. I thought this would be a quick and easy cozy game, but it took more thought and effort than I reckoned. 

Discover other witches along your magical venture.

Audio & Graphics – Served With Delicacy

The graphics of Magical Delicacy is absolutely stunning. The artistry is in every nook and cranny of the world. In an 8-bit style, everything is magical in the world of Grat. There are various benches spread across the town that allows you to rest and admire the enchanting scenery around you. The daytime showcases all the wonderful greenery – there’s plants all over your shop and the colors of the land are vivid and welcoming. The nighttime allows the moon to shine brightly, highlighting all the hidden gems like glowing mushrooms, wandering fae, and secret night markets. The music made everything tie together with a lot of folksy sounds like the flute and pianica. The soundtrack is even available to stream.

Magical Delicacy was reviewed on Nintendo Switch.