Most great works are inspired by others, and Cooking Simulator's upcoming Shelter DLC is no exception. Taking inspiration from classic post-apocalyptic adventure stories, Big Cheese Studio seeks to deliver its own spin on the genre, centered around unique culinary pursuits. Even the cooking mechanics have been elevated to match the intrigue of the narrative, providing mutated foods that have fallen victim to the radiation. In an interview with Game Rant, Shelter's main designer Szymon Junde discussed his inspirations for the Cooking Simulator: Shelter DLC.
Junde spoke about the Fallout and Mad Max series as influencing his design for the new post-apocalyptic expansion for Cooking Simulator, as well as its story. The developer was happy with what it was able to accomplish in the past two DLCs that introduced new mechanics, but it still wanted to evolve the experience. As fans of Bethesda's Fallout series, Junde recognized that having to cook during a nuclear apocalypse might pose some new challenges and fun. The survival-cooking adventure evolved from that concept, and has allowed Big Cheese some new freedom of creativity.
Mad Max's Visual Inspirations
Junde said that while the development team is big fans of the Fallout franchise, Mad Max had the biggest inspiration on the visual style that the developers were going for in Shelter. Junde specifically liked the contrast between the arid sands of the desert and the blue-ish colors of the sky.
"The vast desert wastelands of Mad Max had the biggest influence on the new environment. The teal and orange color palette of scorched soil and blue skies above were the looks we started to aim for with the surface world."
This can be seen in the first gameplay trailer shown for Shelter, where the player is surrounded by an arid desert while hunting animals in the range and gathering ingredients from an underground greenhouse. While the landscape can feel bleak, the exotic plants and animals are sure to catch players' eyes.
A Fallout Story About Finding Family
In Fallout 4, the player awakens after an apocalypse to find that their family has been ripped away. The rest of the game sees the protagonist trudging his way through the wastelands in order to find what's left of his family. While much of the plot in Shelter has been kept under wraps, there was a teaser and Junde talked about what players can expect. Like in the Fallout series, the player will have to work with the other survivors if they have any hope of contacting their loved ones.
"The radio towers could be used to contact our family, however, we won’t be able to restore them without help from the nearby settlements. We’ll need to gain their trust and gratitude first."
Just like in Fallout 4, the player will need to earn the trust of the surviving settlements in order to get the information or parts that they have. This is where Cooking Simulator meets Fallout, and Big Cheese adds its tried-and-true cooking mechanics, having the player cook for each settlement in order to earn its respect.
While such a big change in style is typically a leap of faith for developers, Big Cheese Studio seems to know what it wants to accomplish with Cooking Simulator: Shelter. With fresh mechanics, ingredients, and a whole new narrative concept, Cooking Simulator is taking a big chance with this DLC. For a game that has been made with as much appreciation for the art of cooking, Shelter is sure to introduce a fun new way to cook while also paying homage to some of pop culture's best nuclear apocalyptic adventures.
Cooking Simulator: Shelter is currently in development.