Almost anyone can boil an egg, and you can even beat and fry it into a delicious omelet. But what if you send that tortilla into battle against a three-tiered cake? This is one of many questions from GladiEATers, which is why PCGamesN reached out to the author of this upcoming WASD 2023 turn-based strategy game to ask him about Steam Early Access plans, the ethics of culinary combat, and the undeniable potential of cheese.
The concept of GladiEATers is quite simple: you cook different types of food and then send them to fight against the enemy’s creations. You can make quick and easy meals, like poached eggs, or take the time to make something more elaborate (and more complicated), like a three-layer cake. It’s a simple but adorable concept that developer Oliver Georgalis of Milk Bubbles Games came up with on a long journey.
“It was a total silence that was broken: ‘Tommy, I have an idea, okay?'” After telling her friend about him, the response almost confirmed the idea in Georgellis’s head: “That could be called GladiEATers.” He loved the name so much that “Tommy” still owns a small stake in the game just because of those naming rights. “I love puns – a lot of things in the game are called puns,” Georgallis tells us in the WASD showroom.
“The team really takes me away from that,” he thinks. – For example, in the game, there is only one boss battle that can speak with puns, because everyone said, “Okay Oliver, everyone should speak normally.” Georgalis says the team wants the characters to feel diverse and interesting, each with their own particular dietary preferences, such as being a paleo-raw vegan aficionado.
“You know, it was never humor, nobody made fun of someone for what they eat, or the way they dress, or anything like that. It is very important to us too. Just real people, which is basically what we designed the characters for.” As an experienced chef, Georgalis says, “Food is so close that I don’t have to explain to anyone what scrambled eggs are, you know, they just know. And I think that’s the starting point for creating a character or a creature.”
However, some foods may be a little less familiar to some – Ratatouille is pretty well known these days thanks to the Disney movie of the same name – but how about a bowl of Shakshuka tomatoes and eggs? “Very few people know what it is. I wish someone could make shakshuka in a game and then figure out how to do it in real life and discover that it’s super easy and super delicious.”
Currently, there are around 50 creatures available in the game in three categories: eggs, cakes, and vegetables, but there is plenty of room for new products in the future. “Cheese, I mean, once we add cheese to the game…it’s cheesy veggies, cheese omelettes, cheese bread, pizza, I mean, all the floodgates open, don’t they? This means that even a new ingredient opens up a world of possibilities. “I mean, that’s how the kitchen works,” Georgallis concludes.
However, a question is on our lips. If this food is alive, created by a mysterious force known as the “CAL particle” that turns inanimate calories into food, what are the ethical implications of sending it into battle? “It’s interesting because you said ‘send him to his death’, right?” It’s definitely a conversation we want to expand into the story,” Georgallis jokes.
“There will definitely be characters who question the ethics of fighting these creatures, getting attached to them and watching them die is a bit painful. And then if he comes back to life, is it the same? So there are issues that we want to expand on later in the story.” It is certainly a unique approach to cooking ethics that we have never approached in this way before.
GladiEATers is scheduled to launch via Steam Early Access later in the year, with plans to introduce multiplayer modes in the future, including cooperative play and competitive multiplayer. For now, you can add it to your wish list if you are interested.
In the meantime, check out other best cooking games if you’re hungry, or other great strategy games for those who like the more tactical side of the process.
Nat Smith interview at WASD 2023.
Source : PC Gamesn
