Monster Menu: The Scavenger’s Cookbook is a turn-based strategy RPG roguelike. A group of adventurers find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, on the brink of starvation and trapped in increasingly difficult dungeons.
Once you’ve selected your main character, you’re instantly presented with a host of customization options, ranging from which of the eight character designs to use as a starting point to what job class. In addition to standard hair, eye and skin color changes, you can also customize sprite illustrations and character traits. We spent more time on the customization screen than we thought, trying different combinations to create the perfect party.
Hungry adventurers must scrounge for food and rations all the while seeking escape from the dungeon. Loot points scattered around each floor provide important items needed for cooking, such as hay and possibly weapons and other combat gear. Fighting enemies means that you can plunder ingredients from their bodies. This is good for basic prep in the dungeon and can be used as a quick solution or taken back to base camp for a proper meal. Items degrade over time, so it’s best to use them while they’re new. Unless you can be strategic and take advantage of the negative impact in some way.
Each floor of the dungeon is relatively short, but gradually increases in difficulty as you progress, with a day/night cycle and enemies getting tougher as the sun goes down. Proceeding through the portal to the next floor gives you the option to retreat to the base camp to rest, where you can cook and eat meals, craft objects, and sleep. This replenishes your stats, and there are a few other things you’ll have to adjust, such as calories and hydration, in addition to your standard HP. Traversing dungeons depletes energy levels, and combat moves reduce these stats. Both negatively affect adventurers if their energy levels drop too low.
When the main character’s HP reaches zero, the game is over. All character levels are lost when defeated, and the dungeon must be started from the first floor while keeping equipment and learned skills. The floors are short, but it’s best to take your time, level up steadily, and progress in preparation for potential difficulty spikes. Otherwise, you will pay the price for trying to break through in haste. As a result, the flow of the game feels quite long, and there is some level drop from the beginning.
