KuloNiku: Bowl Up, the indie game by Indonesian indie outfit Gambir Studios, is getting a proper demo as part of Steam Next Fest.
The demo will go live on June 7 and lasts until June 16.
Previously, KuloNiku hosted a public playtest for its unique cooking game back in April, with over 3,000 participants and 2,500 wishlists earned through the limited-time test.
This new demo isn’t based on that playtest build. It will include new features and they are:
- Character Selection: Players can now choose between two main character designs, allowing them to pick the one that resonates most with them.
- New NPCs: The demo will bring new customers to serve, with unique designs and various personalities
- Hangouts: The player can hang out with characters to deepen their relationship and learn more about their personal stories
- Ume Shop: Ume Shop is now open! Visit this store and the adorable shopkeeper to buy all your restaurant’s needs including ingredients, tools, decoration, and more.
- Improved Tutorial: The demo includes improved tutorials to introduce the game’s mechanics, including the cooking duel and decoration features.
KuloNiku: BowlUp! has you take charge of a meatball restaurant in a town full of meatball enthusiasts where you serve customers their specific order of meatball dish and from time to time, go on a meatball brawl against rival chefs to see who serves the better meatballs.
The low-poly aesthetic of KuloNiku is inspired by PS1 legend Mega Man Legends, with the gameplay a riff on Cooking Mama. Pair that with a cast of quirky characters and light-hearted story and this should be a cosy little meatball soup (a bakso, if you will) of a video game. It’s worth checking out for those who love cosy games and cooking games.
KuloNiku: Bowl Up! is set to release later this year on PC (Steam).