A delicious RPG that will make you very hungry

Role-playing games are often defined as redundant. Stories that stretch for dozens of hours, side quests so large they could be their own game, huge worlds that require complex maps to explore, and sets so large that you start to forget the names of the characters. This is part of what makes these games feel like epic adventures, but it can also make them scary, especially if you have limited free time. Dosa divasOn the other hand, it manages to capture much of the same feeling in a package spanning less than 10 hours. It does so with a bold style and a story that moves seamlessly between big themes and personal drama. There is one big drawback: this game will make you very hungry.

Dosa divas The game takes place across a small group of towns that have been overrun by a single corporation that has made cooking illegal, giving them a monopoly on food-like nutripaste. This is problematic not only from a financial perspective, but also from a cultural perspective, as these places all have a deep history associated with food. What do the people of a traditional fishing village do when they can’t fish anymore? You play as a pair of sisters named Samara and Amani who join forces to take down the evil corporation, which happens to be run by their little sister Lina. It’s a story about saving the world from capitalism, a story about the cultural importance of food, and also a story about how hard family can be. Also, there are sentient mech suits, including ones that are in your party throughout the entire game

It all plays out like a fairly traditional turn-based RPG. You travel the world fighting enemies – from annoying lawyers to your parents – leveling up and becoming stronger along the way. There is a timing element to battles such as Mario and Luigi Where you have to press the button at the right time to defend or attack, and Dosa divas It adds some interesting elements like cooking, which lets you create healing items and feed hungry citizens by completing short minigames. It’s a fun twist on the standard RPG “item”, and reminds me a little of it Take a break to cook Final Fantasy XV. The game’s beautifully designed graphics also make the meals look particularly appetizing, so I don’t recommend playing Dosa divas On an empty stomach.

What’s remarkable about the game is that it crams all of this – an interesting world, satisfying gameplay, and a rich story – into a relatively small package by simplifying things in clever ways. You’ll only learn a few abilities over the course of the game, for example, but they’re all important to battle strategy. Likewise, while you can customize your characters to some extent each time you level up, you can only choose between improving their strength, health, and special abilities. This structure gives you a lot of the same satisfaction of playing an RPG without all the busy work. Best of all: no grinding!

The story hides its depth in a similar way. On the surface, this is an absurd and often direct criticism of capitalism. You’ll hear gurgling sounds to alert you that someone needs a meal, and you can remove company advertising to improve your standing in each city. but Dosa divas It’s at its best when the story gets personal. Through flashbacks and frank conversations, you truly learn about the complex family relationships that characterize Samara, Amani, and Lina, and how integral food is to their lives, beyond just being a source of livelihood. There is no pure villain or hero in this game. The bosses’ battle with their parents is a particular highlight, as it feels like a real argument between people who love each other but can’t always accept the ways others change and grow. It may hit a little too close to home for some players. Aside from the mech suits of course.

In many ways Dosa divas It is a delicate balancing act. It’s a role-playing game that whittles down an epic quest, a raw story, and a character arc that’s not afraid to get silly or take on larger themes. The most impressive part about the game is that it manages to do all of these things without feeling bloated or underpowered. It takes as much time as I need, which is good, because I now have a lot of cooking to do.

_{Dosa divas Available now on PC, Switch, and PS5.}