I'm not really big on simulation games. Me, I prefer games with insane action and wild adventures through unknown worlds. It's these tastes of mine that have kept me from trying out the Cooking Mama games in favor of other titles on the DS. Even with all the different iterations and variants they've released with Mama as a protagonist, my curiosity had never been piqued... until now.

In the era of the 3DS, I have finally expanded my horizons towards Majesco's cooking series with its fourth numbered title, Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic. As you may expect, the time has come for me to judge for you all, whether this game is worthy of your time and money. But first, an explanation of the game itself.

There is no tutorial to be found in Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic, nor are you expected to go about it in any order. From the get-go, you have free reign to play any of the available modes in whatever way you want. Despite this freedom, the best place to start is with the cooking. Cooking in Kitchen Magic is done in this manner: once you choose a recipe from one of the many you have access to, you begin a sequence of touch screen-driven mini-games, each one representing a step in the process of cooking the meal (chopping, grating, scrubbing, spreading, etc.). You are awarded a medal for each step depending on how well you cook, and once you're finished, you are rewarded with a final score and medal (not to mention congratulations from Mama). Get good enough scores, and you will be awarded with new recipes and other goodies. If you're not in the mood to cook an entire recipe, or if you're having difficulty with a particular step, you can play any of the mini-games separately, allowing you to practice and hone your touch screen skills to perfection. There are dozens of these mini-games, and while they're all rather simple, one-task challenges, the fact that they are meant to be played in sequence with each other makes up for that, which kept me from getting tired of them fast.

Aside from the normal cooking mode in Cooking Mama 4, there is a mode where you can combine a variety of unadorned staples (like plain pizza, basic pancakes, and simple rice) with cooking mode recipes. This mode isn't as varied as the cooking mode, and the  staple's mini-games remain the same regardless of which recipe you choose to combine it with. Still, these mini-games are different enough from their cooking mode counterparts to spice things up after mastering regular cooking. 

Score well enough in the normal cooking mode, and you'll unlock special mini-games that step away from cooking, tasking you to fulfill jobs like vacuuming up smudges, dusting various objects, hosing off Dutch ovens, and so on (don't worry, they're not as tedious as they are in real life). Outside of the mini-games, you have the option to accessorize, allowing you to customize your kitchen's appearance, the background and timer on the top-screen, and even the outfit Mama is wearing. 

So what did I, one who has pushed aside cooking games for action and adventure, think? In all respects, Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic is an enjoyable game, but that doesn't mean there aren't issues. For instance, there were times when it felt like the touch controls were a little off, as if there was a brief moment of delay between my input and the game reacting. Also, sometimes I found the objectives of some mini-games unclear, burning something as a result and getting a low score on that step. And last, the easiness of this game might annoy some. To put this in perspective, I never scored below the high eighties, even when I messed up a step or two. However, this will probably be a bonus for those who are looking for a casual cooking sim, and not, say, the Dark Souls of the genre.

Visually, while  Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic takes place in simple household settings, the pleasant and oh-so bright graphics serve to make you forget about that. Since all the action takes place on the 3DS' bottom screen, the 3D effect remains mostly unused, only becoming noticeable when the occasional odd object flies up from the bottom screen. 

Besides some complaints, I found Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic to be a fun introduction to the world of cooking sims. The mini-games are simple, but they come in enough numbers and with enough variety that it's not really an issue. And sure, the game has a few problems, but not enough that it detracts from the experience. If you have some spare cash and are looking for quick fun on the go, you should know that there are 3DS games far less worthy of it.

GameDynamo's Score for Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic (3DS)

	Score	Description
Graphics	78	While the whole game takes place in simple household settings, the pleasant and oh-so bright graphics serve to make you forget about that. The 3D effect remains mostly unused, as all the action takes place on the bottom screen.
Sound	78	The music is evocative of other games like this one, with warm and pleasant background music playing as you cook. The various sound effects work to make the cooking nearly as realistic as cooking on a 3DS can be.
Gameplay	75	Each mini-game plays differently from the others, making for a good amount of variety all around. Occasionally, the controls will feel a tad loose, though not enough to make the game too problematic.
Play Value	73	There are dozens of mini-games to enjoy here, and while they are all rather simple, the fact that they're each part of whole sequences makes up for that to some degree. This may provide you with hours of amusement.
Final Score	76	A simple little cooking game, but a fun one all the same.

[View Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic images / screenshots +]
[Watch Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic videos / trailers +]
[View more Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic articles (news, previews, reviews) +]
[View Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic cheats / guides +]

Stories from around the web