The Cooking Mama games are beloved in the hearts of many gamers. Despite the years since the first game's release on the Nintendo DS in 2006, the titular 'Mama' is still immediately recognizable and nostalgic. The series' last mainline game was released in 2013, and fans have been hungry for more ever since. A recent release was pulled from storefronts within only a few days, making it harder than ever for players to embark on their cooking adventures.

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These games should help satisfy those who are patiently waiting for Mama to return until the next game releases, and may just become another nostalgic game in years to come. They each develop and iterate upon the hectic cooking gameplay with fun local co-op or tricky micromanagement.

6 Overcooked

Crazy Co-Op

Overcooked is a timed cooking game that sees players rushing to complete orders with different ingredients. The story of the game is framed as an adventure to save the world, and up to four players can join for local cooperative gameplay.

The obstacles that come up in the different cooking missions keep the game fresh and surprising; levels, where players have only a few seconds to jump between a truck full of ingredients and a truck full of kitchen equipment, are outdone by haunted mansions that must be lit by flashlight as counters move of their own accord. The cutesy cartoon visuals and the hurried preparation make this a must-play for Cooking Mama fans.

5 PlateUp!

Frantic Management

A successor to Overcooked's mad rush of meal prep, PlateUp! puts players at the head of a new eatery that they can design and manage to earn money over set days of challenges. The faceless chefs can choose from a variety of dishes and sides, but things will quickly get out of hand with dirty plates, greasy floors, flaming ovens, and not enough chairs for the impatient customers waiting in the rain!

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Power-ups and new problems will alter the way the restaurant runs dramatically, and for fans of the Cooking Mama games, the range of recipes with different order specifics and the panicked dash in both local and online multiplayer make this an easy choice to pick up and play intermittently.

4 Cook, Serve, Delicious!

Fast-Paced Minigames

For Cooking Mama style minigames, Cook, Serve, Delicious! excels with its menu and sense of humor. Players take on the managerial role at a new restaurant and can manage their equipment, menu, and spending. It can quickly become tricky and speedy, but the WarioWare-esque minigames and charm will be familiar for Mama fans and the amount of content will ensure their appetite is sated.

With local multiplayer, VS modes and a Single Player Campaign in each of the three games in the series, there is plenty to tide fans over until the new CSD game releases later this year.

3 Battle Chef Brigade

2D Action Platformer, With Cooking!

Battle Chef Brigade brings the experimentation of trying new recipes and exciting action platforming together into a curious concoction. A single-player campaign puts players in the role of Mina, an aspiring chef. Cooking ability in the competitions Mina will face is determined by a tricky matching puzzle that will be familiar to fans of Candy Crush, while getting the ingredients requires hunting with combo-oriented combat.

The cooking minigames will be comfortable for any fans of Cooking Mama, while the local multiplayer offerings will sate any with any thirst for a competitive mode. The experimental gameplay pairs well with the recipe book that urges players to discover more and more by trying new things.

2 Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator

Experimental Alchemy

The visceral, kinetic closeups in Cooking Mama during minigames show players the details of the recipe as they create it. Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator uses a similar style, paired with visuals that look straight out of a medieval manuscript.

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Players harvest any ingredients that they have grown every morning and then get a chance to brew potions; inventing and discovering new combinations to have different effects and potency. Bartering with customers takes up more of the game and the potions that can be created can change the fates of different customers based on their problems and how players choose to help them. While it is a shift away from ordinary cooking, potion-making adds a touch of magic for fans of Cooking Mama to try.

1 Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator

A Kitchen Nightmare

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch,m PC
• Release Date: February 23, 2023
• Developer: Cyanide

Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator feels like a natural evolution of Cooking Mama. The manager of a restaurant has to choose the menu, the decoration and the layout, but in Chef Life, players also take control of staff hires and pay. They will cook in close-up minigames, inspired by Cooking Mama. that see chefs slicing, stirring and frying.

The comfortable gameplay is contrasted by the management of finances that players take control of - they have access to all the logistics of a restaurant. What quality of ingredients should be ordered? How much should a pizza cost? This feels like a natural extension of Cooking Mama, giving more control to players to allow for as much customization and chaos as they can handle.

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