Ever since 3D games could depict it on a plate, there’s been a call for good-looking food in games while wishing you could just grab it right off the screen and dig into it. That expectation continues to grow as the food becomes more detailed and prettier.
Not all foods in games are created equal. Some meals may look questionable but are still edible at best. Worst case scenario, you’ll wonder who the evil restaurant thought they were when they tried to serve you these dishes. You’ll be sure to send these dishes back to the kitchen.
8/8 Canteen – Monster Hunter: World
It would do the Felynes a disservice, who work hard to provide all hunters with food and power for their expeditions into unknown lands. Survival is paramount to successfully discovering new creatures and lands that you can make habitable for your hunter crew. So it’s understandable that you would eat their delicious meals to boost your stats if given the opportunity.
At the end of the day, however, they are feline creatures with fur. If you’ve lived with cats at any point in your life, you know what’s next. The hair gets all over, and no matter how much you think you’ve got it all, there’s always something left over. So when you put Felynes together cooking your food, you have quite a furry meal.
7/8 Nuka-Cola – Fallout Series
Nuka-Cola from the Fallout series is a staple of both the games themselves and an in-game symbol of the fictional United States. This is easily proven by the high value of the lemonade and the bottle caps as the main currency in the Wasteland after the Great War.
The last version of the Soda contains some serious problems, and since it’s the last type ever worked on, there’s no way to fix it. You see, the final version of the popular one contains a harmless isotope called strontium-90, which is used in nuclear weapons. People have died making this version of the soda, aptly named Nuka-Cola Quantum after its radioactive ingredients. Better keep these off the shelves.
6/8 Dodgy Food – Zelda Breath Of The Wild
The food is so sketchy it needs to be pixelated! In Zelda Breath of the Wild, Link can cook for himself to regain health and stats, and he often ends up cooking up some pretty awesome dishes that look more than edible. Most of the recipes he makes could even be considered restaurant quality. It’s amazing considering he makes them in the wild.
However, not all recipes are created equal. Unfortunately, some do not reach the restaurant quality that Fried Wild Greens can. Some can be downright dubious, like… well, like the dubious food. Although you know the ingredients that go into it, down to the critters or monsters, you’ll never really know how it turns out under the pixelated editing. It’s safe to say that this meal cannot safely be served in a dine-in capacity.
5/8 Whipped Cream Curry – Pokemon Sword and Shield
Listen, a good curry will fill your belly and soul with its endless combinations of spices, vegetables, and meat (if you’re inclined), while warming you to the core. Adding a little sweetness adds complexity and depth of flavor that wasn’t there before. For the most part, curry recipes in Pokemon Sword & Shield can vary from simple but filling to questionable and experimental.
Take the whipped cream curry for example. In theory, adding a bit of heavy cream to a curry can make the sauce richer, but somehow the idea of the Pokechef shaking up an aerosol bottle of whipped cream and pouring huge dollops on top doesn’t give the culinary experience that the average person or Pokémon caters to, as far as would look to pay. Just say.
4/8 Undercooked Grilled Fish – Persona 4
Yu Narukami, or whatever you would call him in Persona 4, is a typical teenager learning to be self-sufficient – and learning to cook is just one possibility. During the game, Yu will prepare his lunch to take to school and share with friends.
Not every meal will be perfect, however, and his friends will very blunt Let him know how bad and possibly toxic his messed up meals are. Yu may be the savior of Inaba, but he won’t be a chef serving this “food” any time soon.
3/8 Marguerite’s Dinner – Resident Evil 7
At one point, Marguerite might have been the typical wife and mother who loves to cook meals, but all that changed when Eveline corrupted the family with this insidious fungus in Resident Evil 7 – turning them into cannibalistic demi-humans. Half-creature hybrid with a twisted sense of…well, everything.
When you are captured and introduced to the family as a unit, you discover that you have been invited to the family dinner from Hell. Pots and bowls overflowing with entrails and organs will defy even those with the hardest stomachs at the sight. This meal doesn’t need to see a window display. je.
2/8 Jellied Eels—Dishonored
There is a market for jelly, sweet or savory, and eel, whose soft texture can taste good when prepared properly. But combining them and squeezing them firmly into a can seems easy not correct. Don’t twist it, it will heal the protagonist Corvo if he needs it, but the texture has to be exceptional.
The man behind the creation in Dishonored, known only as Pratchett, clearly has a drive for profit, especially while a plague has pretty much put everything else on hold. The jelly eels would of course have their fans, but it’s hard to imagine them becoming a mainstream food in our world because of their texture.
1/8 Cookies – Cookie Run: Kingdom
Cookies? That makes no sense. They are already prepared, decorated and cooled, ready to eat. Plus, they’re cute, which makes them great for merch. On the surface, there’s no reason why these snacks can’t sell well and make a nice profit in the process, allowing you to make more.
Until they start talking. Something about the cookies in Cookie Run being sentient and able to express their thoughts will likely put many people off eating them.