While exploring Itch.io, searching for free games to expand my ever-growing collection of indie titles, I stumbled upon a Filipino-made game by Chikon Club titled Putahe ng Ina Mo: Sinigang Edition. The game started development in 2019 and was published on June 1, 2020.
It is a well-made, 3D cooking simulation game, from the likes of Cooking Mama, with a unique twist on gameplay mechanics: the ingredients are already neatly prepared on your work area and you’d only need to add the ingredients accordingly to make the recipe.
The game is currently in prototype stage, so gameplay and mechanics may still change. But if you look at the developer’s Facebook page, you can get an idea of which direction their taking this game into.
Game Highlights
Simple Controls
The controls are straightforward. As mentioned, with the ingredients already prepped and arranged on the table, players only need to drag and drop them into the boiling water. Each player’s experience can vary, as the game doesn’t provide tutorials. You dive in, make mistakes, and then try again.
Music and SFX
I appreciate how the background music sounds playfully clumsy, suggesting that the game might be more challenging than it appears. Additionally, the sound effects are delightful; it’s worth turning on your speakers to fully enjoy them, especially if you understand Filipino.
“Livestream” Experience
The prototype’s release feels timely, coinciding with the surge in recipe vlogs and DIY cooking during lockdowns. The “livestream” feature adds a fun and unique twist to the game, something I haven’t encountered elsewhere.
Share the Love to the Developers
The HTML version of the game is currently free, while the Mac and Windows versions are available for US$ 1.00 or more at their Itch.io page. For a game of this quality, that’s really not bad. You can actually find crappier games on Steam for a much higher value so technically this price is already a steal.
I would definitely pay for a much higher value though if the developers would jump into Steam release, with achievements and trading cards, and additional gameplay mechanics, like maybe a multiplayer cook-off.
