Ravenous Devils
A horror cooking sim set in Victorian London.
Ravenous Devils is a horror cooking simulation game developed by Bad Vices Games and released on April 29, 2022, for multiple platforms including the Nintendo Switch. Set in 19th century Victorian London, it follows Percival and Hildred, who run a tailor shop and pub, with Percival murdering clients to supply meat for Hildred's recipes. The game draws heavy inspiration from Sweeney Todd, implying he was the previous owner of their building.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Bad Vices Games
- Publisher
- Bad Vices Games, Troglobytes Games
- Designer
- Cristian Gambadori, Eleonora Vecchi
- Artist
- Mirco Pierfederici, Matteo Parente
- Composer
- Federico Manuppella
- Released
- April 29, 2022 (WW)
- Genre
- Horror, cooking simulator
- Modes
- Single player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The player controls both Percival and Hildred, switching between them by vertical side-scrolling: Percival navigates the top floors, while Hildred works on the ground floor and basement. The game is divided into days lasting 10 to 12 minutes. Percival sells clothes to customers in the front of his shop and kills those who enter the back for measurements, stealing their clothes and disposing of the bodies through a trap door to Hildred's basement kitchen. He cleans up blood before accepting new customers, and later must also tend a greenhouse on the top floor, occasionally dragging bodies upstairs for composting. Hildred serves meals in the pub, turning Percival's bodies into raw ingredients using a meat grinder and later producing sausages and steaks, then cooking and serving the meat. Each action takes time, and meat preparation animations cannot be interrupted, creating pressure. If a customer cannot buy anything, a satisfaction timer begins; serving quickly increases reputation, while a fully expired timer loses reputation and the sale. At day's end, reputation gains and losses and money earned are calculated. Money buys upgrades such as equipment, ingredients, recipes, or outfits. Sometimes a letter from a threatening figure named "J" or another event advances the plot. Before starting a new day, the player can prepare without a timer.
Reception
Ravenous Devils received generally favorable reviews, with a Metacritic average of 7.5 and 93% positive reviews on Steam. Brad Gallaway from GameCritics.com praised the controls and compact design but noted a lack of narrative depth and shortness. Simone Tagliaferri from Multiplayer.it found the gameplay relaxing due to constant progression and forgiving failure mechanics, though it became repetitive after a few hours; he also praised the art direction and animations. Andrew Reiner from Game Informer positively noted the upgrade system for adding depth, difficulty, and reward. Philip Watson from CGMagazine called it a well-executed twist on horror and cooking simulators with excellent art and music, but criticized repetitive gameplay and control issues on Xbox. Multiple reviewers singled out the steak chopping animation as particularly gruesome.
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