Battle Chef Brigade is beautiful, original and works better than you would expect from a game that mixes such different genres. One of the last surprises of the year.

Battle Chef Brigade successfully mixes genres to create something wholly engaging. The charming art direction and characters, creative combat, and clever puzzle mechanics help put Battle Chef Brigade squarely in its own genre. Despite a few storytelling stumbles and some minimal repetition, the sunny disposition of Trinket Studios’ puzzle/platformer/beat ‘em up ultimately shines through.

Battle Chef Brigade’s gambit when it comes to its unorthodox blend of ingredients pays off well, resulting in truly stellar duels that reward combat skills, proper planning and strategy, with success not only delivering dishes to make one salivate, but also truly fun gameplay on all fronts. It’s one of the most unique games to pop up this year, making for an experience with a lot of charm and energy that is not to be missed.

A bit different from what you’d expect, Battle Chef Brigade is a pleasant surprise, and like good food it can be nice to try something different once in a while.