Sugar Shack Review

Sugar Shack falls into that rapidly expanded market of ‘cosy games.’ What one can use to define the genre is…debatable. In my own definition, I see it as games where the pace is slow, combat is almost non-existent, and the vibes are what sucks everyone in. They’re meant to be a relaxing-ish experience that doesn’t take much brain power to figure out. Sugar Shack’s premise is that you, the player, are running a nice little restaurant. Not the most original idea for a game, sure, but originality isn’t a massive factor in cosy games. As mentioned, it’s the vibes that matter.

The “Create a Character” feature is extremely basic. You have the option of four skin colours, four hairstyles in three different colour ways, and one top and bottom clothing option in five different colour options. With the lack of ability to customise a character, I decided the best way forward was to play as the little lad who loves berries and cream from the 2007 Starburst commercial.

After picking the colour of your character's clothes, you're dropped into the snow and are greeted by the…devil? Who is in make-believe Canada because you sold your soul to him in order to have a maple syrup business. I mean, sure, in this economy, it sounds legit.

After being told not to go up the stairs because “it's boring” by the literal devil, I spent multiple minutes running around trying to find something to chop down the wooden panels blocking the staircase. There was a knife on the kitchen counter, but I was not allowed to take it, and after running around outside trying to find an axe, all I discovered was the devil chilling outside. Looking into the cold abyss of the ocean, unmoving, their little tail swishing around.

Turns out, all you need to do to make the wooden panels fall off is click on the bed to go to sleep. Huh. Alright. Upstairs, you find a few maple-themed beds and a table that allows you to expand the island as you increase your skill in the game. When you wake up the next morning, though, the devil is pissed off. Pissed off enough to cancel the tutorial, so that's fun. Except not really, because someone else takes over the tutorial.

The main quest of Sugar Shack is to run a maple-themed restaurant while tending to your produce and resources. For example, everything runs on wood, so you have to find trees to cut down, but depending on your axe strength, you can only cut down some trees. You also have to make the maple syrup by grabbing the sap, putting it into a caldron, finding more wood, and then waiting.

This theme continues once you actually open your restaurant. In the morning, you’ll be allowed to pick a menu for the day, all maple syrup-based. Once you light the fire in your house, the chimney will let everyone know you’re open and ready to serve. Customers will sit down, and you’ll have little pictures pop up on the screen describing their orders. At this point, you are running around the kitchen, grabbing items, mixing them together, throwing them on the stove, using even more wood to light it, waiting again, and then grabbing the food once it's done. Oh, and don’t forget a plate. The game gets very angry at you if you don’t use a plate. Which, again, valid; if I went out to eat and they just chucked my food straight on the table, I’d be side-eyeing them too.

This is the type of game that will be much more enjoyable in multiplayer, as there’s a lot to manage on your own to a tedious amount. Sugar Shack is going to be divisive, and your enjoyment is going to be solely based on what you’re looking for. The graphics are very basic, reminding me of 3D browser games from the early 2000s. Which, hey, if that’s your vibe, go off! But for me, the market is currently oversaturated with farming-esque games that are trying to be the next Stardew Valley. Sugar Shack adds a little bit of spice by throwing in some Plate Up elements when it comes to cooking and serving customers, but some components are oversimplified, while others are too complicated unless in a co-op mode.

If you’re on the fence about whether to purchase it, I’d watch a clip of gameplay, as it’s exactly what’s on the tin. I’d recommend it as a “maybe” if you’re playing with someone else, but as a solo experience, it’s simply…meh.