World End Diner may just be the best cozy game you’ve never heard of. With elements of Stardew Valley woven into a restaurant sim and management game loop, its laid back and charming aesthetic actually hides a pretty bleak premise. Well, after more than three years of early access toil, 500 updates, and plenty of positive reviews, World End Diner has finally made it to the promised land of 1.0.
While on the surface it looks like a Stardew Valley-esque life sim, World End Diner (as the name admittedly suggests) is actually a less chaotic and more cozy take on restaurant management games like Overcooked. Despite appearances, it’s also something of a depressing apocalypse game. You’re a robot stuck on the last inhabited island on Earth after a disaster wiped out all of humanity and the rest of the planet’s surface. With no humans to serve, your customers are instead other surviving robots and the woodland creatures that call the island home.
Instead of catering for overly demanding Karens and businessfolk in a hurry, you’ll be plating up for adorable raccoons, otters, foxes, and more. With an actual diner to go to, this cast of critters want more than nuts and berries. “Pancakes, bacon scrambled eggs, burgers, hot dogs, coffee, soda,” and much more can be served up, according to developer Andymente.
To keep your diner stocked and expanding, you’ll need to take on the more Stardew-adjacent tasks of foraging for ingredients and resources, as well as growing and harvesting your own produce. As your diner’s reputation increases, you’ll unlock new decorations, cooking facilities, and recipes.
As you roam further from your camp and diner and explore deeper into the island, you’ll start to also uncover some secrets. Maybe they’ll explain why this is the last remaining bastion of life on Earth? Or maybe they’ll just award you some super rare pickle to make the ultimate cheeseburger or something? It’s a mystery waiting to be solved.
As mentioned, World End Diner has been worked on for well over three years in early access, receiving over 500 updates and patches, plus regular seasonal events. While it’s not been bombarded with reviews, the 368 Steam users who have left their thoughts overwhelmingly love it – the game’s sitting on a 94% user score at the time of writing. Now though, it’s time to fully launch.
World End Diner version 1.0 is out right now on Steam. It’ll set you back just $16.99 / £13.49. To add it to your library or learn more about it, head to its Steam page here.
For more, take a look at some of the best cooking games on PC right now, or get hooked on one of the best games like Stardew Valley.
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