Anyone who’s attended a PAX (or any other large convention, for that matter) knows that food consumption can take a back seat to wandering the expo hall checking out awesome games and standing in three hour lines. Imagine my delight when, in an energy bar and coffee fueled delirium, I discovered not one, not three, but four different food-themed indie games among the aisles at PAX East 2016. Not only was I drawn to them by the gnawing in my stomach, but also by my strong affinity for food that is not actually food. The latter I carry with me at all times, regardless of my current status as “starved beast” or “not starved and slightly less beastly.” In addition to being about food, I thought each of these games brought something interesting to the table.
If I was turned into a cube of tofu, I, too, would roll around on the ground in an effort to break the curse. Luckily, Mr. Tofu isn’t just mindlessly rolling through a brightly colored landscape. With your help he can puzzle his way through the correct path to victory. With a learning curve that won’t make you cry and a delicious chiptunes soundtack, A Tofu Tail is worth checking out, even if you’re not vegetarian.
Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, including the developers of Breaking Fast. In this breakfast racing game, players have a variety of adorable smiling food characters to choose from. The grinning blue milk is my personal favorite. Power ups, attacks, speed boosts, and angry toasters serve to complicate the competition.
This hectic game blends fruits and veggie combat with destructible levels to create a smoothie of action puzzle platformer goodness. With co-op, versus, and single player game modes, you can take on your friends or the evil gang of meats and cheeses that are trying to take over the world. Fight the good fight, and stand with fruits and veggies.
While soda isn’t technically a food, it is a consumable item, and therefore earns its spot on this list. Not only can you sip your soda in this incredible first person soda simulator, but you can take a trip down bizarro lane with all of the many, many secrets and mini games. You might come for the soda drinking, but you’ll stay for the whirling colors and weird creatures with teeth.