The team here at Timberline Studio is hard at work on Beastro, and I am thrilled to give you a little more insight about what we’ve been working on. Beastro takes place in Palo Pori, a peaceful village of artisans and tastemakers. But danger simmers just beyond its protective wall, where ravenous monsters from another realm have begun to creep into the world.
You play as Panko, a young, gifted chef who has been helping run the local eatery. When Panko’s mentor mysteriously disappears, a stranger arrives with warnings of the threats gathering outside the village. Suddenly, Panko must shoulder far more responsibility than expected, managing the restaurant, gathering ingredients, tending to patrons, and supporting the brave Caretakers as they seek to save the world.
Flavorful Fare
Beastro’s core mechanics are guided by flavor: bitter, salty, sour, sweet, and umami. These flavors shape entire regions, influence the creatures and monsters inhabiting the wilds, and serve as the foundation for our card gameplay, with each flavor being a card suit.
Stock your pantry with the ingredients you can gather, farm, and fish throughout town. When you’re feeling ready, open the restaurant and feed the visiting Caretaker, preparing them for their daily venture.
A Tasty Deck
In Beastro, once you’ve filled the belly of a Caretaker, they’ll embark on a venture and return to tell their tale of battles and discovery. Every night, you’ll end your day at the tea house, listening to the tales and discovering the progress the Caretakers made that day. These stories take shape in the form of a paper puppet show, breathing life into every encounter and letting you influence what happened earlier that day. It’s up to you to help repel the vicious creatures and find who unleashed these menaces on the world.
Every monstrous encounter in the puppet theater takes the form of a turn-based battle, inspired by traditional trick-taking card games. Monsters set the flavor of the round (or trick), and you’ll look to play compatible flavor cards. If you overpower the monster, you’ll deal damage to your opponents and maybe perform a special ability too.
Your deck is comprised entirely of flavor cards from the exact ingredients and recipes you used during the Mise en Place phase. You’ll find yourself wielding salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami cards, each with its own value. And every meal you cook is a chance to unlock new cards, special abilities, and combinations that will let you delve deeper into the wilds. Remember those bitter ingredients? Many of them offer the chance to convert your damage to health. Maybe add a marshroom to your meal so you can put the monster to sleep, so it cannot play a card.
But watch out, you’re not the only one wielding flavor magic. The monsters all have their own special abilities, too. And if you’re not careful, you might find yourself with a handful of burned-up cards, cutting their power in half!
A Hearty Thank You
We’re so grateful to have you join us on this journey. We have more to share, but for now, check out our new Gameplay Trailer for a taste of what’s to come!
Beastro
Timberline Studios
Palo Pori is a beautiful and peaceful village of artisans and tastemakers. Beyond the village’s protective wall, darkness has begun to stir. Ravenous monsters have claimed the land and threaten to sink their teeth into this final morsel of hope and happiness.
Play as Panko, a young, talented chef, helping to run the local eatery. When Panko’s teacher goes missing, a mysterious visitor arrives with warnings of the dangers beyond the wall. It’s up to Panko to step up and take over the restaurant and tend to the ingredients and patrons. But that’s not all, Panko also finds himself serving the Caretakers, brave adventurers, sent to save the world. In this adventure, preserving peace starts in the kitchen!
FEATURES – WHAT’S ON THE MENU?
FROM TOWN TO TABLE
In Palo Pori, fresh is best! Gather ingredients and resources, care for animals and grow your own fruit and veg to build up your very own cozy town to table restaurant. Forage for wild herbs and unlock new seeds to grow to expand your meals.
SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY
Chop, flip, and sizzle your way through mouthwatering mini-games as you whip up delightful dishes for the townsfolk. Good food is always better with company, so work hard to improve your cooking and experiment with ingredients, to keep your patrons happy.
Tailor your restaurant to the tastes of your community, develop new meals, progress your know how through a skill tree and adjust the decor to increase your restaurant’s appeal.
FEED THE CARETAKERS
You’ll also need to feed the hungry Caretakers; these brave denizens of the land will venture out into the wilds to fight the ravenous monsters threatening the peace of Palo Pori. Each Caretaker hails from their own flavour region, affecting their own tastes and preferences: some like it bitter, some like it sweet and some are just looking to fulfil their craving of the day! Craft thoughtful meals and balance the flavour profiles to boost their spirits, sharpen their skills, and unlock new abilities. Because let’s face it… Who can save the world on an empty stomach?
DELICIOUS DECK BUILDING
Now it’s time to put your meal to the test! This is where taste meets tactics. The dishes you serve will build your Caretaker’s deck – each ingredient unlocking a card. And once they’ve eaten, they’ll venture into the wilds to fight the monsters. Upon their return, they’ll recount their journey and play out their battles through a charming puppet theatre sequence. They might even bring you back some MONSTEROUS ingredients from their ventures. Fight the monsters in turn-based deck building combat, inspired by traditional trick-taking card games. Outplay the monsters, by matching their flavour magic or neutralising it with a balancing card. Add an enhancing card to power up your moves! Your magic can turn the tables!
Utilize the unique effects of your ingredients to put your enemies to sleep, blow away their cards, and more, but watch out, you’re not the only one with special abilities. If you’re not paying attention, you might get burned.
In this food-based fantasy adventure, it’s time to give peas a chance! – Are you ready to get cooking?
Unlock the magic in food.
