Some time ago, we caught wind of a unique new arcade cookery game by the name of Chef it Up, from Australian newcomers MonkeySplash Studios. After being tested out at a Dave & Busters in Orlando and appearing on the company’s own small booth at IAAPA 2024 in November, it returned as part of the indie arcade set at MAGFest earlier this year, but things went quiet on it afterward. However, this month has seen the game return to prominence, with a couple of updates from its official Instagram presence which prove it is still coming. Let’s see what MonkeySplash has been cooking!
Chef it Up – Updates, UK Appearance
First off, as one might expect, the game has been through some changes since we last saw it. These can be made out in this new ‘how to play’ promotional video; to sum it all up here, the software appears to remain much the same, but the controls at each cookery station have been slightly simplified from what they were before. Where it previously used fully specialized controls for each station, now these have been partly replaced with standard joysticks and buttons, though one temperature dial for the oven stage (there used to be five) and the bell for serving the finish meal remain intact:
We would imagine that these changes come from testing feedback. Here’s the first version that we saw at IAAPA 2024 to compare:
Then for a little bit of a surprise, Chef it Up has also now come to the UK for a limited time, marking its first European appearance. Given that fact and the location it is appearing at – Gravity MAX Westfield Stratford, where Sega Amusements have notably done a few pre-release trials of games due to their involvement with its FunBox arcade – this is likely another test for it.
With all this in mind, it will be interesting to see where it goes from here. Could Sega be carrying it out West (or at least Europe)? If it is a test by them, that will likely ride on how well it performs there, but hopefully we’ll get to know that outcome soon at a trade show or two over the coming months.
What do you think of Chef it Up? Would you like to this new arcade game at a location near you?
