One of the things I’ve observed in the last generation is that as some more niche game styles have emerged, and have had developers embrace them, it can sometimes feel like people have lost the plot somewhere along the way. Whether you’re making a game that’s meant to be weird, challenging, or cozy, you can’t lose sight of the fundamentals of the game itself, that it should control well, and that it should also be fun to actually play. Despite its cozy vibes, and friendly general demeanor, it feels like Fruitbus has somewhat fallen into this trap, and it’s a shame.

Having inherited the said Fruitbus from your grandmother with her passing, you’ll also discover that she’s given you a mission to unite a group of her friends to celebrate a farewell feast. The problem, it turns out, is that the majority of them, including your own mother, are going to take some convincing to make that commitment, so you’ll need to go on a roadtrip to make it happen. I’ll give the developers credit, there’s quite a lot that they needed to get working reasonably to make this cozy adventure possible. You’ll need to go to different towns, drive the somewhat unwieldy truck, venture out in search of ingredients, perform a variety of food prep tasks, and then work to make new recipes using them all to serve people and make them happy.

The problem is that in terms of implementation, nearly every aspect of the game is somewhere between just OK and a bit shaky overall. In terms of the simple visuals, it feels like they were maybe shooting for a visual style of movement reminiscent of stop motion, but it would be just as easy to assume the game’s performance is problematic and stuttery, making for more of a distraction than it should. Similarly, tasks like driving the van, some of the platforming-style activities you’ll need to perform to collect some ingredients, what are effectively fetch quests you’ll need to perform, and the steps you’ll need to partake in around food prep are a bit all over the place. They do generally work, and you can roll with the punches, but collectively they can also wear you down after a while, feeling just a little too wonky and again detracting from the ability to just enjoy the game as intended. There’s a nice and cozy adventure to be had here, but without some more refinement and polish, some of the game’s competitors would be better options, even if not quite in the same lane.