Restaurant Builder is the latest in a line of simulation games from Cooking Simulator developers, Nasalis Games. Following the relatively decent Arena Renovation, the restaurant building-game had something to live up to and expectations to meet. However, despite the bar being somewhat low, the follow-up title leaves a lot to be desired.

Restaurant Builder Fails to Deliver Anything New

While I found some subtle traces of enjoyment during my previous renovation exploits playing Arena Renovation, it to see something new on the table for the later game. I hoped for news tools, different types of jobs, new features and maybe even new modes. Sadly, these early hopes were – like a cheap balloon – quickly deflated.

As soon as Restaurant Builder had finished loading I knew that it was little more than a reskinned Arena Renovation. Playing more like a DLC for the previous game, this latest title treats us to a regurgitated version of a mediocre game. The title menu is identical, besides a new background image being used; the tool set at your disposal hasn’t changed and there are no new types of jobs to offer a little variation and to set it aside from the arena builder.

With everything so similar, it’s clear that very little effort has been made for the new contender and it carries with it the stench of a money-spinner. Restaurant Builder, which will be cheekily priced at $20, would have been an ideal addition to Arena Renovation in the form of free, extra content or priced at around $5 as DLC.

Restaurant Builder is Broken Beyond Playable

If seeing that Restaurant Builder was an identikit of Arena Renovation wasn’t bad enough, the game-breaking bugs were certainly enough hammer the nail into the coffin. As soon as my character had spawned, I was met with massively popping textures. The canopies of the trees from outside of the Restaurant were coming right through the windows and dancing a merry dance as they glitched right across the restaurant that I was so patiently trying to build.

Making a note for this article, I pushed through the demo regardless. It was sometimes difficult to see things that I should have been picking, breaking or cleaning up and made the whole process a far cry from the relaxing angle that simulation games should always follow.

While it was possible to persevere through the game with the graphical issues, the real game-breaking bug came in the form of broken counters. It first happened when I was tasked to pick up the garbage and rubble; the counter simply stopped working halfway through the task. Being a tenacious kind of writer, I started the game again and set to work once again from the start. This time around, the garbage counter worked fine but frustratingly reared its ugly head when it came to power washing grime. As patient as I am, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me and I’ve not returned to the game since.

Restaurant Builder – Gameplay

Presuming that you, dear reader, haven’t yet played Arena Renovation, the game pretty much lives up to its title. The job simulation game follows the same well-trodden tracks of the 1,000,001 other titles of its ilk, requiring you to clean up the area before fixing, plastering and decorating. Restaurant Builder is exactly the same in this respect too and follows a tired old format that has long since become stagnant.

Restaurant Builder – Summary

As it stands, Restaurant Builder is unplayable but I’m going to give Nasalis Games the benefit of the doubt and assume that these bugs will be ironed out. If you have played Arena Renovation and feel as though you have had enough, don’t put your hand in your pocket for what is essentially just new levels. On the other hand, if you haven’t played the earlier game, this might just be right up your street.