Main game
3.32 average rating based on 354 ratings
Okay so I know this game would have been a flash in a really shallow pan had it been released after iPhones proliferated, but it didn't so it was a DS classic. It's great for playing when truly, genuinely, all-consumingly bored, and that's not an insult! It occupies the mind in a way that is brainless and rote, but not so shameful as Bejeweled or any military-themed FPS. I think Cooking Mama's original popularity also benefitted from DS puzzle/brain games like Big Brain Academy or Picross, even though Cooking Mama makes us break down boiling an egg into a five step process. It also includes a special type of kawaii aesthetic that was specific to early third-party Nintendo DS games and should, in fact, be analyzed.
It’s been 13 years since the original Cooking Mama was released for the DS. Since then there have been an array of sequels and spin-offs, but how does the first installment hold up?
Check out our video review on the original Cooking Mama!