Review of Midnight Ramen

A generous serving of existentialism

Zero Division 
Platform: PC
Developers: Cointinue Games
Publisher: Cointinue Games
Release date: July 23th, 2024
Price: $11.99 via digital download, $10.79 launch price until August 4th
Availability: Steam

Cafes and restaurants are more than just places to get a hot beverage or something to eat in games like Necrobarista and Bear’s Restaurant. These places serve as a hub for social interaction and frequently offer much-needed comfort to those in need. That’s essentially the same idea as Midnight Ramen from Cointinue Games.

Serving bowls of delicious noodles will occupy a large amount of your time, as the title suggests. Preparation entails attending to the evening requests of your street stall patrons. Midnight Ramen replicates all of the necessary preparation procedures, including boiling the noodles to the right firmness, adding ingredients like scallions, egg, chashu, fish cakes, bamboo, or seaweed, and adding the right soup base.

Tempting Components

It’s all fairly stress-free, which is pleasant. Ramen mostly avoids the anxiety of timed culinary games like Cook, Serve, Delicious! There’s an on-screen summary of each order, a peekable cooking guide, and more! If you happen to forget an essential component, the game will provide a helpful reminder, and you can retry a recipe if you are unlucky enough to make a mistake. And although the customer saw that I had mistakenly served sake instead of green tea, they didn’t appear to bother.

You will, of course, serve more than simply bowls of ramen—tonkotsu, shio, miso, or shoyu. A frequent patron preferred his pan-fried chashu, although other patrons could choose gyoza or tamagoyaki, a customary Japanese wrapped omelet. Sometimes, your clients give you a little leeway. Even if there are no wrong options while dining omakase, preparing a dish that you might think would fit their mood is strangely satisfying.

Characteristics as Diverse as Tastes

Indeed, you will get to know a large portion of your clientele quite well. You’ll interact with them throughout visual novel scenes, just like in VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action. Many customers may initially only be seeking some uplifting food. But as time goes on, they’ll divulge more about who they are as people, sharing their concerns, aspirations, and desires. In all likelihood, they will converse with one another as well as the restaurant’s proprietor and his adolescent apprentice, Homura. Social faux pas are common in these situations, and watching them seems surprisingly natural. Additionally, there’s a main plot that deftly ties everything together without giving away the formula for Ramen.

During the initial release, a few errors slightly spoil the generally delicious flavor of Ramen. There is voice acting but written dialogue only in Chinese, Japanese, and English, with a few forgiven errors in the former language. Furthermore, there is aural repetition due to the small amount of tracks, even though the low-fidelity beats fit in well with the reflective vibe. The game’s character artwork, however, is incredibly emotive; it can portray anything from a salary man’s sulky demeanor to a reclusive student’s propensity to hide behind her backpack. However, the straightforward yet impactful sound effects are the true standout. Here, the sound of the finished order—a beautiful chime or the satisfying bite of noodles—perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being at a small-scale street vendor.

In summary

The fourteen chapters that make up the plot of Midnight Ramen should take most players five to six hours to finish. With their portrayal of some serious and relevant topics, the cast definitely leaves an impression. Because of this, you should enjoy the game’s key moments rather than quickly getting through the explanations.

The review code for Midnight Ramen was obtained from the publisher and played on a PC.

Review Overview

Story – 80%

Controls – 80%

Aesthetics – 75%

Content – 80%

Accessibility – 85%

Value – 85%

81%

VERY GOOD

Summary : This little street vendor offers comfort and flavorful noodles in equal amounts. The first attempt from Cointinue Games makes sure that meal preparation is stress-free so you can concentrate on your social interactions with clients. Since emotions differ as much as spices, Midnight Ramen ought to be your next order of business if you enjoy deeply moving stories.