‘Fruitbus’ Lets You Find Your Flavor in an Open Cooking World

Fruitbus sets you free in an open world of varied fruits and veggies to figure out the sorts of foods you will serve to the locals.

You’re setting up shop in the Gustum archipelago, a series of islands that are filled with potential customers, interesting local dishes, and unique fruit and vegetables. So, what do you want to make? That question is a wide one, as it’s your responsibility to get ingredients for whatever you want to make. Is there a fruit that’s fairly common to the area that would be easy to get? Is there one that’s hidden in some location that’s off the beaten path? It’s all well and good if you come up with a tasty dish or learn to prepare a local one, but you’ll be the one putting in the legwork to get the ingredients.

You can customize your food truck to better suit whatever you’re going to make. There are all sorts of different cooking tools you can fill the truck with, so once you’ve figured out your food source, you’ll want to plan for getting your truck ready to cook. Better make sure the outside of the truck isn’t boring while you’re sinking money into the interior, too. Your potential customers will be more interested in trying you out if you spend some time making the exterior look fun and appealing. And if the right folks come to eat at your truck, maybe they’ll have some interesting stories to share as your dishes bring up old memories.

Fruitbus is a delightful food truck simulation, but the act of exploring the island, its dishes, and the fruits you can find throughout it that make this game feel like something more. There is this sense of connection with the archipelago and its people as you really get to know the place and carefully maintain your place within it. I find I often lose interest in simulation games after tinkering with their systems for long periods, but the stories of the people gave this experience a more powerful connection that made me feel more welcome and at home in this world.

Fruitbus is available now on Steam.

About The Author

Joel Couture

Joel has been covering indie games for various sites including IndieGames.com, Siliconera, Gamasutra, Warp Door, CG Magazine, and more over the past seven years, and has written book-length studies on Undertale and P.T.. Joel is constantly on the lookout for digital experiences that push the boundaries of what games can be, and seeks to delve into the creative process, meanings, and emotion labor that goes into the work of artists worldwide.