Messy Recipe: A Hidden Object Game

Short but sweet! Not quite enough here for an adult players, but it's inexpensive and the art style is charming. I think this would be nice for younger kids, especially if you want to teach them more about cooking - either how different ingredients go together or if you're getting them into the actual cooking part of things. Maybe even trying to make some of the recipes they put together in-game in real life?

Messy Recipe is a charming hidden objects game that is not taxing to play. The gameplay is a breeze to pick up. Objects are randomly hidden around the room, so don't try to use logic to deduce where something might be. It's more about enjoying the Where's Waldo-style hunt and guessing what ingredient combinations will produce the recipe variants. It's a quick playthrough that will brighten up an evening!

Read the full review with accompanying screenshots here: https://playcritically.com/2026/04/11/messy-recipe-a-hidden-objects-game-review/ When I play Messy Recipe, I am constantly aware of its limitations. There are ten levels in total; I feel there should be more. Every level takes place in a single environment that only changes two or three times; I feel there should be more. Reaching the ending takes about twenty minutes and completing every recipe takes about ninety; I feel it should be longer. The narrative’s conflicts are resolved with little actual difficulty for anyone involved; I feel it should make braver choices. Sometimes a videogame being short and simple is a point in its favor. It offers exactly the amount it needs to feel rewarding for the player then ends before it overstays its welcome. I cannot bestow this compliment on Messy Recipe. It leaves me with a feeling of dissatisfaction. Messy Recipe was not made for me. It is not suited for an intense play session followed by analysis of its interacting and intersecting systems. Completionists will dash through its short length then dash it off their backlogs, already forgetting it as they hurry on to a new list of achievements. Hardcore players will scoff at its friendly visuals and gentle activities and click away, never giving it a chance at all. Messy Recipe was not made for them either. I would not be doing my job as a critic if I exclusively considered these elitist, discerning perspectives when evaluating a videogame. It is true that there are times when I only need to consider my own expectations and biases when writing a review. The videogames with the broadest appeal, where it is presumed most players already have a general idea of what they will encounter, are where I am most free to be this insular. I am already speaking to my bubble. Messy Recipe is not that kind of videogame. It is with this in mind that I urge myself to look past my misgivings to Messy Recipe’s strongest qualities. Its premise is simple, its graphics are appealing, and its scale is easily managed. I imagine the kinds of players who may enjoy a videogame with those qualities. I see a harried remote worker squeezing in one or two puzzles between service calls. I see an exhausted professional, with no time or energy to play an epic RPG or demanding live-service shooter, finding satisfaction in finishing a short and uncomplicated puzzle videogame after an easy evening meal. I see a parent with a toddler on their lap, introducing their child to a simple videogame in preparation for bigger and deeper videogames in years to come. Messy Recipe is not for me. It is for them. I’m not going to be so arrogant as to say they should not enjoy this videogame. I do not wholly enjoy Messy Recipe. I believe they will.

A lighthearted cozy game that enchanted my young grandson when we tried it out together. He enjoyed the gentle humor and the shy kitchen spirit, as well as the happy resolution for everyone. There were plenty of challenges, but the hint button saved the day when he needed some help. All in all, well worth the time and price

Fun little game, no pressure, cute story, no real way to mess up, all in all a great cozy play. Hope they add more levels in the future!

cute game but pretty short

I relate to this type of mess in the kitchen

very short little story about a ghost enjoying food, very cute :)

Charming, simple, relaxing. Has everything you'd want out of a hidden object game!

太简单，内容太少，像是给儿童玩的。我原价15元买的，不太值这个价。