The cafe is hiring only the best line cooks and you want to earn the chef’s approval to become his new apprentice. The Chef’s Apprentice is a game set in the Cryptid Cafe universe. This tableau building game is designed by Devon Mettlin and published by Squatchy Games. Let’s learn how to plate, prep, and garnish these ghoulishly delicious dishes.
Working the Line
In the original Cryptid Cafe, players took on the role of a wide variety of cryptids who served guests as they stopped by the cafe. Players are now in the back-of-house, plating dishes created by the kraken chef. Each player starts the game with a unique cryptid that gives you scoring based on a flavor and temperature icon. In each of the eight rounds of the game, players will draft two dishes from the display on their turn.
When drafting a dish from the display, you can choose a dish from the first row for free. If you draft a dish from the second or third row, you’ll take the dishes in front of it as “trash.” These trashed dishes will be turned facedown in front of the player, earning -1 praise (victory points) for every trashed tile they earn.
Everyone at the table is building their own four by four grid made up of the dishes that are drafted on their turn. Dishes can be added adjacent (not diagonal) to other dishes in their display. You want to look for icons that show up on the three global goal cards on the table, on your character card, and on your chef’s goal card that you picked at the beginning of the game.
Made to Order
Dishes in The Chef’s Apprentice can contain a flavor profile and temperature. Some dishes may not have the flavor profile or temperature you want, but that’s not an issue. After drafting two dishes on your turn, you can take one of three prep tokens on the central board. This token is double-sided but must be added to your plated dishes once you take it from the board.
Prep tokens allow you to change the flavor or temperature of your plated dish. Since only one side of the token is visible, players can gamble when choosing a token from the display. Since this can only be done once per turn, you’ll only get eight opportunities to collect these tokens. Choose wisely.
Players can also earn eyeballs by plating a dish with an eyeball icon and plating one adjacent to another eyeball icon. These tokens can be used to garnish your plated dishes with a snail token. This increases the value by +2 every time the dish is scored. Save the eyeballs for the end of the game and you’ll gain one praise for every two eyeballs you have.
Deliciously Monstrous
Similar to its predecessor, The Chef’s Apprentice is beautifully illustrated by artist Chip Cole. The art really makes the theme come alive. The fun dish names and cute but creepy vibe is fantastic. The game is really easy to teach and by the second round, gameplay is moving smoothly with new players.
If you’re trying to compare this game to Cryptid Cafe, this one is a little lighter as far as complexity. There is little to no player interaction as each player is building their own tableau. The theme of working in the back of the house of this monstrous cafe comes through nicely.
I like that there’s some grace in the gameplay if you really don’t like how your plated dishes are organized. Each player has three spatulas that can be used to move dishes, swap dishes with the display, or wipe the prep tokens if you need better options. These spatulas come at the cost of taking away end game points from the player if they use them.
Final Thoughts
The Chef’s Apprentice is a really excellent follow up game to Cryptid Cafe. You don’t need to know anything about the original, but jumping back into that cute and creepy world was a lot of fun. The game flows well and is elevated by its strong visual style.
This game offers a fun and puzzley experience that is totally suitable for both adults and kids. Heat up a cup of “Hot Apple Spider” and compete for the honor of being The Chef’s Apprentice.
You can purchase Cryptid Cafe: The Chef’s Apprentice at your local game store, or online through the Squatchy Games webstore.
This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.
Highs
- Great artwork and a fun food theme
- Plating dishes to earn praise is puzzley
- Great component quality throughout
Lows
- Gameplay can feel a little solitary
Complexity
Time Commitment
Replayability
