Bizarre, engaging, and full of heart, Born of Bread is a turn-based RPG drawing inspiration from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Published by Dear Villagers and developed by WildArts Studios, I was sold on Born of Bread the second I saw this doofy, loveable cast of characters walking through this vibrant world. 

My Doughy Son 

Born of Bread’s premise is perfectly ridiculous. A baker is baking bread but it turns out he baked a child who he immediately claims as a son. This doesn’t over well and ends up kickstarting the adventure. You play as this floury golem, named Loaf. Right off the bat you have these interesting interactions with the environment like knocking over a statue to break a case, getting the guard to leave his post so you can continue upstairs.

The art style places 2D characters in a 3D world, allowing for traditional sidescrolling but also depth in exploration. Along the way will grow your party: starting with a raccoon named Lint. Each buddy will have their own abilities and strengths both in and out of combat. For instance, when you’re wandering the forest Lint can dig. 

I only had 15 minutes of hands-on time with Born of Bread so I struggled a bit wrapping my head around the combat system and getting the timing of combat down, as attacking with any weapon has a quick time event (QTE) associated with it. Still, I appreciate this QTE inclusion because it keeps me engaged with the combat rather than just watching a series of animations go by. Despite my challenges, the tutorials were great at making sure you were able to grasp the base mechanics. I had my partner Isaiah, who joined me at this appointment, take a stab at a fight and he took to it immediately so it seems like longtime fans of the genre will gel with the gameplay almost instantly.

Overall, Born of Bread is a cute, clever title that deserves a spot on everyone’s radar. 

Born of Bread launches summer 2023 for PC.