KuloNiku News

Hey chefs! 🍜👩‍🍳

Big news! KuloNiku: Bowl Up will be participating in Steam Next Fest June 2025 Edition, June 9–16 2025! ✨

As part of our participation, we'll have a new demo up and running by June 7.

Based on the feedback we received during the public playtest back in April, we've made fixes, improvements, and additions to the game.

Here are the new features you can expect from our demo:

Character Selection: Players can now choose between two main character designs, allowing them to pick the one that resonates most with them.

New NPCs: The demo will bring new customers to serve, with unique designs and various personalities

Hangouts: The player can hang out with characters to deepen their relationship and learn more about their personal stories

Ume Shop: Ume Shop is now open! Visit this store and the adorable shopkeeper to buy all your restaurant’s needs including ingredients, tools, decoration, and more.

Improved Tutorial: The demo includes improved tutorials to introduce the game’s mechanics, including the cooking duel and decoration features.

And of course, you'll still have the tactile cooking gameplay, lighthearted story, exciting duels, and more!

Mark your calendar, try our demo, and kindly share your feedback. See you at the ktichen, chef!

Hello, chefs!
Thank you 3000+ chefs who joined our playtest. We are absolutely bowled over by your enthusiasm.
Your feedback is the secret sauce to KuloNiku! 🍜

Now we're back in the kitchen to finish cooking the game, but we'll be back soon. 🔥

Additionally, we're thrilled to announce that we'll join Wholesome Direct showcase on Saturday, June 7th, 2025! The showcase will start at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 6pm CET / 12pm WIB. Don't miss it!

Dear chefs,
Thank you for waiting. Our playtest is now live!

Enjoy a scrumptious and cozy cooking gameplay, served with a side of low-poly art style. Relish in the colorful cast of characters who bring sweetness, zest, and just a kick of spice. 🔥

This is a playtest, so it's not fully polished yet. We need your feedback to make the game the best it can be!

What's on the Menu for KuloNiku Playtest:
- A tactile and satisfying cooking gameplay experience
- Thrilling cooking duels that put your cooking and strategizing to the test
- Lighthearted and (hopefully) entertaining story
- 5 days (~30 minutes) of gameplay
- Steam Deck compatible!
- Charming art style inspired by Mega Man Legends


[h2]FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS[/h2]
Here are some frequently asked questions about the playtest:

What languages are available in the Playtest?
The Playtest is available in English, Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Spanish, Russian, and Thai.

Please note that some languages were translated using MTL for now. We plan to work with professional translators for the final version of the game.

Where can I send my feedback?
To ensure your feedback is read by our team, please either use the in-game feedback menu, or fill this Google Form:
https://bit.ly/KulonikuFeedback


Can I stream or make a video based on the Playtest?
Yes! But please kindly mention that this is a Playtest version and therefore a work in progress.

And if you're sharing your video on social media, kindly tag us on @KulonikuGame or @GambirStudio

How do you pronounce Kuloniku?
In IPA, it's /kuloniku/

What does Kuloniku mean?
Kulo (ꦏꦸꦭ ) means me in Javanese and niku (肉) means meat (in Japanese). But KuloNiku can also means "I am" or "It's me" in Javanese.
Additionally, it's the name of the town where the game is set!

Will there be more Playtests or a demo version in the future?
We definitely plan to launch a demo version in the version, and we'll update any future Playtest plans on social media.

Will you release the game for other platforms?
We currently plan to release the game for PC first and we're looking for options and support to port the games to modern consoles. We do not have plans for a mobile version at this time.

Is the Playtest playable on Steam Deck?
Yes, we have tested the Playtest build on Steam Deck and it's playable. If you find any bugs, please kindly report it on the form.

Is this Playtest build representative of the planned final version?
The game is still in development and there might be slight changes based on the feedback we received. But we don't expect the core experience to change drastically from what we have in the Playtest build.

Hello chefs!

Mark your calenders, the first KuloNiku: Bowl Up playtest will be open to the public from 29 April 2025 through 5 May 2025 on Steam!

In this playtest, we'll have an alpha build of the game available to play. Please keep in mind that this is a work-in-progress, it's still in the oven so to speak.

But if you're interested in playtesting it, we'll use your feedback to improve the game ahead of its release in Q3 2025.

More info:
In Kuloniku: Bowl Up, players will get to run their grandma’s once-famed noodle restaurant in the small town of Kuloniku. A slew of colorful customers will place orders for their perfect bowl of noodles. It’s then up to the player duty to cook the orders accurately and quickly.

Satisfied customers will give tips, which can be used to purchase new ingredients, tools, and even decorations. The customization feature in Kuloniku allows the players to customize their restaurants to their heart’s desire, with a variety of different styles and colors to choose from.

During the five days of gameplay available in the playtest, players will also meet some of the townsfolk, each with their own personality and story. Chief among them is Stella, a rockstar chef from the town’s hottest and loudest restaurant. She seeks to defeat the player, who she sees as a rival.

Thanks and we hope to see you in the kitchen!