How does the cooking mini-game work in Like a Dragon: Ishin?

In Like a Dragon: Ishin, you can restore health by eating bento dishes you receive from NPCs and purchase from shops. However, you’re also able to cook fine meals at your villa. Some of the finer dishes will fill larger portions of your life meter. They are more affordable when you fix them yourself, as well. Here is our guide to how the cooking mini-game works in Like a Dragon: Ishin.

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How does the cooking mini-game work in Like a Dragon: Ishin?

To cook any dishes in Like a Dragon: Ishin, you must first unlock the villa. This happens early in the campaign. The villa includes access to a kitchen, which is positioned along the wall near your house’s entrance. You can stand at the counter and press a button to bring up the menu that will allow you to prepare the desired food.

To make the most of the cooking mini-game, start by gathering suitable ingredients. Dishes typically require a lot of vegetables and fish. You can grow vegetables in your garden. Many others are also available to purchase from the Greengrocer, who maintains a shop not far from Teradaya. However, you must grow the rarer vegetables yourself. The Fish Market provides some fish, or you can catch some by fishing. Finally, make sure to acquire plenty of Egg and Udon Flour. These ingredients are sold at the Ichikura General Goods shop in Fushimi. When you raise chickens at your villa, you can also grab an egg each time you return home.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

With ingredients assembled, head to your counter and select a recipe. They are rated from 1 to 5 stars, depending on the perceived difficulty. At first, you will have only a few recipes available. You gain access to most additional recipes by exchanging Virtue at a shrine to upgrade your kitchen. You can also improve your cooking success rate. That way, you are more likely to produce quality dishes even if you make minor blunders during preparation.

Cooking consists of a series of quick mini-games, and the selection varies by recipe. Some steps require timed button presses to chop vegetables. One mini-game requires you to mash a button to keep a fire fed. Another one has you press a button to flip fish cooking on a grill.

The most difficult mini-game asks you to pour seasoning. Watch how quickly the bar on the left side of the screen fills. As it approaches the colored area indicated, release it. You won’t stop pouring immediately. If you timed things right, the meter will stop filling while the bar falls within the desired area. If it fills completely to the top, that step of the process has failed.

Your recipe may still succeed, however, depending on how any other steps go. If your performance goes especially well, you will even make a “Premium” dish.

Like a Dragon: Ishin can be purchased on Steam and the Xbox marketplace.