What happens when you combine the addictive card-building strategy of Balatro with the frantic time management of Papa’s Pizzeria, then add eggs? You get Omelet You Cook, the cooking roguelike that somehow maintained a perfect 100% positive review score on Steam for five months straight. With over 500 reviews, it became one of the rarest achievements on the entire platform before one person finally left the first negative review in November 2025.
Developed by SchuBox Games and led by Dan Schumacher, this Early Access title launched in June 2025 and immediately captured the hearts of players looking for something different in the crowded roguelike space. The premise sounds almost too simple to work, you make omelets by selecting ingredients from a conveyor belt while trying to satisfy increasingly demanding customers. But beneath that straightforward concept lies a deceptively complex puzzle game that rewards planning, adaptation, and a bit of luck.
From Game Jam to Steam Success
Omelet You Cook started as a game jam project that caught the attention of Mark Brown, the creator of Game Maker’s Toolkit, who called it “a genuinely great game.” That early validation convinced Schumacher to expand the concept into a full release. The core loop remained intact, quickly assemble the perfect omelet to satisfy customers while gaining new ingredients and trying new combinations as the operation gets progressively more chaotic.
The transition from jam game to commercial product added significant depth. Players now choose from multiple starter pantries including Bell Pepper Bacon, Veggie Lover, Sausage Spinach, and the challenging Tin Can Trasher. Each pantry determines your starting ingredients and shapes your early strategy, similar to choosing a character class in traditional roguelikes. Unlocking new ingredients and helpers (the game’s version of relics) provides the sense of progression that keeps players coming back.
Ingredient Synergies Create Strategic Depth
What makes Omelet You Cook more than just a cooking simulator is how ingredients interact with each other. Green peppers are worth zero points by themselves, but each slice of bacon touching one awards three extra points. Mushrooms are worth seven points as long as absolutely nothing touches them, turning your omelet into a spatial puzzle. Do you risk placing that mushroom in the center and building around it, or play it safe with guaranteed bacon synergies?
PC Gamer noted that as your omelet fills up with ingredients, it becomes almost like a stacking or packing game where you’re trying to maximize score while meeting customer requirements. Some ingredients are “wiggly” and will suddenly squirm around, nudging other components out of place. Certain customers impose negative multipliers for meat, force the omelet to slowly spin while you’re assembling it, or steal random ingredients. Every round presents new challenges that demand on-the-fly adaptation.
Difficulty Scales Through Apron System
The game uses colored aprons to represent difficulty levels, each unlocked by succeeding at the previous tier. Green Apron starts you off easy with six rounds and 0% conveyor speed, giving you time to think about ingredient placement. As you progress through Yellow, Blue, and Red aprons, the conveyor speeds up dramatically and the number of rounds increases, forcing split-second decisions about which ingredients to grab and where to place them.
The Black Apron, still in development, promises to be the ultimate test for omelet masters. Even before that final challenge, the game provides substantial difficulty through customer traits and optional objectives. Completing tasks like scoring 20 points over your target or using at least five different food items adds extra challenge and rewards for players seeking to push their skills to the limit.
Principal Clucker Judges Your Creation
The game’s antagonist and final judge is Principal Clucker, a giant chicken who will literally gobble down all the omelets you’ve made and deliver devastating criticism if you fail to meet expectations. Lines like “This is pathetic” hit differently when they’re coming from an oversized poultry principal who just inhaled your carefully crafted breakfast creations. The character provides personality and stakes to what could have been a purely mechanical experience.
Succeed in impressing Principal Clucker and you’ll unlock new ingredients for future runs. This permanent progression system ensures that even failed attempts contribute to your overall advancement. The roguelike structure means starting fresh each run, but the expanding ingredient pool and unlocked aprons provide a sense of forward momentum that keeps players engaged across dozens of sessions.
The 100% Positive Review Phenomenon
Maintaining 100% positive reviews across hundreds of Steam ratings is extraordinarily rare. Developer Dan Schumacher acknowledged the streak’s marketing power, explaining that people became curious enough to read reviews and try the demo specifically because they couldn’t believe the perfect score. The visibility boost from that statistical anomaly helped the game reach audiences who might otherwise have overlooked it.
The streak ended in November 2025 when someone left a negative review while admitting the game was genuinely good, possibly to farm Steam points through reaction emojis. Schumacher took it in stride, noting they always knew the streak would end eventually. The game still maintains an Overwhelmingly Positive rating at 99%, which remains an impressive achievement for an Early Access indie title with over 500 reviews.
Cozy Chaos in Early Access
Despite the time pressure and demanding customers, Omelet You Cook manages to feel cozy rather than stressful. The pixel art style is charming, the quirky student customers have personality, and the core concept of making breakfast carries inherent comfort appeal. This balance between challenge and accessibility helps explain why the game resonated with such a broad audience, from hardcore roguelike fans to casual players looking for something fun and approachable.
The Early Access period has allowed SchuBox Games to refine the experience based on community feedback. Regular updates add new ingredients, adjust balance issues, and expand content while maintaining what made the original game jam version special. The developer’s active engagement with the community through Discord and Steam has fostered a supportive player base invested in the game’s continued development.
FAQs
What is Omelet You Cook?
Omelet You Cook is a cooking roguelike game where you assemble omelets using ingredients from a conveyor belt to satisfy demanding customers and impress Principal Clucker. It combines strategic ingredient placement with time management and roguelike progression systems.
When did Omelet You Cook release?
Omelet You Cook launched into Steam Early Access on June 7, 2025. The game evolved from a game jam version that received praise from Mark Brown before being expanded into a full commercial release by SchuBox Games.
Why is Omelet You Cook compared to Balatro?
Like Balatro, Omelet You Cook features deep strategic synergies where understanding how elements interact is key to success. Both games take simple premises and build surprising complexity through emergent gameplay systems, creating addictive loops that reward experimentation and planning.
How much does Omelet You Cook cost?
The exact price wasn’t specified in available sources, but as a Steam Early Access indie game, it’s positioned as an affordable title. Players can try a free demo before purchasing to see if the gameplay appeals to them.
Is Omelet You Cook difficult?
The game offers scalable difficulty through its apron system. Green Apron provides a gentle introduction with slow conveyor speeds, while higher tiers dramatically increase challenge through faster ingredient delivery, more demanding customers, and complex requirements. Optional objectives add extra difficulty for skilled players.
What happened to Omelet You Cook’s perfect review score?
After maintaining 100% positive reviews across 500+ ratings for five months, the first negative review appeared in November 2025. The reviewer admitted the game was good but left a thumbs down, possibly to farm Steam points. The game still holds an Overwhelmingly Positive rating at 99%.
Will there be more content added to Omelet You Cook?
Yes, the game is currently in Early Access with ongoing development. The Black Apron difficulty tier is still in development, and the developer continues adding new ingredients, features, and refinements based on community feedback through regular updates.
A Recipe for Success
Omelet You Cook proves that innovative game design doesn’t require massive budgets or revolutionary technology. By focusing on a simple concept executed with depth and polish, SchuBox Games created something that stands out in the saturated roguelike market. The game’s success story, from praised jam project to Overwhelmingly Positive Steam hit, demonstrates what’s possible when developers listen to feedback and refine a strong core idea. Whether you’re craving strategic depth wrapped in cozy aesthetics or just want to make some really complicated omelets while avoiding the wrath of a giant chicken principal, this breakfast roguelike delivers an experience you won’t find anywhere else. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to figure out the optimal bacon-to-mushroom ratio for my next run.