The vibrant, spicy RPG Dosa Divas is more cooking rhythm game than not – and it's kicking my butt

Like many tasks in Dosa Divas, the upcoming video game from Outerloop Games, I first need to cook a dosa. A dosa is basically a savory crepe, and my mouth waters whenever I have to make the digital ones. You see, I need to feed the hungry folks in town, as that's what it'll take to convince them to build a bridge to my next objective. Actually cooking it, however, is done through a multiple-step rhythm game process. Recipes are saved after being unlocked, but still.

But also: it's not just any dosa! This task calls for a specific one with fish, a savory ingredient, and coconut milk. I don't have coconut milk, so that means a trip to the vendor that's just opened up where I trade scrap – earned through exploration – for ingredients. And then, finally, I'm ready to make my dosa. The actual building of the bridge, once the workers are fed, is quick and easy.

Kick, punch, it's all in the pan

DOSA DIVAS - Release Date Trailer - Steam Demo Out Now - YouTube

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"After years apart, sisters Samara and Amani journey with their ancient spirit-mech on a mission to defeat a rotten fast food empire and reconnect communities with their traditions," the official description of Dosa Divas on Steam reads in part. What that doesn't cover is that the sisters, alongside Goddess the spirit-mech, are specifically up against a third sister that is filling the world with capitalistic food tubes, dreadful and dull automated billboards, and other such garbage.

Taking on the third sister is easier said than done, however, which I quickly find out while playing the Steam demo. Dosa Divas requires platforming exploration complete with double-jumping mech as well as turn-based RPG battles featuring skills and stats and progression. Cooking and sharing meals infuses absolutely everything from the major narrative beats so far – the demo's only something like 90 minutes – to combat where enemy weaknesses and skills can be assigned "flavors" that do more damage and can leave enemies "stuffed" to take even more damage.

But aside from the platforming elements, there's a heavy dose of rhythm gaming in Dosa Divas that will almost certainly be divisive. Combat boils down to blocking enemy strikes and hitting back, and if you time it just right you can prevent all damage to your characters while then doing a second hit – or more! – on your enemies during your own turn. This window is ostensibly determined by a particular icon flashing up on the screen, but my experience tells me that it's better to use your own eyes and ears to line up shots with other visual and audio cues.

I don't think I'm particularly bad at rhythm games, but Dosa Divas has me considering the possibility that I'm not good either. The cooking rhythm minigames ultimately seem to determine aspects like how many of a particular dosa you make – the better you do, the more you've made – but I've yet to outright fail one. Failing during combat, however, means getting your vibrantly colored butts kicked by lame corporate cogs as you miss blocks and fail to do extra damage.

While I've my quibbles with the mechanics of Dosa Divas, largely because they seem to have quibbles with my ability to hit buttons in a predictable pattern, I have nothing but praise for the vibrant colors and chunky designs of its characters and environments. There's an angular, haphazard geometric pattern to just about everything that lends a charming, cartoony feel to the game. The only aspect that could potentially be considered drab is intentional, drawing a direct comparison between normal folks and the corporate drones that are your enemies. Considering that I've only had just a taste so far, it bodes well that I'm inclined to go back to Dosa Divas for seconds.

Dosa Divas is set to release on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, Xbox Series X, and PS5 on April 14, 2026. The demo is available now on Steam. If you're looking to play something from the same genre, be sure to check out our ranking of the best RPG games.