Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends is a cozy life sim game that lets players run a restaurant as a state-of-the-art Sushi Bot. The friendly residents of the titular Rolling Hills are seeking a rising star to take over the local sushi shop, which is where the adorable Sushi Bot rolls in. Created by indie studio Catch & Release, Rolling Hills could well appeal to fans of life sim games like Stardew Valley because of its community immersion.
Furthermore, there are new ingredients to source and over 50 sushi recipes to unlock as players build their sushi repertoire and progress their skills to become a Master Sushi Chef. Altogether, players can create the ultimate sushi restaurant to help put the town of Rolling Hills firmly on the culinary map and improve the lives of every resident. In an interview with The Best War Games, co-creator Matthew Taylor talked about what Rolling Hills' gameplay looks like from the perspective of player progression in becoming a Master Sushi Chef. Taylor also spoke about the role of its various restaurant customization options and their effects. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Video Game Inspirations for Rolling Hills
Q: I understand The Sushi Spinnery, Lemon Cake, and Chibi-Robo were all inspirations for Rolling Hills. Were there any specific inspirations from these games?
A: Those three all represent different kinds of inspiration for us! Sushi Spinnery was an early inspiration, and I know James (my brother and co-developer) is a big fan of Kairosoft sim games. It became a helpful example of a sushi-themed game. Lemon Cake helped demonstrate how to make a fun, more cozy restaurant sim that focused on controlling a character - we felt this was important to make the game more accessible as opposed to a full-scale sim game where you control everything from a godlike perspective. Lastly, Chibi-Robo is a personal favorite of mine. Looking back, I never directly thought "Let's make a game with a robot protagonist", but it's no surprise that Chibi-Robo was in my subconscious the whole time.
Q: Could you discuss your approach to Rolling Hills’ adorable art style?
A: It's evolved a lot over the years, but we've always strived for something cute and colorful. We've seen a few games attempt "indie Animal Crossing" over the years, and although our game shares very little in common with Animal Crossing's gameplay, it was no doubt a big inspiration for our art style.
The Town of Rolling Hills and its Residents
Q: Could you tell us more about the charming town of Rolling Hills and its residents?
A: James and I are from a small town that relies on tourism, so that helped inform the basic premise of a small town that needs Sushi Bot just as much as he needs them. As your restaurant's popularity increases, you'll encounter wacky customers - everything from a professional streamer to a struggling Shakespearean actor. They each have an introductory quest that involves getting out of the restaurant and learning more about their needs, after which they'll take up residence in Rolling Hills, visit the restaurant, and be available at the café to learn more about them.
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Q: In what ways can players build relationships with the townsfolk and help improve their lives?
A: After the initial quest I mentioned earlier, you can invite characters to the café for coffee, dessert, or a full-on feast. These interactions take time and money, but they'll yield more information about the character and unique bonuses ranging from furniture and recipes you can't get elsewhere to new abilities around town and in the restaurant.
Player Progression and Recipes in Rolling Hills
Q: What does the player progression up to master sushi chef look like in gameplay?
A: You're really improving in three ways: your recipes (unlocking new ones, improving them with ingredients, and learning how to best utilize their effects), your restaurant (adding tables to increase capacity, decorating to add positive effects, and upgrading the total size to allow for more of everything), and your relationships (which, including both the game's main narrative and side content, unlock all of Sushi Bot's new abilities). It'll be up to you what to invest in and when, but by the end of the game, you'll have mastered all of these elements and be able to serve even the most demanding customers.
Q: I understand there are over 50 recipes to unlock. How do players collect new recipes and ingredients?
A: We tried our best to sprinkle them throughout, so some are tied to your restaurant level, some are unlocked by improving your relationships, some are purchased from a traveling chef, and some are purchased through a system that rewards daily quests like recycling trash or completing certain goals in the restaurant.
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Q: How much freedom might players have to create their own recipes?
A: We experimented with a lot of crafting systems, but ultimately we decided that making a bunch of hand-made, stylish recipes for players to collect was a better fit for our game.
Q: I understand recipes can have unique effects, like helping keep tables clean. What role might restaurant decorations have beyond customization and general cleanliness? Are there any other unique interactions like this?
A: In addition to beautifying your restaurant, decorations can increase customer patience, generate additional income, and speed up sushi production.
Rolling Hills' Restaurant Upgrades and Cozy Gameplay
Q: To what extent can players customize or personalize their restaurant?
A: Quite a bit! You can upgrade its total size to fit more furniture and customers, plus you can adjust the wallpaper and flooring. There are some really unique options like tropical beaches and moon craters, so I encourage players to find them all!
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Q: Restaurant management games can sometimes feel quite frantic. How do you make the restaurant side of things feel cozy?
A: It's a great question! I imagine a lot of folks who see Rolling Hills will be reminded of Overcooked, but we definitely tried to make a chiller game. A big component of that is taking inspiration from RPGs instead of purely action-based games. For instance, if you're overwhelmed with the number of customers, you can invest in better recipes or furniture, both of which will make the game easier.
The Importance of Community and Family in Rolling Hills
Q: The relationship between technology and humans is often a complex one. Is there a specific message you hope to inspire with Rolling Hills in terms of technology, community, or anything else?
A: For us, it really is more of a story about found family and community. Although Sushi Bot is a unique character, we tried to surround him with a cast that is just as silly. By the end of the game, Rolling Hills is almost this island of misfit toys that I find really endearing.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to say about Rolling Hills or the community forming around it?
A: Most of all - thank you for caring about our game! We've done our best to make something simple and accessible but with enough depth to be engaging. There are so many great games released every week, it feels almost unreal to imagine someone reading this is anticipating Rolling Hills in particular. There's really nothing more clever I can say than, thank you!
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Rolling Hills releases on June 4.