I went into the immersive horror sim Thanks for the Soup with few expectations. I certainly didn't think it would hurl me into the complex world of organic broccoli farming, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.
The premise is simple: you deliver soup from 5pm to 1am to patrons stuck inside by a vague lockdown or simply because their work is too hectic to manage a trip to the store. As you fill orders, you earn wages that can be reinvested into food, fishing, or, in my case, the foundations of an organic broccoli farm. What started as a simple bid to grow enough food to keep me peddling soup eventually sprouted into my dream job, with the actual deliveries relegated to a side hustle.
An Unsettling Delivery Route
The town where you find yourself working is more than slightly unnerving. The occupants are bizarre, the neighborhood is shrouded in darkness, and thick white fog or sudden flashes of light descend on the streets at random. You even experience the occasional heavenly vision.
Despite the atmosphere, I find cycling around on my bike surprisingly peaceful. When the job gets too spooky, I just think of my broccoli—and eat a mushroom or two. Throughout my travels, I discovered five different varieties of fungi. In the name of science and my newfound farming dedication, I sampled them all:
- Zuzu mushroom: Takes a hammer to your depth perception.
- Tolid mushroom: Grants a super speed boost.
- Folor mushroom: Makes the entire environment appear wavy.
- Ulod and Cranim mushrooms: I consumed a ton of these, but noticed no discernible effects.
These mushrooms are a big help when things get intense. It’s hard to be scared of whatever might be lurking in the shadows when I’m busy fighting off mushroom-induced visual waves just to stay on my bike.
The Mystery Behind the Kitchen
I should admit that I likely haven't reached peak horror yet, mostly because I haven't entered the kitchen. On my first day, my manager gave me a strict warning: do not go inside. Apparently, the chefs don't want to be disturbed, and they are protective of their secret recipes.
I've watched enough SpongeBob SquarePants to suspect they’re probably using humans as the secret ingredient, but honestly, that’s none of my business. They can keep on cooking humans as long as I can keep farming my organic broccoli. If I can successfully farm, then what has all this been about? What have I been working toward? I’m far too busy tending to my crops to worry about the kitchen’s dark secrets.