Japanese RPG titles usually have fairly straightforward plot and game mechanics, but often showcase rather unique themes – whether in character or lore. However, Clash of Kings publisher Elex and Funtoy Games’ new mobile game, Food Fantasy, really takes the cake.

Set in a mystical realm inhabited by humans and elves, the peaceful land where the game takes place is corrupted by the advent of evil entities called Fallen Angels. To combat such darkness, food souls are born to help restore hope and harmony. These “Food Souls” are essentially food items personified as combat-ready heroes. Fully voice-acted in both Japanese and English, these meticulously drawn 2D characters are controlled by players to fight the forces of evil.

In terms of gameplay, Food Souls engage in combat via a traditional turn-based JRPG system. However, given that multiple characters are onscreen at one time, there are many different hero combos that can be effectively utilized to yield combat bonuses. Unsurprisingly, these hero combos are also based upon gastronomic principles. For example, the Red Wine – Steak hero combo gives better fighting statistics. Among the highlighted heroes are Tiramisu, Milk, Boston Lobster, Coffee, and more.

Aside from standard battles, another aspect of the core gameplay revolves around a sort of restaurant simulator. Players are tasked with running a restaurant with the ultimate goal of establishing a 5-star institution. This involves hiring workers, creating food from a wide variety of recipes, completing take-out orders, and maintaining satisfaction levels of patrons, all the while preventing dine-and-dashers. It isn’t clear how the simulation part of the game connects with the combat, but it is a novel concept to integrate two very different genres. Though with the overall theme being food-related, one can’t but feel it is rather appropriate.

Pre-registration for Food Fantasy is available now on both the App Store and Google Play, and the full game drops July 20. Details regarding microtransactions and monetization methods have yet to be given, but the base game will be free-to-play.