Cucina Stellata ✦ Starred Cuisine
A downloadable game for Windows
Gastronomy meets horror in an unsettling narrative experience set in 19th-century Romagna, Italy.
Step into the shoes of a solitary writer and gourmet, inspired by the historical figure of Pellegrino Artusi, as a midnight snack spirals into the unexpected.
Cucina Stellata ✦ Starred Cuisine isn’t your typical horror game: no frantic chases or cheap jump scares, but rather a thick atmosphere of tension, disturbing themes, and chilling twists that will linger in your mind long after the credits roll.
La gastronomia incontra l’horror in un’inquietante esperienza narrativa ambientata nella Romagna del XIX secolo.
Ispirato alla figura realmente esistita di Pellegrino Artusi, vesti i panni di uno scrittore e buongustaio solitario alle prese con uno spuntino di mezzanotte destinato a prendere una piega del tutto imprevedibile.
Cucina Stellata ✦ Starred Cuisine non è il solito horror: niente inseguimenti frenetici né spaventi gratuiti, ma un’atmosfera carica di tensione, tematiche disturbanti e risvolti agghiaccianti che resteranno impressi nella tua mente.
Created for the Spaghetti Invasion Game Jam 2025
Installation
Use the itch app, or extract the contents of the .zip file and follow the instructions in the "README.txt".
Utilizza l'app di itch, oppure estrai il contenuto del file .zip e segui le istruzioni nel file "LEGGIMI.txt".
Video
Interested in the project but can’t play it yourself?
Watch CJU’s full gameplay here:
CLICK HERE
Il progetto ti incuriosisce ma non puoi giocarlo?
Guarda il gameplay completo di YOTOBI:
CLICCA QUI
Credits
Erik Tassinari Filthy Eden
Game Direction · Game Design · Narrative Design · Development · 2D and 3D Art · Animation
CONTACT
Filippo Liverini Dogma IX
Writing
CONTACT
Gabriele Biondi Blondprod
Soundtrack and Voices
CONTACT
Cristian Magalotti
English Translation Proofreading
CONTACT
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Accessibility Update4 days ago
- Font Readability Update Incoming12 days ago
- Better English Version13 days ago
- Tiny Update14 days ago
- UI Fix & Thanks19 days ago
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
It's like the universe.
Thank you for playing! (:
W GAME (:
🙏
This game is an indie horror gem- with a diabolical plot and artisanal linguistics, Cucina Stellata delivers a dish filled with flavor!! and yet the whole time the horror crawls across your skin- how far are you really willing to go for one more bite? Don't miss out on this game!
I play your game (and a couple others) and leave in depth feedback in the video below. you can also vote for your game to advance in our competition for best indie horror game of April here (shortened): https://shorturl.at/7knLu
I'll be 3D printing a scene or monster from the winning game to gift to the game creator. I'm just a little behind on it, but you can see our winner from January's competition (HUNTSMAN) in this video: https://shorturl.at/Ogkiq
I just finished watching the video. I really appreciated how you managed to both entertain and do the game justice. And thank you for all those kind words at the end! 😊
One of the most thought provoking games I've played in a while! So many surprises, great creepy atmosphere and got quite uncomfortable/disturbing (in a good way!)
Still thinking about it days after playing, really enjoyed this one! Looking forward to whatever you may make next!I watched your great gameplay a few days ago and already left a comment there, so I won’t repeat myself here, but thanks again for playing! :)
and thanks so much for taking the time to watch and leaving such a lovely comment! Just wanted to show my support for it here too ♡
Thank you for the game
:)
complimenti davvero
🙏
THIS GAME WAS NUTS! It was scary and creepy and something new in it's own way and that's what I enjoyed about it, it felt different and new anyways good job and cant wait to see what else you create!
Thank you so much, really glad you enjoyed it!
First thing I'll say (because I forgot to say it in the video) is that you guys probably should add a trigger warning at the start of the game (mainly because of the last two ''dishes'' since it technically involved self-harm). That being said, this was quite the experience, definitely very disturbing and unsettling especially the ''chopping up ingredients'' part cause it started off fun and satisfying but quickly turned absolutely horrifying as the game progressed. I really did love the visual style though, that nice retro 3D environments mixed with 2D sprites style is really nice to look at. Honestly I don't have much else to add that I didn't already say on my video despite how speechless I was by the end there lol. Great job overall devs!
I have to admit, the idea you mentioned in the video about adding real recipes as a reward for finishing the game is truly a missed opportunity! 😄 Thanks so much for playing!
About the self-harm warning: during development, we did debate whether to include one, but we were concerned it might spoil the direction the story was going. My thinking was that the scene was unrealistic enough and driven by motives that people wouldn’t easily empathize with, so a specific warning might not be necessary, and that the game description mentioning 'disturbing themes' would be enough. Watching a lot of playthroughs actually reinforced that idea, since most players found the ending the least disturbing and most predictable part. We really appreciate the feedback though, and we’ll consider highlighting the presence of sensitive themes more clearly! 🙂
Yeah that's fair, I just put a warning for potentially triggering imagery at the start of my video, so as to not spoil anything as you said
Semplicemente wow, veramente un'esperienza incredibile e si nota l'impegno.
Spero di vedere altri progetti da parte vostra.
Grazie! :)
Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for playing!
Que jogo ótimo e a história é muito boa e diferente , no começo que vai ser uma coisa e foi outra , no final me lembrou um episódio dos Simpsons dos Dias das Bruxas, que ele se come como o personagem principal😕
Obrigado! 😊
De nada
I’m glad it was an unexpected experience. Thanks for playing! :D
One of the most original concept for a game I saw on itch.io, really impressive work, love it.
Thanks! :)
just wow
:)
Thank you so much!
This was a very enjoyable! Loved the plot and the writing was really good! Really loved the title and ending scene art.
Thanks! :)
This really got me. Unnerving. Spooky. At one point even made me solidly gag. You have a real knack for a suspenseful atmosphere and sound design, kids. I loved your previous game Through the Night and I'm looking forward to the next project you do.
Thank you! I remember your gameplay of Through the Night, and it’s so great to know you enjoyed this new game as well. Thanks, it really means a lot!
I am blown away by the writing and the story. It feels like a story about addiction but in the strangest of ways with a lovely Lovecraftian spin. The amazing use of space and slow decent into madness makes it a must play for any eldritch horror fan
Wow, thanks! So happy you enjoyed it that much!
Great gameplay, amazing thumbnail.
Thanks so much!
Oh my... A disturbing and unique experience! Well done!!
Thank you so much!
Bel gioco, peccato che sia più un gioco ansiogeno che veramente horror. Comunque in fin dei conti ci sta, di fatto è vero che un gioco solo jumpscare diventa noioso.
Non siamo molto fan dei jumpscare, volevamo creare un horror psicologico che facesse provare delle sensazioni diverse dal solito. :)
Really amazing game, great job!
Thanks for playing! :)
So good!
Thanks!
This game was awesome! Definitely different and refreshing.
So glad we pulled off something different. Thank you so much! 🙏
this was a twist i did not see coming! such an awesome job!! :)
Thanks! ❤
This was such a wild experience! Really good job!
It was awesome seeing you so invested in our game! Sorry for making you feel a bit barfy 😅
Hahaha it's all good! Despite that it was such a fun and cool experience! I'm glad I could give you an enjoyable watch though! :D
This game was absolutely insane. Full stop that's it. Great job!
Thanks for playing! You expected something weird, we delivered! 😎
Cooking with a twist...
Thanks for playing!
WHY I CANYT INTERRACT WITH THINGS I CANT TAKE ANY STUFFFFFF
You can only interact with the object your current objective asks for. You can see that objective at the top right of your screen.
When your mouse is over the correct object, the cursor will turn gold.
If you tell me the exact objective text where you’re stuck, I can tell you where to find the needed object and we can check if it’s a bug.
well the first objective was "put oil in the pain" but i cant click or move that bottle of oil...plus the cursor didnt turn gold tho
pan*
and i relaunched the game soo many times it still like that :'(
nvm,,, im so fukin blind i thought the wine bottle was oil ....im soo sorry 😭 BUT COOL GAMEEE, MAKE MORE GAMES LIKE THISS :P
All is well that ends well! :D
:3
OMG the game is creepy and scaryy😭
I had such a great time playing this! Make more please!
Thanks so much!
Quando sono a venuto a conoscenza di questa piccola perla non ho resistito al non volerlo provare, sono rimasto ammaliato da tutto il contesto e per il miscuglio tra cucina e atmosfera horrorifica detto ciò vi lascio con un mio augurio per il futuro.
Grazie! :)
As someone who learned to be a chef, I can safely say, that this is one of the most accurate "if a chef would go out of it's way to make the best dish" situation.
The choice of words were magnificent!
Thank you! I watched your gameplay and I really enjoyed it. Thanks a lot for your kind words!
This was awesome. It was disturbing and unsettling in the best possible way. I felt so bad for the poor little guy. :( (Apologies for any mispronunciations.)
That was exactly the feeling we wanted to create! 😈 Thank you for playing!
Hearing Romagna pronounced properly truly warms my heart! ❤
orgoglio italiano, non c'è niente da aggiungere
❤
Concina de ALTO riesgo / Cucina Stellata ✦ Starred Cuisine / buixu
me encanta!!!Thanks for playing!
Felt like crying for the poor little fellow. Really Great game!
I'm really glad we managed to make you feel sorry for him, that's exactly the kind of emotion we were hoping to evoke!
ooh so this is the game jay played!
Who's Jay? I don't want to miss any playthroughs! 👀
He's a YouTube Let's Player who goes by Kubz Scouts (one of my favs!) Just watched your game played by him right here. Very neat game, by the way—unique, love the pixel style visuals!
Wow, that's amazing! Thanks so much for letting me know!
This was a solid game, kept me on edge the entire time. going to be making a video on it later as right now I'm live streaming and going through a few different games. Keep it up can't wait to see what else you make!
I'll come back later with a link to the video!
Thanks a lot! Looking forward to the video!
W game
Glad you enjoyed it!