Wok

Overview

Early impressions of Wok paint a puzzling picture—a departure from developer Kenta Cho’s celebrated shoot-'em-up legacy (Tumiki Fighters, Gunroar) into minimalist chaos. Initial feedback suggests a conceptually simple but frustratingly opaque experience where players flick ingredients across a wok with no clear purpose or payoff. While curiosity might draw players in, the lack of direction and strangely punitive design leaves this experimental title feeling more like an unfinished sketch than a fulfilling game.

A Confusing Culinary Simulator

The core loop revolves around catching falling objects in a wok and flinging them rightward—a mechanic easy to grasp but impossible to appreciate. Without tutorials or contextual hints, players quickly realize letting items hit the screen’s bottom triggers failure, yet why this matters remains shrouded in mystery. There’s no visible scoring system, progression, or feedback to justify the effort, reducing gameplay to a hollow ritual of frantic swipes.

This is just annoying. What's not clear is WHY?

Gohst

The absence of purpose clashes starkly with Cho’s reputation for tight, rewarding arcade action. Where his bullet-hell classics offered laser-focused challenges with immediate gratification, Wok feels like an inside joke players aren’t in on. The pre-loaded high score of one million only amplifies the frustration—an absurd, unattainable number that mocks rather than motivates. Early testers describe it as "unforgivingly strange," where novelty wears thin within minutes, leaving no incentive to revisit the pan.