Delicious in Dungeon, one of our favorite anime of the year so far, is based on an acclaimed manga created by Ryōko Kui in 2014 — but as the mangaka tells it, the origins of the concept date back even further.
In a Japanese-language interview with Famitsu back in February, Kui detailed the many video game inspirations behind the popular series.
One of the big ones is a 1990 RPG called Wizardry 6: Bane of the Cosmic Forge. In the game, originally released to Amiga and DOS, a typical fantasy party — Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Faeries, dog people known as Rawulves, you name it — gets trapped in a castle overrun with monsters, and has to fight their way out. Much like Delicious in Dungeon, though, the plot takes some twists and turns that are far beyond your standard fantasy fare. We won’t spoil since you can still play the game today, but things get very sci-fi-y by the end, if players choose the right path.
It’s kind of a deep cut! #deliciousindungeon #dungeonmeshi
Kui said she grew up watching her father play the game, but wasn’t allowed to play it herself. As an adult, though, she turned to many video games as research for Delicious in Dungeon. The list is extensive: translations point to her referencing everything from story-heavy roleplaying games like 13 Sentinels, to deck-building games like the spectacular Inscryption.
Kui has said she prefers games with minimal combat, but still loved Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War for the quality of story, characters, and scenery.
Taken all together, it makes complete sense that Delicious in Dungeon plays with and subverts Western fantasy tropes so adeptly, and focuses on cooking monsters and solving personal issues as much as it does on combat.
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