A Steam page has recently appeared online for Cooking Fighter Hao, a PlayStation deep cut from the Japanese developer Nippon Ichi Software, suggesting a rerelease is on the horizon (h/t: @kimimi.bsky.social).
Released in 1998, Cooking Fighter Hao was notable at the time for having an over-the-top anime aesthetic and saw players battling against a rival inside an arena to defeat animals and turn them into delicious meals. Whoever has the most points at the end of a match is declared the winner, with points being rewarded based on the quality of the meals you've cooked.
Players can also pick between two different modes, including a story campaign and an additional "free mode". In the free mode, players have the option to select their character from a list of fighters and can also choose the ingredients they want to use.
In 2015, the game was later reissued on the Game Archives service for the PlayStation store, with this release being preceded by an April Fools' campaign that saw the game being awarded the title "Japan's No. 1 Software" after supposedly receiving 80 trillion votes.
The new release features upscaled art and looks as if it is only available in Japanese.
Nevertheless, if you love checking out obscure Japanese titles that never made it to the West, this could provide an easy way to try it out for yourself rather than having to track a copy elsewhere.