Cooking Companions can easily serve up some sadness as well as the scares.
As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
Main Game
- The situation in the cabin slowly becoming more dire after the second day. The companions discover that the extravagant meal they had the other night burned through most of their supplies, and Gregor and Mariah's optimism about foraging slowly burns out as the returns diminish and the floodwaters make even scavenging for any remains nigh-impossible. On the third day they're reduced to eating moldy bread because there's nothing left, and the narration notes the depressing mood at the table. Then the group tries waiting out the floodwaters with no food as relations sour even further, until finally the topic of somebody braving the floodwaters to get assistance from the town further down the way is broached...
- Mariah makes a Heroic Sacrifice to brave the floodwaters in place of Anatoly, lying that she is the best swimmer because she knows he won't be able to see anything once the water gets all over his glasses. Her last words to the group are that she'll find a way to support them, no matter what.
- As though Mariah's death wasn't sad enough, the subsequent cooking of her hits even worse as everyone else quickly realizes the meat they're eating came from her, but reluctantly continue because they're starving.
- Soon enough, Mariah's body is not enough to keep the group fed, and another volunteer is needed to brave the floodwaters. Unlike with Mariah, nobody is under any false hope that this will end in anything other than death. Anatoly is quickly selected and bullied by Karin to do the job, with the boy being absolutely terrified and needing the night to think it over. He suffers a Potty Failure out of sheer fear. Gregor tries to console him the next morning with promises that he'll be ok, but everyone knows they're empty, and Karin threatens to stab Anatoly if he doesn't leave. A tearful and quaking Anatoly can't even eke out a goodbye as he's coldly shut down by Karin before he leaves the cabin for good.
- Shortly after Anatoly leaves, Gregor breaks down crying, having never told his "little guy" that he cared about him and now will never have the chance to. Wordof God confirms that Gregor was in love with Anatoly but never told him.
- Gregor's death after Karin ambushes him and dismembers him for fresh meat. He spends his last moments apologizing to the player character for not protecting everyone.
- A few times in the game, the Chompettes (either coming to the player character or in the middle of dialogue) plead the player to let them pass on like the player character allowed with Cornbread. They are refused every time.
- Bread mentions Cornbread somewhat often and becomes depressed at times when thinking about him. It's revealed near the end of the game that Cornbread was Bread's cousin that was murdered.
- Karin's past. Being raised with little food to eat, sometimes to the point of starvation, she learned to never throw anything away. She truly believes cannibalism is necessary for survival because they need all the food they can get, even if she has to eat her friends to accomplish it.
- The Wham Line uttered by the player character at the end of the game serves as both this and Nightmare Fuel. The Cooking Companions, having answered the question of "Did you come of your own free will, or were you sent?" incorrectly, were doomed from the start.
Chompettes DLC
- The reveal that the Chompettes used to be a group of young children who discovered the cabin and used it as a hideout to try to evade a serial killer. It did nothing to help them.
- Seeing the children joking and interacting with each other can bring tears knowing what's about to happen to them.
- Bolek is stated to be a jokester, but Ryna notices that he tells jokes whenever he's nervous or scared. Given he's always telling jokes after he died and became Bread...
- The True Ending of the Nightmare Mode. The ghosts of Anatoly, Gregor and Karin make a ritual to bring Mariah back to life, resulting in a new timeline in which she'll keep her memories of what happened in the cabin. This results in a timeline in which Anatoly goes outside instead and Mariah is the last survivor. She kills the Protagonist, finally putting an end to his reign of terror and founds an organization that investigates paranormal incidents. Even though she goes on to live a happy life afterwards, she has Survivor Guilt and still misses her friends.I miss them....Anatoly....Gregor....Karin...But....I can leave this Earth happy....knowing I shared their memories with all of you....I'm sure Gregor would be laughing right now....
- Adding to this is the fact that there is no ending where Anatoly and Gregor live. Karin can survive if she couples up with you and joins in your murderous ways. Mariah can survive if she kills you in cold blood just like how you did to countless others. But as soon as Anatoly and Gregor enter the cabin, they have signed their death warrants.
