Kitchen Sync: Aloha!

Released: Apr 7, 2025
Platforms
Last updated: 14 Sep 2026, 07:27 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

06 Aug 2026Developer post
More Kitchen Sync?!
Hail Head Chefs! I've got some exciting Kitchen Sync news to share today: I've officially announced Kitchen Sync: The Flying Tavern - the next game in the Kitchen Sync series. The steam page just launched today, and I'd love for you to see what I've been working on! View game pag
29 Sep 2025Developer post
KS:A! 1.2 - End of Summer Update
With summer's end upon us (or winter, as your case may be!), I felt it was a good time to add some additional content to Kitchen Sync: Aloha! Thank you to the community for your support and suggestions, and I hope you all enjoy this free update! The game's been live for almost si
With summer's end upon us (or winter, as your case may be!), I felt it was a good time to add some additional content to Kitchen Sync: Aloha! Thank you to the community for your support and suggestions, and I hope you all enjoy this free update! The game's been live for almost six months now and it's been such a joy to see so many people cooking (and matchmaking) on Maikai!
If you enjoy KS:A! or cooking RPGs in general, why not register for our mailing list (sign up here!), join us on Discord, or follow us on our socials? Be the first to see the tastiest morsels of news from Lemonpepper Games, such as sneak peaks and private playtests for my next game (~‾⌣‾)~.
Thanks!
- Lemonpepper Fine
KS:A! 1.2.1 Patch Notes
Lono and Ku can now progress their bond up to Level S
New support quest at Level A
New Sync Style
S level support scene
New Relationship Achievement
New map now available (unlocked through Lono/Ku's support mission)
New end game request type, Challenges. High difficulty end game missions that give bonus coins based on mission score. Unlocked upon completion of Welcome to the Club.
Sync Style and Ability Balance Updates. With the game out for a little while now, I've got a better idea of what's working for players. Here are some changes to hopefully give a few more options for Styles and Abilities.
Sync Styles
Pot of Gold, Braise of Glory, Low-and-Slow, Sweet Lightning, and Orchard Overflow duration increased (~30% each). It's hard to focus a strategy around just a station type or two, especially in larger kitchens, so it should be easier to reap the rewards of these styles now.
Unbreakable Vow and Sashay charge up quicker. Hopefully should help these Hazard management Styles be available when you need them.
Market Fresh quality buffs and duration increased. Should feel a bit more significant and give you a chance to fully utilize the effects, especially in larger kitchens where it was designed to shine.
Ohana Forever charges up a bit faster. Given Uncle already increases charge speed, even small changes here are fairly significant. It should let you get the style up a dish or two sooner. Paired with some of the Sync STAT bonuses, should hopefully be more viable as a build around.
Abilities
Sync STAT book abilities now give +5 instead of +4 to stats. Given the window for these abilities is limited, it should feel more significant when they're active. Go Uncle, go!
Flavor trick books are now cheaper in the shop (2 coins each). While they can be useful, these books feel a bit too expensive given how specific they are. Should be a bit more affordable now to play around with them.
Share a Bite (Hina) activation chance increased, By The Book (Lono) quality amount increased. Both these abilities have powerful alternative options, so they should feel more impactful more often!
A couple new letters in Ch5 hinting at the new features
Some UI/Qol requests from the community (including RC to close some modals and dragging recipes from the twists screen)
Swap Meet minigame no longer has weird behavior if you add nothing to the trade box. Instead you get a coin!
Beautiful event art drawn by Nagizy!
Original post
11 Aug 2025Developer post
Minor Update 1.1.4b
Minor update with some bug and typo fixes including: More definitive fix for ability books not loading. Looks like it was rare but possible to unintentionally get a book that taught Pele's "Great Criticals" and that was causing an issue. If you have the book already, the book sho
Minor update with some bug and typo fixes including:
More definitive fix for ability books not loading. Looks like it was rare but possible to unintentionally get a book that taught Pele's "Great Criticals" and that was causing an issue. If you have the book already, the book should no longer break the ability picker UI, but I've fixed the drop tables to no longer generate the book.
Typo in the final mission dialogue
Thanks!
-Lemonpepper Fine
Original post
18 Jul 2025Developer post
Minor Update 1.1.4a
Minor update with some bug and typo fixes including: Possible fix to skill books not populating for some characters Text scaling issues for long mission text Some trend descriptions referenced incorrect stations Please note, this update briefly had an issue if downloaded from Ste
Minor update with some bug and typo fixes including:
Possible fix to skill books not populating for some characters
Text scaling issues for long mission text
Some trend descriptions referenced incorrect stations
Please note, this update briefly had an issue if downloaded from Steam immediately after it was uploaded. If you're running into a fatal error dialogue about a failure to load mono, please try updating the game again (you can force steam to find the full update by closing steam and launching it again). Sorry about that!
Thanks!
-Lemonpepper Fine
Original post
10 Jun 2025Developer post
Minor Update 1.1.4
Kitchen Sync: Aloha! has been updated to version 1.1.4. Patch notes below include changes from 1.1.2-1.1.4: KSA is now steam deck certified! Several UI surfaces and font sizes have been tuned to better work across devices sizes Broken Heartstone price has been reduced to 10 (most
Kitchen Sync: Aloha! has been updated to version 1.1.4. Patch notes below include changes from 1.1.2-1.1.4:
KSA is now steam deck certified! Several UI surfaces and font sizes have been tuned to better work across devices sizes
Broken Heartstone price has been reduced to 10 (most folks just buy one and save/reload with it anyway, but I think it could be a little lighter on the wallet now that other high value items exist 🌙)
Flavor Trick skills now apply before Expert allowing the first to immediately affect the second
Inspiration and Coins can now be converted between each other at a certain special location after receiving the restaurant's fourth Hoku
A reset button has been added to the menu planner to fully clear the menu
Bug fixes including
A bug should hopefully be fixed with the sync bar disappearing after charging up to full
Some bad bugs fixed related to the credits scene potentially causing epilogue to fail to play and end game to fail to save
Thank you for your feedback, bug reports, and of course for playing the game! Mahalo!
-Lemonpepper Fine
Original post
30 Apr 2025Developer post
THANK YOU from Lemonpepper Games!
Hi everyone, with April drawing to a close I just wanted to post a big thank you to everyone who's picked up Kitchen Sync: Aloha! This is Lemonpepper Games' first independent game and the reception it's gotten from you has made it feel worth every minute of development. Thank you
19 Apr 2025Developer post
Patch Update 1.1.0
Version 1.1.0 Miso now live! Things have been stable so I've pushed a few new features along with bug fixes and feedback as a thank you to everyone for making this game launch so smooth! A Secret location has been added to the Island map once a restaurant reaches four Hoku. What
Version 1.1.0 Miso now live!
Things have been stable so I've pushed a few new features along with bug fixes and feedback as a thank you to everyone for making this game launch so smooth!
A Secret location has been added to the Island map once a restaurant reaches four Hoku.

What does it do? It's secret!
A new achievement has been added to match. It's a secret!
A new S level support has been added for Pele and Hina.

New epilogue text and pixel polaroid added to match.
A new achievement has been added to match. This one is not secret :P
Dialogue scene upgrades.

Autoplay has now been added.
The dialogue scene now has a settings pane. Tune your text speeds, text sfx, and autoplay speeds to your liking!
Sound settings

The master volume toggle has been swapped out for an SFX toggle. It'll start at a default, so please change it to what you'd like! It was a weird situation before where BGM was being double affected by the master volume while SFX weren't, so no more of that :P
Settings are now saved to disk instead of the registry. Solves an issue where settings wouldn't be saved sometimes due to Antivirus or OS settings.
Other

Mall (Crisis) open service ticket count has been reduced (config issue was causing more tough customer tickets than intended)
Fixed an issue with Quality score calculations ignoring flavor trends
Various UI improvements around the game including easier twist management, sorted skill books (with viewable "in use" books toggleable), an 'owned count' view in the shop.
Various other bug fixes and typos. Thank you for your reports!
Thanks for playing!
-Lemonpepper Fine
Original post
09 Apr 2025Developer post
Patch Update 1.0.4
1.0.4 Thank you all for such a positive launch so far. I'm so excited to see so many people enjoying the game and letting me know when they find issues! This patch hopefully takes care of many of the reported issues so far, and brings a few small goodies as well. Six new achievem
1.0.4
Thank you all for such a positive launch so far. I'm so excited to see so many people enjoying the game and letting me know when they find issues! This patch hopefully takes care of many of the reported issues so far, and brings a few small goodies as well.
Six new achievements have been added

Four new achievements related to story check points. If you already passed the point in the story where you'd earn these, you'll unlock them the next time you complete a day.
One new achievement for recruiting chefs. If you already have the required number of chefs, you'll unlock this after viewing any dialogue scene.
One new achievement for viewing a support conversation for the first time. If you have already seen one, this will trigger the next time you watch a support convo
The dialogue skip controls have been improved. While fast forwarding, the standard nav controls are replaced by a pause button that won't disappear when dialogue is hidden during scenes.
Several bug fixes to reported issues. Thank you for your bug reports!

Fixed a rare soft lock during the first chapter that could prevent missions from opening
Fixed a rare soft lock in the kitchen caused by quickly grabbing destroyed dishes
Fixed the Level 10 and Level 20 achievement to correct check for chef counts
Fixed several controller layering issues
Share Speed etc cookbooks have had their descriptions corrected and now correctly increase in effectiveness from Kala/Kai's Fast Learner ability
Several other fixes across the game!
Thanks for playing!
-Lemonpepper Fine
Original post
07 Apr 2025Developer post
Kitchen Sync: Aloha! is now live
After nearly 2.5 years of development, Kitchen Sync: Aloha is now available on Steam for PC, Mac, and Steam Deck. It's been a long journey and I'm super excited to get to share it with you all. Hope you have fun, and mahalo for your interest in the game! To celebrate launch, Kitc
24 Feb 2025Developer post
Try Kitchen Sync: Aloha!'s demo during Steam Next Fest
Aloha everyone! I'm excited to announce Kitchen Sync: Aloha! is taking part in Steam Next fest, on right now! If you haven't had a chance to try our demo, now's a great time to do so! Enjoy a sample of what Maikai has to offer while you await the full launch of Kitchen Sync on Ap
20 Feb 2025Developer post
Kitchen Sync: Aloha! is launching on 4/7 for PC, Mac, and Steam Deck!
After more than two years of development, Kitchen Sync: Aloha! is launching on April 7th and we've got a brand new launch trailer to celebrate! Thank you to playtesters and demo players for your support so far; I'm excited to get the full game into your hands! If you haven't alre
07 Jan 2025Developer post
Kitchen Sync: Aloha! is on Steamdeck!
Happy New Years! Lots of changes have been heading to Kitchen Sync: Aloha! behind the scenes and some are finally ready to share. A new update (0.6.1f) is now available for the free Steam Demo, and the biggest change I wanted to highlight is Steam Deck support! This has been a po
08 Nov 2024Developer post
Kitchen Sync: Aloha! celebrates Cooking Fest with an updated demo!
November is here, and with it it's time at last for Steam's Cooking Fest. Kitchen Sync's got a live demo so how could we not participate! If you've been looking for a good time to jump in, now's a great chance. The game's UI and tutorials have all gotten a big overhaul to make yo
30 Aug 2024Developer post
[Demo Update] Bug Fixes and Quality of Life Improvements
Small Update to the Demo with some bug fixes and quality of life improvements. Thank you to everyone who's tried the demo, and extra thanks to those who've reported bugs and feedback. Mahalo! - UI Added 'Idle' reminder above pause button to increase clarity Hovering over a stat i
Small Update to the Demo with some bug fixes and quality of life improvements. Thank you to everyone who's tried the demo, and extra thanks to those who've reported bugs and feedback. Mahalo!
- UI

Added 'Idle' reminder above pause button to increase clarity
Hovering over a stat in the level up screen shows explanation of the stat
The screen dims behind the sync bar for a moment when it fully charges
- Cooking

Ensured Autopause kicks in for a range of corner cases like gifts disappearing and dishes being lifted during cooking
Fixed a physics bug allowing chefs with multiple move speed buffs to overshoot their targets or clip through scenery
- Tooltips

Properly scale with screen size
A tooltip now shows up in Lv1 explaining that chefs can be right clicked to view info
Help text appears when you try to serve an unfinished dish
- Game Balance

Tutorial gift appears a bit later to avoid conflict with the sync style tutorial
Uncle's ability tweaked to partially fill the sync bar at the start of the level instead of just multiplying the incoming sync amounts
Reduced ticket difficulty for early chapters/missions
Increased time limits for early chapters/missions
- SFX

Initial volume settings during first run should be reduced
Tickets will play sfx when ready
Autopause now plays sfx when pausing
- Twists

Bad Twists cannot be discovered anymore (they're removed from the game for now!)
Mastery effects on dish starting quality have been increased to compensate!
Assisted Twists are now flagged as such immediately. No need for guess and check!
The Skill Experimenter now triggers if you've discovered a perfect twist instead of a bad twist
- Customizer

Autofill now prefers special stations to normal stations. Still random between types of special stations.
Auto filling stations now correctly clears current stations to make room for new needed ones. Currently reshuffles station placement as well, might revisit someday.
A trendy tag now shows up for trending flavored dishes (just for more clarity!)
- Misc other bugs and improvements!
Original post
15 Aug 2024Developer post
New Demo Update and a Wholesome Games Celebration
Summer is in full swing and it's about time to release a new update for the Kitchen Sync demo! If you're new to Kitchen Sync: Aloha! now's a great time to jump in. If you're a returning player, you'll notice a whole host of quality of life improvement as well as some new content!
Summer is in full swing and it's about time to release a new update for the Kitchen Sync demo! If you're new to Kitchen Sync: Aloha! now's a great time to jump in. If you're a returning player, you'll notice a whole host of quality of life improvement as well as some new content!
UI/UX Update

A new look for tickets, better control for pause/resume, and more!
New Side Quests and Kitchens

Learn to manage your chefs' abilities at the Showroom in 'Study Hall'
Finish the demo story and looking for a challenge? Give two new kitchens a try in 'Close Quarters (Hard)' and 'Of Ferns and Factories (Hard)'! Train up your chefs - that '(Hard)' tag isn't just for show!
Gifts

Gifts are now integrated into kitchen management! Send chefs to claim them when they appear - don't take too long or they're gone!
Fixes and tweaks

Various tweaks to numbers across the board to make chef progression clearer and more satisfying.
Whole lotta bug fixes. Thanks to the Tastetesters on Discord!
If you're interested in weekly updates on the game's development or joining the playtesting community, join us on Discord!
Hope you all enjoy the updated demo, and looking forward to seeing you all on the Island!
--Lemonpepper Fine
Original post
28 Jul 2024Developer post
Kitchen Sync: Aloha! has joined PixElated Fest as a featured demo!
Kitchen Sync will be joining the PixElated Festival on Steam on July 29th as a featured demo. The game's art has had a long journey so far (as have I as a pixel artist!), and I'm really proud that the game's pixel art has made the cut. If you tried the demo last year, I'd love yo
13 Apr 2024Developer post
New Demo Now Live with the customizer, relationships, and more!
Aloha, Kitchen Managers! A new demo build is now live for Kitchen Sync: Aloha! Experience a sample of the full game loop. Choose your chefs, customize your kitchen layouts, develop support relationships, finish side quests, unlock special recipes, and more. Try out combinations o
14 Feb 2024Developer post
KS:A! Development Update - Valentines Edition!
Aloha! Kitchen Sync: Aloha!'s development has been continuing along over here at Lemonpepper HQ. We've gone a bit without a steam post, so I wanted to share some updates here! In particular, it's valentines day so let's talk character relationships! Support Bonds As your chefs co
01 Sep 2023Developer post
Kitchen Sync @ Seattle Indie Expo
Summer Convention season is in full blast! Kitchen Sync will be exhibiting this Sunday at the Seattle Indie Expo. If you're a local, heading to PAX West, or are otherwise visiting, we'd love to see you at the booth. Come say "aloha", try our latest demo, and pick up a recipe card
23 Aug 2023Developer post
KS:A!'s First Steam Demo is Live!
Our first demo has officially launched on Steam. If you're looking for a bite-sized blend of cooking and strategy RPG, try this demo on the house! Master the basics of kitchen management, help the restaurant launch their Market Pop-up and get a feel for Kitchen Sync: Aloha!. The