Seven Season Soup takes place in a fantasy world inspired by the Japanese feudal era and Asian mythology. In the game, players encounter fantastic creatures like the towering Daikon, a radish demon, or Slime, an adorable yet dangerous pink blob. The art is colorful and is reminiscent of a colored version of Japanese calligraphy.
The players compete in the Banquet of Seven Suns, a cooking competition hosted by the Emperor. The dishes earn points, and the goal of the game is to get the most points awarded for the cooked dishes. The ingredients required for the dishes are sometimes guarded by monsters and demons; other times, the monsters and demons are the ingredients! The players travel the variable game board with a hero outfitted with unique abilities and proficient in several equipment disciplines. Different random quests award money and loot in the form of weapons, armor, scrolls and other equipment. Each player can also improve their abilities by recruiting up to two companions to build up their group.
The players take two actions in each turn and have to get the most out of the limited turns they get. The game time is limited by the number of event cards in the event pile. Once the event pile is depleted, the players each get one last turn. The game ends by scoring the dishes. The player with the most points wins. If two players are tied, their groups of heroes will duel to determine the winner.