Game update: 03/12/14

With the dust settling on an infamous Black Friday, there's a dusting of snow in Restaurant Story. Winter is here!

Notification for Winter 2014 update

There's a chilly outlook to this week's update! Here's the list of new items, all of which are unlocked before level 10:

Tables:

• Candle Table - 3 gems

Chairs:

• Sleigh Stool - 10,000 coins

Wall decorations:

• Holiday Gift Door - 10 gems
• White Wreath - 7,500 coins

Floor decorations:

• Sled of Gifts - 25 gems
• Build a Snowman - 50 gems
• Snow Angels - 75,000 coins
• Swan Pond - 55 gems (LTO)

Wallpapers:

• Snowflake - 5,000 coins

Floor tiles:

• Ribbon - 2,500 coins

Appliances:

• Cocoa Maker - 30,000 coins (LTO)

Counters:

• Chimney Counter - 20,000 coins

That's a fair amount of content to consider! It's great to get some wintry additions since there's not a lot of Winter items currently on the market in comparison to the other seasons. I guess that's because the focus at this time of year is almost exclusively on Christmas, New Year and Valentine's Day. Christmas is covered slightly in this update, but I think generally it is more of a Winter themed update.

Being the first Wednesday of the month you may have expected a new goal set - I know I did! It looks like we might be seeing a shift here, with the goals coming on the second Wednesday of the month and no longer overlapping with the previous ones.

The TeamLava Blog has a glimpse of some of the new stuff, including the three wintry floor decorations:

Items from update as shown on TeamLava Blog

It's time to face the elephant in the room: the Build a Snowman is extremely expensive! At 50 gems you need to really love this one if you're going to commit. It is a fantastic item though, with three heavily clad kids putting together a three-tiered snowman. There's even a couple of snowy trees with presents included, making this a top drawer piece.

I've crowed on about the need for some mega Winter decorations, but just can't bring myself to part with so many gems for the Build a Snowman. I'm loaded at the moment, but with no more recipes to master except any new ones which are added, and thus am feeling very miserly with my gems. Had this been even just 10 gems cheaper I'd have probably taken the plunge, but there are other items on my mind...

Alongside the Build a Snowman in the image above is the Snow Angels. Part of me wants to criticise the size of this piece - the figures look abnormally small and give me the sense that it has been scaled down from 4x4. Plus the girl at the front looks really flat. This is probably a result of her being modelled face-on, although perhaps she's just been flattened by a giant snowball! Regardless I'll still be buying it to add to my upcoming wintry outdoor theme.

The last of the new floor decorations is the Sled of Gifts. I feel like we've had this one before in previous years, but regardless I do like it. The fact it contains a party hat and some candy canes in addition to the presents adds an extra bit of flair. But at 25 gems I don't think it's good value I'm afraid. It's only 2x1 and isn't very imposing.

Another gem buy is the Holiday Gift Door. I feel this door is more competitively priced - indeed it is the same price as the standard door. I like how the design isn't overworked. It's a plain white door with a lovely red ribbon wrapped around it and tied in a bow. Having said all that I still think I'd prefer a more traditional festive door with a big wreath and some snow finding its way underneath.

Last of the gem additions is the Candle Table. I really like the concept of this table, although rarely spend gems on tables. This will join the ranks of the many I've turned away. But it doesn't come without some positives - after all you could get away with placing this as a decoration rather than a table. The accompanying chair is totally unrelated which is always a shame. The Sleigh Stool is a strange design, and won't be finding its way into my place this Christmas. I just don't get the shape of it, but then again I've never been in Santa's sleigh, so what do I know!

What else have we got? The White Wreath is okay without really getting me overexcited. The furriness of the material really comes through, although on this occasion I think a little more is needed - the wreath looks somewhat bland as it is.

The Snowflake wallpaper is pretty self-explanatory but is much welcomed all the same. The Snowy Scene is the only other wholly Winter wallpaper currently in the market and it comes for gems. So to get the Snowflake wallpaper for coins is very satisfying. However the same cannot be said on the flooring front. The snowy tile used in the TeamLava Blog picture is the pre-existing Winter Floor which is 1 gem each. We desperately need a snowy tile for coins in order to allow the perfect Winter landscape to be crafted. I hope dearly that will come with the goals next week.

The floor tile which is offered in this update is the Ribbon flooring. Unfortunately it's a thumbs down from me, mainly because of the repeating pattern. Placing a lot of these tiles would probably make me feel a little sick what with all the bows!

However we finish the round-up of Winter additions on a high note, with the Chimney Counter. This is a quality idea and does look like a little chimney which has been covered in a thick layer of snow. I'll definitely be placing some tasty food on there to attract Santa and his reindeer in!

There aren't any new recipes on show, which is always disappointing, but even more so this week after the treat of the Prime Rib and Stuffing being unlocked for a limited time last week. TeamLava didn't extend the period they were available which was a shame as it was near impossible to master both in the given time limit, and now I'm even more down that the other 2011 goal dishes haven't gotten an airing. There are three Wednesdays to come before Christmas though, so there's hope yet!

On the flipside, there are other delights in this update which we can be cheerful about. The Swan Pond is the first prize in the Magic Bouquet box, and is openly available in the market for six days.

Swan Pond limited time offer

It's a hefty 55 gem price tag, but is definitely a decoration which many players will be keen to capture. And although it is expensive, it is still significantly cheaper than the 70 gems required for previous first prizes box items offered. The Swan Pond was among those candidates in the limited time re-release poll on the TeamLava Forum, but is only the fifth most voted for at the time of writing. Me thinks it is time for a new poll!

There's another limited time offer as well, with the Cocoa Maker returning. Requiring five Motors and five Red Gears to construct, this appliance was originally unlocked in the Christmas 2013 goals. I've no qualms about seeing it made available to all now since it has been around for a whole year, although having already mastered its drinks I've got no real use for any further copies.

In contrast the last feature of this update is very relevant to me. Among my chiming about the lack of existing Winter content I've repeatedly stated my admiration for the Winter Wonderland Box. Well now its on sale at 25%!

Winter Wonderland box limited time offer

This discovery seals the fate of the Build a Snowman - I definitely won't be splashing out for it, but instead blowing a large contingent of my unused Black Friday gems on this box! And it's perfect timing since I plan to ditch Autumn and transform The Garlic Tree into its festive guise tomorrow!

So with December comes the start of what will hopefully be a long but heart-warming Winter. The Autumn goals expire on Monday, so we can fully expect a new set of goals next week, most likely with a Christmas theme. I'm already buzzing with excitement at the prospect!