This update takes us to China, with a small selection of themed items. Let's waste no time in getting to it, with a full list of the additions, all of which unlock at level 26:
Wall decorations:
- Wall Fan - 8,720 coins
- Waving Cat - 6 gems
- Panda Pen - 22 gems
- Lucky Bamboo - 4,300 coins
- Bamboo Forest - 9,600 coins
- Harmony Tile - 2,600 coins
- Bamboo Steamer - 45,000 coins
It's not the largest collection of decorations we've ever seen in an update, but at the same time it is pitched at decent prices. There are only two gem buys in there, and even they can be argued as reasonable.
It has to be said that there is already a plethora of Asian stuff in the market, mostly due to three long runs of it in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Since then things have slowed down drastically, with only the Korean update back in January of this year really adding to the assembly. Nevertheless I am a little disappointed. With trips to India, France and the UK this Summer, I thought Storm8 were striving to bring us some new and exciting cultures. I have nothing against the Asian region, but would have preferred to see other undiscovered corners of the globe covered. After all there is no shortage of locations with sufficient character to model an update on.
So Asia it is, and specifically the game's developers are taking us to China. For a good look at all of this week's additions, take a peek at this picture from the Storm8 Blog:
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| Items from update as shown on Storm8 Blog |
Let's get the two gem purchases out the way first. The Panda Pen is valued at 22 gems and features three pandas scoffing bamboo in a fenced pen full of lush greenery. You've got to feel for those pandas - it's not a large space they have to live in! They are well designed though, and I think the price tag for this 4x4 beast is quite generous on the gamemakers' part. And with the recently released Zoo Crate also containing several animal habitats, this links in perfectly.
The other addition for gems is the Waving Cat. A 1x1 floor decoration, this ornament actually originates from Japan, but is widely used in China. The belief is that this cat (whose raised paw often swings back and forth) brings luck, and so it is often displayed in shop windows. Therefore its reasonable to suggest that you could buy this item and place it somewhere near your entrance. Definitely worth having if you have an Asian themed place (and many do!) Who knows, it might even increase your chances when opening the boxes!
The single wall decoration available with this update is the Wall Fan. This fan depicts a blossoming tree branch complete with a happy bird perching. It's a nice item, although it isn't exactly the most original of ideas since we already have the similar Paper Fan and Chinese Wall Fan.
Summer travels
Staying with the walls, and the Bamboo Forest wallpaper consists of three bamboo stalks on a mellow green background. I quite like how understated it is - there's been a tendency of late for the game's developers to include detailed scenes of famous landmarks or skylines, and sometimes this can lead to a wallpaper that is too 'in your face'. A lot of the time the wallpaper is nothing more than a supplement for the main attraction which comes primarily via floor decorations, and in such cases you look for a wallpaper which is subtle and doesn't draw the eye. This one achieves that and could be handy for all sorts of wild surroundings.
The Harmony Tile is an unusual floor tile in that it contains some action! We have two fish swimming around in circles. I profess to a lack of knowledge with this tile - I don't know if this is based on some Chinese tradition and thus may be a painted tile rather than a literal stretch of water with fish hanging around. Whatever the case its the latter which I'm sure players will use in their restaurants. It's really interesting to get a water tile which displays more than just some mundane stretch of blue - the only other one really out there is the Puddle Boats tile from the April Showers update in April.
Time to turn our attention to the new appliance added in this update. The Bamboo Steamer is available for coins, which makes it four non-goals cookers on the trot for coins. That's enough for me to assume that the appliances for gems concept has been kicked into touch (I hope so anyway!)
This is a constructible appliance, so you'll need your neighbours at hand to put them together. In all 5 Wiring, 5 Brass Diverters and 5 Bamboo Sheets are required to build the Bamboo Steamer, with the last of these yet another new part. If we go back to the start of the parts windfall with the Holly Screwdriver and Snowflake for Christmas last year, then there have been a total of 24 new parts added in nine months. That's an exceedingly high rate! Me thinks the Suggestions Box may be getting a parts related entry this month!
Let's now check out the three recipes found on the Bamboo Steamer:
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| Bamboo Steamer recipes |
As ever Restaurant Story has broadened my horizons! Until today I had never heard of scallions. as it turns out they are very similar to spring onions, which I am thankfully very familiar with. And what about the Turnip Cake?! I can't say I really fancy it, although some snappy research reveals that this name isn't factually accurate - a traditional Turnip Cake in China uses radish as the key ingredient. If I'm honest, I still don't fancy it!
But will we fancy these dishes after the numbers come in? Here are the recipe ratings:
| Scallion Pancake | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 3 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 4.7 |
| Steamed Dumplings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 3 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 4.9 |
| Turnip Cake | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 5 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 6.0 |
For the pancake and dumplings its quite dreary reading, but don't be mistaken, these are decent foods. They may not excel in any of the main factors, but they do still come out with acceptable overall scores. Indeed the Scallion Pancake ranks seventh in the 3 hour duration out of 43 contenders, while the Steamed Dumplings chart 13th among 5 hour offerings from a pool of 33.
The Turnip Cake achieves a higher overall rating (enough to get in the green!) but again that masks the truth. The cake is actually nothing more than a middling dish when compared to its 7 hour compatriots. The main reason for this is the exceptional numbers higher up the ladder - the Gumbo (Basic Stove) , Pork and Persimmons (Basic Oven) and Beignet (Basic Oven) all have purples across the board, which put the Turnip Cake into perspective.
And in the absence of a Value Pack deal last Friday, that brings an end to this Asian analysis. In fact, that's three consecutive updates without a Value Pack for iOS. The 'only' Friday special has been the mighty Gem Dispenser. Whether this means Value Packs are going the way of Bundles or not is difficult to determine, but I'm sure that even if they are, Storm8 will be unveiling another innovation before long!
What is not quite so hard to establish is that the week for goal updates has definitely been moved. Presumably the September edition will be coming next week, meaning that four of the last five goal sets will have been released on the second Wednesday of the month. The exception is the July quest which came on the first Wednesday, largely because it related to Independence Day which was on the following Saturday. So I'm gearing up for goals next week!
The Harmony Tile is based on the episode The Water Tribe@ from The Last Airbender Tv series
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