Game update: 07/10/15

It's off to the lab this week, as we get into the Halloween groove with a sinister science update.

There's a range of new content has been added, including a fresh appliance. Here's a full list of the additions, all of which lose their padlock at level 25:

Floor decorations:

• Lab Pup - 30 gems
• Science Lab - 55 gems
• Mad Chemist - 16,000 coins

Wallpapers:

• Mad Lab - 5,100 coins

Floor tiles:

• Slime Splatter - 3,600 coins

Appliances:

• Lab Stove - 24,000 coins

Counters:

• Lab Counter - 9,100 coins

I've mentioned previously that there's been a noticeable shift of the goal updates from the first Wednesday of the month to the second. Yet everyone got themselves worked up for goals today, including myself! With us being as far into October as possible with it still being the first Wednesday, I thought there was a slight chance of a break in the pattern, but it wasn't to be.

Although it's always a little disappointing to get an ordinary update when you were anticipating goals, I think this is something to be cheerful about. After all the October goals are almost nailed on to be Halloween themed, so it appears we are going to get multiple updates centred around this spooky occasion this year, unlike in 2014.

So what of the stuff added here? First of all, there's a teaser on the Storm8 Blog which offers up a preview of all the new content:

Items from update as shown on Storm8 Blog

It's good to see the teaser return after last week's absence. I guess we'll never find out why it never arrived last week - perhaps the reason is too embarrassing for the gamemakers to reveal!

I have to admit, I'm not feeling pumped up by this update, and that's not normal for me with a Halloween update. For this eerie theme you expect to see lots of dark tones and creepy decorations, but that's just not the case here. Everything's too bright - so much so that if you screw your eyes up when looking at the teaser you could mistake it for a cheery Spring update!

The Slime Splatter floor tile symbolises this overly bright feeling. The green splat itself is fine - there's nothing quite like a luminous green to represent a thick and squelchy slime. But having it on a white tile is just wrong. Instead of looking like a spillage on the lab floor, this tile looks like it's been taken from a daycare scene (possibly with dinosaurs!) It would have been effortless for Storm8 to render those splatters on an existing darker flooring such as the Stone or Hardwood tiles. Then I'd have actually liked it!

The exact same criticism can be levelled at the Mad Lab wallpaper. Once again the idea is sound - the concept of having lots of pipes with various gauges and meters attached is fantastic for a laboratory theme, but the background let's the whole thing down. Again it's a basic white backdrop, and I'm left grimacing at how close the game's developers came to executing an excellent wallpaper. Use the Old Saloon or Weathered Wood wallpaper instead with the pipes superimposed on top and Storm8 would have received some well-earned plaudits.

I've got similar reservations with the Lab Counter too, which could have done with a darker colour than the cream shade given. However I'm hesitant to pick it apart like the floor tile and wallpaper. That's because this counter actually goes some way to answering the call of a Suggestions Box entry. Back in June I asked the gamemakers to allow appliances to be converted into floor decorations for aesthetic use. With the same result, Storm8 are offering a counter which is shaped like an appliance - it's even got the dial on the front that is a signature among cookers. The fact that food will end up placed on top is a drawback, but I guess even crazy scientists need to eat!

So far I've not been all that complimentary, but it should be pointed out that everything covered thus far is available for coins. At least that makes it easily accessible, unlike the Science Lab. Coming in at 55 gems, this is a marquee price for a less than marquee item. For a start the lab is only 3x3 in size, and with a built-in purple flooring, I'm not keen.

 Halloween 2014

 01/11/14 Halloween at The Garlic Tree
 29/10/14 Re-release update
 13/10/14 Goals content report
 08/10/14 Goals

 08/10/14 Initial update

And then I unfortunately have to ask a very pertinent question: is this a Halloween themed decoration? As far as I can see we have two professors of chemistry working away with a colourful range of possibly toxic mixtures. There's nothing there that attaches this piece to Halloween! You could quite easily slot this item into a school theme!

At least the Lab Pup is a little more out there. With this dog wearing a suit jacket with bow tie and a pair of safety goggles, it's one of those decorations that really brings out a laugh. What's not to like?! Well, the price. At 30 gems this pooch is very expensive for a small 1x1 item. With Black Friday approaching, I think it's very difficult to justify spending a significant chunk of your savings on this one, even if he does give you the puppy eyes.

The last of the floor decorations introduced is mercifully for coins, with the Mad Chemist weighing in at 16,000 coins. Clutching flasks of lucid liquids, the only abnormality with this chap is his green head of hair. And that's not all that peculiar - I probably had stranger chemistry teachers in real life!

Part of the problem with this update is that it draws natural and unflattering comparisons with the Halloween goals update in 2013. On that occasion there were a number of lab based items, and between them the Lab Equipment, Lab Assistant and Confection Lab definitely trump this year's offerings. And don't forget the Mad Scientist, which has made appearances as an LTO most years, and easily tops the Mad Chemist.

Could Storm8 have come up with something more original? With a world of chilling possibilities out there, the answer is an emphatic yes, but at the same time there was definitely more could have been done with a lab theme. Not least some tables, chairs and wall décor!

Finally, we have an appliance to study, with the Lab Stove making its grand entrance. This is a constructive cooker which requires 5 Mallets, 5 Brass Diverters and 5 Vial Knobs to build.

Vial Knob

The last of these is a completely new part, so get busy collecting them! I wouldn't be surprised to see the Vial Knob being a required part for appliances next week too if we get Halloween goals.

Once you get a Lab Stove glued together, there are three recipes to pour over:

Lab Stove recipes

Now that's what I'm talking about! The repugnant greens displayed by these dishes makes it abundantly clear what theme they're representing. The Slime Soup is particularly revolting with those eyeballs floating around and a spider having a sip on the side. The eyeballs are even shown in a little bowl at the preparation stage which is a great detail!

Away from the appearance of these appetisers (or sickeners perhaps!), there are recipe ratings to be gleaned:

Slime Soup
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
4	5	3	7	8	4.6

Slimed Popcorn
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
4	5	3	10	8	4.9

Slime Cakes
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
4	5	4	10	8	5.1

Very unusually, these recipes all score fairly well. They each rank in the upper section of their respective duration, with scores which although not world beating, are respectable. They are consistent foods, and that helps them out hugely.

And what pleases me most about their figures is the uniqueness. It seems that every time a dish is added I find myself moaning about how it has identical statistics to some other recipe. That's not the case here. All three have their own special set of numbers, which is very satisfying. Particularly when those numbers are good.

Before I slip away for the night, I've got a theory to share. I reckon that coming into this Halloween season, the game's developers consciously decided to make their new designs less scary than in previous years. I've already indicated my displeasure with the general tone of these additions, and when you compare to some of the spooky stuff of past Halloweens, I think this is a theory with legs. The likes of the Haunted House and Haunted Clock Tower have got all the frightening touches that make them the pinnacle of Halloween in Restaurant Story. Beyond the recipes, it's severely lacking in this update.

And I just cannot fathom why Storm8 would want to dull down the eerie aspect. I can only assume they're trying to cater to a younger audience who would potentially be put off by scary decorations. But is past Halloween content really that horrifying? And are kids really unable to sleep at night because of it? On the contrary, I'd suggest that if anything, the kids are the ones who probably enjoy Halloween the most.

But I need not fear! After all, next week is goals week, and obviously there will be a stunning selection of Halloween goodies to get hold of. Right?!