Game update: 28/10/15

With Halloween now three days away, there's one last update to get you set for the occasion.

It's a standard update, with all the new items unveiled at level 22. However there are only five additions to pour over, but that won't stop me drawing up the usual list:

Chairs:

• Vamp Throne - 1,800 coins

Wall decorations:

• Haunted Mirror - 4,300 coins

Floor decorations:

• Vampire Party - 56 gems
• Coffin Couple - 27,000 coins

Appliances:

• Vamp Fountain - 34,000 coins

It's a lonely looking update, isn't it? With no table, counter, wallpaper or floor tile, it's a sparse list and brings the month of Halloween to a rather anticlimactic close.

But it's the lack of re-released content which frustrates as much as anything. It's always nice to see removed stuff make a brief re-appearance - it gives newer players a shot at something fancy, older players a second chance at something they've craved, and Storm8 a surge in gem purchases. Everyone is a winner, and that makes it all the more bamboozling that there's not been a sale this year.

Of course we've not reached 31st October yet, and going by the trend of the last few months, it's entirely possible that there could be a special sale coming on Friday. But that would be one day before Halloween and thus not really very useful to most players. Indeed I actually warned the gamemakers against leaving it too late to offer up a re-release in August's Suggestions Box, and that was with reference to the situation in 2014, when the sale came two days before Halloween.

What makes the lack of returning content substantially more disappointing is the quality of this year's offerings. I've already voiced concerns that Storm8 are deliberately trying to be less gory and creepy than in the past, and that is again reflected in some of the items we've got this week. For a glimpse of what's new, take a look at this image posted on the Storm8 Blog:

Items from update as shown on Storm8 Blog

Let's start with the Vampire Party which is the big buy in this update at 56 gems. It's a 4x4 sized piece and has plenty of details to keep you interested. There are five bots included, with the guests each bearing fangs. They're all enjoying what seems to be a rather posh Halloween shindig - there's even a waiter clutching a tray of glasses of wine. There's more wine on the table as well, which itself is in the shape of a coffin. Overall it's a decent decoration, but it doesn't aim for the spooky atmosphere that so many of us hoped to see. And clearly the price tag is impossible to justify.

At least the Coffin Couple has that going for it, coming in at just 27,000 coins. This one is 3x3 amd features a fanged couple at a coffin. The girl is actually lying in the coffin which is a little disconcerting. There are a few ways of reading this item - those of the peaceful mind might postulate that the girl is waking from a 'deep sleep'. Those of the violent mind might imagine that the guy is waving his cape as he prepares to lower the lid and lock the girl in the coffin! Those of a dirtier mind may take into account the playful looks on their faces and the surrounding candles to draw a different conclusion...

Next up for inspection is the Vamp Chair, which is red with a black border. It's a very rare case this October of a decoration which actually has a fearful feel to it. It's dark in tone and the use of red certainly has connotations of blood in this case. If there was the stuff in the market to match up with it (including a table!) I'd be very tempted to purchase a few of this chair.

 Halloween 2015

 22/10/15 Box update
 20/10/15 Goals content report
 14/10/14 Goals
 14/10/15 Goals update
 07/10/15 Laboratory update

The last regular addition is the Haunted Mirror. A wall decoration, I feel like we've had something similar before, but can't put my finger on it. Anyway, this mirror has an elegant golden exterior, but there's a figure seems to be fading in and out of vision in the glass. Okay, there is if you use your imagination. It's at times like this that I really wish there was some level of animation to items (see RS2!) as that would be perfect here. Although since the 'haunted' face in the mirror looks to be smiling perhaps even some animation couldn't make this mirror truly spooky.

All that remains for scrutiny is the Vamp Fountain. Now here's an item I do approve of! A little like the Vamp Chair, it's the use of black and red together that does the business, and the overflowing sloppy red fluid adds an extra dimension. With red bats appearing too, I am at last able to say that the game's developers have successfully designed a scary item. It's just a shame it's an appliance rather than an out and out decoration.

To build this drink machine you'll need 5 Mallets, 5 Iron Presses and 5 Fang Knobs. The last of these is the latest new part.

Fang Knob

Maybe I'm just growing extra grumpy these days, but I'm even put out at the new parts now! I mean, another themed knob?! It's like most of the creativity has been sucked out of the Storm8 Studios.

To the recipes then, of which there are three:

Vamp Fountain recipes

Not for the first time I'm very impressed by the creativity on show with these drinks. Even the names are interesting! But it's the little touches with the accompaniments to the glasses that do the trick - those spiders sipping at the Black Beauty and Purple Passion let you know exactly what season we're dealing with!

Time for some recipe ratings:

Crimson Cups
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
4	4	3	7	8	4.3

Black Beauty
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
3	4	3	8	8	4.1

Purple Passion
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
4	4	3	10	8	4.6

As we always anticipate, these recipes don't challenge the chart toppers. They're each decent in their respective durations but don't exactly grab any headlines. One positive is that only the Crimson Cups utilises numbers for profit and portions from another dish - the Black Beauty and Purple Passion are original in that sense.

Well that just about does it for another mixed Halloween update. But before I rest my fingers there's last Friday's treat to discuss. For selected players on the iOS platform, there was a special goal released.

Ice Cream Truck goal

For cooking one batch of French Toast, we were given the Ice Cream Truck, a second prize from the Ice Cream Crate. Considering the potential cost of earning this item through the box, this has to be considered a fantastic deal. Indeed it is essentially a case of Storm8 giving the truck away!

Unfortunately there's still some negativity surrounding this bonus though, and that's because of its exclusivity. As far as I'm aware, the truck was not available 'for free' for any Android players, and the goal only popped up for some iOS users. Everyone who didn't get the goal did still have the opportunity to buy the truck for 40 gems in the market for a limited time, which is certainly better than nothing!

Personally I was privy to the goal deal so snapped it up immediately. I already have one Ice Cream Truck having purchased it in the Christmas sale last December, but you never know when another may come in handy!

Why this feature appeared is easier to pinpoint than it first seems. In the last week Storm8 have released a new title - Frozen Frenzy Mania - and this goal is presumably designed to promote it. Perhaps we'll see similar goals with future game releases too, although I daresay it would be more worthwhile for the gamemakers to offer up season-relevant stuff - the Ice Cream Truck would have been much more well received if it was up for grabs in the Summer! So hopefully Scary Skeleton Mania is about to be released in the coming days!

That's it for this week then. Despite four consecutive Halloween updates (which is more than I ever hoped for) there's definitely been a lacklustre response to the additions, with the quality of content generally lower than in previous years. But no worries - I shall do my best to improve the mood with three posts in three days! On Saturday you can expect the latest edition of the Suggestions Box, on Sunday there will be a guided tour of The Garlic Tree's Halloween outfit, and on Monday there will be a showcase of the brilliant layouts some of my neighbours have put together. It's going to be good!