Game update: 04/01/17

This is 2017. The year of the polar bear. And the seal. And the bunny, owl and penguin!

Notification for Winter Animals box

Happy new year everyone! The first update of the year has arrived, with the Winter Animals box the solitary addition. This crate contains eight unique prizes, with the more impressive decorations being the toughest to get when you purchase your raffle ticket for the box.

That's standard with chests, but the price of this crate is far from standard. As the update notification indicates, the box is on sale for 12 gems - that's half price. I'm sure I've suggested a discount on new boxes before, and think this is a great decision on the gamemakers' part.

For the players it's superb because we can get two dips for the price of one, and for Storm8 it's superb because they can expect to enjoy more gem purchases as players take advantage of the sale on a new box. This really helps spice up this box update, with this type of update often a little mundane and uninspiring.

There is one caveat in all of this though. Could this mean the end of the fortnightly box sale? Since last February many players have taken advantage of the 50% off deals which have been offered across a wide range of crates, but if we're going to start seeing this with every new box that might mean the end of the periodic sale. Add in that there's not been such a sale since the big Black Friday bonanza and the evidence is pointing towards a change of direction.

Given that there are plenty of great boxes already in the market which I'd love to see get the treatment as they did on Black Friday, this would be a great shame. However we shouldn't jump to conclusions - the game's developers may just be testing the waters with this new box sale and could revert to the usual 24 gems when we next get a crate.

Focusing on the Winter Animals now, the Storm8 Blog provides an overview of all eight prizes:

Items from update as shown on Storm8 Blog

From the information that we have a distribution list can be compiled for this crate. Here it is:

First Prize

• Polar Bear Family

Second Prize

• Waddle of Penguins
• Herd of Seals

Third Prize

• 'Winter Bunnies'
• Snowy Owls

Fourth Prize

• Polar Bear Cub
• Baby Harp Seal
• 'Young Penguin'

I'm feeling fairly confident about this breakdown, but if you do spot any errors please do drop a comment. Likewise the official title of any of the items would be greatly appreciated - thanks to Sweet Delights for helping out!

It's interesting that the top three prizes are all 3x3 in size. I'd argue that the Polar Bear Family, Waddle of Penguins and Herd of Seals are equal in quality, and all have that adorable touch of cuteness. The polar bears are a happy family, the penguins are delightful with their chubby bodies and the seals are displaying a romantic side I could never have envisaged!

Designing animals is not the easiest of tasks, but I think the gamemakers generally do a good job, and this crate is no exception. There's clearly a lot of time has been devoted to studying the various animals and ensuring that each is captured successfully. The 'Winter Bunnies' demonstrate this with their pudgy cheeks, and the snow that a couple of them have clinging to their fur adds further credibility.

The Snowy Owls also score highly with me thanks to a well chosen and executed pattern for the feathers and the way the grey owl is tilting its head. Is it checking out the talent on the other side of the tree stump? I think so! Talking of the stump, it's also really nicely designed, with the little patches of snow on it helping solidify it's believably.

The three fourth prizes are never worth 24 gems, but with the box currently on sale, you can certainly put forward an argument for them being worth 12 gems. They're diminutive pieces, but they do have the cute factor and with the right accompanying decorations you could put together something really fun.

 Winter updates

 30/11/16 Pre-Christmas update

Indeed I think this box fits in really well with some of the content already in the game. Be it the Igloo where three polar bears are chilling (unfortunately another box item) or the Snowy Owl, there are some obvious and strong links to be made.

And it is for this reason that I disagree with those players who have turned their noses up at an animal based update. For a notable chunk of the community animals seem to be a no-no as they are not suitable for a restaurant. I understand this and have had reservations about certain animal additions in the past. But the Winter Animals box, much like the excellent Zoo Crate, places the animals in their natural habitat to some extent, with snow collecting around all the animals. This clearly indicates that these animals should be in the great outdoors, preferably on a Reindeer Tracks or Snow Gust floor. Would you dine out in the snow? I don't think so. Therefore we can clearly designate between areas where the bots are to eat at our diners and the animals can roam free. No need to call the health inspector.

Now that I've got that mini rant out of the way I can lament my current gem situation. Sadly I'm currently rather gem poor which is unfortunate given that this is the ideal time of year for this winter themed box. Nevertheless I wouldn't rule myself out of a cheeky opening sometime in the future, especially if the box is given the 50% off tag again.

Now before we head back into the warmth there's a limited time offer to take a look at.

Notification for Panda Pen limited time offer

For seven days the Panda Pen has been reduced by 25% meaning that it has gone from costing 22 gems to 17 gems. That's not a huge differential, which is the result of this being one of the less expensive LTOs (at the original price) in recent times. Consequently I do feel like we're not getting the full effect of the discount, but that shouldn't deter players as this is a lovely decoration. In fact I bought the Panda Pen during the Chemist and Cat's time traipse last year, and certainly hope to use it again sometime.

So this is certainly an update for the animal lovers. And yet I think this is a quality box despite not classing myself as such. The decor is just so well conceived and pristinely presented that I'm now really looking forward to decorating for winter. And that's saying something not just because I'm not in a position to buy the box right now but also because until now I wasn't thrilled about the prospect of packing up my Christmas stuff!

For my money this is a very promising start to the year. An update relevant to the season, a box that is actually worth opening and an initial sale which makes it all that bit more exciting - 2017 is off and running!