My tardiness is due to some serious scrimping when it comes to appliance buying. It's been the same for the last couple of goal sets, but my lack of willingness to invest in a number of each of the cookers is slowing my progress through the tasks considerably.
Having purchased just two Charming Grills and three Charming Ovens, I was able to avoid overspending on these goals, but at the same time it does mean a much longer process - I only finished the final step this morning!
At least I'm done, and that means I can offer some thoughts on the goals. As was the case with the cabin themed goals in January, this is a 15 day challenge which is shorter than what we've become used to over the years. Also add in the eight day effort last month and it does appear as if Storm8 are moving away from the traditional month long goals.
I have mixed feelings on this. The shorter editions come with a little bit of pressure as the time-frame for completion is that bit narrower, but at the same time it is nice to have a slightly tougher task on our hands - this is nicely suited for more advanced players who are looking for something to spice up their game.
And on the subject of spicing things up, we had a minor but noteworthy alteration to the goal structure for this particular set. Usually the first of the two 'sidestep' tasks pops up after finishing up with the first appliance, with the second following after completion of the first. That wasn't the case this time, with the first sidestep only putting in an appearance in conjunction with the penultimate goal and the second alongside the climactic goal.
This may seen small and insignificant to some, but I think little shifts like this keep the goals interesting. I've often voiced concerns that the quests are stale in format and could do with shaking up. You can't deny that the gamemakers have addressed that in the past six months with a few changes, and for better or for worse it at least indicates that they are still very much committed to Restaurant Story.
Now let's break down some of the content waiting to be discovered in these goals. At step 2 you'll come face-to-face with the Charming Grill which doesn't require any construction. On board are three new recipes which exude class.
 |
| Charming Grill recipes |
The Lobster for Two is actually the sixth lobster based dish to appear in the game, with two of the previous versions also added as part of Valentine's updates. I can't say that I particularly associate lobster with a romantic dinner and happily admit that I would never attempt to serve it up if I was entertaining someone. Sorry ladies!
In terms of appearance it's the Oyster Bar Sampler which wins with its lemon wedges nicely placed in the centre of the plate. Thoroughly enough we already have the very similar Oysters on the Basic Oven, but the difference in design is stark - you can clearly tell that the Oysters was an original recipe in contrast to this well fashioned edition.
Here come the ratings:
| Oyster Bar Sampler | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 4.0 |
| Pepper Ahi | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3.2 |
| Lobster for Two | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 3.6 |
None of these three sets the pulse racing, with orange the dominant colour never a good sign. In fact the numerical combinations of all three recipes already exist. The oysters have two other 1 hour compatriots with identical stats, the Pepper Ahi has 10 mirrored foods (seriously!) and the lobster has two, including the Mulled Cider (Cabin Drink Maker) added just a few weeks back.
As a result I'm going to pass over any further details on this trio, except to say that they are average at best and don't deserve to be served up to your loved one on Valentines!
The second appliance unearthed along the winding road that is the Valentine's Day goals is the Charming Oven and this one does call for construction.
 |
| White Brick and Heart Element |
The White Brick and Heart Element were both added with the goals update, and each is needed to put together the oven. To be precise 7 Heart Elements, 7 White Bricks and 6 Pink Heart Knobs are necessary.
Once built, the Charming Oven provides a further three dishes for your cooking pleasure.
 |
| Charming Oven recipes |
Again there's a high end feel to things which is really enticing. Usually I enjoy a moan when bakery style recipes are added, but on this occasion these are so delicious looking that I can't help but treat myself to a virtual slice/strawberry/cupcake!
The Devil's Food Cake stands tall and intimidating on the counter, the Dipped Strawberries are a perfect fit for Valentines and the Red Velvet Cupcakes are so cute and dainty. I'm impressed with these designs, but will I be impressed with the numbers...
| Devil's Food Cake | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3.5 |
| Dipped Strawberries | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 3.9 |
| Red Velvet Cupcakes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 4.2 |
Eh no. Orange dominates once again, with the recipes each respectively having five, three and seven fellows from the same duration weighing in with the exact same statistics. I'm a broken record when it comes to this subject, but it is so mundane to keep releasing dishes with numbers which already exist. We may have a lot of foods in the game, but with profit, portions and XP gain all adjustable there's undoubtedly the scope to have an element of uniqueness.
On one positive note at least the cake rates higher than the ahi from the Charming Grill (which is of the same length). We've seen situations before when there are two candidates of the same duration within a goal set it is the entry on the earlier appliance which scores more strongly, despite taking less effort to unlock. No such illogical quirk on this occasion.
On a more general note, we went into this goals update with 695 recipes on the board in Restaurant Story. With six added that pushed us over the 700 marker. Just think about that for a second - you have to give Storm8 some credit for coming up with over 700 different dishes. There must be times when they really struggle for inspiration, but they always seem to deliver on this front (even if there are now six varieties of lobster!)
Away from the recipe roulette there were three floor decorations to be unchained via the quest. The first to lose its padlock is the Swan Pond, which is a 2x2 sized piece. It stars a gallant swan surrounded by her three babies. There's no doubting that it rates highly in the cuteness stakes, but I'm a little concerned with how small an area they have to swim in. Could make a nice little addition to an existing water feature though.
Next up is the Lovebird Tree which is also 2x2. This one contains two birds on a wooden swing attached to a cherry blossom tree. Don't get me wrong, the birds are adorable together and the concept is a winner, but proportionally this decoration is all over the shop. The tree is just far too small - place it alongside any bot item and it looks totally wrong. This goes into the great idea poorly executed category.
Valentine's Day 2017
Lastly the final goal prize is the Charming Park Bench. This is 4x4 and also includes cherry blossom trees, although does a better job of applying an appropriate scale to them. I do like this item, with the happy couple on the ornate bench appearing at peace in their blossom grove.
Funny I should call it that - does anyone remember the Blossom Grove from the spring goals in 2014? The two decorations are certainly comparable, although they have some intriguing differences too. For starters the Blossom Grove only has the one bot and she is standing on the path rather than sitting on the bench. Of course not being tied to a Valentine's update meant that having her going solo was understandable. Then there's the colour usage - the older decor used deeper tones for both the grass and the trees which doesn't surprise me. The gamemakers do tend to like their bright and cheery colours these days, and that is of course part of the reason why they've been slated big time at Halloween the last couple of years.
So that does another Valentine's Day. The goals update was the solitary one in 2017, which was a shame as Valentines is one of the stalwart themes in Restaurant Story. And having the quest land as close as it did to the 14th didn't help either, with many players (myself included) not even finishing prior to Valentine's Day. However this is pretty standard for this particular theme - in fact last year we had to wait until the 10th for goals! Landing in the middle of the month means it doesn't fit very well with Storm8's general schedule, but there's nothing stopping them from bringing the goals forward by a week or two as a special case.
Despite the awkward timing, I do give this Valentines effort a thumbs up. The recipes may tank statistically, but they look lovely and most of the decor impresses too. Not sure I'd go as far as to say it's love at first sight, but given time we might be able to make it work!
No comments:
Post a Comment