Game update: 04/04/17

Out of nowhere, a new set of goals landed in Restaurant Story yesterday evening, with a fresh produce theme as some much needed life was breathed into the game.

Introduction to fresh produce themed goals

The previous update introduced the Citrus Crate a week past Monday, meaning that we only had to wait eight days for another release. By current standards that's pretty good going, and with this update featuring a quest it is a more inclusive one too.

Here's the complete list of new content, some of which can only be unlocked by working through the goals:

Tables:

• Stone Table - 2 gems
• Driftwood Table - 11,000 coins

Chairs:

• Stone Chair - 1 gem
• Driftwood Bench - 13,000 coins

Wall decorations:

• Fresh Produce Picture - 17,000 coins

Floor decorations:

• Stone Wall - 5 gems
• Raspberry Lamp - 11,000 coins
• Berry Barrel - locked by goal
• Hipster Friends - locked by goal

Wallpapers:

• Driftwood Wallpaper - 7,000 coins

Floor tiles:

• Concrete - 7,000 coins

Appliances:

• Vintage Juicer - locked by goal
• Stone Oven - locked by goal

Counters:

• Stone Counter - 3 gems
• Driftwood Counter - 15,000 coins

With 15 new items added, it's fair to say that this is a packed update! However there isn't exactly a coherent theme emerging from the selection of additions, and with a mix of coin and gem stuff I get the sense that decor from more than one planned update has been merged into one.

Regarding the unexpected Tuesday release, it seems that we are going to have to get used to updates coming at seemingly random intervals. According to newly appointed Storm8 Forum moderator pixiegamer, 'updates for RS will be irregular for the time being moving forward'. She also confirmed that the game will continue to receive updates.

Clearly news that Restaurant Story is still to receive updates is much welcomed and something of a relief after weeks of uncertainty. However, as I noted in my last Suggestions Box entry, this is a slight inconvenience and won't help keep players hooked. A set schedule, even if it means committing to fewer updates, would have been preferable in my opinion.

Whatever the case, at least we do have an update to immerse ourselves with. There seem to be stone and driftwood strands to it, with the stone based content almost entirely coming for gems. This is such a shame as I think the stone themed decorations generally look good. The Stone Wall stands out for its rickety appearance which breaks away from the typical neat and uniform dividers we get. Its 5 gem asking price is naturally a turn off, but at least it comes as a 2x1 sized piece so you're effectively paying up two-and-a-half gems per square of divider.

The other stony stuff looks decent too, with the Stone Counter my pick. It's use of various shades of grey for the brickwork helps really give a solid and sturdy feel, and I like how as with the dividers the corner edges are not flush but rather a little higgledy-piggledy.

For anyone concerned that they may have to purchase the stone themed content for gems in order to progress through the goals, at the time of writing it doesn't appear that this is the case. The quest focuses only on that decor which comes for coins, which is a welcome relief I'm sure!

On to the driftwood additions, and there's a well executed weathered effect to the various items. Be it the dusty finish to the Driftwood Table and Driftwood Wallpaper or the rugged appearance of the Concrete floor tile, these decorations certainly group together well. It's worth noting that this is the second flooring with the title 'Concrete' after the default tile which we all gain when executing expansions. I wouldn't be surprised if its name is updated at some stage to avoid any confusion.

Whilst those aforementioned pieces are mostly bland in appearance and don't really home in on any particular environment, the Driftwood Counter does thanks to its tree trunk base. An old gnarled and creepy trunk of darkest brown, this counter has to be positioned in an outdoor setting and adds some menace to your diner.

The Driftwood Bench is not so much haunting as just downright strange. It has a jagged side and weird complexion which leaves me wondering what the gamemakers were hoping to achieve. It looks odd and certainly isn't a chair I'd go for.

That just leaves a couple of other random additions which aren't stone or driftwood based. The Fresh Produce Picture is a wall decoration featuring a variety of fruits painted on a wooden board. It's not a complicated item and has a charm about it as a result. The Raspberry Lamp gives the lampshade a fruity twist, with the outcome being a truly hideous decoration. It's just my view of course, but this lamp looks horrible - I suppose my liking for realistic decor is ruling over my playful side here!

So that's it for this update. It's good to see some goals again after more than a month since the last batch, and hopefully they will keep us all chugging along while we wait for the next update drop. Indeed, keep an eye on my dedicated goals post for all the details of the numerous steps, and watch out for my goals content report - which will cover all of the items directly involved in the quest - set to be released whenever I get round to finishing all the steps!