The long and short of it is that I am still not a fan of this theme, but my coldness towards it has thawed somewhat. That's because there are some aspects of it which are suitable for the summer months, with the recipes in particular ideal for cooling down on a hot day. But generally I'm not all that impressed when looking at the greater picture. Of course you can't like every theme, and in fairness Storm8 have produced some superb goal sets when it comes to content recently, so I guess we were due a less than enthralling one.
On to some of the unlockables then, starting with the first of two appliances. The Snow Machine requires 6 Gears, 6 Magical Snowballs and 10 Cooler Coils to build, with the latter of these a new part.
 |
| Cooler Coil and Icicle |
The Cooler Coil has been inherited from Bakery Story where it was first utilised many years ago. It's a generic enough part that we can expect to see it appear again in the future, particular when we reach the winter period (assuming we don't get summer stuff in January!) The Magical Snowball is an interesting inclusion too since as far as I'm aware it has only popped up once before - in the Christmas goals back in 2014.
Looking at the number of parts called for, the news is good. For the Mexican summer goals last month we had 24 parts needed to construct the first cooker, whereas the Snow Machine requires just 22. Okay it's not a huge drop-off, and it is weighted towards the new addition, but with the number having been on the rise of late it's good to see a downward turn which should make it that little bit easier to build the appliance.
As for the recipes, there are three varieties of snow drink, and as is the case with the appliance itself, they have all made the transition from Bakery Story.
 |
| Snow Machine recipes |
The fruit perched on top of the Blueberry Snow and Strawberry Snow are nice touches, and the range of colours for the Rainbow Snow are well rendered. But how do they rate?
| Blueberry Snow | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3.4 |
| Strawberry Snow | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3.2 |
| Rainbow Snow | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3.5 |
After a star-studded collection for the last quest, I must admit I'm very disappointed with this trio. The most significant aspect is the coins per plate which return to the standard 4 coins per plate. After a solid run of entries yielding 5 or 6 coins per plate it's frustrating to see a return to the norm.
The yellows and oranges say it all, and there's even a couple of reds too. Those are related to portions, with the Strawberry Snow and Rainbow Snow both among the worst in their respective durations. In fact, all three drinks share their stats with existing dishes which have also been rubbished on here in the past.
Maybe things will pick up with our second appliance? The Slushy Machine calls for 8 Gears, 8 Frozen Fuses and 12 Icicles, and again the latter of these is a fresh part. And as with the Magical Snowball earlier, the Frozen Fuse is making a comeback after just one previous appearance. That was in January 2015 when it was paired with Ice in the construction of the Frozen Lake Fountain and Frozen Lake Stove.
This time it's 28 parts needed, and that's two down on the 30 required for the second cooker in the last quest.
Here come the recipes...
 |
| Slushy Machine recipes |
Again these drinks have been borrowed from Bakery Story, but I have no real concerns with this given that they are reasonable fits for Restaurant Story. As with the Snow Machine's efforts, there are some cool little added touches to further enhance the appearance of these drinks, and I am certainly happy to serve them up in my diner this summer.
The only issue I see is that the first two are the same flavour as the first two dishes on the Snow Machine. Perhaps this is a neat and tidy feature of these recipes, but for me it's something of a cop out. It wouldn't have been difficult for the gamemakers to provide six unique flavours and yet they've opted to just copy and paste the Bakery Story equivalents.
Now for a look at the recipe ratings...
| Blueberry Slushy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 1 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3.7 |
| Strawberry Slushy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 1 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3.3 |
| Pineapple Slushy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 3.1 |
If the three earlier dishes were a disappointment then these three are a disaster. The presence of a number of reds says it all, with these three ranking right near the bottom of the pile for profit and portions. It's on the portion front where they struggle most - the Blueberry Slushy and Strawberry Slushy each have just two recipes in their respective durations which provide fewer plates. They also all stick to the bog standard 4 coins per plate.
Things are much more positive when it comes to XP, although not positive enough to prevent some low overall ratings. The Blueberry Slushy fares the best of the three, taking fifth spot in the 3 hour bracket. The Strawberry Slushy charts eighth out of 59 candidates of 5 hour length, while the Pineapple Slushy bags a pretty good XP even if it is not reflected in the rating. That's due to the Technicolor Cake (Basic Stove) which is just so dominant.
Away from the recipes there were three floor decorations available to unlock in the goals, starting with the Ice Cream Case. A 2x1 sized item, this is something of an alternative to the Freezer which was a limited time offer back in the olden days. The reflection of the glass helps really bring this piece to life, and the sloping top is a good choice in my view. There's undoubtedly scope for some creative use of this item alongside some characters and other related content.
Winter in July goals
Next to lose its padlock is the Ice Bear. This is a small 1x1 decoration and although not one which grabs the attention, I still quite like it. From what I've seen the reaction to this little bear has not been too good, but it's a cute little item which may enhance a winter theme when the time comes. Of course it's rather useless at this time of year, and I guess that is the source of some of the discontent.
The final prize in this goal set is the Chill Barista. A 4x4 piece brought over from Bakery Story, this decoration features a barista looking after an icy stand. You've got coffee and bottles of juice as well as some non-descript packages stored within shelves along the sides. Again it's more handy for winter, but to be honest I have issues with the barista himself. His arms look quite straight and stiff - I realise it may be quite cold in his chilly surroundings but it's not that cold!
All in all this update has redeemed itself ever so slightly in my view. Yes the overall theme is just wrong for the time of year, and yes the recipes are dreadful statistically. But at least all those drinks will look at home on the beach this summer and the number of parts needed to build the appliances has fallen, even if only slightly. But if you're reading Storm8 - do not even think about giving us Valentine's Day or Easter themed goals next! I will take you to task!
No comments:
Post a Comment