Game update: 05/10/17

I'm back! After two weeks spent at the poolside doing much of nothing, it's back to the daily grind. And that includes catching up on what I've missed in Restaurant Story in the past fortnight. We've only had the one update, but it was a significant one as this year's Halloween goals were released on Thursday.

Notification for Halloween 2017 goals

As we approach the end of what has been a turbulent year in the game, I can't help but feel reassured by the presence of a Halloween themed update in the first week of October. I never doubted it would happen, but with so much unpredictability in Restaurant Story these days it's nice to have something which can be relied upon.

So what of the newly added Halloween stuff? Here's the full list...

Tables:

• Gravestone Table - 18,000 coins

Chairs:

• Gravestone Chair - 15,000 coins

Floor decorations:

• Creepy Doll - 24,000 coins
• Creepy Masks - locked by goal
• Creepy Kid - locked by goal
• Creepy Computer - locked by goal

Wallpapers:

• Nothing Out There - 2 gems
• Something Out There - 11,000 coins

Floor tiles:

• Creepy Cobble - 8,500 coins

Appliances:

• Creepy Stove - locked by goal
• Creepy Oven - locked by goal

Counters:

• Gravestone Counter - 19,000 coins

The previous two Halloweens were marred by lacklustre content which was devoid of that spooky and creepy feel which is so vital to Halloween. So imagine my delight when after opening the market I found myself staring into the black empty eyes of the Creepy Doll! Perched on a creaky rocking chair, the doll has greasy green hair and a poorly sewn up mouth. But it's the arching eyebrows which give her a real menace - she may just be the scariest item ever released!

And she's not alone here, cause there's Something Out There. Set on a darkening background, this wallpaper positions a lanky and abnormal form silhouetted against high and creepy bare trees. If that weren't enough there are several sets of eyes trained on the viewer too, making for a rather discomforting appearance.

That wallpaper is joined by another, the Nothing Out There. This one comes at 2 gems each, but is a clever way of allowing players to put 'Something Out There' at particular intervals only, with this second wallpaper consisting of just those skinny trees. I really like having the pair available to purchase, and would like to see a similar release in the future for other wallpapers which have a distinctive element which you may not wish to replicate repeatedly.

Elsewhere there's a cheery trip to the cemetery in store with the Gravestone Table, Gravestone Chair and Gravestone Counter. If you've got the Tombstone set initially available in 2013 then these new options are probably of less appeal, but they are nevertheless worth a look. Seen before in Bakery Story as the Cemetery set, these efforts lack a little imagination on the gamemakers' part in my view. There's just nothing particularly impressive about them, but I suppose anyone with the Tombstone collection already can now add a little variation to their graveyards.

The only other buy available from the off is the Creepy Cobble. To call this floor tile creepy is rather bold given that it has no straight connection to Halloween, but I still like it. You've got an arrangement of irregular cobbles of differing shades which form a nice pattern when placed adjacently. It could tie in well with Halloween decorating, but ultimately it's a flooring which has its uses well beyond the current seasonal theme, and I can certainly see myself installing it in many an outdoor setting. The 8,500 coin price tag is a slight downer, but I can handle that.

There will be more on the appliances and floor decor currently padlocked in the goals content report eventually. For now though, we have an additional bonus which accompanied Thursday's update that requires attention.

Notification for Halloween recipe re-release

Three recipes - namely Bat Wings on the Basic Grill, Candy Corn Pizza on the Basic Oven and Eyeball Stew on the Basic Stove - have returned until the 19th. The wings and stew were originally introduced in 2011 and made another appearance in 2012, which is when the pizza was first released.

I really like this special inclusion, not least because I've not mastered the Bat Wings to the fourth level! I'll certainly be bagging that mastery gem between now and the deadline! The only thing I would say about this release is why not keep these seasonal dishes in the game until Halloween itself? My hope is that there are plans to re-add three more topical recipes after the 19th, but my gut suggests that is unlikely. And that's a shame because there are plenty of choices.

Before I call it a night, something which is a bit of a tradition for Halloween but which hasn't come to pass so far this year is a sale of classic removed content. There are some real beauties which it's always good to get a glimpse of each October so hopefully Storm8 are planning a limited time re-release over the next couple of weeks. But again I'm pessimistic, and that's because the previous two quests were introduced with a sale alongside. Has the boat sailed?

Well, that does it for now - time to get on with the goals, and you can get all the details on them in my dedicated post here.