Game update: 25/10/17

Who'd have thought it?! We have a second set of goals this Halloween season...

Introduction to second Halloween 2017 goals

Last night another wave of creepy content scuttled into the market. In all there are 11 additions, of which six are readily available for purchase and five require unlocking via the quest. Here is the complete list:

Tables:

• Reel Table - 25,000 coins

Chairs:

• Handy Chair - 27,000 coins

Floor decorations:

• Lost in the Mirror - 25,000 coins
• Demogorgonzola - locked by goal
• Spendthrift the Clown - locked by goal
• Scary-Go-Round - locked by goal

Wallpapers:

• Red Room Curtains - 10,000 coins

Floor tiles:

• Peaked Flooring - 9,000 coins

Appliances:

• Cauldron Oven - locked by goal
• Posessed Fountain - locked by goal

Counters:

• Haunted Counter - 25,000 coins

I must say that this goal set took me by complete surprise. We'd already had something in every week of October (two quests and a sale) so it was understandable to expect a quieter week in the game. How wrong I was! This is only the second time ever that we've had two batches of goals for one seasonal theme, with the other being the back-to-back winter themed quests in January.

There is a slight sense of goal fatigue, and this is brought into sharp focus by the decreasing number of regular appliances in the kitchen area of my diner. Normally I tend to go about half and half but with Black Friday on the horizon I'm mostly trying to earn those precious mastery gems. However keeping busy should never be viewed as negative considering how downbeat I was on the future of Restaurant Story when the regular update structure was dismantled earlier in 2017.

The way things are at the moment I get the sense that Storm8 are beginning to turn a corner of sorts. Of course I can only speculate, but for a while it felt as if the gamemakers were treading water, and just doing the bare minimum to keep the game afloat. However the regularity of updates has picked up and now that we're in the midst of the rush of seasonal themes I'm feeling rather hopeful.

With that positivity in mind, let's kick off the analysis with the Lost in the Mirror. I actually gave a quiet gasp when I first glimpsed this 2x2 sized floor decoration, mostly because it has that creepy element that we all crave from a Halloween item. A pretty girl appears very stressed as she looks into a full length mirror. And no wonder! Staring back is her future self, grey, tired looking and frankly a little withered. It's a chilling piece which is completed by the old lady reaching a hand out of the mirror.

I'd say that nothing else ready to buy from this update can match that, but the Handy Chair puts up a challenge. The bony hand of a skeleton is seen reaching up and out of the ground, making for a not so perfect place to sit and eat a meal. This chair has been imported from Bakery Story where I've always liked it, and I'm sure plenty of players will be making use of it here.

But there is a drawback, and that's the price. At 27,000 coins each it is obscenely expensive - in fact it is the sixth most expensive seat currently in the market, and a mass purchase (which is fairly likely for chairs) will set you back big time.

 Halloween 2017

 25/10/17 First goals content report
 11/10/17 First sale
 08/10/17 First goals
 08/10/17 First goals update

The same applies to the Reel Table at 25,000 coins, although this one doesn't even fit the theme properly. I realise that the cinema and Halloween do have a connection in the form of horror films, but I think it's clear that this is not designed to be a horror film themed update. What we have is a mix and match situation which is far from the worst we've ever seen, but it still grates with me that Storm8 couldn't just utilise the Boney Table which was introduced in Bakery Story last week and would have fitted nicely with the Handy Chair.

There's a second cinema inclusion too, with the Red Room Curtains wallpaper. It's reasonably simple in design with vertical strips well toned to give an impression of depth. The truth is that despite it not being a totally natural fit to Halloween it is a wallpaper I give a thumbs up to. That's because of its generic nature which gives it lots of potential for future decorating. There's been once or twice when I've wished that the Red Curtain wall item would reach down the the floor, and that is an issue which this wallpaper neatly resolves.

The Peaked Flooring couldn't be more different than those subtle curtains. Featuring black and white zigzags, there's a strong possibility that when placed in bulk the contrast within this tile may start to hurt my eyes. But it's not a flooring without some credit - the black and white combination is rather apt for Halloween, and therefore if used sparingly and creatively I think this floor tile could have a positive effect on your Halloween layout.

Last for now is the Haunted Counter which is of the glass box variety. It's one of the better ones with a family of three ghosts swirling around inside. We have the age old problem with the glass box counters that once food is placed on it you'll see none of the splendour, but there are worse problems in life. I like how each of the ghosts has a different facial expression (if you can call it that!) with one smiling, another shocked and a third looking absolutely distraught at being stuck inside a glass box (you're transparent - just fly out for goodness sake!)

The remaining content which has been added in this update is all hidden behind padlocks, meaning that to access them you need to embark on a potentially dangerous goal set, of which you can find full details in my dedicated post here.

Opening step from second Halloween goals

And so until the goals content report, I think we are done. This update really was unexpected and ensures that this goes down as one of the best Halloweens in Restaurant Story. All that's missing is a fresh sale which includes those vintage decorations such as the Haunted Clock Tower and Haunted House which are so craved by the players. Go on Storm8 - give us yet another treat this Halloween!