Sunday, May 06, 2007

Cake Mania: Bake to the Bakery Review

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Astraware has released a deceptively, fiendish sequel to their previous hit: Cake Mania. In the first installment, we helped Jill save her grandparents' bakery from being bought out. In the latest version, Jill is working hard to win her beloved grandparents a trip to Hawaii through a bake-off competition.

When I first read that the first Cake Mania game was voted "Best Casual Game of 2006", I laughed. The only thing casual about this game are the first initial levels. After that, it quickly moves from players initially exclaiming, "Wow...this is easy to grasp" to the maniacally wild, multi-tasking and nightmarish exclamation of "Aaauuugh!!!" (with a smile on your face, of course).

This game is a multi-taskers' mind-bending challenge. Don't be fooled by the docile and urbane settings. Customers who enter the bakery come in all shapes and sizes but they seemingly have the same temperament: They want their cakes and they want them NOW!

My favorite aspects of the game are the ability to sell enough cakes to purchase upgrades which can help you move up to the next levels. As you progress through the levels, either Jill is beaming a radiant smile having reached her sales goals; or she appears to be frazzled and bedazzled by defeat. When players reach the advanced stages of the game, you'll notice a certain rhythm in your taps as you orchestrate current and future movements that make or break Jill's success. As with the first installment, Cake Mania's frantic but amazingly enjoyable gameplay is something to behold. The artwork and graphics are clear and bright. The soundtrack is crisp and clean. The game-play is intuitive and simple. The developers of the mercifully break players in with manageable game-play speeds to establish your footing in the game. However, when the speed picks up, players have got to do their darnedest to keep customers happy by taking their orders and baking their cakes with the specifications they've requested in short order.

Cake Mania: Back to the Bakery like its little sister will be a favorite of mine for a long time. This game gets a 10 out of 10 cupcakes!!!

You can find this incredible game here.

(Originally posted on PalmAddicts)

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