Claire's Cruisin' Cafe

[i]Claire's Cruisin' Cafe[/i] is a casual time management game with a cooking theme. You take orders from your customers, use different machines to prepare the dishes, serve them and bill them after they’re done eating. It’s not a revolutionary idea, it’s actually been done many times before and also in several other variants (fashion design, hospital care, veterinary ward, murder investigation etc), but it’s the kind of game that I would prioritize playing above almost any other. In terms of genre / game design, GameHouse titles most likely come to mind first, since they are the most popular on Steam among players who enjoy this kind of games. The present review aims to draw a comparison between [url=https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/ALAGAMES]Alawar Entertainment[/url]’s [i]Claire's Cruisin' Cafe[/i] and [url=https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/2398/Delicious_8in1_Bundle/]GameHouse’s Delicious[/url] series. GameHouse titles are considered very good not only because of the gameplay that is highly addictive, but also because of the heartwarming stories that they deliver. It’s not [i]what[/i] topics they address, it’s [i]how[/i] they convey the message - with a touching soundtrack, animated cutscenes, emotional rollercoasters, quirky dialogue lines and funny jokes. In comparison to that, [i]Claire's Cruisin' Cafe[/i]’s story felt rather bland and cliche and in some aspects extremely implausible ([spoiler]bad-guy rival turned into a good-guy in his free time - not while doing “business” though - and then love interest[/spoiler]). Delivered via a couple of lines exchanged by the main characters at the beginning of each level and an intermezzo between chapters, it was still nice to read it but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was missing: maybe some depth? some emotional involvement? some wit? truth be told, the characters didn’t manage to stick with me or make me feel for them. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2311200713 The gameplay is basically the same as any GameHouse game (and therefore as addictive as it gets), with an exception: there are no minigames (some of the actions from GameHouse titles require you to complete a very short minigame which involves rampant clicking and which is usually timed). I do like the aforementioned minigames, even if they can interrupt your action flow, but [i]Claire's Cruisin' Cafe[/i] provides in that regard a much more relaxing experience and you can finally develop a rhythm that you can apply throughout the level (especially since all customers seem to spend the same amount of time eating). On the other hand, in [i]Claire's Cruisin' Cafe[/i] there’s so much more going on - more machines to take care of and more foods that are timed (you need to keep an eye on them and stop their preparation at the right moment in order to avoid burning or overspilling), the items that you need to refill requires extra clicks etc. So even with a steady rhythm, you will still need to focus a lot and keep an eye on multiple things at once. One mechanic that is extensively used in [i]Claire's Cruisin' Cafe[/i] (and which I really liked) was the shared tray between Claire and her helper Daniel and the fact that the task pool is split between 2 (or sometimes 3) different characters. Usually Daniel takes care of the drinks / food carts, helps with the refills and manages half of the customers, while Claire prepares the main dishes and bills the other half. This has both advantages and disadvantages to the gameplay. With two characters splitting the jobs, you don’t need to run through the whole level in order to gather all the ingredients and deliver the order, plus preparing the dishes is faster since it’s done in parallel. On the other hand, delivering a full order requires waiting until you have gathered all items from both characters - so it requires a bit more management in that regard. Also, if Claire needs a refill, you need to plan ahead the tasks that Daniel has queued so that he is free to do his part when she needs it. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2311201194 One thing that bothered me a bit in [i]Claire's Cruisin' Cafe[/i] was the fact that the particular details of the food were sometimes very difficult to distinguish. Between pizzas with shrimp and pizzas with mushrooms there wasn’t a big visual difference, so I ended up mixing them up a lot. Preparing burgers with a tomato slice or without one was also confusing, since the tomato is displayed as a very thin red line, almost indistinguishable. Same for ham sandwiches. Ice creams had to be prepared with topping, but the topping was so big that it covered the whole ice cream bullet, making it very difficult to see if the customer wanted a strawberry ice cream, a vanilla or a chocolate one. Another thing that confused me until the end was the store upgrades. Every completed level rewards you with a certain sum of money (regardless of how much you actually earned on that level or how well you played) that you can use for buying upgrades in your restaurant. However, there are no descriptions about what they do and eventually I concluded that these have a cosmetic purpose only, unlike in other games where upgrading your machines makes your gameplay easier (faster cook & refill time, more cups filled at once etc.). I don’t even know if internally they have an effect on the customers (perhaps increasing the patience / waiting time) - there is no information about that. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2311201050 [i]Claire's Cruisin' Cafe[/i] offers three difficulty types, and while I usually play GameHouse games on “Normal”, [i]Claire's Cruisin' Cafe[/i]’s “Normal” felt more like “Expert” to me because of how many things one has to handle at once, so after a few levels I gave up and switched to “Easy”. Surprise, surprise, my progress was reset and I had to start from the first level again! In a game in which the total score doesn’t count at all (the amount of money you earn is not listed in any leaderboards or used in any other way), I don’t really see why you wouldn’t be allowed to switch the difficulty for each level. I eventually played on “Easy” until the end, and some of these levels seemed a bit “too easy”, while others had to be repeated several times, just like it would happen if you played on “Normal”. Is [i]Claire's Cruisin' Cafe[/i] a bad game? Definitely not, but it’s also not as good as a GameHouse game. It has some annoyances in terms of visuals and an average / shallow story but if you can get past these it can prove to be as enjoyable as any other GameHouse game. It has a similar level structure, very nice graphics, compelling gameplay with some innovative elements and on top of that it’s much more affordable ($6.99 vs $12.99). Feel free to also check [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/lillje/recommended/1849440]my review[/url] of the sequel, [i]Claire’s Cruisin’ Cafe: High Seas Cuisine[/i]. [quote]More reviews on the [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/11354094]Lilly's Corner Curator page[/url][/quote]

[h1] Information / Review English [/h1] Claire's Cruisin 'Cafe is a simulation / time management game developed by Yustas Games Studio. [h1] Gameplay / Story [/h1] Your brother and Claire have a great idea together to start their own restaurant. Your role is to play Claire, an aspiring super cook, and serve your customers a variety of haute cuisine from your souped-up food truck. As you help Claire and her crew keep up with the demand, you'll complete tasks that range from preparing dishes to taking photos of happy guests. The faster you work and the happier your customers are, the bigger your tip. Between each fast-paced level, spend your earnings on upgrades for your restaurants and follow a humorous story of Claire's mishaps with a big-headed competitor and the identity of a mysterious food critic. For the successes you have to get 3 stars and the golden heart in each level. The 3 stars are easy, especially when you are playing on the easiest difficulty level. The golden heart is rewarded for various tasks at each level. [h1] Pro [/h1] + addicting gameplay + solid graphics and sound + lively characters + many levels that offer a good number of hours of gameplay + same, easy-to-understand game mechanics as in other games + Achievements [h1] Contra [/h1] - Level design repeats itself over time - At some point, tasks are no longer surprising [h1] Conclusion [/h1] Claire's Cruisin 'Cafe brings you some lively characters, with a combination of addicting gameplay. Clear purchase recommendation for this genre. PS: First of all, many thanks to the developer who provided us with this key for the group. You can find more good reviews here https://store.steampowered.com/curator/30388691/. [h1] Information / Review Deutsch [/h1] Claire's Cruisin' Cafe ist ein Simulation/Zeitmanagement-Spiel, welches von Yustas Games Studio entwickelt wurde. [h1] Gameplay / Geschichte [/h1] Dein Bruder und Claire haben eine gemeinsame Idee, sie wollen ein eigenes Restaurant gründen. Deine Rolle sieht es vor Claire zu spielen, eine aufstrebende Superköchin und deine Aufgabe besteht darin, deinen Kunden eine Vielzahl an Gerichten zu servieren, die auch aus deinem Imbisswagen heraus serviert werden können. Wenn du Claire und deiner Crew dabei hilfst den Anforderungen nachzukommen, dann bedanken sich manche Gäste auch mit einem besonderen Foto oder ein Fotograf erscheint, wo für deinen Laden mit seinen tollen Bildern Werbung macht. Auch umso schneller du arbeitest, desto mehr Trinkgeld erhälst du. Zwischen jedem rasanten Level kannst du dein verdientes Geld für Upgrades investieren, um dein Restaurant aufzubessern, aber Vorsicht: Lebensmittelkritiker stehen dir im Nacken. Für die Erfolge musst du in jedem Level 3 Sterne und das goldene Herz bekommen. Die 3 Sterne sind einfach, besonders wenn Sie auf der einfachsten Schwierigkeitsstufe spielst. Das goldene Herz wird für verschiedene Aufgaben auf jeder Ebene belohnt. [h1] Pro [/h1] + süchtig machendes Gameplay + solide Grafik und Sound + lebhafte Charaktere + viele Level, die eine gute Anzahl von Stunden Spielzeit bieten + gleiche, leicht verstehende Spielmechanik wie bei anderen Spielen + Errungenschaften [h1] Kontra [/h1] - Leveldesign wiederholt sich mit der Zeit - Aufgaben sind irgendwann nicht mehr überraschend [h1] Fazit [/h1] Claire's Cruisin' Cafe bietet dir einige lebhafte Charaktere, mit einer Kombination aus süchtig machendem Gameplay. Klare Kaufempfehlung für dieses Genre. PS: Zunächst einmal vielen Dank an den Entwickler, der uns diesen Schlüssel für die Gruppe zur Verfügung gestellt hat. Hier findest du weitere gute Bewertungen https://store.steampowered.com/curator/30388691/.

To start off, this feels exactly like a game from the Facebook era or maybe something akin to the Diner Dash era of games. The UI is clunky, the design is meh but not bad, and the sound is average at best. However, these aspects are precisely what you would expect from a game like this, so it doesn't betray any expectations. I enjoy cooking games, even though this one leans more toward being a time management game. I appreciate games that present challenges in a good way, like PlateUp (unlike you, Overcooked), and this one does a decent job. It provides mild challenges as more ingredients and actions are introduced. It's not on the same level as the aforementioned games since it mainly involves clicking. Once you find a good multitasking pace, you hardly fail anything (achieving four stars). You can also queue up actions and prevent things from burning as long as you click on them to pick them up. I played on normal, so I assume the hard difficulty would offer a decent challenge. However, this assessment only holds true for the initial 60 normal levels. Upon completing these, you unlock a bonus level per zone (up to 6), each presenting a more difficult challenge than the regular levels. In conclusion, this is not a game for players whose dearest wish is to be part of a Hell's Kitchen episode (this time, I'm looking at you, Overcooked). The story serves as a bonus, adding life to what would have otherwise been purposeless cooking, even though it's not much and may seem a bit peculiar.