“Berrylicious” cooking simulation game for kids! (And adults too, why not?)

While I’m not very fond of the idea of having little kids playing with phones, I definitely appreciate that games like this exist. Older generations were largely deprived of these types of games because of obvious technological limitations. Perhaps the only game that comes to memory right now is “Out to Lunch” (released on the SNES in 1993) but even that one didn’t exactly teach you how to cook or make pastry (let me know if I’m missing anything!)

Strawberry Shortcake Bake Shop has all the trappings of an enjoyable kids’ game. What’s more, it serves a very useful role in teaching kids about the basics of cooking (in this case, baking). It’s a nice change of pace from the typical unicorn games that abound nowadays. Plus, there are no overcomplicated instructions and it has very intuitive mechanics.

For example, I love the “tilt to pour” and mixer mechanics. They give the game an ounce of realism and the child will be able to visualize how the proverbial sausage is made (ok, not the sausage, but I felt a cooking pun was overdue, already!) The game will also walk you through the different tools and ingredients you must utilize for each recipe.

Some of the recipes you can cook include the “Brownie Supreme”, “Chocolicious Cake”, and the “Very Berry Shortcake”. For the record, in case you’re wondering, these are apparently real names of real recipes, so don’t just go shouting “cringe” at the game. What’s more, I find these names amusing, so I guess I’m kinda cringe too? Guess I am.

It’s not all “strawberries and cream”, though. The midget-y tutor voiceover can unironically end up grinding your gears just a tiny bit. The problem is not with the voice itself (which is saccharine enough as it is), but with the way it always appears so over-the-top. By the way, I swear, if I hear the “I love your decorations!” or “wow, it’s beautiful!” loop one more time I’ll… probably get very angry!

In terms of overall presentation, I find little to complain about. It’s “functional” and serves the game’s theme nicely. The graphics don’t stray much from your typical “flash player” games, but I didn’t expect much in the graphical department, to begin with. The UI is impeccable and easy for little kids to follow. This is an extremely important aspect to be mindful of with these types of games, and I appreciate the developers’ effort to upkeep it.

Yet, it wouldn’t have hurt to place more explicit labels on some of the ingredients. It often happened that I couldn’t tell the difference between the flour and the baking soda or the salt. This is a minor complaint as you are able to load the recipe after you have completed it, but it would be a nice detail that adds to the immersion.

So far, apart from the seemingly minor complaints mentioned earlier, everything about the game seems fine and dandy, innit? 

Well… not exactly. I’ve yet to voice my major complaint about this game and, as you might have already guessed, it has to do with the game’s monetization. 

So, as it turns out, the free version is somewhat limited in what you’ll be able to bake and the tools that you may use. I’d normally encourage people to buy the full version of these games, but here’s the major caveat: Beyond the first two cakes, you’d have to pay for everything else! It’s not cheap, either. You’d have to shell out $5 of your hard-earned money every month (you read that correctly!) if you want to keep playing Budge Studios’ precious game.

If only Budge gave us free users some more recipes and tools to play with, now that they’re so adamant to follow the strict subscription plan… Alas, it appears that they won’t “budge” (pun mildly intended). 

In any event, this is what we’re left with. For better or worse, you’ll have to assess whether you’d want to spend your hard-earned $5 or you’d rather do some field work with your kids using your real kitchen (I’m not so sure that’s what you’ll want to do, either, but I won’t meddle.)

Strawberry Shortcake Bake Shop is a very good idea of a game that’s well-executed in many areas, but which fails miserably in its monetization tactic. To our disgrace, this is how kids’ games “roll” nowadays. Nevertheless, you could at least take advantage of the 7-day free trial and have your kid cook as many recipes as possible within that timescale!

Leave us your thoughts about this “berrylicious” game or review in the comments section below!