Cake Laboratory-TiC

Review: Cake Laboratory (Switch)

I’m beginning to notice an interesting trend in Nintendo Switch eShop releases as of late. Some studios that have released a game on the Switch before are also starting to serve as publishers for games by other individuals. It makes sense when you consider the kinds of exercises you may have to go through in order to have Nintendo let you get a piece of the eShop pie. GrimTalin has already released the stellar The Adventures of Elena Temple on eShop but this time they are joined by Square Heads Games – the developers of Cake Laboratory.

Graphics

In a way, Cake Laboratory has the looks of a mobile game. Unlike examples that come to mind though, this game is more polished. It doesn’t feel cheap, the visuals are rather colorful and crisp. The game could use some more backgrounds and pizzazz but it’s nevertheless an inviting little title. There’s a charm to the look which is more than I could say about other games that attempt to embody the style.

Audio

I have to say, I enjoy the sound effects that are used here. They make Cake Laboratory feel that much more arcade-like in execution. Plopping one cake after another on top of each other feels enjoyable as a result of the favorable sound design. The “Perfect!” chime is a fun touch that gives me the extra incentive to stack the cakes neatly. If anything – as redundant as this remark is – I would have liked for there to be more background music tracks.

Gameplay

Cake Laboratory is as simple as it looks. As your arms automatically wade across the top of the screen, you press A at the right time to drop the cake onto the stack. When enough cakes are stacked onto each other, the level ends. That said, the game’s simplicity is its greatest strength…but also its greatest weakness. On one hand, the nature is immediately engaging and the gameplay is constantly in a moment-to-moment pace. But on the other, the game never actually builds on its foundation.

Every level plays out the same way with no unique obstacles or conditions to spice up the action. And while the game does let you decorate your own virtual cakes, that’s all you could do once you finish all fifty levels (aside from starting over, I guess). Because each level begins about as quickly as it ends, you could breeze through the game in under an hour.

Verdict

For its minuscule $2.99 price, the game works fine as a distraction. It has a decent presentation and the game is easy to grasp throughout its duration. I was hoping for a little more thrown into it than what was there though. With how simple the premise is, I feel like it would be easy to figure out how to make it gradually escalate.

Review copy provided by GrimTalin

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