Freshly Frosted (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

There’s a story in this game about helping a woman sort out her mind by working in a donut factory, but there really doesn’t need to be a story here other than, “You’re making donuts.”  Your job on each single screen level is to make a conveyor belt path so the donuts can get from the oven to all the topping stations, and then to the delivery counter.  Freshly Frosted is a puzzle game available on all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

I love how the areas are represented by donut boxes, and each of the dozen donuts you can pick is a level.  And there are a dozen boxes with a dozen donuts in each, so that’s over 100 levels!  In each single screen level, you’ll move around a cursor and press a button to make a conveyor belt.  You must make a path with the conveyor belt so that the donuts make it from the oven to the delivery station, and get whatever toppings they need along the way.  They need to be topped in order, too, so you must frost them, then add sprinkles, whipped cream, and a cherry, each with a station to pass.  It kind of reminds me of the puzzles in Zelda dungeons where you must make a path without crossing it and cover all the squares.  That’s pretty much this whole game.

They do a good job easing you into the gameplay so you don’t feel intimidated.  They slowly add new concepts, like having multiple conveyor belts at once, and then not revealing which delivery station needs which frosted donut!  You can press buttons to start the conveyor, clear the whole thing, or undo moves.  I’m surprised how helpful this game is, too.  One time I finished a level but pushed the wrong button and erased all my work instead of starting the conveyor.  But when I did that, the lady in the game told me I had it, and to press the L button to undo my last move, which was erasing the whole thing.  So I didn’t have to do all my work over again.  You can also ask for a hint for each level, which will let you see a few of the conveyor paths you’ll need.

I had a few small problems with the game.  It can get a little repetitive, but that’s the nature of these kinds of puzzles.  On the Switch’s smaller screen handheld mode, it can be hard to differentiate some of the required donut toppings, like frosted or added sprinkles.  And the menu text is white letters on a light background, and when you highlight them, the letters just move around slightly and that’s it, so it can be hard to read sometimes.  So yeah, just minor stuff.  But otherwise this is a nice little puzzle game.

Kid Factor:

Nothing violent or objectionable here.  About the worst thing this game will do is make your kids (or you) hungry for donuts.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, but not necessary just to play as it is mostly fully voiced.  But younger gamers may still need help with the tougher puzzles.  Freshly Frosted is rated E for Everyone.

Discussion Area - Leave a Comment




Tired of typing this out each time? Register as a subscriber!