For Mobile Friday this week is i tried out Animal Restaurant from DH Games. i played it for an hour on my iPhone 14 Pro, but it is also out on Android.
Going into this, i had some assumptions as to how this was going to play. not too long ago i did a video on Cat Snack Bar, https://youtu.be/hhqyaTmhXw4, and going back further i did a couple of videos on Cats & Soup, https://youtu.be/B5_zo0ov4IM and https://youtu.be/hCvATMGu-9g. both of these are idle games and both suffered with grind. those videos were all shorter than this one because i ran out of things to do much sooner than with Animal Restaurant.
From the beginning, it was clear that Animal Restaurant was a little different than other idle restaurant games i've played. it started with a story! it's not an in-depth one, nor is it long. but it does help set the scene and give a reason why we're doing what we're doing. the game also feels like it takes it's time. i didn't feel rushed into progressing, into ads and the store, nor did i feel like i was going to run out things to do right up till the end of the video.
What became more apparent as i played was just how much content is in the game. even tho the title has "Restaurant" in it, in that first hour i learned that there's more to unlock and interact with. the game mostly focuses on a center location, the floor of the restaurant. to the right is the kitchen. at this point in the game, i didn't do too much there. but by the end of the video i had explored the buffet and takeout sections, but not unlocked them as i didn't have enough money, but i had unlocked the courtyard.
because of the how idle games work, it's difficult to say how long it would take to unlock those extra areas. it could be that the grind starts just as i was ending my video. there was one downside, tho not a particularly big one but it's something worth mentioning. the game does an extra download when you start it, in my case for the first time but it could happen after a patch or when an event happens. for anyone with data caps on their phone, this could be annoying as there was no choice about it happening nor was there any mention of how much data was being downloaded.
I do recommend people give this game a go. i feel there's a lot of content to unlock as you play, but if you only play the once i feel that it's a pleasant experience. it's not a game you can play one handed so it may limit a little where and when people can play it.
