by Lee Ee Ying

Created on: February 03, 2009   Last Updated: February 09, 2009

Chocolatier series has always been my favourite game for its unique simulation gameplay which stands out among downloadable games which have been overflown by countless Time Management game since Diner Dash. However the previous title The Great Chocolate Chase was a disappointment being a boring Time Management game. I was overjoyed therefore, to know that Chocolatier Decadence by Design returns to its roots as good old simulation game.

Gameplay:

In Chocolatier Decadence by Design player is given a chocolate factory at beginning of game where the player needs to play a minigame to decide the amount of chocolate automatically produced every week as long as the ingredients are sufficient. Ingredients can be bought from shops located around the world which player can travel by plane with an expense, while special ingredients can only be bought at certain places. Chocolates produced are store in player's hand and can be sold to chocolate shops at varies prices depending on the location.

As the game progress player will acquire new recipes, shops and factories that produce other product such as coffee. From time to time quests will be given to player to produce certain product at required amount and the reward is usually high than shop's offer.

The game's goal is to become CEO of Baumeister Confections by completing all recipes and obtaining consent from several members of the board by completing every quest assigned by them.

Graphic and Sound:

The graphic has evolved quite a bit since Chocolatier 2. On each map there are simple smooth animations eg. the cloud movement, raindrop, cars passing-by etc. Well drawn portraits give the each of the characters an unique personality. Simple but modernised layout fits well with the atmosphere in game which takes place after World War II. Newly added quest log allows player to track down imcomplete quests.

Each location on map has it own background music that fits well to the place while sound effects like bird chirping managed to liven up the game.

Creativity and Innovation:

Chocolatier Decadence by Design offers unique gameplay that is rarely seen in other business simulation game. In this game player is allowed to create own invention, including selecting ingredients, designing the pattern and name of the invention, producing it in factory to be sold to shops. The ingredient can be anything that can be bought in the game and pricing will depend on the quality of ingredient used.

Upon buying ingredients and selling products, player has the option to haggle with shop owner for a better price. When success the price will turn green and become much lower(or higher when selling products)than before while failure may lead to opposite result if the player has angered the owner.

Overall not only this game does not disappoint me but also it has improved some much from previous titles that a 5/5 is not enough to rate it. In fact it even beats some retails DVD games that cost a lot more, in quality. I would strongly recommend it to those who love business simulation game and of course, chocolates.

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