Freshly Frosted (Nintendo Switch) Review

By Nayu 06.06.2023

Review for Freshly Frosted on Nintendo Switch

Donuts are a universally loved food, and while they can come in a variety of shapes, the classic ring style with a hole in the middle is what usually springs to mind upon hearing about the fried dough treat. The publisher of the popular life-sim Cozy Grove, The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild, has used their knowledge of what makes a game relaxing to create a puzzle game revolving around icing donuts in a factory. Is it as peaceful as it sounds, or will it get too frustrating to play?

Upon loading, the title screen immediately demonstrates what the game is about. The soft pastel colours run through all the levels of donut production, with purples and pinks being dominant. The serene music is never jarring, plays on a loop and even though it is repeated, it is easy to zone out to. On subsequent plays it even was eagerly anticipated because of how it feels. The stages are depicted in the form of donut boxes with a different theme, and each uses a differently shaped donut that adds variety to game play.

At the start of the level the soft-spoken narrator gives a statement about the current stage or a donut themed observation. This feature makes the game feel more personal, provides anticipation of what will be said in other levels, and there is even the option to repeat the narration in a level. Some of the statements are quite profound and listening to them again without having to restart the level is beneficial.

Screenshot for Freshly Frosted on Nintendo Switch

The concept of each puzzle is simple: place the conveyor belts in the correct order to achieve a certain number of donuts being iced in different ways and transported to the delivery portal. In the early stages there seems to be several solutions, but as the puzzles get more complex with multiple types of donuts needing icing, sprinkles, cream and fruit put on them, it takes longer to find the right solution. Some have just one final counter to put the donuts in, others have several but they will only take specific types of donuts. Thankfully levels can be restarted, and just one or two conveyor spaces can be removed at a time.

There is the option to have a hint of how the layout should be, (although this does reset the level) which provides a few conveyor belts put in the correct space. If, even after the hint, the puzzle can't be solved, there is the option to skip the level entirely, a most welcome option. Other options in the game include turning off narration, making the standard text size larger, and an impatient mode that speeds up how fast the donuts move along the tracks once the level is complete. A nice touch was how at the end of a stage all previous puzzles are shown, adding to the sense of achievement by looking back on all that have been solved.

Screenshot for Freshly Frosted on Nintendo Switch

Cubed3 Rating

8/10
Rated 8 out of 10

Great - Silver Award

Rated 8 out of 10

Freshly Frosted provides a relaxing puzzle experience that is perfect for winding down with at the end of the day, enjoying as part of a lunch break, or even as a gentle way to wake up in the mornings. No matter the time, what is guaranteed is a calm break from life, and probably an unavoidable donut craving!

Developer

The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild

Publisher

The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild

Genre

Puzzle

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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