Freshly Frosted Review: Donut Stop Believing
Can placing conveyor belts in sequence be fun? In a game about cooking up your favorite pastries, it absolutely is. Beyond Freshly Frosted's 144 puzzles also lies a soothing off-the-charts chill factor courtesy of the game's pleasant and refreshing narrator. The entire factory is colorful and vibrant to a fault, but with the developer's accessibility options, everything feels deliberate and novel. To put it plainly, Freshly Frosted is an engaging puzzlescape that builds on itself, understands the player, and uplifts the soul.
Dunkin’
In terms of eye-catching elements, calling Freshly Frosted colorful doesn't do the presentation justice. Something about this game's use of blues and pinks pop. Yet, the use of color is almost too overwhelming or a detriment to the eyes. I found myself constantly playing around with brightness or needing breaks. Some colors blurred together, making it difficult to locate or follow what was happening, or at least what I was trying to attempt on screen. That being said, while also being a vibrant and positive element, color application is the only real knock I can give Freshly Frosted.
Beyond the color scheme lies some tasteful victory tracks that invite a quick celebratory dance, but most of all is the wonderful VO a mystery woman provides. Where was this woman when I was growing up? I could have used her words. She gently guides you not only in-game, but her words also work as an uplifting lens on hardship. As shocking and dramatic as this statement may seem, I got teary-eyed purely from her words and how they were delivered. Her refreshing encouragement helped soothe my overall experience. Doing so in a challenging puzzle title can't be easy, but she excelled.
Regarding a narrative, this mystery woman is as close as it gets. Who is she? Where did she come from? Can I buy her donuts? Does she own this factory? I need to know! Jokes aside, outside of the best performance of 2022, seasonal color schemes and vibes are the only real sense of a timeline or narrative progression. Luckily, it doesn't need one.
Well Frosted Machine
Freshly Frosted is so simple that you can play with a trackpad on PC alone. The game features smooth drag-and-drop conveyor platforms that carry the donuts. Donuts need to pass by specific toppings before it is finished and delivered to their proper home. We are talking frosting, sprinkles, whipped cream, cherries, etc. Getting them in the appropriate order is where the puzzle element starts to present its difficulty.
In addition to the toppings, we have different shapes of donuts and what I like to call obstacles in the conveyor belt. The obstacles can range from something as simple as pushers, but become as dynamic and mystifying as teleporters, cloners, or, my personal favorite, randomizers as you progress.
Freshly Frosted also features some accessibility options that I quickly came to appreciate. Features include undo buttons, complete stage wipes, speed-ups, hints, and even an Impatient Mode for players who know they've solved the puzzle and don't need to see it.
Breakdown
Game: Freshly Frosted
Developer: The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild
Availability: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC
Reviewed on PC
Pros:
+ Outstanding VO Performance
+ Difficulty Pacing
+ Accessibility Options
+ Fun in its simplicity
+ Vibrant and colorful, but…
Cons:
- Vibrancy can wear on the eyes
Final Thoughts
Freshly Frosted is a delightful treat filled with vibrant colors and donut puns. It's a self-aware game filled with well-paced difficulty leaps, accessibility options to aid the player, and fun musical tracks. Most shocking of all, the inclusion of vocal performance so reassuring and supportive triggered a self-reevaluation of myself and my happiness. Freshly Frosted is a simple, yet delicious sleeper hit of the year.
Reviewed by Austin Ernst