Chocolatier Decadence by Design
by The Downloadable Beast!
(DB HQ)
Quick verdict
Game:
Chocolatier: Decadence by Design
Download from:
Real Arcade (FULL FREE VERSION when you open a trial GamePass account!)
Rating:
4/5
The third game in the Chocolatier series is set in the 1940s. Once more, the Baumeister family places their business in your capable hands and you must build a fortune from yummy ingredients and secret recipes.
What's it about?
Chocolatier: Decadence by Design is more of the same, only better. If you were a fan of the first two games, you'll love the mix of travel, business and adventure. If not, you won't be converted to the cause by the innovations here.
The major difference (apart from the retro look of the buttons and menus) is the inclusion of a new line of business for the family: coffee!
Yes, decades before Starbucks got involved, you'll be mixing all kinds of weird and wonderful ingredients into killer hot drinks.
Otherwise this is pretty much business as usual. It's not so much Tycoon as Tycoon Lite, but the gameplay is addictive, especially the mini-games you use to determine the output of your various factories.
The chocolate factories are just as before, though there have been a couple of tweaks: there's a recycle hopper, so you can offload an unwanted ingredient without losing a "life"; and it's much harder to get multiple bonuses, keeping output lower.
The coffee factories have a different mini-game, a sort of variation on Match 3 that's a bit easier than the chocolate mini-games, but still quite challenging.
Other Tycoon-style and business games you might enjoy!
Chocolatier: Decadence by Design
Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients
Cinema Tycoon Gold
Coconut Queen
Coffee Tycoon
County Fair game
Create a Mall
Deep Sea Tycoon game
Fish Tycoon
Flower Stand Tycoon
Ice Cream Tycoon
Lemonade Tycoon game
Monopoly Tycoon
Fairy Godmother Tycoon
Plant Tycoon download game
Wonderburg (like Build-a-Lot)
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Pros and cons
+ More of the same, only better!
+ The coffee adds a new level to the family business, opening up new opportunities (and causing new headaches).
+ You should have a good 25-40 hours of gameplay here, making this fabulous value for your GamePass.
- Not detailed or realistic enough elements of business to appeal to die-hard Tycoon fans.
- Will not convince anybody who did not "get" the first two games.
The verdict
Chocolatier: Decadence by Design is great for people like me who played the first games to completion. It's probably best to start earlier in the series, but only if you intend to play all the games (it's harder to go backwards). This offering is a lot of fun.