Cooking Dash

by Amanda Nettgen
(USA)

Want to get Cooking Dash FREE and LEGAL to keep forever? Download the FULL game when you open a trial Fun Ticket account from GameHouse! Yours to keep even if you cancel. Watch the video for more info.

Game:
Cooking Dash
Download it from:
RealArcade (FULL FREE version when you sign up to a trial GamePass account!)
Footprint score:
4/5

Quick verdict

As if Flo didn’t have enough on her literal and figurative plate, now she’s taken up actually preparing people’s food, too! She shouldn’t have been so quick to let her cook, Cookie, go, because now she’s the one crumbling under the pressure (or at least you’ll be!).

What’s it about?

Flo’s longtime chef, Cookie, is approached at the last minute by some TV execs offering up an opportunity of a lifetime. Their former culinary star just bailed, leaving them with no one to play Emeril to their viewers.

Cookie not only accepts the position, but recruits all of the other chefs in DinerTown as special guests. The natural consequence of this choice, of course, is for Flo to step in and seemingly save the world yet again.

Some aspects of Cooking Dash will prove familiar if you’ve mastered Flo’s other games, while others are just plain innovative.

The customers, for one, are many of the same folks you’ve seen around DinerTown before (although there are some new patron types, like Tough Guys and Hippies). They still come with their color combos, distinguished in this game not only by their seat, but placemat as well.

Seating is all counter-based, which is different from Diner Dash (which has tables, too).

The center area of Cooking Dash is the kitchen, where Flo stays penned and all of the food prep occurs. Several different appliances are present, from stovetop boilers to ovens and ice cream stations to juicers.

Each customer will have a thought bubble that displays their desire, and as in Diner Dash, they’ll walk out if Flo is too slow to satisfy them.

Want to get C00king Dash FREE and LEGAL to keep forever? Download the FULL game when you open a trial GamePass account! Yours to keep even if you cancel. Click for more info.

The main ingredient of what makes Cooking Dash so good is the meal assembly. Sometimes what a guest orders is easy; goodies like smoothies or cookies only require a click.

Anytime they want something more substantial, however, more is involved. The correct raw protein or appetizer needs to be selected and added to the pot or oven, for example. All hot food must also be monitored for 'doneness'; the goal being to collect it before it burns.

As if juggling five or six people’s dietary demands in one go wasn’t enough, you also have more customers pouring in all the time (and they don’t all like each other).

Some of them want to insult you by adding sauce to their grub, while others insist on multiple items for a complete meal. Don’t forget; it’s still Flo’s job to grab the dishes and the money, too!

Pros and cons

+ The graphics are adorable; some of the best from all the DASH games.

+ You’ll get to play at a variety of different eateries, each with a unique style of cuisine.

+ Upgrades are present to pretty your pizzeria and streamline your sushi shack.

+ Bonuses like Perfect Cooking and Dessert are possible.

+ I hate to admit it, but it’s nice to see Flo in a new environment, even if it is just a "dash" away from what she’s famous for.

+ Endless mode is still on the menu.

- I know Playfirst was trying to go with a 3D angle with this game, but Flo looks unnaturally provocative. Flo with a facelift is not the Flo I know.

- The game can get very, very frustrating for perfectionists. When things get fast, it can also be hard to determine a patron’s colored (cooked) request amongst uncolored (raw) ingredients.

The verdict

Cooking Dash is a polished PC premise. At the same time, it sometimes feels like it could cause a heart attack... and it’s not because of all the delish food you’re around.

Click to download Cooking Dash FREE and LEGAL from RealArcade! Yours to keep FOREVER, even if you cancel your GamePass!