Was the game fun to play?
Absolutely. The 6 mini games are super fun and strike a perfect balance in difficulty. The grading system (bad to excellent) feels fair and I appreciate that the game is forgiving enough to allow for an overall excellent even with just one slip up. Just to let you know, I did encounter a softlock bug in the pancake game and is not anything I will rate down on. It only triggers if you perform bad on purpose which most players won't do, but the game freezes up rather than progressing to a fail screen.
Did the game include the core elements from the original?
Definitely. There’s an instant hit of nostalgia from the start screen where you can immediately see the distinctive cracked egg shell screen as well as the 3 button layout. It included fun mini games, which were way better than the original in my opinion. It’s done the feeding aspect perfectly, going above and beyond in fact. I like that you can give the pet some love by petting it. Using sleep to fade the screen to the next transition screen is really great. The hatching animation is so good and he’s such an adorable animal too, especially when he smiles. There’s also a few different looks to the animal, with an egg on his head being my favourite.
Was there a clear path of progression?
Yes. The process of hatching from an egg and completing 3 mini games (breakfast, lunch and desert) in which you can choose which order to take them in was handled really well. I like that you can see past versions with the food path on how you got them and your ratings for each.
How good was the audio and sound FX?
I think the game could benefit from some background music. But the sound effects such as the clock ticking, the stove burning, chopping apples, menu clicks etc were all great.
How well implemented was the UI?
Very good. The navigation felt intuitive and I like that the food got bigger when selecting it. The instructions for each game were very clear and I love the little joke - you’re telling me an egg fried this rice. The ending screen where it shows the spot light and the text "your cooking was not good enough" is brilliant. Overall, the UI is all very good.