Delicious – Emily’s Childhood Memories Review

The creators of the Delicious series have set the bar pretty high for the time management genre, so imagine how relieved I was while playing the latest instalment of the series, Delicious 6: Emily’s Childhood Memories, which again proves what a difference quirky ideas and a moving storyline can make. While not much has changed compared to previous games, the setting and the new restaurants are charming and fresh enough to make this game a highlight for time management fans.

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The Delicious series continues to set the standard for time management games

The creators of the Delicious series have set the bar pretty high for the time management genre, so imagine how relieved I was while playing the latest instalment of the series, Delicious 6: Emily’s Childhood Memories, which again proves what a difference quirky ideas and a moving storyline can make. While not much has changed compared to previous games, the setting and the new restaurants are charming and fresh enough to make this game a highlight for time management fans.

This time you will accompany Emily and her family back to Emily’s past, visiting important memories of her childhood, youth, and early twenties. Delicious 6: Emily’s Childhood Memories features five different locations with 10 levels each, which will take the player five hours easily to complete. There are three grades of difficulty to choose from, although experienced players will probably prefer the advanced mode right from the start. On top of that there are of course trophies to be earned in the shape of fireworks.
Delicious - Emily's Childhood Memories
The basic gameplay is faithful to the series’ roots. Customers will arrive at Emily’s restaurant and will order a variety of products. Some customers will have a seat at the table, others will order directly at the counter. Cashing up two or more customers at the same time, or delivering full orders gives bonus money, and this money is required to reach a day’s regular or expert goal. Depending on that you will receive points which can be spent on decorations for the restaurant, and those have varying effects, such as more patient customers, higher tips, or enabling Emily to walk faster.

The preparation of food is one aspect that makes Delicious 6: Emily’s Childhood Memories so entertaining. Some products simply need to be collected, others require very quick mini tasks or preparation steps. At the farm you have to collect eggs from the chicken or the ostrich to make scrambled eggs for customers, in the garden you have to pick fruits from trees to prepare jam or pies later on, and these are just two examples of the large variety of products presented in the game.

Preparing food and tending to customers is only one half of the game. The other half consists of mini-games and storyline segments within regular levels, which sets this game notably apart from similar titles of this genre. Whether it is the mouse that can be found in each level, GameHouse objects that are hidden every once in a while, or a quick memory game that is hard to find itself, Delicious 6: Emily’s Childhood Memories always manages to surprise the player.
Delicious - Emily's Childhood Memories
The story is another thing that sets this game apart. Between each location Emily and her family will reminisce about a special event in the past, which will then introduce the new setting. At certain levels you will have to make photos of Emily’s memories, for example when she teaches her sister how to catch fireflies, or from her first kiss at the night of the prom. Furthermore there are specific mini missions in nearly every level that are tied closely to memory photos or the storyline. Before the night of the prom Francois gives Emily a makeup session, and she has to sit down with him in between tasks. At another time she loses a special recipe from her grandma, and has to search various spots all over the restaurant to retrieve it.

An endless mode certainly would have been a nice addition, and there is always room for small improvements or more changes, but in truth it’s hard to find anything bad to say about Delicious 6: Emily’s Childhood Memories. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous and suit the theme just fine, controls and gameplay are very intuitive and addicting, and the storyline is touching and endearing. The game even managed to bring back some of my own memories, which is quite an achievement for a time management game.

Delicious 6: Emily’s Childhood Memories is a perfect example of how to make an outstanding time management game. It is wonderful to get a glimpse into the past of these by now well-known characters, and to see this series evolve into something very charming and special. If you are looking for a challenge, plenty of hours of entertainment, and a wonderful game, you can’t go wrong.

The good

    The bad

      90 out of 100