Spongebob Squarepants : Diner Dash

SpongeBob Diner Dash (SBDD) is less a new game than a mod of the original Diner Dash. The gameplay is essentially identical, but has (mostly) new graphics, and new sounds and objects in the game based on the SpongeBob Squarepants cartoon. Presumeably this version was released to appeal to a younger crowd, and based on the posts to the game's online forum at PlayFirst, it is succeeding. That being said, I found myself joyfully wasting hours of otherwise productive time trying to complete SpongeBob's career.

Gameplay

The gameplay is identical to the original Diner Dash, but instead of Flo, you play SpongeBob, working for Mr. Krabs who wants to expand his restaurant empire. Your job is to seat customers, take orders, deliver food, give customers their checks, and bus the tables, all as quickly as possible so that the customers stay happy and tip well. You earn money for doing things well, and can lose money if customers get fed up and leave. Make enough money and you get to move up to the next level and new challenges.Of course, it's not all that simple, and as you progress through the game and the different restaurants, new challenges are added. With each new restaurant you start with fairly easy challenges, but in later levels these challenges quickly escalate and provide a variety of different challenges. Some levels require you to focus on one aspect of gameplay such as seating in order to succeed.



While a basic description might make it seem like you're doing the same thing over and over, enough twists are thrown in along the way to keep gameplay interesting and challenging. For instance as you gain new levels, new types of customers are added: Anchovies tip well but are impatient, Cod are patient but don't tip well, and Grouper are impatient in line but might take lots of time at the table. As your restaurant empire grows, you also get objects to help you keep your customers happy, such as Kelp Salad (which must be delivered quickly to earn extra point) and Salty Shakes. Once you get a podium you can chat with customers in line to keep them happy, but be sure not to make your seated patrons wait too long for service! In each level of the game you must earn a certain amount of money to move to the next level. If you fall short, you have to repeat the level until you meet your goal. If you meet the basic amount you can go for the expert amount. You can earn Employee of the Month stars for accomplishing different tasks, and these allow you to replay a level if you miss the initial goal. When you miss the goal you lose a star, and if you lose all your stars you have to go back to the main menu and start the level again. Whether you succeed or fail at a level, a screen comes up at the end either congratulating you or telling you that you failed and giving you a little hint at what you need to focus on to succeed. These hints don't change with repeated failure however, you just get one hint.

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