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It’s Not Personal, It’s Business
This is a sad tale my friends about a small business man who got gobbled up and spit out by the big bad super duper Mega Mart when it moved in next door. It’s a fact of life, people see bigger and faster as better, and abandon the mom and pop shops that have served them well over the years.
In “Tino's Fruit Stand”, developed by Chasing Dogs Studios, Tino's small fruit business is being threatened by a huge Mega Mart that has decided to move in down the road. And even though their fruit isn’t as fresh as Tino's and they do not even specialize in fruit- they have more of it. Convenience wins out over service. And to make matters worse, the Mega Mart has bought out the mortgage on Tino's land and business! Bastards
Poor Tino is doomed! Or so we think.
One day while Tino was out and about he came upon a monkey (happens to me all the time!). He noticed the monkey had an unusual knack for quickly picking fruit off the trees. So Tino had an idea! Not only could the monkey fill fruit orders faster than he could, but he would make a great novelty addition to the stand that would bring people in. So Tino adopted the monkey, named him Rikki, and set him to work in the fruit stand.
Well, I’ll Be a Monkey’s Uncle
This game is not what it first appears, it is not another match 3 or swap tiles game. Instead think of it as more of a timed micro-management RTS game like “Pizza Frenzy”.
You are in control of your primate pal Rikki as you attempt to fill the fruit orders of the waiting customers at the fruit stand.
Tino has all of his available fruit laid out on a board and the customers orders show up on the left side of the board, you must move Rikki around the board to collect the fruit for their order. Every time you land on a piece of fruit, he’ll pick it up, beware though, Rikki's fruit bag only has limited space, so it is important to pick the right route around the board so he will pick up the least amount of extra unwanted fruit. Waste not, want not as they say!
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If you do happen to pick up some extra fruit unwanted fruit by mistake, it can sometimes be added to the next customers order and you have saved the day with your clever thinking– if you’ve got what they want, that is!
Early on in the game the fruit in season are pretty ordinary such as apples and bananas and the orders stay fairly consistent but later on customers will start asking for exotic fruit like kiwi and coconut and the orders become more diverse and unique. Take the time to fill some special orders along the time, they give out special bonuses.
If you pick up all of the fruit for both the current order and the next order, you will get a combo. Earn enough combos and watch your savings grow! You’ll soon be able to improve the fruit stand and pay down your huge bank loan, so you see results from all your hard work in each round.
Your citrus lovin’ customers will only wait for a limited time for their orders however, so make sure that you keep an eye on the timer. If it runs out before you fill the order, the customer will leave unhappy and head on over to the evil Mega Mart looming ominously in the distance. You will also lose customers if Rikki's fruit bag gets filled to the max with unused fruit before completing the customers order. If 3 customers leave unhappy before the end of the day, then its curtains for Tino and the evil Mega Mart wins the battle.
The game starts off kinda slow, a little too slow if you ask me. My biggest criticism with this game was the lack of excitement. Yes its fun to play, but it's unlikely to raise your pulse - even a little. And while I don't always want a stressful coronary exercise with my gameplay, it's nice to get excited (even a little) once in a while!
Having said that, it does gradually pick up the pace somewhat and throws in some nice little strategic elements that you must deal with. Such as difficult customers, exotic fruit that you need to pick and sell quickly because it spoils quickly, pesky fruit flies that hover around your stand and annoy your customers, as well as fruit boxes that will block your way around the board slowing you down.
Tino's has a good light hearted sense of humor. It is a lovable, quirky feel good game even when you fail a level Tino is there to offer you some encouraging words.
The graphics are very well done. The pictures of the stand's improvements are cute, and Rikki is just adorable! The fruits are ripe and juicy looking and the board's vibrant colors make it very easy to see the appropriate fruit. The background music is nice and peppy, without being overly happy.
Make the right decisions and you'll grow more than fruit...with Tino's Fruit Stand, you'll grow an empire!
Get Tino's Fruit Stand Here
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Posted by oxyjen on Feb 27, 2007
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