Let’s all give a warm welcome to the world of gaming- the dawn of adventurization games (new word; don't bother looking it up) – shall we? Applause
“PlayFirst” has come out with a new Flo game; that’s right; it’s a new twist to the well known Diner Dash series called “Avenue Flo.”
Did you know?
–PlayFirst's “Diner Dash” has been played more than 100 million times worldwide, making it one of the most popular games on the Internet.
-Did you know that Flo, Quinn, Darla and Mr. Big all live in a not-so-little place called DinerTown?
-Did you know that the DinerTown neighborhood where Flo’s Diner sits is called "Avenue Flo?"
–Did you know that Flo has a Golden Retriever named Skillet who likes to go jogging with Cassie’s dog, Phoenix?
-Did you know that Flo and Quinn are roommates, and that Grandma Florence calls her car the FloMobile?
- Did you know that Donutville is the next town over from DinerTown?
“Avenue Flo” is no time management game; it’s actually an adventure game with some pretty tricky puzzles thrown in. Hmm, let’s see we've followed Flo and her friends from the diner to the farm, through the risk of opening your own valet parking business, and into the fast paced world of fashion.
In fact, it's the first adventure game for our favorite waitress in DinerTown, and the first time we actually get to hear characters like Flo and Quinn actually talk. The story goes something like this; Quinn, who fans will recognize as the wedding planner from the “Wedding Dash” series, is in a panic after everything that can go wrong does go wrong before the wedding of one of her clients.
And if you didn't get this by this time, no, there won't be any fun waitressing in this game. Womp! Womp!
You meet the same old characters in the sequel. And they still do the jobs they always did. Flo doesn’t suddenly become a detective and Quinn doesn’t suddenly become a teacher let’s say, to fit into this new adventure game. All of the characters are exactly the same, there’s actually a somewhat long story part in the beginning which you don't want to skip (even if you were able to do that which you’re not.)
Now back to this wedding; Dinertown is preparing for the extravagant wedding of Miss Big (Mr. Big’s daughter) but something has gone drastically wrong. In fact, everything has. The rings have gone missing; the cake is destroyed, etc. You get the idea.
It's too much to be coincidence; so naturally it’s Flo to the rescue, Sporting her signature red sneakers and blue apron Flo is on her way to help her friend out. In fact, Flo is going to go to different places and do all kinds of things to help this wedding happen. Get ready to pull out all your secret skills because you’ll need to be a jack of all trades to help Flo. Sounds intimidating I know but don’t worry many of Flo’s adventuring tasks are little more than “inventory fetch quests” where you will have to complete a series of puzzles.
The puzzles are all different from one another, such as finding the correct chicken in a “Where’s Waldo” type searching game or beading a wedding dress that need to be beaded in a certain order.
Flo keeps a task list (charmingly scrawled on the back of a napkin), so you'll never be at a loss about what to do next. There are also maps that keep track of who you've talked to and where everything is.
Unfortunately there's a bit of repetitiveness; you have to keep going back and forth up and down the street looking for objects such as 33 butterflies in every stage, bottles for recycling etc. most of these tasks must be done as many as six times in a row! I understand the developers wanted to make the game longer and all- but six is six! To me it seems like overkill, but I'll be nice and try not to bash a game for offering too much. It’s just that for a game called “Avenue Flo”, it feels more like stop-and-go traffic at times.
Overall I found the game enjoyable with its many different gameplay elements, cute characters, and the light jazzy music that reminded me of a Charlie Brown TV special. I really liked the graphics, the neighborhood, seeing all the Dinertown characters and being able to look around at least a little in the famous Dinertown. And the best of all the voiceovers- they are the greatest! Flo sounded exactly how I imagined her!
Sure, it had its kinks such as its repetitive puzzles, lack of waitressing (grr), and somewhat silly storyline, but it sure is sweet and it’s Flo! ‘Nuff said!
Get Avenue Flo Here
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