(Edited: I finished the game in 2-3 days. If I was solely focused on it I would’ve finished it earlier but I played it interim while I was working and… Living.)
It’s another game review! From developer GAGEX who brought us Hungry Hearts Diner, Showa Candy 3 features our same old beloved granny in a different setting and gameplay.
The game opens with granny taking a walk with a little, shiro-coloured kitty as the sun sets (see, my Japanese isn’t that bad). The art style of Showa Candy Shop 3 is the same as Hungry Hearts Diner, and features the same tone of relaxing and soothing music.
Here’s granny inside her shop. There’s an outside (exterior) and inside (interior) view of the candy shop that you can transition between super smoothly. I love how seamless the transitions are from inside to outside, there’s no lagging or buffering!
Granny’s candy shop is first empty, but we can make it sweet with some stocks and upgrades! Click on stocks to stock up candies and toys, and upgrades to enhance the experience.
A lovely thing about Showa Candy Shop 3 would be the graphics and art style. If anything, it’s even more beautiful than Hungry Hearts Diner as it showcases the changing of the seasons. Here, it’s autumn in November, the month I was born hehe. The seasons change every 20 minutes or so, that means you can witness all of Japan’s seasons in one day!
When you see people in the shop or outside, click on them to receive coins! Check your catalog to see how many new customers, letters, or goods you have received.
There are 228 characters and I’ve only collected 42 so far. Haha, I guess I have to play this game every day ಥ_ಥ
Click onto the customer to see their details. Butterscotch here, screams bloody murder when she sees a caterpillar lolol. She appears during Sept, Oct, and Nov – which means there are different customers for different seasons and months!
One of the goods I have. I remember eating this when I was a child! (`▽´*)
You will also receive letters corresponded from granny to the children/their parents and vice versa. It feels very touching, sweet, and like a scenario out of a shoujo manga wth can I be the main character please.
The phone will ring and tada, you have a job! Complete the job and you’ll get some good benefits. Btw, ‘tap Autumn Henry’ means to tap on the character called Autumn Henry if you see them in store or outside. It can be a bit tricky as unless you memorize the names and faces, you won’t know who’s who. So I just tap everyone. Yup.
Keep track of the jobs to be completed. Some are quite hard to fulfil quickly, but the progress of the game is quite fast so don’t worry about it 🙂
It’s a neko!! Whenever you see this white little cat, tap it and it’ll give you some little blue tokens that you can use to spin the capsule. Kitty is usually minding its own business, sleeping wherever it wants, but it is quite adorable to play spot the cat.
I managed to catch this in transition. As the seasons change like from autumn to winter, as soon as the timer hits 00:00 the screen will be enveloped in a textile design like this, with the theme of the oncoming season. Goodbye autumn leaves, hello snowflakes. I wish to see you with my own eyes in Japan!
Showa Candy Shop 3, so far…
I only started playing it today, and so far, Showa Candy Shop 3 has drawn me in for its simple play, soothing music, and its cute art style. Not gonna lie, when I saw the game’s icon on the app store I immediately downloaded it because I was reminded of Hungry Hearts Diner haha.
There are no tutorials to go through, no other players to compete with, and there’s a sleeping cat in the game. What else can you ask for?
And so I finished Showa Candy Shop 3. Wow, I didn’t expect myself to feel so much feels while playing it. Although the interface is quick and easy, but the underlying message of the letters is…. It almost made me cry.
Pros
1. There’s a cat in the game.
2. You don’t need WiFi to play it.
3. Excellent game art and music.
4. Touching af message that will move even the coldest hearts (like me).
Cons
1. Annoying ads pop up every few minutes without warning and you just have to wait until it ends. There’s also an ad banner at the bottom of the screen that can’t be removed.
2. If you prefer a fast-paced game, this is not for you. If you want to relax and go zen though, Showa Candy Shop 3 is cool and easy-going.
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