Hungry Hearts Diner 12+

I should start by saying I have never finished a clicker game in its entirety before, and that I’ve never once felt the need to leave a review for an app. This game’s wonderful art, easy gameplay, and witty food descriptions drew me in, but the story kept me completely hooked.

As peaceful and cute as this game is, it’s wonderfully emotional and full of characters I couldn’t help but love. Even customers I initially thought were rude or troublesome became sympathetic. I laughed at their jokes and came close to tears a few times when listening to their struggles. This game has some of the loveliest, most deeply human character writing I have ever seen, and it packages it into perfectly sized portions. Granny’s stubborn refusal to let her customers sink into their own problems unassisted, and the ways those problems intersected with one another, never failed to surprise and move me.

This is the kind of story that I know I will think a lot about. I’ve unlocked everything, but I plan on keeping the app on my phone for at least a little while longer. It’s nice to open it up every once in a while and see how the diner is doing. Thank you to the developers for all the love that went into this story!

Seriously, this is my third time completing the entire game and my only criticism(not really) is that it actually ends. Most cooking games are mindless, repetitive and go on forever. They get tedious because of a lack of story line. This little Japanese themed game has all the best parts of those games, PLUS a storyline that wrecks your heart, and heals you, over and over again. And the ending?! Omg... third play through still had me sobbing even though I knew what was coming. I just can’t stop playing it. I’m too involved in the stories of the characters to abandon them for long. I keep this game installed on my phone and revisit it every few months. I think I’ll know every line of dialogue by heart before the time comes where I ever choose to delete this game. And I might not even delete it then. Many kudos to the devs!! I’ve never played a game that’s actually “got me in the feels”... and I’m so thankful for the little morals in this game. I never thought a phone game could change my life, but sometimes you just need Granny’s sarcasm to get you on the right path. So much love to everyone involved in the design and development of the story/characters. <3

I’ve played a bunch of cooking games where you tap the screen to make food and serve the customer. This game is really a poignant story taking place in Japan some years after World War II. You play the role of an elderly woman who has to take care of the family diner after your husband is no longer able to due to an accident. Don’t let her looks fool you, this lady is feisty, sharp, and doesn’t bite her tongue. What you get is a storyline unfolding through dialogue with your customers and your husband. This is less of a game and more of an interactive story where you have to level up dishes to have the story unfold. The best thing about this game is that it is absolutely free. You don’t have to buy anything nor is it one of those cash grab games where you do have to buy stupid coins or diamonds or whatever to move along at a good pace. Playing this game to the end was highly rewarding and really shows how video games can tell a narrative in ways other media cannot. As a book lover, I appreciate how games can add to storytelling.