Chocolatier: Decadence by Design is a casualstrategy video game with action elements, developed by Big Splash Games LLC and published by PlayFirst. The game was released in 2009 for Windows and Mac OS X and in 2011 for iOS. As the third game in the series, it directly follows the story of Chocolatier (2007) and Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients (2007), and was published after the spin-off game The Great Chocolate Chase: A Chocolatier Twist (2008). Decadence by Design features similar gameplay to its predecessors, but with a greater focus on creating original recipes and the possibility of making coffee recipes, both liquid and as blends of roasted beans.
Originally, Big Splash Games had planned an episodic release for Chocolatier: Decadence by Design, a model that had to be abandoned due to technological limitations.[3] On 12 August 2009, the game was published on Steam for Windows,[4] and it was also made available at the launch of the digital platform for Mac on May 12, 2010.[5] In 2010, a social network game spin-off from the series entitled Chocolatier: Sweet Society was published on Facebook.[6]
While Chocolatier was set in the 1880s and Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients was set in the 1920s, Chocolatier: Decadence by Design is set during the period of economic growth that followed the end of the Second World War, in the second half of the 1940s.[7] As in the second game, the player must team up with Alexandra Fletcher,[a] Evangeline Baumeister's granddaughter, this time to become CEO of Baumeister Confections. At the same time, the player must help her find her husband, Sean Fletcher, who hasn't returned home after the end of the war.[9] Unlike its predecessors, Decadence by Design includes only one game mode, the Story Mode, with no option for Free Play.[9]
The minigame played when making a chocolate recipe for the first time is still present, but with some factories allowing you to recycle an item that isn't useful at the moment.[8] Moreover, the minigame for making coffee is different, resembling a tile-matching game.[9] The system of matching colours to get bonuses, introduced in Chocolatier 2, is still present.[8] Some shops in the game exclusively buy coffee, but no chocolate, such as the one in Tangiers.[12] At a certain point during the story mode, the player can buy a telegraph, allowing the recipes made in each of the factories to be changed remotely.[12]
Critics praised Chocolatier: Decadence by Design's polished gameplay,[2][9] its story,[2][9] and the possibilities provided by the taste lab.[2][8][9] On the other hand, the similarity to the first game[9] and the lack of a real ending or post-game content were criticised.[8][9] Some also highlighted the game's low difficulty.[2][8]
Gamezebo's Marc Saltzman said that although he wished "there were a few more delicious surprises" in the game, "Chocolatier: Decadence by Design returns to its roots and proves to be [...] very entertaining and challenging." The journalist praised the creation of original recipes in the taste lab, wishing it were possible to share his creations with other players on an online platform.[9] Parisa Vassei, from Slide to Play, praised the game as superior to its competitors on the App Store, stating that it "offered a unique approach to this style of gameplay with a fascinating plot and delicious story", while lamenting the lack of Game Center integration.[2]
Notes
^Sometimes referred to as Alexandra Tangye[8] or Alexandra Baumeister.[3]
