Parents' Guide to Diner DASH Adventures

It's been nearly fifteen years since Flo opened her first restaurant, but unfortunately, her latest dish seems more like lukewarm leftovers than a five course meal. Diner DASH Adventures, the latest entry in the Dash series, adopts a free-to-play formula while trying to add a fun story and new gameplay elements to fill gamers' appetites. While it certainly has some flavor, its repetitive gameplay and frustrating reliance on in-game purchases makes this feel less like an entrée and more like empty calories.

The game's story is cheesier than the grilled cheese served at Flo's diner, but it's still a silly and entertaining adventure. It also fills in the gaps between serving a round of customers at the restaurant and using what you earn to clean up the city. Basic gameplay is still the same as always, with players seating customers, taking orders, and delivering food as quick and accurately as possible. Things get pretty hectic quickly, making the use of boosts and upgrading equipment/recipes a necessity. And that's where the game's biggest fault lies. It quickly gets to the point that you almost can't progress at all without spending money for items you need to upgrade. While you can technically earn some in-game, it's such a slow process that the game simply stops being fun because you're forced to replay the same stages over and over. And any time you do happen to move forward, it's such a tiny amount that it barely feels like you've actually made any progress. The end result discourages players from coming back to this diner for seconds.