Despite the original Diner Dash game surprising the industry in the world of time management games, many had little confidence that Diner Dash 5: BOOM! would keep the series going strong. Yes, the sequels were good and offered hours of fast-paced clicking to time management fans. However, with the exception of some new locations and a slight story variation the sequels still looked too similar to the original Diner Dash. So how can the fifth game turn things around? Once again, you play Flo, an enterprising diner owner in Diner Dash 5: BOOM! The game begins with a nasty rival who plots against the cheerful Flo. One dark night, someone removes “Fat-” from promotional “Fat-Free Breakfast” sign. Guess what happens? Hungry DinerTown residents crowd into the diner as soon as it opens and … BOOM! There is no more diner, just a heap of ruins. Luckily, Flo’s friends offer to help rebuild the restaurant. You need to earn needed cash to buy hardware to rebuild Flo’s Diner. To do this, you set up some tables outdoors and serve as many customers as you can. Although Diner Dash 5: BOOM! has some originality , the core game-play follows the classic mechanics inherent in dash games. You meet customers, seat them, take orders, serve meals, receive tips and clean the tables. Sound easy? Try to serve several tables at the same time while trying to do various tricks to get more money! First, know that the result of the level depends on many conditions. For one, match the tables and customers’ colors for bonus tips. On top of that, remember to watch the diners’ mood. Happy customers pay more while angry ones could leave the restaurant without paying! To boost diners’ mood, serve tasty juice, place a celebrity at a nearby table and so on. You can also make more money by repeating the same actions multiple times in a row. Second, you have to consider the personalities of your customers. When a new type of client comes to the diner for the first time, the game tells you about the customer. For example, businesswomen are great tippers, but they are very impatient; seniors can wait for a long time, but they are very slow and bad tippers and bookworms hate noise. The game has five locations with 10 levels each. When you meet the goal of the level, you can upgrade the current location: buy fast shoes for Flo, speed up Cookie’s stove for faster meal preparation, hire Quinn and Karma and more. All this make Flo’s task easier and more efficient. As usual, you can aim to reach the expert level goal or just stick with the regular goal to advance to the next level. It’s a pleasure to have lunch outdoors when it’s sunny. But what to do when the weather turns for the worse? Flo has the added job of protecting diners from rain, wind and earthquakes by opening umbrellas, securing tablecloths and earthquake-proofing the tables. But if anything becomes damaged, call Hal and he’ll fix it. The most innovative feature in Diner Dash 5: BOOM! is the connection with Facebook. Post your score and give virtual gifts to friends. This one also includes a dash games medal system where you earn medals for completing tasks such as serving 100 drinks. One sticky issue with Diner Dash 5 is the difficulty beginning with the first levels to what makes it almost impossible to reach the expert goal. The game has conserved the high quality art and audio. You will enjoy lively locations with funny characters, colorful comics and hilarious voice-overs. Diner Dash 5: BOOM! is a nice sequel featuring some originality and improvements. So, roll up your sleeves and join Flo in her new adventure!
