Changes to Slow Cooking in Café Remix

A few things have been going on in Pokémon Café Remix lately, so I thought about doing a "Café Remix Saturdays" post throughout this month. But then I realized that this wasn't going to work for one (actually two) important reasons to come soon. In any case, I'll post about every week or so regarding those things, and it starts with this one.

The recently introduced Slow Cooking event framework has been a neat one, offering strategy-based stage play under pressure. Still, perhaps due to that infancy, it could also stand to be improved... and the improvement couldn't come too soon. In a recent Outdoor Tea Party implementation of it, changes were made to the framework, adding or adjusting some of its elements and/or display - and they do indeed appear to work for the better.

Pokémon selection (and pre-puzzle item selection) before starting a set of stages is now all done in one screen instead of three. In addition to the usual suggested two Pokémon, a recommended Pokémon can also be selected if possible. Furthermore, the last selected Pokémon for a stage is also remembered and automatically selected, though adjustments will need to be made if more than one stage conflicts in selection. These changes allow play to be started more quickly and with less hassle as it becomes quite repetitive over many plays.

During play, the mid-puzzle items now have indications of possessed amounts in addition to play limits, helping to prevent significant drains of them. The stage score display has also been made bigger and clearer, and bonus scores at the end of the stages are now indicated, including the all-important "moves left" bonus, something that exists but may not have been noticed. Players also proceed automatically to the next stage, unless it's the last stage or they choose "Quit" to pause between stages and take care of other things in the game.

Most importantly, the framework now has a Fever (Frenzy) element similar to that of One-Minute Cooking - even the music is similar in melodic elements. Each move, executed skill, or use of megaphones fills a gauge; once full, the stage will be spotlighted, at which point the next move made will earn double points. In effect, this affirms its status as the move-based analogue of One-Minute Cooking, which can then be made to apply broadly in the game.

Even though it's particularly recent, by receiving updates, the Slow Cooking framework is now assured of its place in the general Café Remix ecosystem, as is pretty much all the things I plan to discuss under the header of and about Café Remix all throughout this month. The game makes for a puzzling time... seemingly more so in this month for me.

One year ago: Few Abilities, Much Wisdom

Two years ago: One More Day, Time, and Chance

Three years ago: Quickies: Going to the Safari

Four years ago: PvP Charged Attack Technique

Five years ago: Friend Cascade

Six years ago: Icons, Images, and Such

Seven years ago: These Foolish Things Remind Me of Pokémon