Eight hour work day simulator… err Bakery Shop Simulator is a chore. What in theory could have been a very calm and cathartic game is an endeavor that induced in me nothing but stress and frustration. The fun stuff is automated, and all that is left to do is frantically click buttons or fail.
The first thing that disappointed me is there is no cooking involved in this bakery. A chef behind the counter creates all of the sweet treats you must ensure are sold in a timely manner. Instead, you are given a chore list of ingredients to purchase, then the chef takes over and makes it. There is no baking simulation at this bakery.
The UI is not easy to navigate. While a tutorial is laid out to facilitate your first creation and sale thereof, it took me many tries to nail down some simple tasks. These mainly involve clicking ingredients and moving them. I must say that I was not fully immersed in the life and trials of a master baker. What’s worse is the tutorial leaves the screen when you actually follow it. I found myself having to memorize the controls before being able to use them. This feels rushed and very counterintuitive.
Although you are free to roam the vast 12×12 space of a cramped mid-town confectionery, I found myself clicking through virtual computer screens most of the time. The approach they took could have been handled better in a 2d game comprising mostly of spreadsheets. Even when its time for the customer to pay, its automated. Why make the game first person at all? Even having to muddle with 3d hands to take and place money into a virtual register could have been interesting.
There’s no music, the game play is tedious, and I couldn’t even throw bread at the chef to alleviate my discontent. The possibilities afforded by a 3d space were vastly underutilized, and because of this I cannot recommend Bakery Shop Simulator to anyone except a true connoisseur of self-inflicted pain.
Purchase Bakery Shop Simulator on Steam!
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