Diner Dash: Flo on the Go Review

Everyone’s favorite waitress is back in Diner Dash: Flo on the Go for the Nintendo DS. I played the original handheld offering, Diner Dash: Sizzle and Serve, and found it to be under-serving (no pun intended). Of course the version that I reviewed was for the PSP, making it far less appealing than the touch-screen gameplay of the Nintendo DS. How does this sequel stack up?

The story is told in comic strips. You play across five different vacation-themed restaurants. The goal of the game is to keep customers happy by serving their food fast. You will earn more points by making them happy. Winning levels and unlocking new ones is as simple as achieving the point goal set out for you at the start of each level.

You will want to place customers in matching color seats to maximize your points. Placing customers in seats is as simple as dragging them with the stylus. Once they take their seat, they’ll look over the menu. After a few seconds, they will be ready to order and you click the table again to take their order. You drop the ticket off at the kitchen, wait for the food and drop the food off at the table. When they are all done eating, you leave the check, collect your tip and clean the table. Sounds like a regular restaurant, right?

There are three game modes in Diner Dash: Story, Endless Shift and Multi-Player. I just described the Story Mode above. The Endless Shift is basically the Story Mode, except it is never-ending (duh) and you don’t switch levels. The Multi-Player can be played if both people have a cartridge of their own (up to 2 players). Within Multi-Player there are three game modes. Highest Score has you competing for the top score. First to Serve is a competition to see who can serve all of their customers first. Lastly, Survival has you compete until one of you loses 3 customers.

If you are a casual gamer that needs a quick fix as you are “on the go”, Diner Dash: Flo on the Go is a great game to have. It can be fun in short bursts and quick to learn. More serious handheld gamers would probably be turned off by the simple gameplay that does not have a whole lot of variety. Frankly, it’s more of a game I see my mom playing than myself. That said, if you like this type of game, by all means, you will enjoy Flo on the Go.