Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a cake, waiting in the display case of a bakery to be chosen by someone? To feel wanted?
That’s the premise of High Tea Frog’s Cake Bash, in which up to four players each take control of a cake and battle it out in order to make it the most attractive proposition for the next customer. You can be a fondant fancy, a cupcake, a chocolate eclair and more, but to make yourself more desirable, you’re going to want to adorn yourself with various chocolates. Because who doesn’t like chocolate?
Get Tasty is Cake Bash‘s main mode, in which up to four players compete to make their cake the tastiest; any spots not occupied by actual human beings can be filled by bots if you wish. And after voting on the location of the first Bash, the action begins.
Five bash modes are on offer, allowing players to punch, dash and throw their way to success. They can pick up items too, either to wield them as weapons or to achieve objectives. While Sweet Victory just requires players to collect sweets in an arena, for example, with players able to pummel then off of each other, in Fruity Pie players need to pick up pieces of fruit and then throw them into a pie base to score points. And then there’s Sparkler, where players fight for control of sparklers that are periodically thrown into the arena.
These Bash battles are the heart and soul of Cake Bash, highly-competitive events in which riotous laughter is a regular occurrence. They take place in a pleasing assortment of arenas, too; from a factory complete with a fiery hob that can be activated by players, to a patio table frequented by pesky pigeons that like to give you a nibble if you get too close.
Accompanying the Bash modes are Snacks, minigames that each offer unique mechanics. There are eight of them overall, and they’re almost as fun as the Bash events. You’ll find yourself attempting to perfectly roast marshmallows on an open campfire, with the flame occasionally growing to play havoc with your efforts, to trying to catch scoops of ice cream in your cone as they fall from the sky. Fisticuffs are put on the backburner in pursuit of challenging players’ raw skill, often with hilarious results.
At the end of each Bash and Snack event, players are awarded coins based on their performance, and it’s how players put these coins to use that ultimately determines the winner of a Get Tasty competition. Players are given multiple chances to exchange their coins for a range of confectionary items to place on their cake. Purchase three of the same type, and they get upgraded to a more tastier treat.
Players can even choose to gamble if they like, spending a smaller number of coins on a random item dispenser. The trouble is, it might dispense something like a rotten fish, which will seriously affect their cake’s desirability come the end of the competition. In any case, it adds another layer of unpredictability.
Outside of Get Tasty mode, there’s also a Recipe mode in which players can jump straight into any of the Bash and Snack events they’ve unlocked. It’s a good place to practice those events that you’ve not quite mastered yet, or simply enjoy the one’s you can’t get enough of. There are even additional skins to unlock for each of the playable cakes on offer.
Featuring both local and online play, Cake Bash is one of the most enjoyable party games of recent memory. Mechanically it’s solid, and there’s a wonderful variety to its Bash and Snack events. It helps that it looks great, too, and the preposterousness of the whole affair does nothing but win you over. Where else can you pummel a doughnut as a chocolate chip muffin, after all? If you’re after a sweet game to play the next time you have some friends or family around, be sure to treat yourself to Cake Bash.
