Delicious - Emily's Hopes and Fears

girlie manifested an illness smh

I love time management games in general. This series however, I do not. I don't enjoy the "challenges" or the extra things you have to do during normal game play. I get that they were trying to innovate on a known genre, but it didn't take it in a direction that is fun for me. I play to try to get the achievements and then uninstall it feeling annoyed and trying to remind myself not to buy games from this series.

I would definitely recommend this instalment to the Delicious game series. I always have so much fun playing these as they remind me of my childhood where I would play these games. I love the plot and having to open presents (love the animation of Paige opening them), as well as the achievements and being able to unlock them all. I do wish that it was easier to know what you need to do for each achievement, for example what restaurants you still have products to unlock from instead of having to go to each restaurant and check individually as this is time consuming. Overall, I really enjoyed this game and cannot wait to play the rest of them!

In most video games, 'risk vs. reward' is incredibly important to your enjoyment. You wouldn't want to do an incredibly difficult boss/level, and turn up with no story, or even reward for the effort you put in.

In Delicious Emily's Hopes and Fears, you run a mile every day, and then watch toddlers talk to each other for a couple of seconds. And then you have to go back to running a mile.

We have stated in the past that we began our Gamehouse journey with "Sally's Salon: Kiss and Make Up". After playing a disappointing "Fabulous Angela's Fashion Fever", we wanted to go back to the series always highest on the pedestal in the minds of Gamehouse aficionados. The one that started it all...Delicious Emily. But we are not normal gamers. The only way to test that which is held to the highest standards, is to find the one that broke even true fans (or at the very least disappointed them).

But one cannot criticize a story without first criticizing the page it was written on. And thus we begin with the abhorrent gameplay.

Delicious Emily's Hopes and Fears begins with the now growing familiar time management setup, with too little explanation, but a simple enough premise in the end that it is playable once you get used to it. The music is the usual drawling piddle that loops for about 10 seconds, but is bearable. While some of what you're doing seems silly, it's not bad, all things considered.

Enter the Lumber Mill, the second level of the game.

In Fabulous Angela's Fashion Fever, I once complained about the "stocking" activities that are required for you to make certain products. You have to walk halfway across the map to get a feather or pebble in order to fashion a bracelet, etc.

It seems Gamehouse must have been listening through the walls, and actively designed the Lumber Mill with the intention of driving me mad.

The Lumber Mill has, at its most advanced level, 4 different types of wood that you are constantly required to stock in order to whittle objects that are expected from you within a few seconds, in addition to maintaining a restaurant. And just my luck, there is a several second delay between logs flowing down the channel of each variety, thus making stocking them in batches last minute nearly impossible. The impatience of these customers for on-demand whittling is horrific. Need I remind you that whittling is a skill that takes time, effort, resources, and skill that I, as a lowly sous chef, do not have the ability to do?

On top of my scrambling around for wood, the music is probably the most maddening thing I have ever heard. Yes, a 10 second loop as I suspected, of the most chipper Country Bear Jamboree tune actively deepening my seething rage.

The amount of times I had to reset a level simply because I hadn't stocked the wood right at the beginning, or the music was making me lose focus... I was Mozart at the piano dying of hair loss. At some point I had to turn the music off entirely and loop Imagine Dragons' "Friction" just to get it done, despite the fact that I hate Imagine Dragons as well.

Somehow, despite acting as if I was dealing with The Telltale Heart, I had made it to the flower shop.

You would think when a game tells you: "You can upgrade this!" that it would help you to upgrade said thing. Delicious Emily's Hopes and Fears spits in your face at that remark. I had done okay up to this point with upgrading my menu, with the occasional confused wrong order because I didn't notice tomatoes on a panini. But the flower shop really made me reconsider my abilities.

Even at its most basic level, the Sunflower Bouquet / all subsequent Bouquets are a headache. I am playing on a large ASUS monitor, NOT a phone, and I can't even see what I got wrong by the time I try and deliver the finished bouquet to the customer. Impossibly over-specific, and demanding, is what it is.

You might read all this and think me a wimp. A loser who can't handle a challenge. But when I broke the game looping a triple click on a yak's nipples, I think I have the right to complain.

Despite the challenges being technically optional, they are quite the opposite, if you think there to be any value in upgrading items, or upgrading your basic shop counters, tables, etc.

Frighteningly enough, this broken system was revealed to me in the Lumber Mill, when, stuck on perhaps the 3rd optional challenge level, I had already completely upgraded the entire shop and all menu items.

By the time you reach the monastery (God forbid), these challenges become more cynical, masochistic, if you will, to the point that you might very well have to look up Gamehouse's convoluted tip on their Youtube channel. At this point the task of completing the normal levels has already become so grueling that it's hard to say no to the extra help ( no matter how bad it is ).

And, if you're anything like me, you probably tried to get Paigey's presents for her, hoping you could glean any more from her life by doing so (which was a hopeless wish, I found).

Now. The story. What all the ashes tumbling down around you amount to.

Many others described this game's story as heartwarming, moving, fantastical, whimsical, even. I suppose I'd be inclined to agree--were I a three year old, and were it not for Patrick's adventures with foreign people.

The at home story with Paige, Emily, and co is about what you expect. Lukewarm, unnecessary fluff that is really more filler than it is story. Paige's mysterious illness is frankly laughable at times, especially if you've ever been to the hospital for any reason. It's almost random, this illness, the backbone of this stiff marshmallow of a plot. Emily is a flake, to be real. I don't know what she was like in the other games, but she puts up with too much of Patrick's B.S. for her to not be cheating on him already...but I guess that's just another Sally-flavored fantasy of mine. The most enjoyable characters are probably Francois, mostly for his cute little sprites trying to keep you awake, and the mother of Paige's little toddler friend, who provides some Sally-like comedic timing, even reminiscent of Dance Moms. But this isn't enough to keep my interest.

With the Lumber Mill being "more than whatever" in terms of story, the rest of Patrick's journey becomes what is blatantly incredibly offensive and insensitive. The most relatable or honest character is Tapeesa's father (until he starts sympathizing with the white man invading his native land). In the Inuit section of the game, there is not only incredibly strange stances on global warming, but the most toddler-friendly version of colonialism that I have ever witnessed. And guess what? It involves chocolate.

For some reason, I don't believe that "what if monks were funny" is really an idea that should ever have been explored. And that concludes the monk section.

On a pure logical standpoint, Patrick's journey makes no sense either on a map of the Earth. I'd really like to see how he drove from Minnesota to Alaska/and or Canada to Tibet (?). Of course this is all speculation, as no exact locations are ever given in clarity.

By what you think is the end of the story, once of course, Paigey's little Diseasey Weasy has been cured with a magic flower, and you want Patrick, Paige, and Emily dead, you still have to play 7 more torturous levels at a big pool party with all the Native people and monks and everyone's lives that you ruined! And that includes 2 challenge levels, because Lord knows Paigey needs her presents and you need the strength for the coming near-impossible levels.

If you're thinking about buying this game, and you aren't willing to torture yourself for 29 hours, just try Sally's Salon: Kiss and Make Up. At the very least the ridiculosity will make you laugh instead of scream.

What more is there to say, Emily?

Patricks don't belong in Alaska.

This is one of my favorites in the Delicious franchise. I liked the double point of view of both Patrick & Emily which for me made the story slightly more interesting. Difficulty for this game is just right as it gives you some challenges and replayable levels but is not to hard to 100%.

I personally would recommend trying to play the series in chronological order, so you get the most out of the story line. The games by themselves are good too, I just got more enjoyment out of playing them that way.

Here is a list in order:
Delicious: The First (NOT ON STEAM)
Delicious 2 (NOT ON STEAM)
Delicious: Emily's Tea Garden (NOT ON STEAM)
Delicious: Emily's Taste of Fame (NOT ON STEAM)
Delicious: Emily's Holiday Season (NOT ON STEAM)
Delicious: Emily's Childhood Memories (NOT ON STEAM)
Delicious: Emily's True Love (NOT ON STEAM
Delicious: Emily's Big Surprise (NOT ON STEAM)
Delicious: Emily's Wonder Wedding (NOT ON STEAM)
Delicious: Emily's Honeymoon Cruise (NOT ON STEAM)
Delicious: Emily's New Beginning
Delicious: Emily's Home Sweet Home
Delicious: Emily's Hopes and Fears
Delicious: Emily's Cook & Go (NOT ON STEAM)
Delicious: Emily's Message in a Bottle
Delicious: Emily's Christmas Carol
Delicious: Emily's Miracle of Life
Delicious: Emily's Moms vs Dads
Delicious: Emily's Road Trip

super fun! enjoyable story! gives "diner dash" feels that I was looking for :)

I 100% recommend this game. It was awesome! As a time management game it had the difficulty it should have, the variety of the products is as much as it should be, each restaurant lasted as long as it should, great one star in between levels, the goals to collect the diamonds suit the gameplay very nicely. I had to replay some levels to get all three stars or to achieve the goal which is great for someone that has played lots of this type of games. But most of all...the story! I dont like long stories, this was presented so nicely, i couldn't wait to see what would happen next! Amazing job with it. A perfectly calculated time management game.

This game is quite nice, if we talk about the story and gameplay. Generally, its almost the same as the previous parts, but here you can play as many different characters, try yourself in a flower shop or a monastery!
I love how cute and family style this story is. And the ending is also very nice. We can even play some epilog.

I enjoyed this game as the previous part. If you like Emily's stories, you will surely like this one too.

- Comments on this game:
Less interesting story than previous titles, but still enjoyable. Takes 20 hours to get all the achievements.

- Comments on the franchise Delicious Emily
This franchise is part of my wife's childhood gameplay memory. I bought it to play with her, and I enjoyed the whole franchise thoroughly. Almost every game from this franchise is a great time management game with a superb story and appealing graphics. The mechanism varies slightly from game to game, so it does not feel too repetitive. The progression of the coherent story, the different restaurants, and the new items to serve are compelling enough to make you play title after title. If you are interested in time management games, I strongly recommend getting the Delicious 8-in-1 Bundle, and playing them in release order.

It is a pity that early titles from this franchise are not available on Steam. So the franchise on Steam starts from Emily's New Beginning. However, three previous titles before New Beginning (True Love, Wonder Wedding, Honeymoon Cruise) are free to play on Apple Store, so don't miss them! They should be played before the 8 titles on Steam, since their stories set the premise of the 8 following titles.

- Comments on the developers:
The developers, GameHouse, do not seem to care too much about their games. They just release their game and then disappear. Bugs are seldom fixed (well, you can see on SteamDB that the depots of some titles are last updated even before the release). The worst of all is that traditional Delicious Emily games are somewhat abandoned, probably because GameHouse cannot milk much money from them. Instead, they have now switched their attention to developing a mobile game Delicious World with tasteless stories, boring and repetitive gameplay, and microtransactions. Shame!

I played on Easy just to get the story, which is fabulous, funny and well-written!

It can play but crashes for 2x on windows 10.

Some reason I had 1st time fps and then 2nd lag of animation 3rd time it was black screen, 4th it was stall.
I don't have old computer and checked it what going on before it. shop issues in game.
I recommend if people continue verify files. I am quitting because not worth hassle going through it.
I have 3.4 ghz processor and very good graphic card it still has issues.
like: I liked the story, played demo, but demo seemed rushed. Real game was slower versus demo.
dislike: crashing different intervals.
Demo could play on windows 7 to 8 and store suggest it could play on 10 somehow I think they should have QA test that out ritually until they come up with issue I ran into.

Personal opinion: Play at your own risk, play it until stops breaking while your playing. I played it until when I playing black screen of death irritated me. It took while for screen to return. Like 30 minutes. If you get that bug it means you ran into my bug. Does that rattle you.

Compared to the New Beginning and Home Sweet Home episodes, this one have more concepts and I enjoyed playing it all the time! Although there are some times the tasks can be difficult (also coincidentally found a bug / glitch at one of the tasks lol) but nonetheless, it's fun and well-spent money for it.

It's as solid as the rest of the game series. Simple instructions with only a few achievements that you'll have to grind for.

The story is amazing, it's not the typical tm game story, there is sad,conflict, happy and twist. That's what make the Delicious serious stand out. Artwork is pretty and there is thought put in on every details. I like the part where u cant open the gift when Paige is very sick in the later story. The gameplay is very good but I still encounter some problem like when customer at the counter sometime they will not go to the open space and just stand behind another customer, it happen from time to time. Some of the trophy need to replay level, I don't mind but some trophy (Herb Garden and Flowerbed) make me replay more than 20 times because I need the customer to order the product, sometime there is only 2 to 3 order per level for the product I want.

The difficulty on each is level is well balance, some levels will be more difficult because of the challenge and upgrade but overall it's well balance without making you frustrated. This make me enjoy the story and gameplay more.

Another part of Emily's story. This time we had double point of view, hers and Patrick's. Unique locations and game as good as other.

The only minus I would say, was a music. Not everywhere but in drama parts. I mean... your kid is dying and in the bg we have cheerful music :/ out of mood totally. Also sometimes game was crashing, usually after levels or when I wanted to change diamonds for presents, but thankfully after restarting the game, everything was ok.

~~Check my curator's page!~~

It's an earlier Delicious game, so it's missing some of the added features of the later ones, like better ticking on the hearts, and an indicator if you've found the mouse or not. And I'm pretty sure the Inuit level is... dated.

Still it's the same time management casual/frantic that I like.

I really liked the story line of this one and all the laughs and tears that go with it.
Gameplay-wise, I was kinda bored playing expert at first, but the last two locations really picked up the pace (I had to play level 61 several times to get all 3 stars). I felt like the games were somewhat lacking since Wonder Wedding, so this was really refreshing.

If you're looking for an adventure game then you found it, with a rich story, amazing locations and having some tough challenges to complete makes the game more fun. Taking each step with a dedicated father to save his little girl in search of a golden flower only in a story book makes the game so much more than just passing time, your emotions will be part of every inch Patrick will take. I'm recommending this one for sure, saving that beautiful little girl is worth fighting for.

Woops, I love the Emily games. I came from Diner Dash and...well, I never looked back. These games are more fleshed out than Diner Dash, hence the price tag, but I feel like it's more than worth it. Not only was this particular installment well balanced in the time management portions, but I also felt like the story was paced nicely. There are clips between the levels to progress you in the little family dramas of Emily's life. It has everything I want from a time management game - cathartic, mindless clicking against the backdrop of some little goals to move you forward. Plus they have accomplishments so I can scratch that "completionist" itch quite well.

In this installement of Emily O'Malleys' life, her little girl gets incredibly sick. Patrick must embark on an epic quest to save his little girl's life!! Once again, Gamehouse delivers a very enjoyable time management game, as you help the O'Malleys save their daughter from a horrible fate. The characters are cute, and I especially enjoyed the visit to the monastery. The monks were quite humorous. Decent challenges and doable achievements for those wanting to get that 100%. Well done, Gamehouse.

I really enjoyed the game, the characters are interesting, the story reasonably compelling (and surprisingly nuanced) and the gameplay itself is hard enough to be challenging but easy enough to be enjoyable. Despite my nagging feeling that virtually every character would benefit from extensive counselling I definitely warmed to the characters, and I enjoyed their story. It was a remarkably deep story for this sort of game which was nice to see. If you enjoy this style of time-management game, then I can very much recommend 'Hopes and Fears'.