Cake Bash | REVIEW

There are so many multiplayer party games out these days that it’s difficult for some to catch the attention of gamers. I’ll admit, I hadn’t even heard of Cake Bash before I actually played it for review and I’m not exactly a big fan of party games, so my excitement wasn’t really that high going in – I am a sucker for a sweet treat though, so it did have that going for it.

One game. That’s all it took to get me completely hooked to this absurd yet delightful multiplayer romp.

In Cake Bash, players have just one goal: to be the best sweet treat out there. However, with no Paul Hollywood to judge this contest, it’s up to the player to earn chocolate coins by beating their opponents and then spending them on delicious decorations to make their cake the most appetising by the time they get to the end of each match. It’s like the Great British Bake Off, except you’re not trying to bake a cake… you’re using them to beat other cakes down.

Like a lot of party games out there, Cake Bash embraces its simple concept and uses it to put together a gameplay experience that’s as fun as it is absurd. Taking on the role of one of a host of sweet treats, you battle it out across a myriad of creative environments as you string together attacks and bash your way through your rivals. See a weapon on the battlefield? You can use that too, with nothing seemingly off-limits in the world of battling baked goods.

Rather than just having players dish out beatings on one another, Cake Bash implements objectives into its gameplay in order to freshen each showdown up. Whilst ensuring your opponents take a beating is important, there’ll also be times where you have to throw fruit into a pie, collect as many jelly beans as possible, or even keep hold of a candle that’s continually burning away. Sure, the objectives are simple enough, but when you’ve got a bunch of confectionary goods all smashing at you when trying to complete them… well… things get a bit crazy (in the best way possible). It really is as fun as it sounds.

Whilst it’d have been easy for the developer to simply base the game entirely around these mechanics, they actually go one better by introducing mini-games throughout each session that’ll challenge players’ skills in a more unconventional manner. You can expect to try and stay on top of a cake as slices are continually slashed away, try to run around to catch scoops of ice cream on your cone to make it as high as possible, launch fruit onto a constantly moving tart, and fill up cakes with as much crème as possible – that’s just naming a few of the mini-games too, with eight available in total. Diving into these mini-games is always amusing and their presence spices up an experience which is already packed to the brim with silly charm.

Remember how I said that you need to buy decorations in order to succeed? Well, even that has a frantic twist, with players rushing to purchase decorations whilst competing with other players. Naturally, you can only purchase what you can afford and what is available, but with bonuses on offer for matching decorations things can go out of control fast as each player rushes to grab what they need. Clever players can be careful with their spending and earn some additional bonuses here, which adds a surprisingly strategic element where you don’t necessarily have to win each battle to be deemed the best treat provided you managed to grab the right decorations… it might feel unfair, but hey, it’s survival of the prettiest in Cake Bash.

It all comes together to make for a delightful experience and one that’s fun to share with the family. Cake Bash supports both local and online play for up to four players, but I’ve found it especially enjoyable to play with my kids since we’ve all been stuck in the house during our local lockdown. I’d say Cake Bash is actually a bit more accessible for younger players to play when compared to the likes of Gang Beasts or Fall Guys, whilst seeing French fancies, cakes, and donuts battle it out has been especially appreciated by my kids too. It’s certainly an experience that’s easy to lose hours playing, whilst those who don’t have any other players to battle against locally will definitely appreciate being able to go online. There are bots too, of course, but this is one of those games that’s BEST played with real-life opponents.

I’ve put hours into Cake Bash so far and I’m still having a lot of fun playing. However, I do wish that there were just a few more mini-games, if only to add a touch more variety during extended playtimes. As mentioned, I’ve been playing it with my kids and they’re having a whale of a time, but the ‘gamer’ inside of me has noticed that I’m seeing a lot of the same mini-games show up time and time again. Whilst I haven’t grown bored of them yet, a bit more variety would have been nice just to keep things feeling fresh.

One thing I do have to give a shout out to is the absolutely charming visuals of the game, with the playable confectionaries and the areas you battle across all smoothly designed and packed full of colour and wonderful sights that truly give the game its own unique identity. It’s all very cutesy in design, but with that sweet sense of attitude that makes you feel like these cakes are REALLY battling it out for supremacy. Cake Bash isn’t just fun to play, but it really looks the part too.

Developer: High Tea Frog
Publisher: Coatsink
Platform(s): PlayStation 4 (Reviewed), Xbox One, PC