Diner Dash: Hometown Hero
Diner Dash: Hometown Hero is the fourth installment in the Diner Dash series of casual games. It was developed and published by PlayFirst. it was launched on September 25, 2007.
| Diner Dash: Hometown Hero | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | PlayFirst |
| Publisher(s) | PlayFirst |
| Designer(s) | Chris Bennett, Michelle Woods |
| Artist(s) | Barry Prioste, Jeff Troupe |
| Series | Diner Dash |
| Engine | Playground SDK™ |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS X |
| Release | November 8, 2007[1] |
| Genre(s) | Strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer (online) |
Story
Flo returns to her hometown to visit her Grandma, Florence, only to find that the place has become a run-down ghost town. Flo decides to use her culinary skills to rejuvenate the town by improving the restaurants at all the formerly popular hangouts.
Starting with the Zoo, Flo & Grandma return to discover the zoo is now desolate. They head to the restaurant but are appalled at the service. The waiter tells them that the reason for the zoo's poor state is recent funding cuts by the city. Flo & Grandma rejuvenate the zoo and it becomes successful again.
Flo & Grandma then head to the Baseball Stadium to watch the game, but attendance is poor and the baseball diner is lackluster. A customer got a cold hot dog in 30 minutes. They revive the Baseball Stadium and leave for the Museum.
Flo & Grandma discover the museum to be in a state of depression. The janitor, alone, is the curator, cook and waiter! They then revive the museum with the help of the customers and the museum celebrates its grand reopening.
Flo & Grandma then head to the Boardwalk Beach. Before arriving, Grandma Florence tells Flo about her old disco when she was younger. When Flo notices the building that used to be the disco Grandma mentioned, Grandma says that she was unable to keep it afloat because she couldn't keep up. Flo & Grandma head to a shack at the park for a funnel cake but decide to help the poorly managed waiters when they see how bad the park is getting. They successfully restore the amusement park. Flo then rides the rollercoaster before deciding to leave and ends up warping back in time. Flo discovers the aforementioned disco and runs inside where she meets a young Grandma Florence. Flo then resolves to help Florence keep her restaurant afloat by helping her.
After helping Florence, Flo says goodbye, runs back to the rollercoaster, and warps back to the present time. When Flo encounters Grandma Florence in the present, she tells her about the disco and discovers that Florence's Groovy Disco is up and running. Grandma tells Flo that a woman who looks very familiar to her had helped her. Flo & Grandma Florence enter the disco and celebrate its anniversary.
Gameplay
Gameplay involves seating customers as they enter the restaurant. One must drag and drop each group of customers to a table appropriate for their group size. Extra points are given for seating a customer in a chair that is the same color as the customer's clothing. Then, Flo must take their orders, send the order to the kitchen, deliver the food, give the group the check, and clean the table for new customers. There is hardly ever only one group of customers at a time, so the player must use time management in order to keep all of the customers happy. Each group of customers has a row of hearts at their table in order to show their mood. If the mood drops low enough, the customers will leave and players lose money. However, if the customers remain happy, they will stay and tip well. Each level has a money goal that one must reach in order to continue on to the next level. As the player moves from level to level, they are able to select new upgrades for the restaurant. New elements are also added such as spills or desert in different levels in order to make the game more challenging and interesting. The player also has the option of playing a "continuous shift" where there are no levels or story. Players just continue to play to see how much money they can earn.
At certain levels in the game, Flo hires an assistant. In these levels, the only goal is to make more money than her assistant. It incorporates a new element of friendly competition into the game instead of always going against the clock.
Expansion Packs
There are three themed expansion packs that can be bought separately, also featuring Flo & Grandma:
- Seasonal Snack Pack: Coral Cove Cafe, Crypt Cafe, Hometown Harvest, Winter Wonderland & Romantic Rendezvous
- Flo Through Time: The Caveman Cafe, Pharaoh's Feast, All Knight Diner, Buccaneer Bistro & Snack to the Future
- Once Upon a Diner: 1001 Bites, Through the Cooking Glass, Fee Fi Flo Fun, The Dash Slipper & Munchkin Lunchkin