Freshly Frosted (PC/PS5) Game Review – A devilishly delicious brain teaser

A devilishly delicious brain teaser

When it comes to puzzle games, sometimes simplicity is the key. Freshly Frosted isn’t particularly new in regards to its game design but it excels in using the tools at its arsenal to deliver a clever and devilishly delicious puzzler that’ll give your brain a proper workout.

The premise is simple. You’re in charge of a doughnut factory and must make specific doughnuts across conveyor belts to the counter on the other side. Some require simply moving from point A to point B, but others require you to add sprinkles and frosting first.

It sounds simple enough and for the first couple of puzzles it is. However, as the levels progress (all 144 of them!) these mechanics constantly evolve and will challenge you to really think about where you’re placing the conveyors to make the correct style of doughnut.

To begin with, doughnuts must have toppings in a particular order; frosting first, then sprinkles, then cream and eventually a cherry on top. Sometimes you only need to include frosting and sprinkles, others require everything, and these belts might be at opposite sides of the playing grid.

This simple premise then progressively becomes more challenging as elements like teleporters, splitters and even fixed conveyor belts make things a lot more challenging. In fact, the levels that’ll cause you the biggest problems generally tend to have the largest playing space and you’ll likely find yourself scratching your head to try and figure out where everything goes.

While line puzzles aren’t new in this space – especially given the old Amiga games had been playing with this concept  since the 80’s – the tight gameplay and simple but challenging puzzle design is partly why this game works so well. It offers something refreshingly simple but moreish – just like a doughnut!

Placing blocks down is simple, with buttons for undoing and even wiping the entire playing field. Furthermore, there’s a fast forward button to speed up the doughnut factory once you’ve completed a puzzle – and even an Impatient Mode, which skips those animations completely.

Personally, watching the doughnut factory come to life after you’ve solved a particularly difficult puzzle is part of the allure here. The machines work in-sync with the beats of the music, cleverly playing out the sound of claps or hi-hats, depending on what level you’re playing. It’s such a clever idea and one that just adds to the charm of this game.

Aesthetically, Freshly Frosted looks great too, with wildly bright visuals and a chilled soundtrack working to give this some flair. The narration is also a key component to the game’s success too and unlike the grating voice of something like Biomutant, the female vocal is soothing and surprisingly fitting for the game.

Freshly Frosted isn’t the most innovative title of 2022, but it is easily one of the best puzzlers. It’s armed with a simple premise, but the way the gameplay constantly evolves, along with a near-perfect difficulty curve throughout, makes this doughnut factory tick at every turn. This one’s a must-play.