Customer Reviews (500)

Princess891 • 2025-03-28T16:44:59-07:00

Love this game super addicting and you don’t have to spend money to have fun

mrskrs1 • 2025-03-27T20:10:34-07:00

Great game,

seriously??????????? • 2025-03-27T09:23:51-07:00

I loved playing this game for almost a year. Finally had it with the constant exploitation. For as long as ive been playing, they have a button in that place where you have to hit it (you know, right where the play again button is) that costs 20 of their premium currency to continue if you fail. For reference, it takes 23 of it to upgrade 1/3 of the ten different items you need to progress. They market their “deals” as “75% off.” But thats only if you dont buy it. If you dont spend any money at all, you can get the same “great deal” for half that price later on. If you are a loyal player, the price of their “great deals” just keeps going up. For example, you can pay $5 to get 100 rubies and 20000 coins first time, but $10 the nexttime and $20 the next. And its like that with all their packages. Its so ridiculous and greedy it makes me ill.

Summary of Key Insights

Cooking Diary is a generally well-received cooking simulation game, praised for its engaging gameplay, customizable features, and lack of forced ads. However, a significant portion of users express frustration with the game's monetization strategy, particularly the high cost and scarcity of "rubies," which are essential for upgrading restaurants and progressing through later levels. Many users feel pressured to spend real money to advance. There are also recurring reports of game crashes, especially after updates, and an excessive number of pop-up offers. The overall sentiment is mixed; while many find the game addictive and fun, the pay-to-win aspects and technical issues significantly detract from the user experience for others. Quantitatively, the app has a relatively high rating (dominated by 5-star reviews), but the large number of 1- and 2-star reviews highlight the presence of serious, recurring problems.

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
  • Time Frame: Reviews appear to be current, spanning recent months and even days from the time of analysis (October 12, 2024).
  • Analysis Methods: The analysis was primarily qualitative, involving keyword extraction, sentiment identification (positive, negative, mixed), and thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and issues within the user reviews. Quantitative data (star rating distribution) was used to support the qualitative findings.

Key User Pain Points

  • Ruby Scarcity and Cost: The most frequent complaint is the difficulty in acquiring rubies without spending real money. Users feel that the game becomes "pay-to-win" at higher levels, as upgrades are essential for progression, and rubies are required for those upgrades.
  • Aggressive Monetization: Users are bombarded with pop-up offers to buy gems and other in-game items, making the game feel overly commercialized and intrusive. The "are you sure?" confirmation after declining an offer is particularly irritating.
  • Game Crashes and Bugs: A significant number of users report game crashes, especially after updates. The level 6 crash is a recurring issue.
  • Time-Gated Upgrades: The long wait times for upgrades, or the need to watch numerous ads for instant delivery, are frustrating for users.
  • Premature Level Ending: Some users report the game ending prematurely, even with time remaining on the clock, preventing them from achieving their goals.
  • Lack of Quests/Achievements: Some users are not getting quests or achievements making it difficult to earn rubies.

Frequently Requested Features

  • More Ways to Earn Rubies: Users consistently request more opportunities to earn rubies within the game, such as through level completion, daily tasks, or by exchanging coins for rubies.
  • Option to Exchange Coins for Rubies: Many users have a surplus of coins but a shortage of rubies, and would like the ability to convert them.
  • More Customization Options: Some users would like more options for clothing, hairstyles, and avatar decorations.
  • Collect All Button: Users have requested a "collect all" button to collect coins from township restaurants easier.
  • Emoji Support in Chat: Users want to be able to use emojis in the in-game chat.
  • Pause Timed Boosters: Users want timed boosters to pause when the game is paused.
  • Cookbook: Users want a real-world cookbook based on the in-game recipes.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Engaging Gameplay: Users find the game addictive, fun, and relaxing.
  • No Forced Ads: Many users appreciate the absence of forced advertisements (although the pop-up offers are still a concern).
  • Customizable Characters and Restaurants: Users enjoy the ability to personalize their avatars and decorate their restaurants.
  • Guild System: The guild system fosters a sense of community and provides helpful bonuses.
  • Storyline: The game's storyline is intriguing and keeps players engaged.
  • Graphics and Animation: The game's graphics and animation are generally well-received.
  • Regular Updates: Many users appreciate the regular updates and new content.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Address Game Crashes and Bugs: Investigate and fix the recurring game crashes, especially the level 6 crash and crashes after updates. Impact: Critical. Prevents users from playing the game.
  • Rebalance Ruby Economy: Increase the availability of rubies through in-game activities and reduce the cost of upgrades. Impact: High. Reduces the "pay-to-win" feeling and improves player satisfaction.
  • Reduce Pop-Up Offers: Decrease the frequency and intrusiveness of pop-up offers, and remove the "are you sure?" confirmation. Impact: High. Improves the user experience and reduces frustration.

Medium Priority:

  • Implement Coin-to-Ruby Exchange: Allow players to exchange their excess coins for rubies. Impact: Medium. Provides a valuable use for coins and addresses ruby scarcity.
  • Add More Ruby Earning Opportunities: Introduce new ways to earn rubies, such as through daily tasks, achievements, or level completion bonuses. Impact: Medium. Provides more options for free-to-play users.
  • Improve Upgrade System: Reduce wait times for upgrades, or provide more options to speed them up without spending rubies. Impact: Medium. Makes progression less tedious.
  • Fix Clock Issues: Address the reported issues of the game ending prematurely. Impact: Medium. Prevents unfair losses and frustration.

Low Priority:

  • Add Customization Options: Expand the options for character customization, such as clothing, hairstyles, and avatar decorations. Impact: Low. Enhances personalization but is not critical to gameplay.
  • Implement Collect All Button: Add a "collect all" button for township restaurants. Impact: Low. Improves convenience but is not essential.
  • Add Emoji Support: Enable emoji support in the in-game chat. Impact: Low. Enhances communication but is not critical.
  • Pause Timed Boosters: Implement a pause feature for timed boosters. Impact: Low. Improves fairness for players who need to pause the game.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Cooking Diary Companion App: A separate app that provides tips, strategies, and a community forum for Cooking Diary players.
  • Real-World Cookbook: A physical or digital cookbook featuring recipes inspired by the dishes in the game.
  • Cooking Game Guild Management Platform: A platform that helps Cooking Diary guild leaders manage their members, track progress, and coordinate events.
  • Cooking Diary Inspired Merchandise: Products such as clothing, stickers, or accessories featuring characters or elements from the game.

Trends and Observations

  • Monetization Backlash: There is a clear trend of increasing frustration with the game's monetization strategy over time, with many long-time players expressing disappointment in recent changes.
  • Update-Related Issues: Many negative reviews are directly linked to recent updates, suggesting that the development team needs to improve its testing and quality assurance processes.
  • Language Preference: Most reviews are in English, with a few in Spanish, Korean, and Russian.
  • "Pay-to-Win" Perception: The perception that the game is becoming increasingly "pay-to-win" is a major concern that could lead to player attrition.

Conclusion

Cooking Diary has a solid foundation as an engaging and customizable cooking simulation game. However, its monetization strategy and technical issues are undermining the user experience and creating negative sentiment. By addressing the prioritized action recommendations, particularly those related to ruby scarcity, aggressive monetization, and game crashes, the developers can significantly improve player satisfaction and ensure the long-term success of the game. The overall recommendation is to focus on rebalancing the game's economy to be more fair and less reliant on in-app purchases, while also prioritizing bug fixes and performance improvements.

Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cooking-diary-restaurant-game/id1214763610?uo=2