Cake Mania 3 tips, tricks, and review

Without a doubt, this is the best sequel I’ve seen so far this year! (Cake Mania, and Cake Mania 2, in case you’ve missed them!) Unlike Cake Mania 2, this third installment in the series has really added a lot of extras that haven’t been seen before. There are mini games between every 5 or 6 levels, you get to choose the order in which you explore those levels (in a different way than the oh-so-confusing CM2 way!)… and so much more.

Cake Mania 3 has 6 different locations; Ancient China, Merry ol’ England, Ancient Egypt, Stone Age, Revolutionary France, and a surprise 6th world after you’ve completed all the rest. Each location, or “world” has 15 levels, for a total of 90 levels. Perhaps the most overlooked new feature of this game is the fact that you can now move your kitchen appliances around. This is really helpful in setting up your game to make a huge difference in your efficiency! The order in which you visit each world is completely up to you, but once you’ve started a world, there’s no turning back.

Although you do have the option to “restart” levels, you cannot “replay them” after you’ve chosen to continue… so if you’re going for all “Super” stars of achievement… restart before you continue, or face starting the game over!

There are over 30 new customer types in this game, with a few surprises thrown in to the mix. Each world has one really “bad guy” that will make it almost impossible for you to complete the level without paying him/her the respect they deserve! To offset the increased difficulty of this game, and the new “bad guys”, you are given a bonus item in each world that’s designed to give you the help you need to make it through. This adds a great balance to a difficult game, making the challenge fun, instead of uber frustrating.

Another addition to this game is the “Sugar Rush”. Unlike the Diner Dash games, “chaining” events doesn’t earn you extra bonus cash, instead, performing actions in groups of three will gain you an “automatic” bonus, where your cakes, and preparations happen instantly. (Compare this to the “Fiesta” mode in the new Turbo Fiesta game.) The first time you successfully perform three identical actions (decorate three cakes in a row, pick up three tips in a row, etc.), a progress bar appears at the top of the screen; when that bar is full, you’ve achieved “Sugar Rush”, and everything you do is completed instantly. This lasts for a limited time, and then you can start the progress bar all over again, to achieve an unlimited amount of Sugar Rush bonuses per level.

The graphics have been upgraded to include “high detail”, and 3D options that you can turn off if your computer’s graphics card can’t handle them. A visit to the “options” page is always a good idea. If you have any graphics issues at all, I suggest turning these features off, and restarting the game. Doing so won’t change the game play at all, it will just look a little different, and if you were having issues, it will look a LOT better! LOL I didn’t have any issues with this game at all, so have played it with all the graphics options on, in the “windowed” mode.

Each world has it’s own music, which for the most part is directly associated with the theme of that world. There was only one world where I found the music to be annoying to the point of frustration, so I simply went to the options page to turn it down, almost muted completely. Since the sound FX and music are adjustable separately, this had no impact on game play at all. I often turn off music in time management games because the frenzied tempo of the music is meant to stress you out!

Because there is so much that is new and different about this game, I’m going to start you off with some basic tips (most of which will work in any Cake Mania game), and then I’ll list some specifics for each of the five first worlds. I’ll be updating this post as I perfect my strategy, so this is one you may want to bookmark!

Basic Tips for all levels

Right click a cake while you have another in your hand, and they will trade places. Learning to master this shortcut will change the way you play this game, for the better!

Chain events three in a row to fill up the Sugar Rush bar. Sugar Rush is great when you have a lot of customers with complicated orders, as everything is made as soon as you order it. This power up can be activated numerous times per level… as often as you can fill that blue bar at the top of the screen, so try to do things in threes; hand out three menus in a row, hand out three cakes in a row, pick up three tips in a row, frost three cakes in a row, etc.

People with double orders gain hearts after you give them their first item. Use this to keep them happy while you serve others with only one order.

Customers that order a cake and a drink gain hearts after you give them one of their orders, use that to make them wait longer while you serve others.

Use your TV. Buy one if you haven’t yet. The TV will add hearts to your customers, keeping them happy longer. Each customer type has a favorite channel, and will only gain hearts if you hit the right one. Remember which channel works for each customer, and you’ve got it made! Beware: There are customers that stubbornly change the channel to their favorite anytime you click the TV, so you’ll need to use your cookie treats to keep others happy while this customer is in your shop. (Ancient China has one of these bad guys!)

Taking phone orders can give you extra money you may need. Remember that NOT answering the phone does not penalize you, so don’t be afraid not to answer it if you’re already too frazzled.

Play the mini games if you haven’t done so… you earn extra money for upgrades through them. Don’t rush through the mini games… the better you do, the more money you get… restart, or redo it before you finish because you only get one chance at this easy money.

If your store is about to close, pick up your tips fast to get as many people in the door as possible… more customers means more money.

Customers with menus can be given a cookie to increase their hearts. Give them a cookie without clicking them again so that you don’t give them a menu, and finish the other customer’s orders. this will help you chain three things more to get sugar rush.

The music and/or sound effects is designed to stress you out. If it effects you in this way, go to options and turn it off.

Upgrades:
You can use the arrow keys on every pop up in the upgrade store to “skip” an upgrade level if you have the money… you don’t have to buy the purple one before you buy the silver one, for example.

Cake toppers can add $15 – 40 per cake, so save up to buy one or two asap!

If you only have one oven, and one froster, this will limit your customer’s choices, making it easier to handle their requests. Combine this with a TV, and the faster shoes from the store, and you’ve got a winning combination that can easily get you through the first three worlds while you save money for the “Gold” upgrades.

I guess that’s enough for now… I’ll delve into the individual worlds more later. I didn’t realize how long this post was already! When all is said and done, this is a great time management game! Lots to do, and more challenging than others that have come out recently. So very worth the $6.99 that our Game Club members pay for the full version!

Feel free to comment, and let me know what to include in the next tips and tricks post! What worlds are giving you a hard time? What strategies do you use to make the game more fun? What’s your favorite mini game?

More Tips available here:

Customer types and tips for Cake Mania 3
Tips for Ancient China level in Cake Mania 3

Happy gaming!

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