There is no reason not to play Flo on the Go even if you have already played and enjoyed the previous two Diner Dashes.
This time around, Flo and her friend Darla decide to go on a dream vacation cruise. Unfortunately, Flo's suitcase and its contents are lost, and the only way they have to raise some money for new clothes and to get their vacation back on track is to - you got it - run the restaurant on the cruise ship.
All of the little things that made Diner Dash so popular are here: endless shift, story mode, the variety of customers, the color matching, the extra tools (snacks, drinks, desserts) and upgrades. Some of the features from Diner Dash 2 are also carried on: the phone to call for help, the mop to clean up messes from the families, the cell phone addicts, joggers and bookworms.
Restaurant upgrades are a bit different from before. It's not as customizable as Diner Dash 2, but it's not all complete automatic like in Diner Dash. Throughout the levels you get a few upgrade chances, and you can pick what you want to upgrade first: counter (usually brings a drink station), tables (new look and sometimes more seating), decorations (a painting, a jukebox, pool chairs, etc.).
So what is new exactly?
The first additions to Flo on the Go are two new types of customers: tourists and lovebirds. The tourists are fairly patient people and they randomly ask you to take their picture during their meal. Pictures break chains though, but they make the tourists extremely happy and get you a tip. Lovebirds are couples who smooch a lot and annoy others seating next to them in the process. They won't sit anywhere else other than a table for two.
But you will notice more variety in the customers, even if they are familiar faces. Families aren't the traditional mom, dad, boy and baby exclusive anymore. Sometimes there will be two moms and two babies, other times a dad and his son, and sometimes a mom, dad, boy and senior will come together.
Something I found odd was when the drink station available in a certain stage was a beer tap. I wondered how it would be to serve beer to families, and let me tell you, it was refreshing to see that only the adults drank it. It shows good attention to detail.
In each of the five stages you will have to deal with a turbulence level and a blackout level. During the turbulence, you will have some serious chain-mopping to do. Since mopping breaks chains, it may hinder your score, but at least you can chain mop! The blackout levels are quite challenging since you can only see a small circular area of the screen. The best way to go about it is to first look around at the positioning of the tables and number of seats, and seat the customers in waves. Then just keep monitoring everything constantly (tables and waiting line) and turn the sound up, since you can hear if someone arrives or if there's a spill.
For added challenge, you will have certain levels where customers will only want to be seated in colors matching their outfits.
The game also has a few unlockable bonus levels. If you manage to get an expert score on all ten levels of a given stage, you unlock a secret level. There is one for each stage, and you can see what they consist of once you unlock the first one.
Obviously, and since the restaurant duties are being carried on to get Flo some new clothes, there is a cute part of the game entitled Flo's Closet. So now you get to play dress-up with Flo, customizing her wardrobe for every shift, everything from pants, skirts, capris, shoes, sunglasses, aprons, shirts and hats. You gradually unlock new styles and colors of clothing for Flo, and I personally love mixing and matching the pieces I have available in my game to make her outfit match her surroundings (a sailor shirt on a submarine, how delightfully perfect!).
A very nice addition to the levels is the animated background. Since Flo's trip takes place on a cruise, a train, a submarine, a blimp and even a spaceship, it's nice to see something giving it the sense of movement, be it islands, clouds or stars passing by. The music is also fitting for each of the stages and sets the environment perfectly: a Caribbean beat for the cruise, retro rock for the blimp, some funky space-age sounds for the rocket ship.
There is no reason not to play Flo on the Go even if you have already played and enjoyed the previous two Diner Dash titles. There are new features, greater challenges and bonus levels, with the added bonus of having a cute dress-up game.
Besides, it's Flo we're talking about here, how can you not come to her aid once more? Just go download the trial already!
Review text part of Grrlgamer.com. Full text and screenshots at http://www.grrlgamer.com/review.php?g=floonthego