Meredith Sweet

Every now and again, it’s good to take a break from all those first-person shooters, monster-thrashing RPGs, and gem-matching puzzles. Enter the world of casual games, where companies like PlayFirst and Big Fish excel. Sure, a lot of their games are the same type of casual game, just in a newer, shinier package, but they can be surprisingly addictive and fun to play, like PlayFirst’s “Gotcha! Celebrity Secrets.”  I picked it up because PlayFirst offered me a $2.99 game from their selection of already low-priced games. I decided to pick the one where the protagonist looked suspiciously familiar….

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Meredith Sweet

In the words of the late, great Harry Snyder (founder of In-N-Out Burger, in case you didn’t know), “Do one thing, and do it well.” Some game companies have unofficially adopted this credo, namely PlayFirst, the makers of the mega-popular Diner Dash series of games. The bulk of their games are based off the same premise as Diner Dash and its successors: meet the criteria given to you by a picky customer. Meet it fast, and meet it while you’re also sweeping the floor, cleaning up tables/racks/counters, and letting others in. Whether you’re Flo in a diner or Sophie, the 1940s perfumer, the concept is basically the same. The vast majority of their games fall into this “time management” genre, although there have been a few notable titles (including spin-offs of their hit time management games) that add mystery, puzzle-solving, and adventuring to the list.

PlayFirst recently partnered with Big Fish Games, maker of Penny Dreadfuls: Sweeney Todd and Expedition: Everest and other “casual” games in many of the same genres as PlayFirst’s own titles.

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