Disney Dream Treats – a tasty match three Windows Phone game
Disney is becoming a master at developing entertaining, challenging and fun match-three style Windows Phone games. From Frozen Free Fall to Maleficent, these games can be great time consumers. Dream Treats is the latest match-three style game from Disney and joins the collection of quality gaming titles the company offers.
You get to join several popular Disney characters at several global theme park restaurants. You have to create matches from an assortment of desserts and snacks to satisfy hungry patrons. There are over one hundred challenging puzzles to tackle and plenty of player customizations to pick up with the gaming cash you earn.
Dream Treats is available from both the Windows Phone and Windows 10 Stores. In playing the Windows Phone version of Dream Treats over the past few days, it comes across as a fun, casual paced puzzle game worth checking out.
Your first order of business with Disney Dream Treats is to create your gaming character. You can play as a guest or log into your Facebook account to create a profile. You do have an assortment of cartoon heads to choose from for your character or you can use your Windows Phone camera to impose your own mug shot on to the gaming character.
The game's venues span several of Disney's Parks and Resorts, specifically the restaurants at these locations. You have Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at Walt Disney World in Florida, Pizza Planet at Disneyland Paris and the Plaza Inn at Disneyland in California.
The one hundred plus puzzle levels bounce back and forth between these three restaurants and are hosted by the likes of Buzz Lightyear, Ariel, Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Belle. Your first few puzzles will serve as tutorials and as new gaming features come into play, you will be greeted by additional tutorials.
Each puzzle level has a set goal that includes collecting a set number of deserts, removing all the deserts from their wrappers or score a set number of points. You do so by creating matches of three or more of the same type desserts that sit adjacent to one another. Connections can be made horizontally, vertically or diagonally, but you cannot cross or back over a connection.
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To add to the challenge of each puzzle level, you will have a move limit. The fewer the moves, the more bonus points you'll earn.
To help you survive a puzzle level, there is an assortment of power-ups that progressively become available as you advance through the game. For example, Buzz Lightyear has a power-up that will shuffle the playing pieces and there is a hammer available to smash a large portion of the gaming screen.
As you complete puzzle levels, you will earn gaming coins that can be used to buy costumes to customize your gaming character or use the coins to buy additional gaming moves or refill your gaming hearts. Disney Dream Treats operates off a gaming token system to play the game. You have five hearts to begin the game with and if you fail a level, it'll cost you a heart. Hearts are replenished naturally over time or by spending your coins. If you are so inclined to have a healthy coin balance, you increase your balance of coins through in-app purchases.
Overall Impression
Disney has done an excellent job of building up a respectable portfolio of Windows Phone games and while many of them are match-three in style, they all are entertaining titles. Disney Dream Treats is no exception with attractive graphics, challenging game play and a unique venue for the puzzles.
While you do have the Facebook login option, you also have the ability to play as a guest and not have to deal with a Facebook account. My only gripe with the game is with its character customizations. While you can always edit your gaming character with your photo, I could not find a way to change out the cartoon faces. It's not a deal breaker but does mean you need to choose your cartoon head very carefully at the start of the game.
Overall, I found Disney Dream Treats to be an enjoyable addition to the Disney Windows Phone and Windows 10 gaming lineup. I can see it appealing to our younger gamers, as well as our more seasoned gamers who are looking for a casually paced puzzle game.
Disney Dream Treats is a free gaming title with several in-app purchase opportunities. It is currently pulling down a 3 Star rating in the Stores, which is about one star too shy in my opinion. If you give Dream Treats a try, let us know what you think of things in the comments below.
George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.