Lemon Cake

About

In "Lemon Cake" , renovate a haunted bakery with the aid of a friendly ghost, unlocking new features and inviting the ghost to help serve customers. Tend to a greenhouse, growing fruits, raising animals, and harvesting ingredients for baking. Mix recipes and bake pastries in the kitchen, using homegrown ingredients for an authentic experience. This game is about running a cozy bakery, growing your own ingredients, and befriending a helpful ghost.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,433 reviews

graphics133 positive mentions

grinding198 negative mentions

Adorable art style and graphics that create a cozy atmosphere.
Engaging gameplay with a satisfying progression system that keeps players motivated.
Fun character customization options and the ability to run a cat cafe adds charm.

Controls can be clunky and imprecise, leading to frustration during gameplay.
The game can become repetitive and grindy, especially in the late game.
Upgrades are often expensive relative to the money earned, making progression feel slow.

graphics
272 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
49%
2%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their adorable and cozy art style, which enhances the overall relaxing atmosphere. Players appreciate the cute, cel-shaded visuals and charming character designs, often noting that the aesthetics evoke nostalgia and provide a delightful backdrop for gameplay. While the graphics are generally considered beautiful and engaging, some users mention that the gameplay can become repetitive, which may detract from the enjoyment of the visuals over time.
- “The graphics are absolutely adorable, with a cozy art style that fits the game’s relaxing tone.”
- “The art style is absolutely adorable, the animation is buttery smooth, and I have encountered zero glitches.”
- “The graphics are super pleasing with bright colors and soft shapes, the story is super cute but not overdone, and the gameplay is engaging.”
- “The visuals are cute, but the gameplay is extremely repetitive and tedious.”
- “The ideas, art style, and general vision for the game are good, but execution lets it down.”
- “Don't be fooled by its cute & wholesome art style and graphics!”
gameplay
225 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
62%
11%
The gameplay of *Lemon Cake* is characterized by its simple mechanics and cozy atmosphere, making it accessible for casual players. However, many reviewers noted that the repetitive nature of tasks can lead to grindiness, detracting from the overall enjoyment, especially during longer play sessions. While the game offers a satisfying progression system and charming visuals, some mechanics feel clunky or frustrating, which can hinder the experience for those seeking more depth or variety in gameplay.
- “The gameplay itself is simple yet satisfying, with just enough challenge to keep you engaged.”
- “The adorable graphics plus surprisingly intense gameplay loop makes for an almost zen-like experience that can suck a lot of time out of you for something so simple.”
- “Lemon cake’s easy-to-learn crafting mechanics, cute characters, and continuous upgrades will satisfy any casual gamer’s sweet tooth.”
- “The gameplay is repetitive, but that isn't a problem if you're a huge fan of cake shop games.”
- “The gameplay got repetitive quickly, which made playing for long periods of time difficult and boring.”
- “The gameplay is extremely repetitive and tedious.”
grinding
198 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate that the game features a significant amount of grinding, which many players find repetitive and tedious, especially as they progress. While some enjoy the grind as part of the gameplay experience, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to frustration and boredom. Overall, the game's charm is often overshadowed by the grindy nature of its mechanics, particularly in the later stages.
- “The game quickly becomes stale and grindy.”
- “I played for the next 2 hours or so, but the slow, grindy pacing quickly killed all the fun out of the game.”
- “It's incredibly grindy and so gets boring very quickly; controls are also bad (it's really hard to interact with the specific thing you want to interact with).”
music
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
6%
The music in the game is generally described as cute, calming, and fitting well with the game's aesthetic, enhancing the overall relaxing experience. However, many users noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time, leading to some frustration during extended play sessions. Despite this, the music is often praised for its ability to create a warm atmosphere and help players manage stress during busy gameplay moments.
- “The music is lovely and often upbeat, though it is relaxing where appropriate.”
- “The soundtrack is so calm and charming, the entire premise is exactly what you want it to be.”
- “The music is amazing and does a great job keeping you immersed, plus the different themes for each part of the day cue you in to when you need to transition from the easy morning to the more intense (but still low pressure) lunch rush.”
- “My frustration was amplified by the music, which speeds up a little during lunch rush but otherwise plays on an endless loop; it quickly goes from cute to dull to annoying.”
- “The music is repetitive and boring.”
- “Sadly the game is lacking in the song department because throughout the entire gameplay, I have been listening to the same song again and again; it was so repetitive that I would rather turn the background music off and listen to a different song on my music player.”
story
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
68%
12%
The story in "Lemon Cake" is generally described as cute and charming, featuring a light narrative about running a haunted bakery with a friendly ghost. However, many players feel that the story is minimal and lacks depth, with repetitive dialogue and little character development, making it feel more like a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a driving force. While some appreciate the simplicity and relaxing nature of the story, others express disappointment over its lack of engagement and progression.
- “If you enjoy intimate games that are about pastries, like a cute little storyline and enjoy relaxing as you let your thoughts drift, this is the game for you.”
- “The graphics are super pleasing with bright colors and soft shapes, the story is super cute but not overdone, and the gameplay is engaging.”
- “The story is wholesome and charming (that little ghost is adorable).”
- “It's missing any kind of storyline to make me care enough to progress.”
- “There really isn’t a lot to do, and to be clear, the entire main story, or what can be called a main story, revolves around you getting the lemon cake recipe which you get at level 38, and only 4.2% of players ever got that far.”
- “There is no story, nothing to work towards really, no tidbit of information you're dying to know or emotional connection to the character.”
emotional
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its adorable and wholesome atmosphere, providing a cozy and heartwarming experience that players find soothing and enjoyable. While some users note a lack of depth in story and emotional connection, the charming graphics and fun gameplay create a delightful escape, making it a perfect choice for stress relief. Overall, it is described as a cute, fun, and addictive game that leaves players feeling uplifted.
- “Such a soothing and heartwarming game.”
- “The story is wholesome and charming (that little ghost is adorable).”
- “It is very comfy and made me feel less sad when times were hard.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as freezing issues and problems with item interactions. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly at times and found the glitches manageable, others experienced game-breaking issues that required restarts. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game is enjoyable, its stability needs significant improvement to enhance the player experience.
- “Super cute game, runs great and the pace isn't too fast or too slow.”
- “The controls are so buggy and messy.”
- “I had to force-quit multiple times because of similar glitches.”
- “There is a game-breaking glitch where after you pick a new recipe after leveling up, everything freezes and I have to restart the game; hope this gets fixed soon.”
atmosphere
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
33%
20%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its cozy and comforting qualities, enhanced by adorable art and pleasant music, reminiscent of titles like Stardew Valley. While many players appreciate the relaxing vibe and simple gameplay, some note that the mechanics can disrupt the intended leisurely experience, leading to moments of frustration. Overall, the game successfully creates a warm and inviting environment, ideal for casual play, despite occasional challenges.
- “I really enjoy the cozy atmosphere of it all.”
- “The art style is adorable, the atmosphere in the game is very comforting, and the gameplay is the perfect amount of simple yet satisfying.”
- “A cute and cartoonish art style and pleasant background music combine to give the game a warm atmosphere that suits a baking game perfectly.”
- “The concept of lemon cake is cute and has a more 'cozy' style atmosphere, but the gameplay mechanics halt that cozy feeling and make the game tedious.”
- “It has a good base concept, but lacks user-friendly gameplay for the relaxed kind of atmosphere it seems to advertise.”
- “But the comfy atmosphere is kind of worn out when you're stuck rotating between chump change menus because people don't like it when you've got blueberry bagels on the board more than twice a week.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly with minimal bugs and offers enjoyable animations, players find the controls clunky and the gameplay lacks depth in terms of meaningful optimization. The experience can feel disjointed due to artificial obstacles, but once players unlock certain features, the game becomes more manageable and rewarding.
- “It's very fun and it runs smoothly, the animation is soooo cute.”
- “Once you get the magic broom and automatic sprinklers, everything runs smoothly.”
- “It's a good idea to manage your time well and plan out how you want your service to run smoothly.”
- “But it also wasn't a deep optimization to the point where that felt rewarding either.”
- “The pace feels clunky and the controls do not feel good, and a lot of things are put here and there like artificial obstacles to optimization.”
- “The main issue is there's not really anything engaging in the continued play outside of those small rewards of optimization.”
monetization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The monetization aspect of the game is praised for its absence of ads and microtransactions, setting it apart from many mobile games that are criticized for being cash grabs. Players appreciate the game's focus on enjoyable gameplay and charming aesthetics without the pressure to spend real money, making it a refreshing alternative in a market saturated with exploitative monetization practices.
- “Perfect for people who love games like Diner Dash or Cake Mania but without the microtransactions or ads - and a whole lot more heart!”
- “That's why I love this game: no ads, very cute graphics, and a charming bakery theme!”
- “These days, everything on the market is either unfulfilling 'click grid' restaurant games that lack a proper time management mechanic, or they're not truly free-to-play mobile games engineered to frustrate users and bleed them dry via microtransactions that would eventually total far more than is sensible to pay for any task management game.”
- “I could be wrong, but it feels like this game was made to be a cash grab.”
- “I'd been playing some mobile games lately but they're all full of ads or very pushy with getting you to pay real money for in-game currency.”
- “These days everything on the market is either those unfulfilling 'click grid' restaurant games that don't have a proper time management mechanic, or they're not-really-f2p mobile games literally engineered to make gameplay as frustrating as possible to bleed users dry via microtransactions that would eventually total far, far more than is sensible to pay for any task management game.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as mixed; while some players find it addictive and enjoyable, others feel it lacks depth and variety, leading to limited replay value. The potential for future updates could enhance its replayability, particularly for younger audiences.
- “I feel that it has a great replay value too - the items in the shop have a high cost but high reward.”
- “Tldr: addicting and fun, very trimmed-down content, not much replay value.”
- “Not much replay value but definitely family friendly for not easily bored children (or those who are a child at heart).”
- “Should the game get some more depth in the simulation area and some replay value through updates, later on, there might be some more percentages in here.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as cute and reminiscent of the GameCube era, featuring funny characters like the mustache inspector bug guy and engaging interactive elements. Players appreciate the wholesome nature of the humor, which enhances the overall enjoyment and encourages continued gameplay.
- “The mustache inspector bug guy is really funny.”
- “Really cute, funny, and well-made game :)”
- “I love the wholesome humor, and the upgrading system makes me want to just keep playing forever to get all the animals and goodies!”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
Character development in the game is highlighted by charming and cute character designs, particularly the ghosts and kitties, which enhance the overall art style. Players appreciate the customizable options that allow for personal expression, making it easy to adapt character designs to their preferences. The simplicity and appeal of the outfits contribute to a welcoming and enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “I love the overall art, character designs, the customizable characters, and how easy it is to pick up and play.”
- “The mechanics are great, the character design is cute, and I appreciate all the work put in.”
- “It's not a big deal; I just translated my usual (male) character design to a feminine version and just played as a girl, and that was nice.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, which diminished my overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “The lack of meaningful choices in character development left me feeling disconnected from the story.”