Three Times Game Developers Turned to Confectionary for Inspiration

If you’re reading this you’re probably a gamer. And if you’re a gamer, then there’s a distinct possibility that you are more than familiar with how an array of well-chosen snacks can elevate a session into an all-around good time.

What’s your preferred foodstuff? Is it deep-fried chicken, potato chips, or maybe you’re more of a hummus and carrot stick kind of gamer? We don’t judge! There’s also, of course, a whole world of foodstuffs for those with a sweet tooth. From chocolate to candy, sodas, and ice cream, sometimes it seems like sugar spikes and gaming are a match made in heaven.

In light of this, it should come as no surprise that, more than once, creative game studios have sought to harness the delights of sugar snacks in service of novel gameplay experiences. From candy-reeled jackpots to anthropomorphic cake combat, if you’re on the lookout for a game to satisfy that sugar craving, we’ve got you covered below!

Cake Bash

Indie English developers High Tea Frog made a real splash with the release of their inaugural title, Cake Bash, back in 2020. This deceptively simple party game has up to four players face off against one another in a host of amusing and novel miniature arenas. Take your pick of combatants from among a surprising array of desserts ranging from doughnuts to tiramisu and millionaires shortbread.

The core game mode has you battling it out to knock other cakes off raised cake stand arenas, though that’s only the beginning of the fun. There are an impressive number of game modes here to keep you coming back for more. 

Among our favorites are those that pit you against your friends in a smores roasting competition – don’t overdo it or yours will promptly burst into flame – and one where you must compete to cover your character in the most sprinkles before the time runs out. Oh, and watch out for the rogue hungry pigeons that threaten to descend at any moment and carry your character off into oblivion.

Sweet Bonanza

One could easily make the case that the slots genre has by far the longest claim to sugary gaming collaborations. After all, since the very first mechanical slots began to see the light of day at the outset of the 20th century, their colorful reels have long been adorned with nature’s candy – fruit. It is, of course, from this that they get one of their many names – the fruit machine. 

However, in the intervening 100+ years, technology has come a long way and now the most popular way to play slots is through their wholly digital online iterations. In fact, slots are now considered to be the most popular video game in the world thanks to their enduring appeal and accessible gameplay.

Among this delectable mix of modern slots, you’ll find Sweet Bonanza, a 6 reel, 5 pay line slot by industry mainstays Pragmatic Play. Set in a fantastical Candyland, Sweet Bonanza douses you with saccharine thrills through its many and various candy concoctions serving as reel symbols. However, this is one game that won’t spoil your dinner – you simply need to peer below the surface to find a substantial and well-polished game that has already come to be considered a modern classic of the format.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Somewhat of a blast from the past, this game adaptation developed by High Voltage Software was released in combination with Tim Burton’s take on the popular Roald Dahl tale on the original Xbox and other 6th-generation consoles. Though if you can track down a copy, you’ll soon find it holds up surprisingly well today and features all the best bits of Burton’s sugar-coated spooky aesthetic. 

The core of the game sees you take control of Charlie as he finds himself lost deep inside Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. With the help of the legendary Oompa Loompas, you must navigate your way through a series of compelling platformer levels replete with brain-teasing puzzles to achieve your goal of righting the malfunctioning factory.