[Review] Cake Invaders - Nintendo Switch

Developed By: Zoo Corporation
Published By: Eastasiasoft
Categories: Tower Defense, Shooter
Release Date: 01.26.22

You ever play a game and the first thought that comes to mind is how simple it is? Cake Invaders is one of those games. It feels like a very old school arcade game or a game I’d play on Newgrounds, though much prettier. And I wouldn’t say this is a bad thing.

Aliens, invaders are hungry. They desire Baumkuchen, a ring, layered like a log cake from Germany, also popular in Japan. These aliens are invading Japan to get that cake and you’re gonna stop them, it’s your cake! You’re going to have to shoot them out of the sky. Baumkuchen must be defended, don’t let them eat it all, it’s the one thing keeping them from truly invading.

Cake Invaders is at it’s core, an endless shooter. You get stages of a handful of waves of different aliens, a very small break to tally up score, then you continue. Every five stages comes a bonus stage with golden aliens. On the odd occasion, you’ll be able to shoot down specific aliens to get power ups. These include stronger shots, more help in the form of the other girls around you shooting, and even special kinds of bullets. Though outside of those powerups to grant more people shooting at once, the most important might be the ones that recover a layer of the Baumkuchen that got destroyed. Consider this like a healing item, though if you yourself get struck, it’s over. Your helpers die if touched as well.

I found that the game has an odd way of balancing difficulty. Alone in the beginning with no powerups, I had much more trouble than I did even in later stages with a full arsenal. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get much harder. I just seemed to come in spurts.

I mentioned that Cake Invaders is really like a old school game, for multiple generations and I really did mean it. But it doesn’t stop a game from being fun, quite the contrary. I will say this can showcase the one big issue I have with the game and it’s the fact you’re going to hear the same music ad-nauseum. Looping again and again and again. Considering this game is more or less endless, you can imagine it becomes an issue.

Don’t go into Cake Invaders expecting something that’s deep or full of content, you’ll be getting the wrong kind of game. If you don’t, you’re really going to like this game, as soon as you get used to aiming a bit, then you’ll be golden. It almost makes me want to use a flightstick controller to try it out. For how cheap the game sells for, and how cute it is, you’re in for a good time though. Try your best to top the leader boards, I know I will.