Put your kitchen skills to the test
Perfect Slices is a simple mobile game that will take you from line cook to a Michelin-star chef, and all it takes is a single touch. Players will use an arsenal of knives and kitchen tools to chop up a variety of produce and other ingredients as they move towards the screen on a conveyor belt. The catch is you'll need to use precision, timing, and killer reflexes to make sure you can pass a slew of levels that get harder as you progress. Ready to boost your kitchen skills and become the next master chef?
Slice, dice, and mince in this mobile game
Keep your knives sharp and your reflexes sharper.
Perfect Slices puts you in the role of a knife-wielding chef. An endless conveyor belt of food is coming right towards you, and your goal is to chop up enough ingredients to complete the required dish. One press on the touch screen and you’ll be chopping veggies with enough finesse to give Gordon Ramsay a run for his money. The knife will continue to chop as long as you continue to press the screen. There’s a catch, though: the levels become progressively harder. You’ll have to deal with increasing speed and obstacles that can slow down your chopping if hit. If you don't slice the required amount of ingredients at the end of the level, that's game over, and you'll need to replay the level again.
The game's visual style enhances the overall gameplay. Perfect Slice's graphics are vibrant and colorful. Aside from being pleasing to look at, they also make it easy to identify the ingredients as they come towards you. For a game with a minimal interface, the bright colors and easily identifiable shapes aren't just for show: they actually help you improve at the game. Even after playing a single level, it's easy to see why Perfect Slices is so addictive. Levels are short and simple, which makes it easy to start another... and another, and one more after that. Every level ends with a reward of coins. The amount of coins you're awarded is based on your performance, so perfectionists can replay older levels to shoot for a perfect score... and more loot. You can cash in your coins at the in-game shop to buy a variety of unlockables. These unlockables include new ingredients, as well as new knives and kitchen tools. Though you’ll earn coins automatically by playing, like most mobile games you can take advantage of in-app purchases to obtain coins and items whenever you need them. Every few levels, you'll also have the option to watch an ad to snag extra bonuses in addition to the usual reward of coins.
Watching an ad sounds like a simple way to obtain some bonus content, but after seeing the number of ads already present in the game, you may think twice. At first, the ads are relatively unobtrusive, appearing in a few places on the menu screen and in video form after every few levels you play. As you progress further in the game, however, the ads will increase in frequency until you're being forced to watch an ad after each individual level. This significantly slows down an otherwise fast-paced game, and being forced to view the oftentimes lengthy ads detracts from the game experience overall. The only way to avoid the ads is to purchase the paid version of the app.
Ads aside, the touch timing can also feel delayed during gameplay. Though it doesn't always occur, there was a small but perceivable lag between the moment of touching the screen and when the knife began chopping away. On the lower levels, this isn't a major problem. On the more difficult levels where timing and rhythm become crucial factors, this lag can start to interfere with the game. It's only a minor delay, but it can feel frustrating if it causes you to fail a level.
Though Perfect Slices is good for some no-frills fun and a great time killer, it isn't overly difficult. Despite difficulty increasing at the higher levels, it never feels to be truly challenging. For more casual gamers, the lack of difficulty shouldn't be a problem. The fact that Perfect Slices isn't too hard is what makes it so fun and addictive. On the other hand, it might feel like a let-down to gamers who prefer a true test of skill or are looking for a more rewarding experience.
Where can you run this program?
Perfect Slices is available as both a paid and free download for Android and iOS devices.
Is there a better alternative?
Gameplay-wise, Perfect Slices is fairly unique. If you want a different variety of produce-based violence, give the classic app Fruit Ninja a try. You'll be slicing and dicing fruit just like in Perfect Slices, but you'll be using a samurai sword to do so. If you’re looking for a mobile game with a little more depth and challenge to it, Temple Run is worth checking out. Though the concept and gameplay are different, it’s just as addictive as Perfect Slices and offers a higher difficulty level to gamers who like a bit more challenge.
Our take
Perfect Slices is an excellent game to wile away some spare time. It seems to be tailor-made to play while waiting for a bus or taking a lunch break. It's addicting, and the easy gameplay and treasure trove of unlockable items will keep you coming back for more... provided, of course, that you can withstand the barrage of ads.
Should you download it?
Yes. Overall, Perfect Slices isn't a standout or remarkable mobile game, but it does have a few good aspects that make it worth a download for more casual mobile gamers.
