Developer: G5 Entertainment
Price: $6.99
Version Reviewed: 1.1
Device Reviewed On: iPad 2
Ever wanted to be a manager of a hotel? Me neither. Then again, I don’t want to be a waitress or shop assistant but it didn’t stop me enjoying Diner Dash and Supermarket Mania. G5 Entertainment has the knack of creating time management games set around potentially mundane scenarios, yet still providing plenty of fun. It’s no different when it comes to Jane’s Hotel 2: Family Hero.
New to the iPad, players take the role of Jane, a hotel manager who presumably succeeded well in the first game, which is why she now has to successfully turn around the fortune of four hotels in this game.
Much like other G5 games, a comic book story provides the background but mostly, players won’t care why they need to do something. The fun comes in managing all the tasks appropriately. Typical time management elements are there. Players have to help customers as they arrive at the hotel while also serving them drinks, cleaning their rooms and fixing various problems around the hotel. A team of assistants are involved such as a maid to clean the rooms and a porter that fixes things, but it’s down to the player to order them around.
Upgrades and decorations are available to buy, ensuring customers are happier or more willing to part with their money. These range from the pleasant looking such as new paintings to the practical such as faster shoes for Jane. Everything leads towards passing the minimum high score as well as progressing to the next level.
Annoyingly, money doesn’t transfer over to the next level, unlike in other time management games, which ruins the player’s strategy in saving money for expensive purchases. It’s a small touch but one that’s handy while trying to save for certain purchases.
Ultimately though, Jane’s Hotel 2: Family Hero is a steady and reliable time management game. Like other titles from G5 Entertainment, it might not revolutionize but it will entertain, even if it is a little pricey.