Serving Up the Berries- A Guide to Berry Bash

The inhabitants of Mystery Island have come up with a wonderful new game. It is called Berry Bash and is dashing good fun. I say dashing as that is what the Kougra you control does for kicks. Rufus the Kougra has a very important occupation. His job is to feed the many hungry customers berries grown on Mystery Island.

The Customers

Tourists

These guests are quite patient. They are too busy enjoying the sights of Mystery Island to complain. You can take your time serving them. Which gives you time to attend to more picky clientele.

Mystery Island Natives

The natives can get restless if you take too long serving them. They know their island very well. When you serve them efficiently, they may tell you about new berries to be found. They aren't very good tippers but are great conversationalists.

Island Elders

By far the most picky of all your customers. They expect immediate royal service and much prefer to be seated with like-minded elders. You will even see them turn to talk to one another. Elders have a lot to discuss, apparently, and do not wish to shout across the table. They are very busy folks and get cranky quickly if not attended properly.

Controls

The controls are quite simple. You only use the left mouse button in this game.

To Seat a Guest

Click and hold your left mouse button to pick up a guest standing in line. Scroll your mouse to the seat you wish them to sit. Release the left mouse button to tuck them into the table. This is called drag and drop.

To Serve a Guest

Click the left mouse button over the customers face you wish to serve. You will see their order appear in a balloon over their head. The fruit they wish to eat will grow in the bush at the bottom of the screen. It won't take long now. *taps foot* Ahh, see the fruit has now grown from the bush. Click your left mouse button while hovering over the fruit. You have now collected it. A little hint here: you can carry two pieces of fruit at a time. Click the guest's face to serve them the berry they selected.

To Clean up after a Guest

When the guest is done eating, there will be crumbs in front of them on the table. Click the left mouse button while hovering over their face. Rufus will automatically brush crumbs off of the table. The guest leaves when the table is clean. Now the table is ready for another customer.

As you can see, the controls are quite simple. Mastering the game is another berry!

Fruits

Ah, the delicious fruits of Mystery Island! Your customers can't get enough of them. I did my best to try and identify all the fruits that are served. However, some fruits listed cannot be identified at this time. Why? They have not been released yet in Neopia!

???

This one resembles a Lemwart, though the pictures don't quite match perfectly. I would say, it is not a Lemwart, but some unique fruit yet to be discovered. It is yellow with a green leafy stem.

Gruish Melon

A orange and blue hairy fruit that is said to be quite yummy.

???

This fruit has not been released yet. It is blue with purple stripes, has a split down the middle, and you can see yellow seeds inside.

Banan

A yellow long fruit with a stem. Doesn't it look tasty?

???

This fruit is also not released yet. It is blue with purple spines. Quite pretty vines hang down from its stem.

Scoring

Tourists

Seating a Tourist is worth 4 points.

Taking their order is worth 8 points.

Feeding the Tourist is worth 12 points.

Mystery Island Natives

Seating a Native is worth 2 points.

Taking their order is worth 4 points.

Feeding the Native is worth 6 points.

Mystery Island Elders

Seating an Elder is worth 6 points.

Taking their order is worth 12 points.

Feeding an Elder is worth 18 points.

I am sorry to say, I get in such a frenzy playing that I forget to check the points for clearing the table. Rufus is a really busy Kougra! I believe there may be a higher point value for fruits served if they are rarer. I also noticed, but cannot confirm, when you take care of many of the same type of guest there may be a multiplier. Which means if you wait on ten Elders in a row you will get more points. This is unconfirmed at this time.

Strategy

You have beaten the game with a score barely over 4000 points. Other Neopians are scoring close to 100,000 without even finishing the game. How can you improve your score, you wonder. Never Fear! I am going to give you some wonderous tips that will greatly improve your score.

Two by Two

This is what I like to call making combos. If you wait on one customer at a time, they begin to pile up in line. They also get agitated and leave if not waited on in a timely fashion. If they leave, they will take a small portion of the score you already earned! So, not only do you lose out on scoring more points, your score earned drops a bit as well. The most efficient way of serving your customers is two at a time. Seat two guests at the table and take their orders one after the other. While you wait for the fruit to bloom, make yourself useful! Seat two more guests or clean up after two guests. Serving berries is all about multi-tasking. Keep Rufus moving and you will see the tips increase significantly.

Don't Bother the Elders

Elders really enjoy the company of other Elders. There is so much Mystery Island business to talk about! Save one half of the table just for them. Think of it as a standing reservation. Make the Tourists wait if the other side of table is already filled. Elders expect prompt service and should always be seated before the Tourists and Natives. Make sure not to seat other guests between them, if possible.

Think Ahead

Try to always think a few steps ahead. That way you can simply click the spot you wish your fleet footed Kougra to travel. Always keep Rufus moving; he can rest when his shift is over. If you take two orders, clean up two guests, and seat two guests, then retrieve the berries. If you keep Rufus moving, the customers will be satisfied.

Try not to Panic

It can be quite hectic when customers are crowding each other in line. They must have heard, Mystery Island has the tastiest berries in all of Neopia! There is no pausing when you discover a new berry. You have to play the entire game in one sitting. Just remember to always be thinking two steps ahead and moving your Kougra while you ponder.

Watch the Heart Meter

Pay close attention to the heart meter above the guests' heads. Try to keep their hearts filled by doing their bidding. If the customers heart meter turns white, they walk away disgusted and you lose points. The happiest guests will have full red hearts. The more hearts, the better the tips.

The Secret to 100,000 points score

I have learned this secret by paying close attention to the fruit meter on the left hand side of the screen. When you clean up after a guest, the meter fills up a little bit. When they walk away due to bad service, it empties some. The trick to getting those high scores is quite simple. Get to the last stage, the one with the purple scaly fruit. At first you should take good care of everyone in line. Wait until your meter is at halfway point, then only wait on the elders. Let everyone else walk away, unless you need a boost to your fruit meter. Don't let the meter fill or empty all the way. It is simply a balancing act. Be prepared to play the game for a couple of hours and you can rack up a score worthy of a trophy!

Berry Bash is a fast paced exciting game. The music is quite soothing and helps you get in the serving mood.

I hope this guide has helped you to understand the game better. Use the strategies to improve your scores a little bit each day. You may even get a trophy for your efforts! I hold a silver Berry Bash Trophy currently, but am going to try for the gold. To my guildmates, you guys cheering me on really helps. Almost there!