Which Waku Waku Sweets is right for you?

The time has come for Nintendo gamers to make a big decision. Which system is right for making sweets? Waku Waku Sweets has made its debut on the Nintendo Switch outside of Japan. But, Waku Waku Sweets: Happy Sweets Making is already available on the Nintendo 3DS in every region. Those names sound awfully familiar, right? And those characters look pretty similar too. What’s going on? Which one of these games might be the right fit?

What is Waku Waku Sweets?

This is a collection of cooking minigames tied together with a story about a young woman who wants to become a master baker and make people happy with the treats she creates. She also has a weird flying rabbit-mascot-friend with impossibly large eyes that follows her around and offers both advice and support. As you can probably guess, this is a game that was designed for players of a certain age.

In the game, you gradually build yourself up and acquire new recipes. This lets you participate in in-game baking competitions and earn money that can be spent on things for your room (unimportant) and recipes (important). Your goal overall is… well… bake and be happy!

The Nintendo 3DS version of the game is $24.99, while the Nintendo Switch version is $39.99.

Are the Nintendo Switch and 3DS versions of Waku Waku Sweets identical?

The two versions of Waku Waku Sweets have a lot in common! In each game, we have the same heroine (Lime) who is working in the same patisserie (Fil Rogue) with the same three coworkers (Hiro, Sho and Tact). She has the same rival (Mint). Both games have over 100 cake, cookie and sweet recipes for her to make, with some repeating as variants of the same recipe that can occasionally have different steps that lead up to a different flavor of a similar dessert. You even start out with the same recipes in each game, with the Chiffon Cake being the first task in each one.

Some of the changes are minor. The translation is a bit different. As one example, the rabbit mascot is called Paffi in the handheld version, but is known as Puffee in the console adaptation. Hiro, Sho and Tact now go by their Japanese names, which are Kazuma, Takeo and Ichiro. The Switch version will likely look and sound a bit crisper, since you are not relying on the 3DS screen and speakers. There are also more customization options. The handheld version just allowed you to change Lime’s hairdo, while the console adaptation allows you to change her outfit too. There is a password system to unlock additional in-game outfits for Lime.

As for the controls, well…

What are the controls like?

The control scheme might be a real determiner here. The 3DS version of Waku Waku Sweets relies completely on the touch screen. Every recipe is made up of a series of steps that requires you to use the stylus to tap, swipe, rub or virtually spin ingredients to create a successful recipe.

With the Nintendo Switch version, Joy-Cons and motion controls appear. Ahead of each segment, the game will show you which button to hold or movement to make with the controller to do the thing. This typically involves holding down the trigger on the Joy-Con while performing some sort of motion that may or may not be repetitive to finish the task. There will also be a reminder in-game if you stop performing an action or remove a finger from a button, letting you know what you should do. These can be turned on or off in the Options menu.