By now, you’ve probably had more than your fill, pun somewhat intended, of mobile time management games that take place in restaurants, bakeries, and the like. Maggie’s Movies is a new time management game for iOS and Android, and in here, you will be managing movie theaters instead of preparing dishes and serving restaurant customers like you probably did in Diner Dash and/or a whole slew of related titles. Your goal is to help the game’s titular character, Maggie, become a movie director in Hollywood, as you play through 72 story levels and 21 challenge levels, and handle all the “behind the scenes drama,” which may include, but not be limited to jealous co-workers and celebrities with attitude problems. There are six different locations, a variety of trophies, and different non-playing characters to meet in this game, so what are you waiting for? This could be the new twist on time/business management games you’ve been waiting for.
While helping an aspiring director make her first movie and helping her manage a movie theater sounds like great fun, it also is a lot of work. Not everyone will pick up this game’s mechanics right away, and there are sure to be some challenges as you progress through the game. But you need not worry too much about all of this, as our Maggie’s Movies strategy guide covers all the main aspects of the game, ensuring you will, at the very least, feel a lot less lost as you make your way through things.
1. More Points Means More Stars
Points are probably the most important unit in Maggie’s Movies, as these are going to earn you stars in each level. This should probably go without saying, but the more points you earn, the more stars you can receive. You will find out, however, that it will take you a progressively higher amount of points to earn a perfect three stars as you complete more levels in the game; at first, you’ll only need a few hundreds, but over time, you will be asked to earn several thousands of points to three-star a level. Make sure you’re always grabbing the opportunity to earn more points, as it could get difficult once you’ve already made it through several levels!
2. String Together Combos To Earn More Points
Now how can you earn more points in the levels without breaking a sweat? Well, we would say that “without breaking a sweat” may be stretching things a bit, but the best way to earn a lot of points quickly is to string combos together. That would mean delivering orders to, or cashing out multiple customers at the same time; basically, stringing together a combo means performing the same action at least a few times in a row.
We’ve noticed that the best chance to do this is by cashing customers out or punching their tickets; simply wait until there are at least two people lining up for either task, then click to cash in and earn a big bonus for your efforts. It’s all about multitasking, and making more people happy at the same time.
3. When Fulfilling Orders, It’s All Or Nothing In Most Cases
Generally speaking, you want to deliver everyone’s orders in full, and not partially. Doing so and delivering the whole order in one go would get you a bonus of five points per customer. That could mean a lot in the grand scheme of things, as you keep fulfilling orders in full, and when it comes to partial orders, it’s usually not worth the bother. That is, unless you’re dealing with a customer whose patience is about to run out. In that case, you’ll want to go for the partial order so you can at least keep them around. Better to partially serve them than to lose their business!
4. Clean As You Go
Before the end of each in-game day in Maggie’s Movies, it’s important to make sure that everything is all spic-and-span in advance of the next working day. Look out for those parts of the theater that have exclamation points over them, as you will need to clean them before the timer runs out. Cleaning everything that has to be cleaned before the timer expires will get you a 30-point “all clean” bonus, and that, as you can see, is another good way to add to your point total, aside from the aforementioned “combo” technique from a couple tips back.
5. Take Good Care Of The Actors / Director In Movie Scenes
The game is called Maggie’s Movies not only because you’re helping Maggie run her grandfather’s theater. You also need to help in the shooting of movie scenes, and that means taking good care of the actors and the director that show up to shoot. Of course, you will earn points for fulfilling their orders, but for each scene you complete without fail, you will get an increasing amount of rewards, with the increment set at 10 points. In other words, you will earn 10 points for completing the first scene, 20 for the second, 30 for the third, and so on until you complete the level.
6. How To Earn More In-Game Currency
Earning a lot of points is all good, but how can you help Maggie (and yourself) earn more cash in the game? Well, first of all, take note that she earns tips for serving customers promptly. There’s a points guide in the game that will show you exactly how to maximize her tips, and it’s highly advisable that you keep that guide in mind so you can optimize your gameplay accordingly. You can also earn additional tip money if you use items a specific number of times in a level, as doing that will allow you to unlock some nice upgrades. Be sure you’re activating those items once a new stage is beginning; upgraded items are always faster to use than the lower-level items, aside from being capable of offering additional tip money.
7. Keep On Spending That Cash
It might sound counterintuitive, considering what we had told you about in the previous tip. But you should also be spending your cash whenever you could, and regularly checking the in-game store, especially when you’re about to start a new level. Buy all the items you can afford, as that could also give you some bonuses down the road. They won’t be much if taken on a standalone basis, but they could add up if you’re not shy or hesitant when buying items in the shop.
8. Complete The Achievements
We aren’t just mentioning this tip for the basic achievements, which could net you some nice rewards as it is. Just about every game has an achievements system that can earn you rewards, but in Maggie’s Movies, there are some “secret” achievements that you might not have been aware of prior to reading this strategy guide. For example, these include preparing an order before a customer has decided on what they want. You can complete this one by waiting for a customer to approach the wardrobe curtains, then immediately clicking on the dress. Customers will ALWAYS request a dress, so that makes for a very easy way to complete one of the secret achievements and get even more rewards.
9. Optional Goals Are Optional
Oftentimes, mobile games will come with optional goals or side quests that won’t count toward the completion of story mode, but are musts to complete nonetheless, if you consider the valuable rewards you can earn at the end. In Maggie’s Movies, you’ve also got some optional level goals to complete, and if you have time, it’s always a good idea to try them out and see what you can earn. But you shouldn’t work on these side objectives at the expense of your customers — that’s what makes them more “optional” than the side quests in other games. You won’t be penalized for failing them, and it’s no big deal if you aren’t able to get the associated rewards.
10. Watch Out For The Mouse
There is, however, one “easter egg” floating around in every level, and this is something not everyone is able to catch right away. Each time you try to complete a level, you will notice a mouse, which will make its presence felt at first by making a faint squeak. Listen for that squeak, and once you hear it, stop whatever you’re doing and look around the screen for a gray mouse. Again, don’t look for the mouse for too long — you don’t want your customers to lose their patience, after all. And don’t worry either if you aren’t able to find the mouse in your first few tries. The game will give you all the chances in the world to find it before the in-game day is over.