Developer: Scythe Dev Team
Publisher: tinyBuild
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One / Series X|S, Switch
Tested on: PC
Happy’s Humble Burger Farm – Review
Have you ever wanted to live the life of an exploited fast-food restaurant cook? Well wait no more, because in Happy’s Humble Burger Farm you can finally experience flipping burgers under extreme pressure, in an extra dark and twisted reality! This game not only lets you fulfill orders while being kept in check by creepy mascots, but also allows you to explore a gloomy city and learn about the disturbing secrets of the company you work for! Happy’s Humble Burger Farm is developed by Scythe Dev Team and published by tinyBuild.
Story
The game starts with an interesting introduction – you’ll see an animation in which apparently a brain chip gets implanted into your character, and as you wake up, the game starts for real, with you waking up in your apartment and ready to start the day as a fast-food burger joint worker.
This game is not only a cooking game but actually features quite an extensive storyline, in a setting that even refers back to previous games from these developers. The story is mostly explored outside of your character’s working hours. This is often when you walk back and forth from work to your apartment building in the city and as you slowly start to explore everywhere you can go. There’s a lot to explore in the city, and since new areas open up gradually, you won’t dive into the dark reality behind the setting of the game too quickly.
While exploring, you’ll be able to find posters, notes, and audio recordings explaining the background of the strange reality you find yourself in. If you like to dive deep within the lore of the game, you have ample opportunity to read leaflets, watch TV, listen to the radio, and explore the museum. However, you can also skip all that and just enjoy the major plot points; just following the main story will bring the game to a satisfying ending as well.
Graphics
The graphics are rather simple, but convey a dark and disturbing atmosphere, which really fits the game. The NPCs all look the same, and the city looks really simple, but this all serves a function within the storytelling of the game. The dark atmosphere really helps to convey a spooky horror setting, while your workplace still feels like a typical fast-food restaurant. And, when all hell breaks loose, the graphics are properly creepy!
The UI of this game is really basic and intuitive, which fits the style of the game. It displays your basic stats, your next task, your inventory space, the amount of money you own, your location, and a map of the city.
Sound
This game is fully voice acted. From the beginning, you’ll be directed by your manager, who is calling in via a direct voice connection. He tells you what you should and shouldn’t do, and introduces everything to you. Later on, different characters will also be able to call you. The sound effects are pretty good as well, and the atmospheric sounds really convey the dark and gloomy feel of the game.
Gameplay
Happy’s Humble Burger Farm is a cooking simulation game with a solid horror adventure aspect. The gameplay centers on exploring, and of course, on making burgers. As you get more experienced, you’ll get more tasks to pick up, which will reward you with extra income, but also pose a risk: if you fail at too many tasks, you’ll risk the wrath of the charming mascot of your fast food restaurant, a creepy cow named Happy. The only way to appease her and survive, is to make and feed her a few burgers while avoiding her attacks. New tasks are introduced slowly, so you’ll have some time to get used to them. Also, it’s possible to upgrade the restaurant with coins you can find around the city, which will make several jobs much more efficient or forgiving.
Managing the restaurant is fun and very chaotic. Next to serving the customers and fulfilling their orders as they requested, you’ll also have to deal with strange ghost-like creatures who run around setting fires, turn off the lights or all appliances, and throw bricks through the window. On top of that, all animal mascots mysteriously move around the restaurant. Some of the creatures you’ll encounter will explode whenever you move too close to them, leaving behind a cloud of noxious gas you’ll need to avoid for a while. Finishing your shift and tasks will earn you money, which you can use to buy food or drinks to replenish energy, or you can also buy items for crafting. You’ll also be able to collect several items which you can use to decorate your apartment.
The most intriguing part of the game, however, is exploring. As you first walk from your apartment to the restaurant, you’ll quickly notice that a lot of things seem.. strange in this city. Also, while finding your way in the restaurant you’ll notice some peculiar things, even besides the scary creatures wandering around. After working hours you’ll have ample time to walk around and explore the city, the restaurant, and your apartment building. As you explore, you’ll learn more about the history of the city and the company that employs you. You’ll also discover an unlikely ally who helps you to escape your nasty situation, by helping you to construct gadgets that will gain you access to new areas.
You will eventually battle several grotesque bosses to be able to learn more about the reality you live in. The boss-fight mechanics are a lot of fun: you’ll need to kill them by making burgers for them just like you do in the restaurant, but during the battle, you’ll be under constant assault while you try to gather your ingredients and compile the perfect burgers to feed the bosses their deadly snacks!
Conclusion
Happy’s Humble Burger Farm is a great fast-food horror game with an amazing amount of lore behind it, but also very fun game mechanics. Even though the game features extensive lore, you can decide for yourself if you like to dive deep into this lore or just follow the game’s storyline. Boss fights are fun and challenging. The graphics look very simple and retro, but that actually ties in wonderfully with the story and atmosphere of the game. Overall, this game is recommended for anyone loving both cooking games and horror games!
Related Items
1 Comment
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
[…] in an actual horror game, and you’ll just be glad if you can manage to survive your shift. Happy’s Humble Burger Farm was originally released for PC by Scythe Dev Team in December of last year, with it being their […]