BurgerTime Party! – Review
Follow Genre: Arcade, Puzzle
Developer: G-Mode
Publisher: Xseed Games
Platforms: Switch
Tested on: Switch

BurgerTime Party! – Review

Site Score
6.5
Good: Great revival of the game, Graphics, Multiplayer options
Bad: Too bad sound fades away, no narrative
User Score
5.0
(3 votes)
Click to vote
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Rating: 5.0/10 (3 votes cast)

These days, a lot of new games hit the market while others tend to go back into time and revive some old gems. This is what happened to this title. If you’re a fan of arcade games, you might have heard from BurgerTime, a game from back in the 80s. G-Mode and Xseed Games decided it was time to use this concept and add some new ingredients to it to create a refreshing new recipe, or so it would seem.

Story

One of the ingredients the developers forgot, is a story. Just like the old days, there is barely anything story-related available in the game. You have to help chef Peter Pepper by creating all these delicious hamburgers by guiding him through a maze of stairs to get to the right parts and by avoiding some nasty assailants like Mr. Hot Dog and Mr. Pickle. The latter will do everything in their power to stop you, so be prepared to face some meanies.

It would have been nice if there was at least something of a narrative in the game, even if it would just be for the single-player mode. Now it feels like you’re struggling with hamburger buns and attacking sausages for no good reason.

Graphics

Of course, the game looks a lot more dashing and appealing than its older brother, with colorful environments and flashy characters. Chef Pepper received a full overhaul, going from an older and seemingly scared guy to a young and cocky boy. Scared is not in his cookbook and it shows. The same can be said for the three types of food that want to eliminate the cook altogether, being a juicy sausage, a green pickle and a nice egg. The combination of the characters and the bright background work well and gives a sharp and clean look.

Sound

Updating the music probably wasn’t an easy job, seeing it was based on a retro game. The developers chose to go for some generic tunes, somewhat energetic at times which certainly fit the setting of the game, but kind of fades away when playing the game itself. After a level, you probably won’t even remember any part of the music that was playing, although the intro part will ring a bell as it stands out against the rest.

Sound effect wise, there are a few elements here and there that add to the immersion of the game, but the same issue plays here. It all kind of fades away whenever you focus on the puzzle at hand, which makes it feel rather insignificant.

Gameplay

BurgerTime Party! is an arcade puzzle game where you have to find your way in the maze of stairs or other traps while making burgers. The only thing you need to do is walk over the huge ingredients so they drop down on the stage below, in an attempt to complete the junk food on the bottom. Of course, there are some enemies that will try to stop you from doing so. If they’re able to get to you, you are stunned and you lose a life. If all your lives are depleted, it’s time to stop cooking and try again as it’s game over.

On the other hand, if you’re able to drop somethings on those pesky assailants, you are able to turn the tables as they’re removed from the screen and have to respawn again. Want to make it even more worthwhile? Instead of dropping an ingredient on the enemy, make them drop down together. This will make the whole stack go down one extra stage, making it go a lot faster. But you’re exposed a lot more, so do keep this in mind. If you want to try and get away from inevitable death, just throw some pepper around and you’re good to go as you’ve stunned your opponent.

It wouldn’t be an arcade game if there weren’t any power-ups for you to collect. Sometimes there are random items popping up on the map, which will give you certain boosts or advantages for a limited time. Even some extra lives are available randomly. It’s your decision if you want to try and get it or not of course, as you might put yourself in more danger than needed.

Every action you are able to perform, from dropping the parts of the hamburger to knocking out Mr. Hot Dog, for example, will all give you points. These have to be collected to earn stars, but there doesn’t seem to be an actual reason for this, although it’s always nice to have a golden star rather than bronze.

The biggest addition to this title might be the multiplayer option. Next to the singleplayer puzzles, you’re also able to tackle the ‘Main Burger’ or ‘Battle Burger’. The first one is also for one up to four players, taking place in a bit bigger map while the latter will unleash a whole cooking chase as you can compete against each other. Here you need to be with at least two people. If that wasn’t enough, you can also go into the challenges and try to get as far as you can.

Control-wise, the game works really smooth and it’s good to see that there is some explanation at the start of each level, in single-player that is. It’s a good way to get to know the mechanics and the vibe of the game, but the value of the title lies more into the multiplayer options.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a nice multiplayer game where you can compete against friends in a cooking arcade game, or if you just want to relive the good ol’ BurgerTime from the 80s, it is an option to consider. You’ll be diving headfirst into some junk food fun while being chased by delicious opponents. The graphics are certainly fitting for this time and age, although the music parts tend to fade away now and then. Controls certainly feel great but it would have been nice if the game had a bit more punch or narrative at least.

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Rating: 5.0/10 (3 votes cast)
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BurgerTime Party! - Review, 5.0 out of 10 based on 3 ratings
AnneMieke


Faster than lightning

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