BurgerTime Party!

Genre: Arcade / Party Game

Players: 1-4 Co-Op / Competitive (Local)

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Review:

The BurgerTime series dates all the way back to an Arcade release in 1982, and since that time the game has seen numerous ports, re-releases, and re-imaginings, all retaining the same basic idea: players run around a stage, climbing up and down ladders while trying to step on every part of gigantic hamburger ingredients, causing them to fall down to the bottom of the stage to form a complete burger. In the meantime, players must dodge anthropomorphic food monsters, with their only direct means of defense being a limited supply of pepper they can use to stun nearby enemies. There are added nuances, but in short players must complete each burger on a stage before getting caught by enemies to move on to the next stage.

BurgerTime Party!, released on Nintendo Switch in 2019, takes that same core family-friendly premise, adds a new presentation, numerous new stage mechanics, and some fun new multiplayer modes, creating something that’s both nostalgic and new at the same time.

This game’s presentation makes use of cartoony high-definition 2D visuals with a lot of detail and nice animation, backed by an energetic but somewhat forgettable soundtrack. Overall, this is nice, though I do wish there were an option to switch to the retro-style pixel art visuals too.

As for the gameplay, BurgerTime Party does a great job modernizing the classic without changing so much that it alters the core gameplay. You’ll encounter all sorts of odd stage mechanics, but at its core you’ll still be doing the same basic actions you were in the original game.

However, the real standout here is the multiplayer – BurgerTime Party includes a co-op campaign, as well as a multiplayer competitive mode where half of players control chefs playing the game normally while the other half play the food monsters trying to take out the chefs. It’s a clever idea that mirrors Pac-Man Vs.’ gameplay that let players compete both as Pac-Man and ghosts.

It’s not perfect though. One of the most important mechanics, much as in the original game, is the pepper that acts as a last resort against monsters, and the icons showing how much of this valuable substance players have remaining are relegated to the far corners of the screen, when it would have been far more helpful to give some clear indication on the player character themselves to show how much they have remaining. Also, some players are sure to be frustrated by what appears to be a Platformer, but has no ability to jump or even fall off platforms to lower ones. This was a flaw in the original game too, but it remains present in this game regardless.

Still, while there’s room for improvement here, overall BurgerTime Party! is an outstanding multiplayer reimagining of a classic videogame. Fans of the original game should consider this a must-have, players who enjoy retro-style Arcade games might want to give this a look, and players looking for a game to add to their Party Game rotation should consider giving this a try too.

tl;dr – BurgerTime Party! is a family-friendly reimagining of the classic arcade game that updates the visuals and adds some new stage mechanics, while keeping the core gameplay intact. However, the real joy here are the new multiplayer modes this game adds, that should make this a blast as both a co-op and competitive Party game. Either way, this is a wonderful new take on the original.

Grade: B

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