While restaurant management games, such as the Diner Dash series, seem to be all the rage these days, your responsibilities usually take place outside of the kitchen, such as seating and serving customers and bussing tables after eaters have left the establishment.
But in Burger Island, the upcoming title by eGames and Sandlot Games, you can leave the dishrag for someone else and get behind the grill and deep fryer to take care of business.
While restaurant management games, such as the Diner Dash series, seem to be all the rage these days, your responsibilities usually take place outside of the kitchen, such as seating and serving customers and bussing tables after eaters have left the establishment.
But in Burger Island, the upcoming title by eGames and Sandlot Games, you can leave the dishrag for someone else and get behind the grill and deep fryer to take care of business.
After spending the better part of a week in the kitchen, we can confirm Burger Island is a deliciously fun and challenging simulation that should satiate even the finickiest of gamers.
As told by the entertaining comic book storyline, you play as Patty (get it?), a young woman who is determined to turn around a rundown burger stand at Mount Tikikola Beach. After choosing one of three difficulty levels – Kiddie Size (easy), Regular and Jumbo (difficult) – and a brief tutorial from the hilarious Maitre de, Pierre, you’ll be taking orders and fulfilling their requests before the timer expires.
For example, one of your first requests is to cook hamburgers for waiting customers. The first step is to toss the beef patty on the grill (by first clicking the stack of meat and then clicking the grill). You’ll be notified when the burger is cooked to perfection and you click to pick it up and drop on the bun. Then you must click the ketchup and finally, top bun to complete the order. Leave the burger on the grill too long and it’ll be a charred mess, so you must throw it in the trash and start again. Up to four customers will ask for burgers at the same time, so the trick is to keep one eye on the grill and the other on building up the toppings and condiments in the proper order. If you take too long to serve the finished product, the customer might leave, which will hurt your income for the day.
Speaking of money, early on in the game you will climb atop a mountain to meet Tiki, a mystical food guru who sells you new recipes when you have enough greenback to unlock them. In total, the game includes 30 mouth-watering recipes, each going for a different price, and divided into three main sections: Burgers, Fries and Drinks. A regular vanilla milkshake, for example, is made by first pouring milk into the glass, then a scoop of vanilla ice cream, followed by a quick spin with the hand blender and finally a straw. Spicy fries are whipped up by first dropping the frites into hot oil, then adding salt, seasoning and black pepper.
In total, Patty will have access to 40 ingredients – with some recipes requiring up to 9 separate ingredients towards the end of the game! Patty will master the art of juggling many customers and will eventually manage five burger stand locations. It goes without saying those without extraordinary multitasking and micromanagement skills need not apply.
Because of its fast and frantic game-play, enjoyable story and humorous characters, Burger Island looks to be a tasty treat for casual game fans – and without any of the calories!
