Burger Master review

There is nothing wrong with mobile phone-style games. However, I have concerns that they are slowly taking over console and PC game stores. This is worrying as they usually lack quality, depth, and value for money. Accordingly, when I was offered Burger Master, I had my doubts.

Would this game be too easy and lack depth, or would it be a pleasant surprise? Spoiler alert…it wasn’t option 2. Sadly, Gametry LLC has created a paper-thin game that fails to test you or hold your attention. However, this doesn’t mean that I didn’t have fun. Instead, I just want to be honest about its lack of quality and limited action.

Burger Master tells no story.

Unlike other food-based sim games, Burger Master tells no story. This was a shame as I like a cliched story of revenge or an underdog tale. Unfortunately, neither of these comes to fruition as you are left to your own devices. The core idea is to run your van and serve 19 unique customers. As the game evolves, you’ll unlock new ingredients and products.

This is the basis of the action. There are no challenging elements, and you’ll build the burgers with ease. Moreover, selecting drinks and sides was a straightforward task. Consequently, getting anything but 3 stars was practically impossible.

Rinse-and-repeat.

Unfortunately, this follows a rinse-and-repeat approach. Every customer wants the same thing with limited changes. Additionally, once you’ve mastered the position of each ingredient, you could build burgers with your eyes closed. This was a shame, as some minor changes or challenging elements could have made this much better.

Burger Master comprises 3 game modes and 180 levels. Furthermore, you earn money to unlock power-ups to help you along the way. I guess this could be considered a tactical layer, but it is just a cheat code. This was another missed opportunity from this developer.

Burger Master is colourful but basic.

Although the action is rudimentary, this is pleasant to look at. The animations are simple and effective. Furthermore, the lines are clean, and each customer has a unique style. I didn’t pay too much attention to them as I was focused on picking ingredients and the order list. The music is upbeat but familiar. Sadly, Burger Master delivers an underwhelming soundtrack that isn’t memorable. Thankfully, it works with the action, but it won’t live with you for long.

The underwhelming elements continue with the clumsy controls. I can imagine a mouse and keyboard or touchscreen phone would work much better than a gamepad. Unfortunately, it feels stifled and clunky throughout. If you can stomach the repetitive gameplay, there are plenty of levels to complete, an arcade mode to tackle, and a chef’s competition. This sounds like a lot of content, but, in reality, it’s all the same thing.

Burger Master should have been better.

I’m not saying that Burger Master is terrible, because it isn’t. However, it should have been much better. If you come into this with a mobile phone game mindset, you’ll get plenty out of it. But if you want something more challenging and deep, this will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Accordingly, with the right frame of mind, this is enjoyable, but limited, and you should buy your copy from the Xbox Store!