Coming soon for the Nintendo Switch, BurgerTime Party! revitalizes an arcade classic for a new generation. We met up with publisher Marvelous at Gamescom so we could preview the upcoming game.
What we know
Developer by Japanese studio G-MODE, BurgerTime Party! goes well beyond the format of the original arcade classic by Data East. Adding local multiplayer, puzzle-oriented challenges and over 100 stages to play, it’s designed to appeal to both fans of the original and newcomers. Marvelous is publishing in Europe, with Xseed doing the honors in the US.
What we saw
We got to go hands on with what looked like a fairly complete build of the game during our trip to Gamescom. Diving in, we got through about twenty stages of the single player (‘campaign’) mode before our time was up. These included shorter tutorial-type levels as well as more challenging stages that combined familiar tricks with new tools and surface types.
What we thought
BurgerTime Party! was an absolute blast to play and the developers did a great job of introducing the various gameplay mechanics gradually. Some are lifted straight from the original, but there are new and novel ways of dealing with enemies as well. Environmental hazards (like slippery surfaces) and pickups mix up the gameplay as well, making us want more rather than thinking “I’ve seen enough”.
The graphics are bright and colorful, with a cartoon-like feel to them although the quality of the animations was somewhat crude – perhaps something that’ll get smoother as the development cycle draws to a close. What we didn’t play was multiplayer, but the prospect of it (both cooperative and in battle mode) seems great as well when you consider how fun the single player mode was.
I suppose the biggest compliment we could give the game at this point is that we wish it was also coming out for other platforms – I’ve sure we would have a total blast playing this through the in-office PS4 on the big screen. Sometimes, Switch owners have all the luck.
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