BurgerTime Arcade Machine
BurgerTime Arcade Machine, originally released as Hamburger in Japan, is a 1982 arcade game developed by Data East initially for its DECO Cassette System. In the United States, Data East USA licensed BurgerTime Arcade Machine for distribution by Bally Midway as a standard dedicated arcade game. Data East also released its own version of BurgerTime in the United States through its DECO Cassette System. The Data East and Midway versions are distinguished by the manufacturer’s name on the title screen and by the marquee and cabinet artworks, as the game itself is identical.
The player is chef Peter Pepper, who must walk over hamburger ingredients located across a maze of platforms while avoiding characters who pursue him.
Object:
The object of the game is to complete a number of hamburgers while avoiding enemy foods. The player controls the protagonist, chef Peter Pepper, with a four-position joystick and a button.
At the start of the game, the player is given a limited number of pepper shots to use against enemies. Pressing the button causes Peter to shake a cloud of pepper in the direction he is facing; any enemy touching the cloud will be stunned for a few seconds, and Peter can safely move through them. Bonus food items such as ice cream, coffee and French fries appear on occasion, awarding bonus points and one extra pepper shot when collected.
Gameplay:
Each board consists of a maze of planks and ladders in which giant burger ingredients (buns, patties, lettuce, tomato, ect.) are laid out. When Peter walks the full length of an ingredient, it falls to the level below, knocking down any ingredient that happens to be there. A burger is completed when all of its vertically aligned ingredients have been dropped out of the maze and onto a waiting plate. The player must complete all burgers to finish the board.
Enemy food items wander the maze:
- Mr. Hot Dog
- Mr. Pickle
- Mr. Egg
Score Extra Points:
- by either crushing the enemy food items under a falling ingredient or
- dropping an ingredient while they are standing on it.
In the latter case, the ingredient falls two extra levels for every enemy caught on it. Crushed or dropped enemies return to the maze after a short time.
Notes:
There are six boards of increasing difficulty, with more burgers/ingredients, more enemies, and/or layouts. These make it easier for Peter to become cornered by enemies. After the player completes the sixth board, the cycle repeats.
One life is lost whenever Peter touches a non-stunned enemy or is trapped upon. Play continues to last life lost, when the game is over.
At level 28 and hereafter, there are various bugs in the game in which the enemies get very fast:Â few players have mastered some levels, though after a while, the enemies slow up.
“Let’s Get Cookin’!”