BurgerTime

Data East
Industry	Video game development
Founded	1976
Fate	Bankrupt in 2003
Successor	G-Mode (acquired majority of intellectual properties)
Headquarters	Japan
Products	BurgerTime, BurgerTime Deluxe, Super BurgerTime, Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory

originally launched as in Japan, is a platform arcade game developed by Data East and released in 1982 for the DECO Cassette System. Players assume the role of chef Peter Pepper, who must traverse ladders and platforms to assemble giant hamburgers by triggering the descent of ingredients onto buns below, all while evading anthropomorphic adversaries such as hot dogs and pickles. A limited amount of pepper can be used to temporarily incapacitate enemies.

The Japanese title Hamburger was altered to BurgerTime for international markets, encompassing all subsequent ports and sequels. In the United States, Data East licensed BurgerTime to Bally Midway for distribution as a dedicated arcade cabinet. Both the DECO Cassette System release and the Bally Midway version are essentially the same aside from differences in branding and cabinet design.

The initial home conversion was released for Intellivision in 1983, with numerous other platforms following suit. The series expanded to include multiple arcade and home sequels.

Following Data East's bankruptcy in 2003, G-Mode acquired the majority of its intellectual properties, including titles such as BurgerTime, BurgerTime Deluxe, Super BurgerTime, and Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory.

Gameplay

Players are tasked with constructing hamburgers while avoiding hostile food characters. The player controls chef Peter Pepper using a joystick with four directions and a "pepper" button.

Each stage presents a network of ladders and platforms populated with oversized burger components (bun, meat patty, tomato, lettuce, cheese). Traversing the entire length of an ingredient causes it to drop down one level, potentially knocking down any ingredients beneath it. Successfully completing a burger requires dropping all vertically stacked ingredients onto a plate positioned at the bottom. Finishing all burgers on the board advances the player to the next stage.

Three types of enemy foods—Mr. Hot Dog, Mr. Pickle, and Mr. Egg—roam the maze. Additional points are awarded for crushing enemies beneath falling ingredients or by dropping ingredients directly onto them; when enemies are dropped, ingredients fall two extra levels. Crushed enemies reappear at the edges of the screen, while dropped enemies respawn where they land. Although dropping enemies is more hazardous, it yields higher scores and accelerates level completion.

Players begin with five pepper blasts that stun enemies briefly, providing safe passage through dangerous areas. After dropping certain ingredients, bonus items such as ice cream, coffee, or fries appear, offering extra points and replenishing pepper shots.

The game features six boards that progressively increase in difficulty by adding more burgers, additional enemies, and more intricate layouts. Upon completing the sixth board, the cycle restarts. Contact with non-stunned enemies results in losing a life; the game ends when all lives are depleted. The number of points required for extra lives varies depending on the platform.

Ports

Mattel Electronics obtained licensing rights from Data East to release BurgerTime, debuting the Intellivision version in 1983 alongside ports for Atari 2600, Apple II, Aquarius, and a self-booting disk version for IBM PC. In 1984, Data East published a version for the TI-99/4A. A port for ColecoVision was released by Coleco in May 1984. Later versions appeared on the Famicom in 1985, MSX in 1986, Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, and finally on the Famicom Disk System in 1988.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine ranked Hamburger as the 11th top-earning arcade title of 1982 and subsequently placed it at number 23 among the most successful table arcade units in June 1983.

Following its North American introduction at the AMOA exhibition in November 1982, Video Games magazine awarded it fourth place among the event's best games, commending its "music, challenging mazes, and comical" characters, despite describing it as the "silliest, stupidest game ever."

The publication Computer and Video Games offered a favorable critique, likening its level progression to that of Donkey Kong, while emphasizing its distinctive appeal and precise controls. The Deseret News acknowledged BurgerTime as a notable title for Intellivision in 1983, granting the ColecoVision edition a rating of three-and-a-half stars out of four. Likewise, Computer Games magazine praised the ColecoVision and Coleco Adam adaptations for successfully preserving the essence of the arcade original despite a reduced play area.

At the 5th annual Arkie Awards, BurgerTime received a Certificate of Merit recognizing it as the "1984 Videogame of the Year (Less than 16K ROM)."

Sequels

The arcade spin-off Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory (1984) and an arcade sequel released in 1990 experienced limited distribution. Super BurgerTime, featuring Peter Pepper Jr., supports two players and maintains core gameplay elements while introducing new features and refreshed visuals.

After INTV Corp. acquired Intellivision from Mattel in 1984, a console-exclusive sequel titled Diner was created by Ray Kaestner, who had programmed the Intellivision version of BurgerTime. This game involves players kicking food balls off platforms onto plates while evading enemy food obstacles.

Released in 1991 for Game Boy, BurgerTime Deluxe mirrors the original arcade gameplay and was later reissued on Nintendo Switch through the Nintendo Classics service.

A crossover game named The Flintstones: BurgerTime in Bedrock was launched on Game Boy Color in 2000, merging the BurgerTime franchise with The Flintstones universe.

Namco's 2007 mobile version, BurgerTime Delight, introduced refreshed graphics, new characters, and power-ups such as a salt shaker that temporarily incapacitates foes. The title includes six classic arcade stages alongside eight enhanced modes featuring hazards like falling ice and ascending flames.

The 2011 three-dimensional remake, BurgerTime World Tour, debuted on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, followed by a WiiWare release in 2012. It was removed from Xbox Live Arcade in April 2014. In 2019, G-Mode and XSEED Games revitalized the series with BurgerTime Party! for the Nintendo Switch, adding fresh modes and redesigned elements.

In 2024, the Chili's restaurant chain licensed BurgerTime to develop a browser-based game titled Chili’s Big Smasher BurgerTime. Players guide mascot Joe ChiliHead through six levels aiming to assemble Big Smasher Burgers, with promotional rewards including lifetime free burgers.

Re-releases

The arcade original of BurgerTime has been included in compilation sets such as Arcade's Greatest Hits: Midway Collection 2 for PlayStation and Data East Arcade Classics for Wii. Around late 2019 to early 2020, manufacturer Arcade1Up issued an arcade cabinet featuring BurgerTime alongside Data East titles like Karate Champ, Caveman Ninja, and Bad Dudes. Although four games are contained within this cabinet, its artwork prominently highlights only BurgerTime.

Both NES and FDS versions were accessible via the Wii Virtual Console. The Game Boy iteration, known as BurgerTime Deluxe, became available on the 3DS Virtual Console in 2011. Additionally, the NES edition was part of the 2017 compilation titled Data East All-Star Collection for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The original arcade release from 1982 was reissued within the Arcade Archives collection for both PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on July 30, 2020.

Clones

Among the home system adaptations are titles such as Mr. Wimpy, Bear Bovver, Burger Chase, BurgerSpace, Chip Factory, Burger Boy!, Basic Burger, Barmy Burgers, Burger Builder, and Lunchtime. Notably, BurgerSpace is an open source version released in 2007.

In popular culture

BurgerTime elements were featured in the "Gameboy" episode of the DIC Entertainment animated series Captain N: The Game Master. The character Peter Pepper appears in the movies Wreck-It Ralph and Pixels. A spoof named "Burgerboss" is showcased in an episode of Bob's Burgers. Moreover, a copy of BurgerTime can be seen displayed in the fictional storefront of Blast From the Past in Back to the Future Part II.

Scores

On September 5, 2005, Bryan L. Wagner achieved a record score of 8,601,300 points, later reaching exactly 9,000,000 on June 2, 2006. According to Twin Galaxies, he surpassed this with a score of 11,512,500 on September 19, 2008, at Challenge Arcade located in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. The MAME world record was officially confirmed by Twin Galaxies on December 2, 2016, when Roger Edwin Blair III from Mountain City, Tennessee attained a score of 7,837,750 points.

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