Machine Guides

Game History

BurgerTime, originally titled Hamburger in Japan, is a classic arcade game developed by Data East and released in 1982, it quickly became a popular title in the golden age of arcade gaming, known for its innovative gameplay and charming characters.

The game features a chef protagonist named Peter Pepper, who must assemble giant hamburgers by walking over the ingredients (burger patties, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.) and causing them to fall onto lower levels of a multi-story platform. While assembling these burgers, Peter Pepper is pursued by antagonistic food items like Mr. Hot Dog, Mr. Pickle, and Mr. Egg. Players could temporarily stun these enemies by shaking pepper on them, adding a strategic element to the fast-paced gameplay.

BurgerTime was notable for its unique platform-ladder mechanics, which differed from the more common side-scrolling or vertically scrolling games of the era. The game was initially distributed by Data East in Japan and later licensed to Bally Midway for distribution in North America, which helped it gain widespread popularity in arcades across the United States.

The game's success led to several ports for home gaming systems, including versions for the Atari 2600, ColecoVision, and Intellivision. BurgerTime also spawned a sequel, Super BurgerTime, released in 1990, though it didn't achieve the same level of popularity as the original.

How to Play

Objective

Control Chef Peter Pepper to construct complete hamburgers by walking over all the ingredients on each level. You must make each ingredient fall onto the platform below until all burgers are fully assembled while avoiding enemy food characters.

Controls

• Joystick: Move Chef Peter Pepper left, right, up and down across platforms and ladders
• Pepper Button: Sprinkle pepper to temporarily stun enemies (limited supply)
• Start Button: Begin a new game

Gameplay

• Navigate Chef across the platform maze that consists of hamburger ingredients (buns, patties, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese). Walking over an ingredient causes it to drop down to the next level. When ingredients land on top of each other in the correct order (from top bun to bottom bun), you score points.
• Avoid enemy food characters (Mr. Hot Dog, Mr. Pickle, and Mr. Egg) who move across platforms trying to catch you. If an enemy touches you, you lose a life. Use your limited pepper supply to temporarily stun enemies, allowing you to escape.
• Complete all hamburgers on the screen to advance to the next level with more challenging layouts and faster enemies. The game ends when you lose all your lives.