What would happen if you combined a restaurant management game like Overcooked and added a little bit of Hitman to the mix? Yes, you read that right: Hitman. Well, you end up getting something like Godlike Burger, a game equally about building up your restaurant whilst also silently killing people in order to get your, err, supplies. It’s an incredibly solid (and mental) idea, but unfortunately, it doesn’t live up to its really high potential. 

There’s really not much of a story in Godlike Burger, and to be fair, this ain’t the kind of game that actually needs one. You do have optional comic book style cutscenes that do explore its world a bit, but I just found myself skipping them. But the gist of it is simple: you play as a restaurant owner/chef trying to make his/her way in the universe. You want to build up your brand, all while hiding a dark terrible secret.

The dark twist comes in how to stock up on such delicious burgers. Killing your customers is the best way so you will need to kill them and send them to the processor. Think Hannibal or Sweeney Todd, but on another level. You will have to decide between killing your customers for food or letting them leave for positive reviews to attract more customers, allowing you to progress further in the game. These customers are your only source of income as well, so make sure they at least pay you before trying to murder them. Money that you earn is spent on the upkeep of the restaurant, as well as burger ingredients and additional traps. Not to mention about bills and paying off the cops if they start paying extra attention at you. 

Throughout each day, you will encounter a number of hazards and malfunctions that will slow you down. Get caught killing too often, and police will be drawn to your location, where they will begin searching for signs that you’ve been getting rid of people. Thieves will try to steal your goods, and if they find a delicious alien burger, they will also call the cops on you. Reviewers are the ones you will need to impress the most, and of course, let live, so they can send more customers towards you. Initially, some of these modifiers are fun to deal with, but they eventually just got annoying. 

It’s a clever spin on the standard restaurant management formula, though the game is also rather undercooked, pun intended. Godlike Burger is also a roguelike, but one that didn’t manage to hook me like Hades did. Once you die, you are sent back to the beginning of the game; however, there are permanent upgrades. The biggest problem comes with the game’s challenge system, which is critical to progressing at a solid pace. It has you completing completely arbitrary goals which change after each failed run. Controls are also awkward, with context sensitive prompts that seem to randomly change, especially during more chaotic moments. On top of this, the game’s keyboard shortcuts are almost unusable. 

Visually speaking, Godlike Burger is solid enough, with an art style that is pleasing enough to look at, but not something that will blow you away. There’s plenty of variety within the location and alien races that you meet that makes for a solid enough presentation, even if the ugly UI is an utter eyesore. There is not a lot that can be said about the sound design other than it’s there, that it exists, that it won’t change your life once (or if) you pay attention to it. Forgettable, but nothing terrible or distracting. Could have been a lot worse.

Godlike Burger could and should have been so much better. It is an amalgamation of really bizarre ideas that come together to create a really unique (and mental) gaming experience. However, it suffers from a myriad of technical and design issues, such as a clunky user interface, awkward progression system, and annoying controls that do bring the experience down several notches. Not all is lot, though. There is potential in here, so I really hope this idea isn’t abandoned, but instead built upon via patches or a sequel.

Graphics: 7.0 The art style is fairly basic all things considered, but still pleasing enough.	Gameplay: 6.5 The initial hook of Godlike Burger keeps it engaging for a good few hours but quickly fades away.
Sound: 6.0 Sound design is forgettable but nothing terrible or distracting. Could have been a lot worse.	Fun Factor: 6.5 Godlike Burger is built on a fantastic idea but it feels somewhat undercooked (heeeeeey), and gets boring rather quickly.
Final Verdict: 6.5

Godlike Burger is available now on PC.

Reviewed on PC. 

A copy of Godlike Burger was provided by the publisher.