Happy's Humble Burger Farm Review - I love him

If you have ever worked for a fast food chain, you have probably seen the horrors that your clients overweight could not imagine. Damn cholesterol. The type of toll that such work imposes on those who have the misfortune to find themselves in a Big Kahuna Burger frying station or beating onion rings for Jack Rabbit Slims is simply disturbing. Damn, I was only 15 when I turned dirty burgers, and nearly two decades have passed. Yet I can not look always grill without tears. Naturally, I trembled like a leaf when Happy's Farm Burger Humble landed on my desk.

The development team Scythe — the creators of Happy's Farm Burger Humble (HALF) — must share my sentiment. HALF is a wonderfully twisted tribute not only to the games of the late 90s, but all who know the nightmare may be the service industry.

HALF take at face value would easily classify as a simple game of time management and money. And that's just because the first one or two hours tend to feel directionless. The goal is to get to work every day, to serve customers, take care of the restaurant and earn some money. Then you sleep. But the real joy of HALF is when you start to think outside the box, plunging into his world incredibly funny and deliciously scary.

Much of the plot in the exploration comes from the brilliant level design. The basic graphic style HALF did not take time to grow on me. Instead, I found myself noticing early on that it was the trip of nostalgia PlayStation I never knew I needed. However, this is by no means something that only people who grew up with the original Sony console will appreciate. The Scythe development team has found a perfect balance between old and new, creating an accessible world in which everyone can immerse themselves. Whether they stay or not is another story, however, as did a fantastic job HALF constantly suspending discomfort cloud above the player's head.

As I mentioned above, a large part of where you spend your time HALF is the kitchen. Alongside your trusty colleague (and best friend) Toe, it's your job to open the restaurant, taking orders, preparing food, cleaning, among others, during your shift. And this is where things start to collapse. Every day that passes, disturbing events — one after the other — will work to break your psyche and force you to question what is real and what is imaginary.

The strange ambient sounds that make their way into your game are equally compelling. As with any horror game, I can not recommend playing HALF with headphones. I do not think they'll really make or break the experience (unlike Blair Witch Project, for example), but a good set of cans will multiply the experience. And a big congratulation to the team in charge of the television and radio station as they help both to create the atmosphere of HALF.

Although I really enjoyed HALF, I understand that the formula may not be suitable for everyone. Strictly follow the goals will advance the story, but much of what makes it unique HALF comes from its ability to reward those who stop to smell the roses. I beg you, take your time, watch TV, shop, explore the city. Let yourself be absorbed by all that is happening, not just a work routine, sleep, work, sleep.

Another thing that stands out is that HALF is not as well optimized as I expected. For a game that seems to have been taken directly from your PlayStation dusty basement, load times and frame rate leaves something to be desired. There is no reason why Ratchet & Clank should be faster than HALF. There is no reason for HALF stutters. But here we are. Most worrying, however, is that once I felt that I was full, the last hours have ended up looking like a repetitive task.

Yet even with its problems, HALF never ceased to be one of the most distinctive blasts from the past that I have ever played.

I am a big fan of Happy's Humble Burger Farm. Its atmosphere, its management of high stakes and its disturbing feeling of misfortune meet in a perfectly pleasant return to taste that everyone can appreciate. In addition, without revealing nothing, there is plenty of room for a suite that does not necessarily need to talk about a restaurant. If Scythe's development team wants to turn on the switch, I'll be there.