PAX Aus is a loud, boisterous environment. There’s always people milling about, discussing games, and jostling for space. Playing Burger Bois by Mischief Makers Studio on the show floor, all that melted away. With its immaculate, chill vibes, it was transportive – and for a moment, I found myself in a bubble of relaxation where all that mattered was me and my burger-loving customers.
I’ve always had a soft spot for food truck and cooking games. Growing up, I learned about money from one particular, long-forgotten lemonade stand game, played on one of those bulbous, colourful iMac G3s. Only a handful of modern food truck games have managed to capture the nostalgic joys of this gameplay, in my mind.
Time pressure can create a fun challenge, and games like Cook, Serve, Delicious! certainly get the heart racing – but in my cooking games, I prefer the scope to be more creative and mindful. Burger Bois fits this criteria exactly, and it’s part of why I’m so keen for its release.
In this sim, you are Patty, the owner of a “designer” burger truck with a simple goal: to understand customer needs, and then deliver them a burger that will absolutely rock their world. The twist here is your customers will tell you what they want in only the vaguest terms, and it’s your job to interpret their vibe, and fulfil their deepest wish.
It’s this level of interpretation that adds to the flavour of Burger Bois. There is a balance to get right – food truck sims can be relaxing and meditative, but there must also be a hook to keep audiences engaged. In the variety of customer requests, and the levels of specificity in these requests, I found ample reasons to forge ahead.
In my time with the game, I served a customer who didn’t like Pickles, but did like Pickled Onions. I served another customer (a nun with a pancake veil and a butter crown) who wanted a nice breakfast that wasn’t too greasy. In both cases, my five-star performance came from deeply considering their requests, and then getting a bit loosey-goosey with ingredient placements.
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As you build in Burger Bois, you’ll very likely become hungry yourself. Each ingredient is illustrated with loving care – eggs are wonderfully bouncy and glistening, and burger patties are fried to absolute perfection. But if you can avoid distraction and the rumbling in your stomach, you’ll also find key stats detailing how umami, salty, sweet, bitter, and so on, each ingredient is.
It’s all about balance, and getting creative. So if a customer wants a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger, you know you need bacon, cheese, bread, and a burger patty – and everything else will need to be added with a mind to balance flavours, to create the perfect burger.
You can get the mix right or wrong, reflected in a starred review from customers, but really, it’s all up to you. As an added twist, if you go with your gut and really, really want the burger you’ve just made in real life, Burger Bois will also sling a real-life recipe your way. It’s a neat touch, and one that feels perfect for burger connoisseurs.
Pair these features with moreish gameplay, and a lovely, crisp art style – one that contains a plethora of neat references to food in character’s hair, clothing, and overall designs – and Burger Bois feels like it’ll be a very satisfying meal. For me, it was a major highlight of PAX Aus 2024.
You can learn more about Burger Bois on its Steam page.
