Superola and the Lost Burgers Review - Screenshot 1 of 3

If the title wasn’t already a dead giveaway, Superola And The Lost Burgers is one big parody. It draws inspiration from dated internet memes, pop culture and even makes reference to classic video games in order to tell the story of a llama on a quest to recover hamburgers stolen by an alien hotdog race. Even if you find this type of content entertaining, it’s the low production values – across all facets – and completely uninspired gameplay on offer that makes this arguably the worst release on the Switch eShop to date.

If you’re still curious at this point, to reiterate – this game is nothing but a glorified endless runner. Undercoders – the independent Barcelona-based studio behind this problematic release – describe Superola as a game packed with an, “original storyline,” and, “frenetic platforming action,” taking place over more than 70 stages. Content is bolstered with supposedly, “memorable,” boss fights and rhythm controlled bonus rounds. Collectively, this is all just marketing spiel. The stark reality is this is an expansion of rubbish runners such as Meme Run and Zombie Brigade on the Wii U eShop. The notable references included simply fill the void that is the lack of truly original content in the game.

Superola and the Lost Burgers Review - Screenshot 2 of 3

There’s very little on offer to keep you invested. In each stage, the star llama must make it to the end. Typically, you’ll be required to jump from platform to platform, while vaulting over barriers and shooting incoming enemies with your meme beam, all while your character automatically runs. Stages include underwater levels – requiring you to keep the llama afloat – and other times you’ll be flying through the sky on a cloud. Regardless of the surrounding environment, the goal remains the same – get to the end of a level without making contact with any enemies or touching the boundaries above or below.

To assist you during this seemingly impossible and incredibly monotonous task are power-ups. These include items such as wings – enabling the llama to double-jump – and burgers, enabling you to fire the laser beam more regularly. Conserving your laser and waiting to use it in a level at the right point is about the only strategy required. If you are seriously struggling to complete a level due to the placement and sheer amount of enemies, you can purchase items at a shop. In between levels there are also bonus rounds which make reference to likes of Street Fighter. Here you control the llama with timed button presses as it hits an old appliance or car. An early boss fight as well refers to a modified version of Rock, Paper, Scissors – again though, none of this content hides the lack of effort on the developer’s behalf.   

Superola and the Lost Burgers Review - Screenshot 3 of 3

In general, the amount of references packed into this title is unsurprisingly overdone. Expect to see doge – the famous internet Shiba Inu – making notable Zelda quotes and the next minute you’re presented with an end of level screen making a mockery of Sonic The Hedgehog. As exciting as it may be for some players to spot these references, it doesn’t conceal the poor design and execution.   

The sound and visuals make no effort to recover the situation. The chip tune sound track is repetitive – with songs set to loop – and visually-speaking, the effort is absolutely minimal. For most parts, the art assets look like graphics crafted in MS Paint in less than a few minutes. There are also many basic shapes that look straight out of a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation which have been used to create knock-off Super Mario warp pipes. The controls and performance do little to salvage the game. And to top it off, there’s a two-player mode – the hilarity is likely to last a minute or two before your partner or friend re-evaluates their relations with you. 

Conclusion

Like Meme Run and Zombie Brigade, Superola And The Lost Burgers is an embarrassment to modern gaming. It’s crudely put together, with no originality behind the content – intentional or not – and the apparent 'platforming action' on offer is an insult to the much-loved genre. Even as an endless runner, this low level of quality is far from acceptable. The additional content included only heightens just how bad this entire package actually is. In truthfulness, it’s just a bunch of overdone memes and references mixed together that would fit right at home on a popular message board. Avoid this one at all costs.