The plot of this game might get a little confusing but I will try my best to describe it to you all: ORION BURGER is the name of a restaurant at the end of the universe (for all of you Douglas Adams fans). ORION BURGER is quickly running out of protein matter to make all of their burgers with. The creature that is in charge of collecting all of the supplies in which to make these burgers is names Zlarg, who of course like any "good" business-thing, doesn't care where he gets these supplies or what they actually are.
Of course, the franchise has to have a rule about collecting the meat from actual sentient life forms, like humans, but Zlarg doesn't care about that and as long as all of the burgers are still being made and the company is still making money, they don't really put up a big fuss about where Zlarg gets the meat from either. So Zlarg grabs his little assistant named Flumix and heads to the nearest location that has an endless supply of protein filled meat: Earth!
But there happens to be a stowaway aboard Zlarg's ship named Astral. Astral is a rights-to-all kind of guy and doesn't want to see any sentient being used for profit or burgers and has a plan to help save the humans
of earth. This is where the hero, named Wilbur, enters the story.
Wilbur gets space- napped by Zlarg but because of company policy, Zlarg has to administer a bunch of tests to any creature he captures to prove that they are not sentient beings. But Zlarg, once again, is not the most morally conscience creature and rigs the exam so you fail it the first time. He then orders Flumix to wipe your mind and send you back to Earth. Astral, though, has messed with the mind wiper machine and you get sent back to earth with your memory intact and also one hour before you actually got abducted.
Wilbur then has to discover how to solve the test before he gets space-napped again and if he doesn't he will fail the test and have to do it all over again. If you do happen to help Wilbur pass the exam, Zlarg comes up with another more difficult test for you to take. As long as you keep passing the tests, you get to advance in the game. If you fail the tests, you get to replay that part of the game over again. It's actually a very interesting story.
This game is not for the weak in mind or for people who like to give up easily. It can be very frustrating at times but quite challenging. You not only have to keep track of your conversations but you also have to keep track of your inventory. There is also a time limit you have to be aware of, seeing as how you get sent back in time before your origin abduction, so you have to watch that as you attempt to solve the puzzle. While you are collecting items for your inventory, there are a lot of misleading items that you don't really need. They add to the challenge of the game. You may find yourself searching the internet for a walkthrough or hints on this game at certain points. It is QUITE challenging.
The game itself is displayed in cartoon like 2D graphics which are very colorful with a lot of animations. They actually help in adding atmosphere to the game and keep your eyes wandering the screen to see what is there to see. The voice-overs were pretty good although sometimes it would seem that the voice doesn't really match the character. The sound effects and music are entertaining but nothing as spectacular as today's high graphic DVD games for the PC.
This is most certainly a different type of game than most of us are used to in today's market but all in all it is actually very entertaining, pleasing to the eyes, enjoyable to play, challenging, and good for all ages. If you are a parent looking to find your child something other than a bloody shoot em up and blow em away kind of game that will stimulate their mind and not just babysit them, then this game is recommended for you.
This is one of those games from the past that you wish the original company would redo as high graphic, surround sound audio, awe inspiring, DVD version for today's demanding player.
