Orion Burger

About

Orion Burger is a point-and-click adventure where you play Wilbur Wafflemeier, a pet shop worker thrust into a cosmic struggle against an alien fast-food empire. After being kidnapped and failed in a fake sentience test, Wilbur gets a second shot at life thanks to a rebel alien’s sabotage. Each loop through the events leading to his capture lets you tweak choices, solve puzzles, and gather clues to outwit Zlarg, the profit-hungry meat supplier plotting to turn humans into burger ingredients. The game mixes lighthearted humor with sci-fi absurdity, relying on clever dialogue and environmental interaction to advance the story. A cult favorite from 1996, Orion Burger stands out for its quirky charm and early use of time-loop mechanics in adventure games. While its DOS-era graphics and occasionally clunky interface show age, fans praise its creative worldbuilding and cheeky environmental themes. With single-player focus and availability on older PC and Mac systems, it’s a niche title that still draws retro gaming enthusiasts. Community forums note its influence on later time-loop narratives, though its cult status keeps it from mainstream recognition.

Storyline

The intergalactic fast-food chain Orion Burger uses the services of an alien meat-supplier named Zlarg, who only cares for money and doesn't have much in a way of conscience. So his next genius plan is to use the inhabitants of the planet Earth, known as "humans", as a raw, protein-rich material for the tasty burgers. However, environmentalist pressure is threatening Orion Burger's pretense that it only uses unintelligent raw materials, forcing Zlarg to abduct pet shop assistant Wilbur Wafflemeier from the sleepy American town of Boonsville and test him for sentience before scouring his planet clean. Zlarg is still brazen enough to rig the tests, so that no creature can pass it, and — like planned — Wilbur fails miserably. In accordance with inter-galactic abduction protocol, he is supposed to be returned to the moment he left and remember nothing, but he gets a helping hand from the alien-rights activist Astra, who has smuggled herself on board the ship and sabotaged the teleporter. Wilbur arrives intact to a time one hour before his abduction with knowledge of what is going to happen, and has a chance to cheat back.