The Hambagu Shop

The Hambagu Shop is a short first-person game by MiketenDev that places the player in control of Mari, a new restaurant manager at a Japanese-style hamburger steak shop. The gameplay begins with a normal workday — preparing meals, organizing orders, and serving customers. However, as the shift continues, the atmosphere starts to change, revealing something strange hidden beneath the routine. What starts as a cooking simulator slowly turns into a quiet exploration of unease and repetition inside a small, ordinary restaurant.

Gameplay Structure

The main gameplay loop focuses on performing work tasks step by step. The player must grill the hamburger steak, prepare rice, add toppings, and deliver plates to waiting customers. The actions are simple but require attention to timing and order. Each task repeats, but small variations begin to appear that disrupt the rhythm. The challenge is to continue working despite the growing sense that something is wrong in the restaurant.

Core gameplay features include:

·         Taking and fulfilling customer orders accurately

·         Completing meal preparation and delivery sequences

·         Paying attention to unusual sounds or visual changes

·         Balancing task completion with observation of the environment

·         Reaching different outcomes based on how the player reacts

Setting and Presentation

The entire game takes place within a single restaurant — the Hambagu Shop itself. The space is compact and familiar, with a kitchen area, customer counter, and visible cooking equipment. The visuals use a grainy VHS-style filter, creating a subtle distortion that makes the environment appear both realistic and fragile. Over time, changes occur that suggest a hidden story behind the routine. A flickering light, a missing customer, or an unexpected sound may appear, leaving the player uncertain whether they are simply tired or experiencing something else entirely.

Player Experience and Focus

The Hambagu Shop relies on the player’s ability to notice small changes while maintaining control of the work environment. The pacing is deliberate — slow enough to build focus, but quick enough that distraction leads to mistakes. There is no combat or traditional puzzle-solving; instead, the difficulty lies in observation and consistency. The player’s mindset shifts from performing a job efficiently to questioning what is happening around them. With multiple runs, it becomes clear that the restaurant hides layers of meaning beyond the surface of daily work.