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Review
Awesome!
The Burger Meme Personality Test is about applying to a fictional corporation called Burger Meme™. You’ve already gone through the application process- (Spoiler - click to show)chip implantation and everything- and this A.I. powered personality test is the final step to see if you’re truly worthy.
Ready to learn a little more about yourself and not hold Burger Meme™ responsible for any trauma this required voluntary test may cause?
What could possibly go wrong?
Gameplay
There’s not much I can clarify for you here. The test asks questions. You answer them from a list of responses. And get judged by a snarky A.I. every step of the way.
One notable feature is a counter at the bottom of the screen that says Sins. If you select an answer that goes against the values of Burger Meme™, you gain a Sin and risk your potential future with the company.
The funniest part was Question 3. It features an artwork of a couple standing by an ocean. The man is doing… something vaguely affectionate to the woman. I'm not sure what the original artist had in mind, but the game’s author decided to interpret it as the woman’s neck being broken. We are then asked to identify how we most relate to it:
> I relate to the man breaking the neck of the woman.
> I relate to the woman having her neck broken.
> I relate to the uncaring blue of the sea and sky.
> I relate to the useless yellow flowers, helplessly watching a murder occur.
> I have a different interpretation of the picture.
Why is this so funny? No idea.
And that’s the case for much of the gameplay.
What I wish I knew in advance: This is not a game to play around other people unless you want them to ask, "dude, what's so funny?" because you keep trying not to laugh.
That said, players will either relate to my experience or be turned off by its rapid-fire style of humor. In that regard, the game is more hit or miss.
Story
The Burger Meme Personality Test is a parody of the use of personality tests in actual hiring practices. Rather than using a developed story, the game portrays this general concept by saturating it with comedy. Its appearance and clown mascot is a casual dig at McDonalds and exhibits a whole range of corporate clichés that extend to countless other real-life corporations.
The test is filled with the identifying features of a minimum wage, no benefits job at a corporation that presents itself as a “family.” It also has repeated reminders that your opinion matters, generic HR teamwork-themed imagery, and claims of being stewards of the environment. Oh, and corporate buzzwords.
In fact, it’s inspired by a true story, one that the author found on Reddit’s Mildly Infuriating subreddit.
Someone applying to FedEx had to take a personality test that involved looking at stills from a video game that looks awfully like The Sims… except the characters are blue-skinned elf-humans. The applicant was then asked to state if they could relate to any of the characters in each image. For real, the only possible answers were “Me” and “Not me.”
The results were way off. The applicant did not feel like their result matched their actual personality. Apparently, one result said, “Can be taken for granted because you complete tasks without objections.”
?!?!???!?!?
Remember, this is FedEx.
In the end, the applicant decided not to put up with this rubbish and withdrew their application. And I thought Burger Meme™ had some screws loose. No offense to anyone who works for FedEx.
Keep in mind that the author isn’t outright opposing the usage of personality tests in hiring. Instead, it makes fun of tests that have little platform in terms of being reliable assessments of a person’s inner workings.
Plus, the game lightly touches on real-life problems such as the chances of being able to retire at a reasonable age and how “Full and Comprehensive Medical Plans” can be all talk, no coverage.
Characters
The Burger Meme Personality Test is a dorky test that isn’t meant to be taken seriously, but there is an unexpected twist that gives it more depth than games that share a similar premise.
The test brags that it is A.I.-powered, but gameplay strongly implies that it’s just an employee fooling around with you. Naturally, the A.I. gets insulted if you point this out.
If you keep poking the A.I. in the ribs you unlock three endings where it is revealed that the “A.I.” was merely an employee named Jwala, an employee who wanted to have some fun before actual A.I. took over their job. Now an ex-employee, this mysterious person messages you to see if you want to meet, leading to some heartwarming endings.
I was not expecting that! It made the gameplay feel more meaningful and rewarding since we can relate to Jwala’s annoyance with Burger Meme™.
Visuals
Being modeled off McDonalds, most of the game uses a yellow background with dark red text. Meanwhile, the epilogue/endgames opted for a basic white background with black text. Cleverly, (Spoiler - click to show) the Jwala endings, which involve Jwala contacting you on a dating website, featured a basic chat interface with speech bubbles and a website logo.
And tons of ridiculous imagery. Go play the game.
Conclusion
So, are you hired?
NO.
Maybe that’s for the best.
I found a great deal of humor in this game. There are multiple endings and loads of replay value. Playing it is time well spent. Even if you don’t get hired.
But wait, there’s more! - Some of my favorite results include:
(Spoiler - click to show)Social Skills: IF YOU DIED IN YOUR CUBICLE, NO ONE WOULD NOTICE.
Strength of Character: PICTURE A BROKEN REFRIGERATOR WITH ITS DOOR REMOVED LYING ON ITS SIDE AT THE DUMP
Narcissism: A STARFISH IN WARM WATERS, OBLIVIOUS TO MOST OF LIFE, NO PROBLEMS, NO WORRIES, JUST LETTING THE WORLD COME TO IT. I WISH I WERE A STARFISH.
Courage: THINKS “RETREAT” MEANS YOU GET A SECOND SNACK.
Moral Clarity: WHEN YOU WERE ASKED IF YOU’D EAT PEOPLE IN AN EMERGENCY, YOU REPLIED “WHY WAIT?”
Thanks for reading!