Overcooked 2: Cute Cooks and Chaos

Overcooked 2 is a masterpiece; it’s cooking game magic. A time management game that relies heavily on cooperation, it is the perfect way to destroy friendships and find out who actually knows how to communicate. If you’re lucky, you’ll find out that you and your best friend are on a psychic level. You run for the lettuce as she cuts the tomato, and as you serve the burger and she cleans a plate, there is a moment of perfect unison wherein the world knows no other tier of perfection. This will not last.

The game starts with the raising of the unbread, and with a premise like that, you know the experience will be pure gold.

“Rise! Rise!” the Onion King screams as he dances, and the zombie slices awaken from their deathly slumber both hungry and demanding.

It’s your job to train to feed these monsters. You travel through the game collecting the cutest cooks ever and growing the staff selection of the Onion Kingdom kitchens.

The game is not about mastering a single element or layout. No. No. That would be too easy. With underground mining disasters, moving rafts, floating kitchens, and more, you will be tested in how you deal with quick changes and shifting levels. I will not spoil the many surprises. *insert evil laugh*

Throughout the game, you get to cook a range of dishes – burritos, dumplings, salads, and burgers are just a few – and the DLC adds more! The FREE seasonal content for winter included hot chocolate. Yum!

While I’m obviously in love with the game, I feel like the experience of Overcooked 2 really relies on who you play with. If you don’t know the other players enough to yell at them, the experience will be subpar.  The insults and attempt to minimalize in-game chaos through out-of-game chaos was perhaps the most enjoyable part.

Almost everything was fantastic. The environments were interesting and there were no game killing flaws. The only consistent complaint I had was with the user interface (UI). When objects are placed above each other vertically on a surface, the UI overlaps confusingly. Picking up the wrong item becomes too easy. I am not sure if this is to increase the feeling of chaos that a cramped kitchen causes or if it was a drastic oversight, but either way, it was not part of the fun.

Other than the UI, a few levels seemed to require three players in order to achieve three stars; this added to a sense of inconsistent difficulty. Everything would be fine, then a crazy mechanic was introduced suddenly, then it went back to normal in the next level. I still get flashbacks to level 5-3. Dear god, it was disastrous.

Delegation, cooperation, and patience will serve you well. But make sure your co-cooks share the same desire for perfection as you do or else you may be required to settle for culinary mediocrity. For me, that was unacceptable.

Don’t let my minor complaints scare you away from enjoying the brilliant chaos that is Overcooked 2! Go, play with your friends, judge them, and make some pasta. It’s going to be a wild night.

 

Publisher: Team17 Digital Limited

Developer: Ghost Town Games Ltd., Team 17

Platforms: Steam, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One

Release Date: August 7, 2018

Genres: Co-op, Party

PEGI Rating: 3

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