Become the fastest chef with your friends
Overcooked 2 is a cooperative cooking simulation game that lets you play as a chef alongside your friends. Developed by Team17 and Ghost Town Games, it is the sequel to Overcooked and features improved game mechanics, graphics, and tons of new themes, maps, and DLCs. However, although it’s supposed to be a sequel, the game feels more like a revamped version of the original title. There aren’t really any new mechanics, save for the increasingly-difficult restaurants you’ll unlock, but new players interested in trying out the series are more recommended to stick to Overcooked 2 rather than the first game.
Order up!
The Overcooked series is best known for being a local co-op title. In them, you play as a chef who must successfully cook up the orders of the customers within a time limit. Up to 4 players can work together to gain as many points as possible within the set time. The cooking mechanics are similar to most cooking games: you have ingredients you need to prepare and cook using various kitchen tools to make recipes.
From crafting sushi and pasta to pizzas and cakes, you’ll find the most basic of cooking methods featured in the game. However, what makes the game series a hilarious mad co-op dash is the inclusion of obstacles in your path. The restaurants—all differing in themes and the recipes they have—will always have things lying about that you need to avoid or use in order to do your job.
Sometimes, it’s the layout of the chopping boards and the stoves that will require you to run around. Sometimes, there are dangerous gaps you need to traverse using moveable bridges and whatnot. This is why cooperation and teamwork are important in the game. You can’t easily play the Overcooked series on your own.
I’m you, but better
In Overcooked 2, the same core gameplay has been retained. However, there are noticeable improvements in terms of game mechanics and graphics. Plus, there are new game modes available. Similar to the first game, you have to serve as many correct dishes to the customers as you can under the time limit. The orders will pile up in a queue, and wrongly-made dishes will give you point deductions. You can only pass a level if you reach at least one star worth of points—the maximum being three during normal difficulty.
The game features a main campaign wherein you return to the Onion Kingdom to fight off The Unbread by feeding them quickly. There’s an explorable overworld map that contains the various chapters and levels you can visit, featuring wacky themed restaurants like magic castles and river rapids that each come with their own set of recipes to cook. You have to chop, toss, boil, fry, assemble and plate your way around the restaurant.
However, you’ll be dealing with dynamic and interactive obstacles like conveyor belts, moving tables, and dishes to wash. The orders have a time limit of their own and will fail if you don’t serve them up quickly, deducting your precious points. The game also has unlockable player characters and paid DLC missions with the own maps and recipes. An online multiplayer mode has also been added, and you can compete against friends on other modes.
Dash around the world, too
Compared to the first game, Overcooked 2 improves everything a lot, despite not adding too many new mechanics. However, it is not recommended to be played alone as the amount of work in the game needs at least a partner. Fortunately, they’ve added an online multiplayer, in case you have no one to play couch co-op with. All in all, it is highly recommended as a party game.
