«Previous post | Next post»

Team 17 rarely ever publish a bad game. As a matter of fact, Team 17 is one of the few publishers that work really hard to back some of the most talented developers on the market by pushing their hard work “deservedly” in the limelight. So Once again Ghost Town Games have worked hard to deliver “Overcooked 2” a sequel to the well-loved Co-Op Cook-em up “Overcooked“!

Gordan Knows, thank goodness for Team 17.

This time around the Unbread hordes has risen. So Hovis, Warburtons and Kingsmill are in a dire situation, and the Onion king is once again in need of his loyal Chefs! And in Overcooked’s sequel Ghost Town Games has added a whole array of improvements, including online Co-Op and a brand-new challenge.

So get your chef whites, clean your hands and get yourself a controller to once again serve meals at break neck speed all the while making sure the orders aren’t lost or the place completely burns down!

“Overcooked 2” is just as fun and addicting as the first title, if not even more so.

Unfortunately, I completely missed out on “Overcooked” when it was initially released. Nevertheless, I did hear of its huge success, many praising it for being an incredibly good couch Co-Op game. After jumping into Overcooked 2″, I can definitely see why, accompanied by my Su-Chef (The Wife).

What followed was an absolute blast, for hours we were shouting at each other, dispatching orders and quoting Gordan Ramsey and Gino D’Acampo, we even replayed levels. As we knew that we could get a better ranking than just three stars (five stars are the best grade that you could get). Other than that, it didn’t take long at all to pick up the basics as Overcooked is incredibly accessible, the controls are simple along with the objectives. However, accomplishing your orders quickly is another thing entirely.

You can now play online and shout at other chefs (yay!).

It wasn’t long until we were throwing food around the place dropping frying plans and over cooking the chicken, it’s a balance of mental power and dexterity. At the top left corner you have orders to be fulfilled. So you need to prepare the food, and that includes everything from chopping up meat, frying it, then boiling the rice, then preparing on a plate to serve, but then there are no plates!

So you need to collect the dirty plates to wash them, but the rice is about to boil over. So you take it off the hob, but there are only seconds left to serve and your wife is checking Facebook. Well, long story short. A kitchen cannot function like this! However, when things work well, and you’re calling out what ingredients that you need it is similar to working in an actual kitchen because communication is key! And that’s how you win at this game, and it’s an incredible amount of fun.

The Avatars are fun but where’s Gordan and Gino?

What’s crazier is that you can have up to four more players and dive into the madness online, this can be a little hit and miss because not everyone speaks to each other these days. However, being able to play with friends across the country is most welcome, a feature many players wanted with the original game.

And from what I played it functions reasonably well. There’s beauty in the chaotic kitchen. Especially when everything “clicks” and ingredients are being thrown, and court and dishes are served with perfect timing.

The world map is well designed. It’s very fun to explore in your hybrid motor, there are secret challenges to be found in the game as well.

I would also like to point out that cooking in Hell’s Kitchen isn’t as simple as you’d think because each level brings its own challenge, it’s not just about the orders, the levels can rotate or move at random cutting chefs off from certain areas so you have to make sure you’re positioned carefully, some levels can completely change from being on a hot-air balloon to a sushi restaurant.

You can even fall to your death with a five-second respawn, leaving the other chefs frantically trying to keep on top of things. So you will be shocked on how much 5 seconds can really cost you. Unfortunately, if you’re after a single player experience, you might not be too happy, while you can play on your own, things can get very tricky as you will be controlling more than one chef, it’s like trying to juggle on a unicycle, while making a curry, above a volcano (“Are you stressed, Jen? I said are you stressed, Jen?!” – The IT Crowd ref, Robin).

overcooked 2 throwing around ingredients

You need to throw ingredients to each other, then make sure plates are ready too!

Anyways, I think you get the idea. So, what are my final words on this particular title then? Well, “Overcooked 2” delivers a Michelin five-star experience, and kitchen chaos has never been better and as much fun than it is in “Overcooked 2”.

Furthermore, the game simple and easy to pick up and play from to go and provides instant fun within seconds. Whether it’s on the couch or online, the fun and frantic gameplay is delivered tenfold. So if you missed the game first time around, then don’t make the same mistake twice. In other words, if you enjoyed “Overcooked 1”, then get the second game, and if you don’t own any of them.

Then get both titles as soon as possible (trust me, you won’t regret it!).

Pros:
+ Incredibly Fun
+ Very accessible
+ Unlockable Chefs
+ You can play online and shout at other chefs

Cons:
– You Will shout at Your wife
– She will shout at you
– You’ll fail because you didn’t listen to Gordan Ramsey

Gameplay: 5/5
Graphics: 5/5
Sound/music: 4/5
Controls: 5/5
Replay value: 4/5
Story: 3.5/5

tgg grade 4.5 out of 5

Verdict: 4.5/5
Overcooked 2 reminds us of that the days of glorious couch Co-Op games are still going strong. The addition of online play is also nice for those far, far away. Honestly, if you played the first one, then you know what’s good. However, if you haven’t played any over the “Overcooked” games, then just buy both of them, because this series is worthy of your time and money.

Title: Overcooked 2
Developer: Ghost Town Games
Format: PS4
Genre: Cook -em Up?
Resolution: 1080p
Release date: 2018-08-08
Difficulty: Easy to hard, skill based.
Spent time: +4 hours
Average grade internationally: 83.75% via Gamerankings.com
PEGI age rating: Pegi +12
Price: £15 to £25