Overcooked Review

Overcooked – Nicely Done!

Pros

  • The game weaves kitchen varieties and increasing challenge levels into a simple concept
  • The graphics are amazing
  • Various modes enable you to play alone or have fun with your friends or family
  • Great sound effects add to the overall fun of playing the game

Cons

  • The game does not have online gameplay. This is discouraging since it is more enjoyable when you have multiple players cooperating to run the kitchens
  • The low frame-rate affects the gameplay, especially since you are running against the clock

Information

Developer: Ghost Town Games (United Kingdom)
Publisher: Team 17 (United Kingdom)
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, PlayStation4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release(s): August 2016 (Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
July 2017 (Nintendo Switch)

Introduction

Overcooked is a hilarious simulation game in which you control some chefs and make them perform some kitchen tasks while running against a timer. The kitchen is filled with several hazards and obstacles which make the game more challenging.

This is a local cooperation game, where the players each control one of the chefs and perform distinct tasks to run the kitchen successfully. The functions are divided into ingredient preparation, cooking, serving and final cleaning.

One has to move from one point to another, and this is where the game gets exciting. Bumping into obstacles, burning the food, bumping into one another are incidents that make the game quite hilarious.

The game has 28 different kitchen settings – one is set on a moving truck, while another shall be fixed on an iceberg, moving slippery.

There is another kitchen that shall be set across the street from the serving area, and you have to cross a pedestrian walk. Be prepared for a lot of fun when you play this game.

Settings and characters

The settings are cooking/kitchen settings but placed in some of the most challenging environments ever. You will find basic restaurant settings, but with a large number of hungry customers.

You have to work in perfect coordination to make sure that you give the customers properly cooked food, within the time set for each. If a client is not served on time, then you begin losing points based on the level of the customer’s disappointment or anger.

Each set comes with its challenges based on the environment. Moving trucks and icebergs make for very complicated operations when you are a chef. The gameplay may seem rudimentary, but you experience the real challenge when you get down to play.

List of Characters

  • The chefs – interesting characters with individual skills that are used in the successful running of the kitchen
  • Customers – from single customers to large families, you have a broad range of people to serve.

Game Scope

This can only be described as an exciting dance of chefs in the kitchen, acting to the demands of their hungry customers. The simple storyboard should not let you undermine the challenge of the game. The game comes in multiplayer and single player modes.

Online cooperation is not added to the game, and all association is local. When playing the single player mode, you can switch from one chef to another, or activate special modes where you can control two chefs at the same time.

Overcooked2Character Interaction

You get to experience the goings-on in a busy kitchen and will make you have a healthy respect for those who work in these environments the next time you go out for a meal. The characters in the game must cooperate to run the busy kitchen efficiently, without running out of time.

The customers have to be served within a particular period, shown by indicators above their heads. This way, you get to know who you should serve first. Other tasks in the game also run against the clock, so you must cooperate and decide who gets to do which task.

The characters must operate seamlessly, and communication between the players is crucial. E.g. If a chef goes out to serve customers, he can alert others to check on the state of a particular order before it gets burnt.

Challenge Design

The game is designed to confuse the player by testing his or her ability to multitask. The layouts make the tasks more challenging as the game proceeds. You find ingredient stations, stoves and ovens, serving windows and preparation areas being changed at every level.

The serving areas also vary, with some being placed across obstacles such as streets with moving traffic, or across two moving trucks. The picture was trying to cook a meal on an iceberg on the Arctic Circle, and you will understand the challenges involved in the gameplay.

You win extra coins when you finish tasks before the allotted time has expired. You also get bonuses for speed in accomplishing your duties. But you do not earn anything when you are slow and don’t complete tasks on time.

The excitement and challenge levels will depend on the mode that you are playing; the most exciting is when you play with other players and have to talk amongst yourselves to run the kitchen efficiently.

Conclusion

Overcooked is a fantastic game and one which you should not miss playing. The seemingly small characters add to the overall fun when you think of the immense tasks that they have to perform. Roll up your sleeves and get ready to do some cooking, serving and cleaning in this game of tact and strategy.

Anthony
Anthony

ANTHONY MARINE is a leading content writer and reviewer, with several
published works on the Internet. He has a B.Sc. (Hons) Degree in Range
Management from the University of Nairobi. He is a father, husband and
loves working from home.

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