Overcooked first released in 2016 as a couch co-op game that had you cook recipes in a chaotic matter. It was one of the most successful indie titles of that year and many people praised its chaotic yet easy to play gameplay. Now, a sequel has been released, called Overcooked 2.
Overcooked 2 takes what made the original so successful and expands on it. The biggest change is the ability to throw your ingredients. If you can aim well, you can throw a slab of meat right onto a stove to let it cook automatically, without the need of you running to the stove and place the meat down manually. You can also toss whatever you’re holding to another player, to speed up the preparation of a recipe. However, throwing stuff around is not always easy. You can miss your target and toss something into the wrong kitchen appliance, possibly ruining the ingredient and forcing you to start over and lose time. It’s also possible to throw stuff outside the level’s boundaries, which brings me to the next noticeable change in Overcooked 2.
The levels in Overcooked 2 are much more varied and simply better designed than they were in the original Overcooked. You can play on a floating raft that’s going down on a river and toss ingredients into the water if you’re not careful, or prepare your meal in a haunted house which is filled with possessed objects that can move on their own. Just as you’re about to put something in the oven, the appliance moves to the other side of the room, making you lose precious time to complete the meal. There’s also a level that changes the theme of what you are preparing. You start out in an air balloon making vegan meals, which eventually results in you crashing down in a sushi restaurant and thus having to make sushi-related recipes. The variety in levels makes the gameplay more dynamic and less likely to become repetitive fast.
Another addition to Overcooked 2 is the option to play multiplayer online, instead of solely local. While the game shines the most in couch co-op gameplay, playing with strangers on the internet and trying to direct each other through voice-chat is its own unique and fun experience. But, like the first game, Overcooked 2 suffers when you’re playing solo. When you’re playing on your own, the game gives you two character to control. These can’t be controlled at the same time, though. You have to switch to the character you want to play as while the other stands still and does nothing you switch back to it. It’s a worthy attempt at making the game playable on your own, but it requires too much switching back and forth to be enjoyable after a couple of moments. But, to be fair, Overcooked 2 is clearly not meant to be played alone, as it’s designed as a multiplayer game.
Conclusion
Overcooked 2 is a bigger and better version of the first Overcooked. The throwing mechanic is a great addition to the gameplay, just as the online multiplayer mode. Local couch co-op is still the best way to play the game and guarantees lots of enjoyment with your friends.
