Hey Hive!
If you didn't catch the last couple of posts, this is a new series where I write about games that I've played; what they're about and my experience playing them! I'll try my best to keep these posts short and sweet, hence the name; it's a reference to Games Done Quick (GDQ) - a charity speedrunning event!
Since my favourite Youtube collab gaming channel, TheRunawayGuys, is currently playing through Overcooked! - one of my favourite couch co-op games, I thought I'd write a quick review on it as well!
Source: WallpaperCave
If you're unfamiliar, Overcooked! is a cooking simulation game developed by Ghost Town Games and published by Team17. It is a chaotic couch co-op cooking game for 1-4 players, where you control chefs in kitchens filled with various obstacles and hazards. Working as a team, you and your fellow chefs must prepare, cook and serve up a variety of tasty orders before the paying customers storm out in a huff.
Here's the trailer to give you a taste (heh geddit):
Keep in mind that this review will only cover the first game, not the sequel. Although they are vastly similar, the new mechanics they introduced in Overcooked! 2 changed the game quite a bit. And I personally prefer 1 more because of that.
STORY
The story is pretty simple; you're a chef in the Onion Kingdom; which is on the brink of destruction from The Ever Peckish - a huge monster made of spaghetti and meatballs!
Unfortunately, you fail to satisfy him so the Onion King opens a time portal back to 1993 so you and your fellow chefs can learn to work together and prepare yourselves before you face the beast again in a couple years.
In the meantime, you go through several worlds with 4 stages each, containing their own hazards and obstacles that you need to traverse. I'm not gonna spoil what the worlds are, but they're all unique with their own gimmicks.
GAMEPLAY
You play as chefs in a kitchen and have to prepare meals by getting the right ingredients, cooking, serving and cleaning up while under a time limit to serve as many dishes as possible.
Source: MobyGames
During each round, the players are presented with a sequence of orders, each of which must be completed within a short time window. Completing each order correctly earns coins, with bonuses for speed, while orders that are improperly served do not earn any points but only waste time. Missed orders will deduct coins from your total.
The goal is to collect as many coins as possible within the time limit. The players are ranked on a 3-star system based on how many coins they got.
Source: Youtube
GRAPHICS
The visuals in Overcooked! are pretty alright. They definitely made a huge improvement graphics-wise in the sequel, with smoother textures and higher definitions but the first game definitely has its charm. The chefs definitely remind me of claymations back in the day, and I can totally see figurines being made of all the chefs.
Source: New Game Network
The stages themselves are also well-made, you can tell what and where everything is, and what the gimmicks of the stages are.
Source: GoNintendo
The soundtrack of Overcooked! is often overlooked (hehe), but it definitely has a few unique tracks. Particularly the main theme, which I actually wrote about in one of my OST of the Day posts! I actually really like this song a lot, and I like to think of it as the "calm before the storm".
RELEASE AND RECEPTION
Overcooked! was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2016. And a Nintendo Switch version was released on July 27, 2017. The game received positive reviews upon release, and was nominated for four awards at the 13th British Academy Games Awards, eventually winning two for Best British Game and Best Family Game. A sequel, Overcooked! 2, was released in August 2018.
Source: Team17
I played Overcooked! back in 2018 with my fam and bf and I remember having so much fun with it! After a while it was just me and bf playing and we completed it 100% (with all 12 achievements unlocked) in 20 hours so it's not too long a game. I'd say it's definitely very chaotic when more people are involved though. Mistakes get made, relationships are tested, and probably a lot of shouting and screaming will be had. But fun all around!
If you're looking for a couch co-op game to play, I'd highly recommend Overcooked! It's a good game for casual gamers too since it's not difficult to pick up. You can even try it on Steam's Remote Play Together if you wanna play with friends online! And with the VS mode it should be even more fun/chaotic! Give it a shot!
Thanks for reading!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
