Overcooked 2, a much anticipated sequel to Overcooked released this month getting players off the couch and online for some epic co-op cooking challenges. In Overcooked 2 players return to the Onion Kingdom with all new dynamic kitchen locations, new recipes, and punishingly difficult obstacles. Overcooked 2claims “to become an instant classic, bringing family and friends together” but I feel like it could also tear apart some strong friendships. To test this theory I recruited a crew of Twitch streamers for a co-op game, and then asked their thoughts.
Here is what our co-op crew had to say after playing:
(Clicking on their names will take you to their Twitch pages if you’d like to check out their awesome streams)
Link Flores
Overcooked is a franchise that I am unfamiliar with, so I was excited to get a chance to play with Marcia of The Mommy Gamers and friends. This was jokingly referred to as a game that will “ruin friendships” and on the surface it might appear that way. The chaotic gameplay left us more than a few times on the losing side of a challenge as we struggled to serve up meals, wash dishes, and save food and the kitchen from random fires.
I found, however, that the longer we played together the more naturally we all fell into a rhythm and selected roles that best complemented our play style and personalities. Someone would just ease into washing dishes and setting out clean plates while another would toss fresh ingredients from one station to the next. In the next match, however, the roles would organically shift and change, with new players assuming different roles. The grunts and groans of frustration quickly became replaced with joking banter and howls of surprise as one disaster after another befell us, only to erupt into cheers and congratulatory laughter when we finally cracked through and managed to overcome the challenges presented.
Is Overcooked 2 perfect? Well, no game ever is. There were some minor collision detection and control issues from time to time, which would occasionally result in a missed throw or step. The difficulty is pretty steep from the start which could be frustrating to new players to the franchise. The fun I had, however, far overshadowed these “flaws”.
In an era of gaming where multiplayer gaming seems to have encouraged solo players to “Rambo” their way past their team to victory, Overcooked 2 has encouraged cooperative play and given each player a reason and a solid opportunity to shine and be the MVP for the team. I would like to thank Team 17 and Ghost Town Games for this delightful creation and also Marcia and The Mommy Gamers family for inviting me to partake in the fun!
Lucas Fox
I was not familiar with the Overcooked franchise going into this. Marcia, put a call out on Facebook looking for people to play with her, and I answered it.
DO NOT go into this game thinking that you are going to be a silent player. There is NO WAY to progress beyond the first 3 levels without talking to your teammates. Sure, people told me this was the friendship ending, the relationship killer, the game that will destroy whatever bonds you have with the people playing it. Clear concise communication (look at that alliteration) is an absolute must in this game. After getting past some funnier moments and digging into it, I enjoyed playing with Marcia, Link and Mike. In fact we started to gel as we found roles we were comfortable in.
Okay, being honest, when Link couldn’t connect to discord, to talk with the rest of us, I got annoyed. Because having a clear line of communication is paramount. But as was mentioned, we fell into our roles, and starting having a blast doing those roles. I was the food thrower, and I was finding out that I could throw food across a room and into the pot or pan it needed to cook in.
I did play beyond our group, with my wife, and we had a fantastic time. I think it was Mike that stated that 3 is the sweet spot in terms of players in the game at once, and I agree with him. Having all four of us play was fun as hell, but when it was just my wife and I, we felt a little more stressed for time, and what we could accomplish in each of the levels. Dividing all of the tasks between the two of us tended to stress us out a bit more. Though we had a lot of fun playing it.
There are some minor control issues, and hit detection bugs, but it doesn’t take away from the fun. It actually makes the game feel more frenzied and challenging. It’s almost like they are put in there as another minor obstacle to overcome, and they don’t take away from the game. Overcooked 2 is definitely worth the price of admission!
Mike Robles
“I will never play on Marcia’s team again.” – TheMikeRobles
Marcia Morgan
As someone who had played the original Overcooked I kind of knew what I was getting into. However, I didn’t have anyone to couch co-op the original with so I was wildly unprepared in the teamwork aspect. As everyone else (except Mike who just decided to make himself a quote) stated, communication is totally key in this game. Regardless of how well we team-worked we were still challenged on every level we played. But it was a fun challenge, pushing us to do better with each try in an attempt to get three stars.
I very much look forward to playing more Overcooked 2, and we are all still friends after our first attempt. I definitely recommend this as a fun game to stream on Twitch or Mixer. It also seems like it would be a fun party game because it’s amusing to spectate as well.
If you’re interested in checking out Overcooked 2 it is available now on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC.
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**Each reviewer was given a copy of Overcooked 2 for review purposes. But our opinions are our own. We absolutely enjoyed this game a lot!
