Overcooked 2 is brilliant. If you played the first game you may have been both expecting this and have been a bit nervous that they would perhaps fiddle with the formula too much. Thankfully this is very much a dequel designed around what originally won gamers across the world over back in 2016.
The additions are fun yet logical. You can now throw items to each other and in to pots. The aiming can be difficult at times but when you get into a rhythm it is a sight to behold. If of course your co-op partner throws you the food and you fail to catch it, you simply employ the five second rule. Should that fail, you switch to the ten second rule (2005 hit comedy Waiting reference there. If you didn’t get that you need to stop reading this review immediately and watch that film).
Graphically the game is almost identical to the previous installment. That is in no way meant as a knock. I love the cartoon Bullfrog style aesthetic. The frame rate is solid, the animation is tight and the game is rich in colour. Changing any of this up in the sequel would have no doubt been a source of contention with fans and it was one of the many things that added so much charm to the first entry.
The main selling point this time around is the introduction of both online co-op and versus. This was a glaring omission in the first game and it’s great to see that Ghost Town Games listened to fans. I do think the game still shines most in couch co-op as it is easier to show your anger and disgust at a mistimed lettuce throwing incident in person. Also if you choose to play with a random partner it’s a bit of a lottery who you will get. Playing before release I was shielded from what will no doubt be an endless line of dimwit’s just waiting to ruin things for their own enjoyment.
The game does have a single player mode where you control both chefs and while passable, this is a game that to get the most out of it you will need at least one more person. The actual story itself is throwaway as you would expect, but this is how you unlock all the new levels and progress. To be honest we got to the point where we skipped the short cinematics in favour of getting back into the action quicker.
The level design, while great in the original game is even better here. It’s a credit to the team that they have managed to, in my opinion, strike the perfect balance between difficulty and reward. Nothing feels unfair. You may play through a level for the first time and completely shit the bed on it, but you always have the impression that if you work at it and find the best technique you can do it.
Trophy wise we thankfully have a platinum this time around. A lot of the trophies will come naturally such as ‘Deliver 1000 meals’, ‘Throw 100 ingredients into a cooking pot’ and ‘Wash 300 plates’. The difficulty in going the whole hog and obtaining the platinum as expected will be getting the 3 stars in every level. Jessica and I are commited to making it happen though!
Overall Overcooked 2 improves on it’s predecessor in every way. There are more inventive levels, more types of food, more chefs, more games modes, a smoother frame rate, a platinum trophy. I heard one person saying they felt this was more just like DLC for Overcooked and I couldn’t disagree more. This is a sequel where every aspect has been looked at and added to. Overcooked 2 is unlikely win any GOTY awards given the juggernauts it is up against, but if you break things down into genres, it is hard to imagine anyone delivering a better co-op game in 2018.
-Craig
Reviewed on PS4. Also available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC. Review code provided by the publisher.
