Overcooked! All You Can Eat review in late august, huh? Yeah, there’s nothing to say except for “better late than never.” Anyways, we finally found some time to play, and oh boy has it been a treat! Whether it be the original, the sequel or this new release, Overcooked! always means great time with your pals. And a lot of shouting.
Overcooked! games have been around for a while, and their premise is extremely simple: there’s a (very wacky and unsafe) kitchen and you, the chef, who has to work with the others in order to make food as fast as possible (there’s also a plot for some reason but everybody skips it anyways). Going at it alone is not an option: some kitchen layout force you to cooperate, and many dishes are simply impossible solo. This makes these games radically different from the most others which force you to actively work against your friends. But it’s this mechanic that allows Overcooked! to stand above the rest — it’s no wonder there are so many work-together-or-fail games now.
During my time with surprisingly good-looking Overcooked! All You Can Eat (and yes, I managed to actually overcook some of my meals) I screamed, shouted and waved my hands around, but above all I laughed my ass off. It’s such a bizarre little game that captivates you with its charm and a simple formula — or a recipe, if you will. One cooking session takes about 4 minutes — a perfect time for a little dose of fun after work.
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My history with Overcooked! began with Overcooked! 2 for the Switch, but I never got far in that game because I was never good enough. Well, me and my wife because no one, absolutely no one plays this game alone. Wow, a game reviewer who isn’t very good at a game, that’s a first, right? But what can you do, I was never good with timers and fast decisions, and that’s why I am extremely slow both in Overcooked! and on a real kitchen. Let’s just say that if you aren’t prepared to wait 30 minutes for an omelette, don’t ever ask me for one, and, unrealistic as it is, Overcooked! has showed once again just how slow am I in these kinds of situations. Anyways, laugh if you want, but I got a bit salty and decided to stop playing, because Overcooked! 2 made me angry and anxious.
Honestly, I would never even even look at these games again were it not for the new features of Overcooked! All You Can Eat. We all talk about better graphics and all, but first I want to turn your attention to the new Assist mode which made the game so much more accessible to all. Even a slowpoke like myself can finally get all three stars without breaking the controller or two. This new mode doesn’t eliminate all challenge, but it makes the games so much more forgiving. It’s a massive addition!
Accessibility doesn’t end there: you can easily change the text size of choose a dyslexic-friendly font. Features like these are essential in 2021, and I am glad to see Ghost Town Games making less flashy but no less important changes.
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So what is Overcooked! All You Can Eat anyway? It’s a compilation of two games in the series that includes all the previous content as well as many neat additions. For the first time players have the ability to cook together via online multiplayer — very important in the age of never-ending lockdowns. The games also got a lot more nice-looking thanks to 4K visuals on modern consoles. There is new content, too, with all-new levels, chefs and locales. Very tasty treat indeed.
But when it comes to gameplay, the games have been left virtually unchanged because, really, what is there to change? My only gripe with the original has been resolved thanks to the new mode we’ve already discussed, and for those looking to challenge themselves even more (you people scare me) there is a survival mode.
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The devs promised that the PS5 version will run at 4K with 60 FPS, and I had no reason to doubt that: it is, after all, a fairly simplistic game compared to, say, Ratchet and Clank. The load times are better, too, and DualSense is also being used to some extent. It now uses the full array of its capabilities: the speaker, the touch pad, and even haptic feedback, although don’t expect mind-boggling sensations — it’s a simple game after all.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat is a near-perfect co-op game that is now as accessible as ever. Tons of content, new features, improved visuals and tight gameplay make it a must for families, friends and frenemies.
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