While it’s still possible that you’ll be expected to prepare the exact same dish multiple times in a row, the lengthy ingredient list leads to more differentiation than in Overcooked. Soups have been dropped altogether, which makes sense because preparing those was pretty boring in the original. Salads have been bolstered by the addition of cucumbers, and cheese can now go on burgers. Piling onto the things to keep watch for, certain foods can be served cooked or uncooked, such as fish or tomatoes, making attention to detail key. It’s a delightful mess that often leads to hapless and comical mistakes. Contending with the additional equipment and extra steps heightens the difficulty and heart-stopping tension. After mixing, you have to put the ingredients on the right burner, whether that be a frying pan, oven, or the new wooden steamer. A number of recipes such as pancakes, cake, and steamed meats or veggies must first be combined in a mixer with ingredients such as flour or egg. In certain levels, there’s an additional step between chopping and cooking: mixing. Speaking of tests, Overcooked 2 has nine recipes to master, a few of which are new to the sequel. All of the kitchens are expertly designed challenges that keep each round feeling distinctively outrageous all the way through the epic 15-minute final kitchen marathon that tests everything you’ve learned for the ultimate cook-off. The new kitchen features really test your movement skills in a way that makes some levels feel like something out of a platformer.Īmong the wide range of kitchen settings are hot air balloons, mines, a wizard school, white water rafting, and some familiar maps such as lava kitchens (though there are no annoying ice-covered maps to slip on this time around). Joystick-operated platforms need to be carefully maneuvered to grab ingredients, reach cutting boards, and cook your food. Sometimes these portals move, so you have to time your journey properly or risk falling off the map. Magic portals transport you or ingredients to different parts of the kitchen that are inaccessible by foot. Some of these walkways are even suspended across gaps in kitchens, which makes each journey to the other side all the more nerve-wracking.

Moving walkways alternate between pushing you in the opposite direction and rapidly pulling you forward. There's a lot to juggle that could foil even the most well-thought-out strategies. Unexpected twists and turns are what made Overcooked so fun, so it’s awesome to see that concept expanded upon in interesting ways that maintain that unpredictability – even for those of us who consider ourselves expert chefs. With moving platforms galore, wandering ingredient tubs, random fires, windstorms, button-operated conveyor belts, and portions of kitchens that disappear before your eyes, there’s a lot to juggle that could foil even the most well-thought-out strategies. If you thought Overcooked’s kitchens were off-kilter, the sequel’s are downright silly. Even with that ability, they’re challenging. Overcooked 2’s kitchens have many more moving parts that, without the ability to lob food, would render some of the layouts virtually impossible to navigate. The addition of the throw button doesn’t necessarily make the cooking process easier, though. Since only raw ingredients can be thrown, final preparations of dishes still require a fair amount of scrambling. It’s still more fun to play with friends, but solo play feels natural this time around.ĭon’t worry, though you still have to run around like you’re on fire (well, sometimes you kind of are literally on fire). While it’s just as clumsy as in the original, throwing eliminates some of the idle time, making it feel closer to the experience of playing co-op. Like the original, when playing alone you have to switch back and forth between two chefs, assigning tasks like cutting meat and veggies to one while freely moving around with the other. Throwing also makes solo play much better. One of Overcooked 2's biggest overhauls is the throw button, and it's truly a game-changer.

Throwing adds a new and welcome layer of strategy and quickly becomes an invaluable technique to shave off time and complete more orders. For instance, with pasta recipes I’d start off by chucking two helpings into pots, freeing me up to move on to the next ingredient almost immediately. Food can be thrown directly onto burners, cutting boards, or into the hands of teammates, which removes some of the tedious back-and-forth of the first game. One of Overcooked 2’s biggest overhauls is the throw button, and it’s truly a game-changer.

Overcooked 2 chefs skills