There are now too few cooperative multiplayer games that really manage to bring out fun and laughter to players: in the direction of mass extinction, which will see online games - often competitive - win. Overcooked 2 is a breath of fresh air, something we have been waiting for and which, finally, returns after a successful first chapter to entertain us by cooking. Let's find out why together.
If it works, don't change it
The basic game is the same as seen in previous iteration: we will find ourselves having to cook, combining and preparing the various foods, dishes of various kinds, with the aim of scoring as many points as possible and taking the game home. As always, the game presents a plot bordering on the absurd, which however does not rank among the strengths of the game, but rather tries to be only a slight accompaniment to what really is the core of the game, the gameplay. The challenge is always a time, and in that lapse you will have to complete the dishes that will appear at the top left of the screen, cutting fish, cooking meat and combining the various ingredients to form the delicacies to be released from the kitchen. The more you progress in the game, the more difficult the challenge will become, by inserting both high difficulty dishes, and by structuring the game maps with different mechanisms that will require from time to time to adapt to speed up deliveries.
If the gameplay remains almost identical, it is precisely the level design that makes a further leap in quality, inserting even more strange, difficult levels and above all with obstacles that will certainly tear a smile from your faces.
We said that if something works, you don't have to change it: Ghost Town Games in fact it does not upset the formula, but implements it with new choices, some more daring than others, raising every single component of the game by enough not to give a sense of déjà-vu.
Eye that I take you
In reality, a new game component has been inserted into Overcooked 2, and although at first glance it may seem useless, in reality it changes the game dynamics a lot: you can throw some ingredients. Of course, you won't be able to do it for everyone, but certainly in a game that requires coordination - or that if played in co-op with other players requires tactics - to be able to take advantage of a toss of some foods to avoid going further (and wasting more time). adds that extra bit of speed. Speed that will often turn into fun, as I want to see you throwing food frequently without making it hit the ground most of the time.
We talked about gameplay: in single-player, the game is fully playable from start to finish, allowing you to control the various cooks one at a time. Overcooked 2 however, like its predecessor, it is designed for multiplayer, coming to see four players at the same time darting in these bizarre kitchens. Also, don't be fooled by the bright and gaudy colors and the cartoonish atmosphere: the teamwork of this game is crazy, and it will only take one small thing wrong to make the kitchen a hell worthy of Gordon Ramsey.
It must be said that Overcooked 2 manages to satisfy the players, however, once they have found the right assembly line: seeing how four different heads manage to coordinate in simple actions at first sight, it is always very pleasant to see, and raises the bar from the level of frustration, forcing the players to continue their games for several hours.
The online is coming
Loudly requested during the life of the first chapter, Overcooked 2 has local and online multiplayer: in this way you can have fun even with people you don't know, as long as you use an external chat system (Ps4 and One have their own, while on Switch you will have to take advantage of Discord). The netcode is not the best, causing problems from time to time with canceled or disconnected games, but all in all it hasn't happened that often.
Il party game It shows its best in arcade mode, where the level will be chosen randomly, you will lose the growing difficulty structure in favor of quick and instant games, perfect for an evening with friends.
The technical sector in turn reaches a greater smoothness in this new iteration, going to retouch and improve every single mechanic that in the previous chapter could perhaps have not well oiled gears. In short, if the first Overcooked has entertained you in all its forms and modes, the second chapter is simply an excellent sequel, ready to catapult you again between dishes to cook and challenges to overcome.
