Don't Sleep on Overcooked!

This cuisine reigns supreme

I’ve played quite a few Indie titles on Switch, and so far Overcooked is my favorite. In Co-Op, this game is a chaotic mess, and I love it. Essentially, Overcooked is an arcade cooking game where you put together simple recipes to earn points. While it is pretty simple in concept, but in execution, there are few Co-Op experiences more difficult or rewarding.

Things can quickly go wrong in the kitchen

I played Overcooked with two other people. We quickly divided up tasks; one person delivering ingredients, one person preparing the food, and the last completing the order. Well, in Overcooked, plans quickly fall apart. Whether that is a forgotten tomato soup catching fire and setting the whole kitchen ablaze, or the stage itself being ruptured by an earthquake, something always disrupts your strategy. One of Overcooked’s strengths though, is that the game never feels unfair. I left the pot on the stove, I forgot to wash the plates, I forgot to attack the mouse that just stole my onion. I never felt like the game stack the deck against me. All of my mistakes were a result of poor communication or a lack of planning. Then, even when everything comes crashing down, the game is still a ton of fun. Should I succeed, there is no time to get comfortable as there is always a new challenge around the corner.

Overcooked always has a new challenge around the corner

Overcooked has a staggering amount of variety. Each stage has its own theme and tricks. One level had me dodging pedestrians as I cooked in the street. Another forced me to contend with the shifting waves as I cooked on pirate ship. And then, perhaps the most devious, a seemingly simple kitchen level turned out to be plagued by mice that would steal food off of our prep stations. After mastering those levels, I felt pretty confident.  I thought there couldn’t possibly be any more gimmicks, and then I ended up sliding around on an iceberg cooking fish and chips for Eskimos. I was always surprised and always engaged from level to level. This is especially true considering how demanding the game is; as you get more complex recipes to prepare, it becomes harder and harder to keep up with customers’ orders. Throw a couple friends in the mix and everyone is bumping into each other and making the wrong food. Overcooked leads to a lot of yelling, but that’s just part of the game’s chaotic charm.

When Overcooked initially launched last year on PS4, I didn’t pay much attention. It got such high praise, but I just never got around to it. However, this game is such a natural fit on Switch that I had no excuse not to give the game a shot with the special edition. Don’t sleep on Overcooked. This game is one of the best local multiplayer experiences available on Switch. Single Joy-Con multiplayer is very practical with Overcooked’s simple controls making this is a great title to jump into with friends. Mario Kart is fantastic, but Overcooked might just become my default multiplayer title on Switch.