Overcooked! 2

Genre: Arcade / Party Game

Players: 1-4 Co-Op / Competitive (Local, Online)

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

(Note: This game’s content is included in Overcooked: All You Can Eat, along with the original Overcooked.)

Overcooked 2, like its predecessor, is an Arcade/Party game where up to four players are preparing meals in a kitchen based on simple recipes, selected based on specific orders from customers, with the kitchens you’re working in becoming increasingly hectic in absurdly silly ways, such as shifting the walls and stations around, conveyor belts, new hazards to avoid, events that cause different parts of the kitchen to become separated, that sort of thing. These situations will call for coordination by all players to deal with, in a frantic dash to fill as many orders as they can within the time limit.

In many ways, Overcooked 2 is a continuation of the first game, and fans of that one should find this one hasn’t changed much – the game’s art style, controls, and basic premise are the same, and the main difference here is the addition of online play to the mix. It’s a much-appreciated addition to the game, although the Switch version, as per the norm for Switch games brought online, is lacking voice support, and players must depend on an emote system to communicate – less than ideal for a game where communication is absolutely vital. Still, it’s better than no online play at all, I suppose.

That’s not to say there aren’t other, more subtle new additions to Overcooked 2. The player has been given greater ability to toss food around for speedy delivery to another player or a pot, the level design has become even more elaborate in some places, shifting as you play, and there are more recipes and more kitchen tools to use too, such as a mixer and a steamer. It all still works much the same way – either you plop the proper ingredients in and wait until it’s ready, or you’re mashing away at the action button to complete the task, depending on the station in question.

Overcooked 2 has the main flaw of its predecessor as well – it’s darn difficult for a game with such a cartoony, colorful exterior. Even seasoned gamers will find this game to be a challenge not to be taken lightly.

Still, for those looking for more great co-op games on the Switch, Overcooked 2 is clearly one of the best options out there. It only builds incrementally on the original, but even these minor improvements are plenty when the game they’re improving is one of the best co-op games on the Switch. Those looking for a good challenge to play with friends, and especially fans of the first game, should consider this a must-have.

tl;dr – Overcooked 2, like the first game, is an Arcade/Party game where up to four players cooperate to try to prep and cook dishes to order in increasingly crazy kitchens. And like the first game, it’s a fast, frenzied experience that makes for one of the finest co-op experiences available on the Switch, with subtle improvements throughout that give it a slight edge over the original.

Grade: A

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

Overcooked! 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Genre: Arcade / Party Game

Players: 1-4 Co-Op / Competitive (Local, Online)

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Review:

I have to admit, it strikes me as an odd and somewhat frustrating choice that the folks behind the Overcooked series chose this game to update as a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, instead of the more inclusive Overcooked: All You Can Eat. However, this is what they’ve chosen, so let’s have a look.

To upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 release of the game if you already own the original version on Nintendo Switch, you’ll need to spend $10 on an Upgrade Pack. However, this includes more than just a visual and performance upgrade. You’ll also be getting CameraPlay, GameShare, and an exclusive new chef.

I can’t really talk about CameraPlay – it seems to only work when you have two players who each have their own copies of the game playing wirelessly or online on Nintendo Switch 2, and I wasn’t about to buy a third copy of this game (or fourth if you count All you Can Eat) just to test this out. However, I can personally vouch for GameShare, and in fact this is probably the easiest use of GameShare I’ve encountered, with multiple ways to share the game between systems.

However, even apart from the new features, this is a pretty great upgrade. Let’s start with the visual and performance boost – this release ups the game to 60FPS/4K framerate and resolution, and both of these make for a much cleaner experience. The game was already cartoony in a way that didn’t really need these improvements, but I can absolutely say they still make a difference here.

The loading times are much-improved as well. On the original Nintendo Switch, it took me 46 seconds to start up the game, 18 seconds to load a save file, and 12 seconds to load into a level. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times have been cut down to 25, 8, and 6.

In other words, Overcooked 2 has been improved in multiple ways on Nintendo Switch 2, making this a great update to the game! But… why didn’t they update Overcooked! All You Can Eat instead? Especially when that’s one of the few games that’s listed as “unsupported” on Nintendo Switch 2, a new updated version of that could have been an absolute definitive Overcooked experience. Instead, this is just a very good version of a very good game… but not quite a definitive version.

tl;dr – Overcooked 2, like the first game, is an Arcade/Party game where up to four players cooperate to try to prep and cook dishes to order in increasingly crazy kitchens. And like the first game, it’s a fast, frenzied experience that makes for one of the finest co-op experiences available on the Switch 2, with subtle improvements throughout that give it a slight edge over the original Overcooked, as well as multiple improvements over the Nintendo Switch version of the game.

Grade: A

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