Overcooked! All You Can Eat

Genre: Compilation / Arcade / Party Game

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

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Review:

Overcooked! All You Can Eat, released in 2021 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, is a Compilation of Overcooked and Overcooked 2, both family-friendly Arcade-style Party games with a strong focus on co-op gameplay, released previously on multiple platforms including the Nintendo Switch, with this platform’s releases coming in 2017 and 2018, respectively. However, rather than being straight ports, this bundle enhances these games in multiple ways.

I previously reviewed both of these games. Here is what I thought of both of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
Overcooked: Special Edition	Arcade / Party Game	1-4 Co-Op / Competitive (Local)	A
tl;dr Overcooked is an Arcade/Party game where up to four players cooperate to try to prep and cook dishes to order in increasingly crazy kitchens. It’s a fast, frenzied experience that makes for one of the finest co-op experiences available on the Switch.
Overcooked! 2	Arcade / Party Game	1-4 Co-Op / Competitive (Local, Online)	A
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.

Now, before going on, I need to address something that’s been eating at me a bit. The thing is, truth be told, my opinion on these two games has soured somewhat since I previously reviewed them. In retrospect, I feel that these games have somewhat imprecise controls, and it’s not something I picked up on when I first reviewed them, but looking back at the games now, I probably wouldn’t have graded them as high as I did. I don’t think my lowered opinion is reason enough for me to re-review these games to give them both lower grades, but… well, I’ve considered doing so multiple times over the years.

Having said that, these are both still excellent games, and they have made such an impact that numerous co-op Arcade-style Party Games have been released since that are clearly designed in the same vein as Overcooked. If you’re looking for a fun co-op game to bring out in a party, both of these games are still an excellent choice.

However, when talking about this bundle, I can’t just leave it at that, because Overcooked! All You Can Eat actually improves on the original games in multiple ways, making this the truly definitive way to enjoy both games.

Purportedly this release features improved visuals, but I whatever difference there is here is fairly subtle. However, other changes here are much more prominent, like full 4-player online co-op support for the first Overcooked! (a feature previously only available in Overcooked! 2). There’s also new chef cosmetics, new levels, new game modes, and new accessibility options, in addition to all of the games’ DLC content. None of these changes are outright transformative, but it’s enough to truly make this bundle a package that seems stuffed full of great content and improvements.

When it comes to price, Overcooked! All You Can Eat does give players some savings over getting the games separately (They’re $45 separately, but this bundle is only $40), however, to truly compare these packages including all DLC, you’d have to factor in the added expense of getting Overcooked 2! Gourmet Edition, which on its own costs nearly $50, making for a full-package price of $64. And even getting all of that separately wouldn’t get you all of the improvements this package gives to these two games.

Do I still think the original Overcooked! games are deserving of the high praise that many, myself included, gave them? Almost, but not quite. However, they’re both still quite excellent, and this is an amazing package that should be considered a must-buy for any co-op players who haven’t yet tried the Overcooked series. I can’t quite say this is worth a double-dip if you already own both of the included games, but for everyone else, this is an outstanding bundle well worth owning.

tl;dr – Overcooked! All You Can Eat is a Compilation containing enhanced versions of the first two Overcooked games, both family-friendly Arcade-style Party Games with a strong focus on co-op play. While I don’t think the Overcooked games have quite managed to maintain their legendary status as the years have passed, these are still two of the best co-op games ever made, and this package adds multiple features, enhancements, and new content to ensure that this is the definitive version of both games, all at a very reasonable price. I wouldn’t recommend this for players who already own both Overcooked games, but for anyone else who enjoys co-op gameplay, this is absolutely worth getting.

Grade: A

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