Overcooked: Special Edition Review
Overcooked: Special Edition
Publisher: Ghost Town Games
Developer: Team 17
Genre:
PEGI: E
Comments: (2)
Overcooked has been available before, but players were tied to their consoles if they wanted to play. With the Special Edition launch on the Nintendo Switch, Overcooked is now available on the go, and it is one of the best, handheld/tabletop Nintendo Switch experiences to date. While the game will pose strong challenges to those playing by themselves, it’s still incredibly rewarding to complete each level, and even more rewarding when getting the full three stars! Multiplayer, however, is definitely where this game shines.
Accessible for All!
When you can launch a game on console that only utilizes three button presses and some analog stick movements, you are doing well. That is the case here with Overcooked on Nintendo Switch. You will use on button to pick up items – various foods, pots, and plates – another button to chop up food that will need to go into the pots or bowls, and finally you will have a button that will allow you to speed around the kitchen, which could always be the differences between serving 4 meals or serving 5 meals!
Because of how easy this game is to play, anyone can pick it up and enjoy the title with relative ease. While the learning curve is pretty shallow, the difficulty will ramp up quickly, likely turning off most players from attempting to complete the game all alone. If you have others around to play with, this is really a non issue as Overcooked: Special Edition is much more fun when played with others.
Story and Gameplay
A spaghetti monster has invaded the Onion Kingdom, and the King is sending you back to ‘school’ to learn how to cook more efficiently so you can feed the monster and banish him from the land forever. You will hop in your van using a variety of different chefs – unlockable as you play – and will travel across the land attempting to cook great meals in a variety of wacky kitchens.
Every kitchen is unique in layout and in theme. Early on, for example, you will be tasked with cooking on board a moving ship, which means from time-to-time, the various counter tops will shift, altering the layout of the kitchen and forcing you to adapt. It is when you begin playing these levels that you realize how much better this game would be with another player. When playing levels like this alone, I became so incredibly frustrated trying to obtain three stars that I tossed the Switch and, for a moment, rage quit.
Multiplayer
When I did decide to the pick the game back up, however, I took my wife along for the trip. Whether we were playing with Pro Controllers with the system docked, or when we used the Joy-Cons when out for dinner, playing with my wife was a much more enjoyable experience. While the level maintain their difficulty, you might replay a level a few times knowing that getting three stars is a real possibility. When playing alone, I’m pretty sure it is nearly impossible.
Conclusion
Grabbing Overcooked: Special Edition on Nintendo Switch really is a no brainer. There is NO better handheld game on the market in my opinion. While some may argue Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a better option, I’d say no, only because Overcooked utilizes the entire screen for both players, while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe divides the screen up. Another reason why Overcooked win this argument? You can play it quickly for less than 5 minutes, and then put it away if you want. That is a bit more difficult with Mario Kart, or any other multiplayer Nintendo Switch title.
Overcooked is available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Make sure to navigate there on your Switch and check it out!
Article By Adam Roffel
Adam Roffel has only been writing about video games for a short time, but has honed his skills completing a Master's Degree. He loves Nintendo, and almost anything they have released...even Tomodachi Life.
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