Are you looking for a multiplayer game to play with your friends and family and have recently purchased a next-gen console? If that’s the case, then Overcooked might be something you should try out. It’s one of the best couch co-op games released in recent times. The game also just happens to be one of the best Switch games out now. In particular, the recently released Overcooked! All You Can Eat package is what you should be looking out for.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat Overview
Technically speaking, Overcooked! All You Can Eat is a new game for next-gen consoles like the PS5 or the Xbox Series X. As a definitive edition of the past Overcooked games, it has all of the content that the previous games have, only remastered.
Think of this new Overcooked as a special edition, where all the previous game mechanics and content are included. Skyrim’s special edition operated in much the same way when it first launched. We got the same base Skyrim game but with upgraded graphics, volumetric lighting, dynamic depth of field, and god rays. There was also new content to go through and full support of mods. The music and sound effects were also remastered.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat does almost exactly what Skyrim Special Edition did. This new definitive edition of Overcooked has remastered graphics to look just as good as other new-generation games. But not only that; there have also been tweaks as far as the gameplay is concerned.
For starters, the gameplay isn’t as wonky as before. One of the primary complaints about the first Overcooked game is that the camera angles felt weird and the controls were somewhat unintuitive at some points. This remastered version of Overcooked fixes all of these problems and adds in some additional features and new content, to top it all off.
It has to be noted that Overcooked! All You Can Eat is only available on next-gen consoles. As of now, there haven’t been any plans for the release of Overcooked! All You Can Eat on PC. So if you want to download the game on Steam, you might have to wait for a while.
Overcooked Controls and Quality of Life
Apart from being able to play in 4K resolution at 60 fps, not much has changed in terms of controls. Controls on Overcooked for next-gen consoles are largely the same as the old controls. You still use the same controls to move and interact with objects. Of note is the fact that the controllers’ behavior is different, improving your quality of life while playing the game.
For instance, on PS5, when you play co-op with your friends, your lightbar will indicate which character you’re playing. And your lightbar will also change color depending on what team you’re on in versus mode. The coolest thing is that you can use the emote wheel just by using the touchpad.
The PS5 has a built-in speaker to let you know what’s happening. If what you’re cooking is burning, your controller will vibrate and audio cues will be sent to your controller. Your controller will inform you via sound and vibrations if your time is up, if your food is ready, or if your food is burning, and more. This heightens the overall experience of playing the game.
Speaking of quality of life, there have been some significant changes. For example, a big problem people had with the original game was the camera movement. Occasionally, your camera would move to a place that makes it difficult to track what you’re doing. This is even bigger of a problem on larger maps, but this new version of the game fixes most of these problems.
Adding on to these quality-of-life changes is faster loading times. If you’ve suffered from waiting what feels like years to play a level, then fear no more. There are also some new trophies and achievements to collect, making the completion of levels more rewarding than ever.
Overcooked Gameplay
If you’re already familiar with how the original two games work, not much has changed. You still do the same things and press the same buttons. But in case you’re new to Overcooked, we’ll walk you through the basics of the game.
Overcooked Level Design
The goal of the game is simple. You are required to work as a team with other people to create dishes as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, getting to this goal gets more difficult as you progress.
You get a star rating depending on how well you do on each level. The game also teaches you recipes as you go through levels. And on some levels, there will be combinations of recipes. Overcooked always finds ways to make your gameplay more interesting.
On some levels, there will be obstacles barring you from getting ingredients. For instance, there are levels where a train forces you to switch positions with your partner. And on other levels, there will be obstacles from one workstation to the other.
There are even hidden levels like the Overcooked 2 Kevin levels. Because of the difficulty of some levels, people have complained that some levels are just too hard. Overcooked! All You Can Eat fixes this by fixing the level progression, making it more rewarding.
Overcooked Game Modes
Overcooked has multiple game modes. The most obvious game mode that it has is the normal mode. You play the game and complete levels as you normally would.
Then you have the practice mode, where you can practice the game without any repercussions for practically as long as you want. And on top of these two modes, there’s also the survival mode. Survival mode is quite literally as the name suggests; you serve orders for as long as you can. This is until you inevitably lose, as survival mode was created to punish you for any mistakes you do.
And the most recent mode added to the package to heighten the next-gen experience is the assist mode. This mode is friendly to new players and mainly teaches you how to play the game. So if you’re new to Overcooked and want to learn how to play, this is the mode to start with.
Overcooked Online Multiplayer
The original game didn’t have online multiplayer. It is a tried and true couch co-op game. People played it with their friends and families, but only when they were there with them. However, Overcooked 2 is a different story.
Overcooked 2 has online multiplayer and was tailored towards people who loved the original and wanted more of it. And with Overcooked! All You Can Eat, we now have arcade mode and Overcooked online multiplayer. In arcade mode, you can play locally with friends or have random people play with you via matchmaking. However, in campaign mode, you’ll need people you can trust.
Despite this new edition of Overcooked overhauling online multiplayer, the developers haven’t revealed plans to add online multiplayer to the original Overcooked. Don’t worry though, because they added some new things you can do as well.
The developers have made it so that online multiplayer is supported across different consoles. Overcooked! All You Can Eat will indeed allow crossplay. For example, if you’re on a PS5 and want to play with someone on an Xbox, you can do so without issues.
What’s New in Overcooked! All You Can Eat?
If you’re a veteran player and you’re wondering what exactly this new package has for you, then don’t worry. The developers sure didn’t forget about you. By purchasing the package you’ll get new content like exclusive levels, more accessibility, and more characters.
New Characters
There are many different characters you can choose to play as in the Overcooked games. These characters don’t exactly have many differences between them. The only core difference is how they look.
Characters in the series have virtually nothing that distinguishes them from each other. You won’t run faster when you play a certain character, you won’t chop faster, and you won’t cook faster. The characters aren’t given any special abilities, so the only thing differentiating each character is their looks.
Although it isn’t much, the developers went out of their way to make new characters. These characters take the form of three all-new chefs you can choose to play as. And while there isn’t much merit in having these characters, you’ve gotta admit they look cute.
Exclusive New Levels
There are multiple new levels in this Overcooked package. You get seven new levels that are vastly challenging and rewarding. Each level is unique, and levels range from cooking on rafts going down a river to cooking in space.
And that’s only the campaign levels. Throw in 17 new versus levels, and you have over 200 levels to go through from the first and second games. If you’re new to Overcooked, then you’ll have a blast playing both games and the new content.
New Accessibility Features
This package also offers some new functions into the mix that addresses some people’s problems. For instance, some people said that the user interface was occasionally intrusive, but the special edition fixes this problem. It fixes it by making the UI scalable to be less intrusive when you play.
The developers are also all-inclusive, so they added in functions for text to be friendly to dyslexic people. And if you’re colorblind, there are options to make the game suitable for you to play. These new features are small but improve your experience quite nicely.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat: Pros and Cons
This special release of Overcooked is a treat to many, and it has a lot going for it. However, as they say, there isn’t a single thing in this world that’s perfect. The Overcooked special edition has its fair share of flaws.
pros
- 1. Takes all of the good things about the original Overcooked games
- 2. Improved graphics so you can game in 4K and 60 fps
- 3. Fun gameplay
- 4. Cross-play and online multiplayer
CONS
- 1. Hard to play alone on harder levels
- 2. Can be boring for veteran players
- 3. Gameplay not innovative
- 4. No merit in changing your character
The Good
Overcooked! All You Can Eat takes all of the good things about the original Overcooked games and meshes them into one big package for next-gen consoles. It has improved graphics so you can game in 4K and 60 fps, so you can feel the power of your console.
Overcooked generally has fun gameplay that takes literal years to master, and if you want something to play with your family and friends, this is the game for you. It has both fun, casual levels and insanely difficult levels that require you to act as a unit to defeat. Contrary to the originally released games, the controls have also been tweaked a bit to make gameplay smoother.
There’s a boatload of stuff to do and over 200 levels to complete, with so many recipes to collect. If you want to kill time with someone else, then this is one of the best options you have. There’s also Overcooked! All You Can Eat cross-play and online multiplayer, so you can play on PS5 while your friend plays on Xbox.
The Bad
Overcooked is a multiplayer cooperative game at heart. Thus, playing alone is virtually impossible on harder levels unless you have an infallible will or a death wish. Almost always, you will need a friend or two to play with you to have fun with the Overcooked games.
This Overcooked package also doesn’t bring much to the table except new levels, so if you’re a veteran, there’s little more to do. The gameplay isn’t innovative and brings nothing new to the table. There’s also literally no merit in changing your character because they’re all the same apart from their looks.
Is It Worth It?
Overcooked! All You Can Eat is the definitive edition of the original two Overcooked games with upgraded graphics and some new stuff. Overall, if you’re new to the Overcooked games, then we highly recommend trying it out since there’s so much content to go through. It’s a great party game to play when you have friends over or when you want to play with family.
However, if you’re a veteran, you might want to stay back from this special edition. It’s only got a bit of extra content which, probably isn’t enough for your money. But hey, if you like Overcooked that much, then go ahead and try it out.
