Overcooked Review

Content Summary

In this article, we will examine the Overcooked game released by Ghost Town in 2006 and answer the question of which one should you start playing.

As Jason Schreier explains in his book Blood, Sweat and Pixels, there is a very common habit in the game world. Developers working in the game industry are often young, creative, and intelligent, so they get bored under studio limitations and increased working hours. After a while, they leave to make their own games and start their own companies by taking great risks. This time they publish their own plays with great difficulty, working overtime, literally working day and night, but undoubtedly happier.

The story of Ghost Town, the producer of Overcooked, is the same. Phil Duncan and Oli De-Vine, who have worked at Frontier Developments for years, have left the safe waters of the gigantic company and risked the comfortable life it offers and founded their own company, which they call Ghost Town. The game Overcooked was also the production that introduced them to the whole world.

Overcooked Promotional Image

So much so that the UK-based game company, Overcooked, which it released in 2006, was interpreted with very high scores by the publishers and did not leave any awards on the market. One of them is the British Academy Gaming Award. While researching about the game, I learned that there is such an award traditionally given. The game became the 13th owner of this award. You can see the other awards given by the academy here.

A blended kitchen image from the Overcooked game.

In the following years, the game was released on almost all platforms except macOS, including Windows, Nintendo, Xbox and Playstation, and it has high sales figures even today.

The Story of Overcooked

Overcooked is a platform game. The logic is simple. You try to deliver the orders on time and properly in the chaos of the kitchen, but when it comes to execution, it is not so easy. Although it can be played alone, the game is actually designed for at least two people. In order to pass some sections, it is necessary to show a great team game and a flawless performance.

Sometimes a fire breaks out in the kitchen because of a pot or pan that was not taken from the stove on time, and you have to prevent it on the one hand and fulfill the rest of the orders on the other. You suddenly find yourself asking your friend, “Where’s the meat?” “The second order is ready, only lettuce will be added”, “run, run, run, there is no time left.”

In these times when Masterchef and similar competitions have gained great popularity all over the world, it is an almost impressive simulation game to taste the rush and danger in the kitchen. There are even some very entertaining reviews written by former chefs about it.

General Evaluation

Although the game can be played alone, it is best to play with two or three people. You really need to be a perfect team for two people to finish all levels with three stars. You have to stop some sections and think and discuss how you can be more productive. Your ability to work as a team and make decisions under pressure improves tremendously.

It also strengthens your friendship. We played with my wife, we had a lot of fun, but if we had another child, it would have been more fun if he had been the third and did the dishes or something. That’s why I recommend playing three players if you have the opportunity.

Previously, a study was published proving that strategy games improve people’s management skills. I bet this game also improves your ability to make decisions under pressure and act as a team. If I were a football team coach, I would gift this to my players to play in their spare time.

Take care until we meet in a new game. We seem to be doing a few more game reviews in the platform type.

Note

“Should I start playing from the first game Overcooked 1 or directly from the second Overcooked 2?”

When I bought the game, Overcooked had an affordable price tag on the Playstation Store. The price of the second is slightly higher. It would be appropriate to wait for a discount to get it due to the incredibly high price policy of Playstation. However, if you want to play on other platforms, you can get much more affordable price.

Also, if you are wondering whether to start playing the game with the first or the second game, I think it would be better to buy the first game in terms of difficulty and learning the dynamics of the game.

References

https://oyunyorumlar.com/jason-schreierden-kan-ter-ve-pikseller-kitabi/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier_Developments

Researchgate.net/publication/339050491