Team17, the independent developer and games label best known for working with games like Overcooked, Yooka-Laylee, and the Worms series, gave us an opportunity to play some of their upcoming titles at their E3 Show Floor Booth. We had the chance to play Overcooked 2, Mugsters, and Planet Alpha. All of these titles are going to be available on Nintendo Switch and are expected to be released sometime in 2018.
New Recipes + Dynamic Stages + More Chefs = Absolute Kitchen Chaos
The frantic and wildly enjoyable chaos of Overcooked made it one of the most well-known local cooperative party games of late 2016 and beyond. Overcooked 2 seeks to improve on the formula that made the first so great by refining what didn’t work well and building on its solid foundation. It’s easy to think of Overcooked 2 as “just more Overcooked” but upon further inspection, Overcooked 2 is prepared to provide the world with a 5-star meal.
When the original Overcooked released on Switch, it received criticism for its poor performance. I’m happy to report that in our time with the demo of the game, Overcooked 2 had a relatively stable performance. Two of us were playing at the time and with Overcooked 2’s insanely dynamic and interactive stages, the game performed with little to no issues. One of the other complaints people had with the first Overcooked was the lack of online play. If you did not have anyone to play with in person, you had to control at least two characters yourself (which could become frustrating). Thankfully, Ghost Town Games and Team17 have addressed this issue by allowing local and online co-op with Overcooked 2.
Overcooked 2 has added new recipes, dynamic stages, more chefs, and an ambitious UI for character and stage selection. Some of the new recipes to prepare for your digital restaurant patrons are sushi, pasta, and cake, among others. The stages themselves can change dramatically from their initial state making them unexpectedly exciting. One stage starts off in an air balloon and could end up with you and your team of chefs crash landing into another kitchen to continue serving your patrons. Speaking of chefs, you can choose from all of your favorite old chefs and several new ones such as a Platypus and a Walrus. Character selection is accomplished almost straight away from the main menu, as all the chefs wait in the food truck ready to go on their adventure. The new overworld map is made up of various new environments, but their new food truck is prepared to transform into whatever vehicle is needed to brave the elements.
The levels themselves have new components that generate dynamic and emergent gameplay options that are sure to make memorable moments when playing with friends and family. Overcooked 2 has added the ability to throw ingredients across the kitchen to be more efficient (or not) in cooking. Overcooked 2 has also added a communication wheel for quick callouts or taunts that will make talking to fellow chefs easier during online play. Stages can have teleporters, moving platforms, and an open fire that can throw embers into the kitchen and spark a flame. Cooking in real life can be challenging and rewarding, but Overcooked 2 is making sure that there’s never a dull moment in any of their kitchens.
Overcooked 2 is being developed by Ghost Town Games in cooperation with Team17, with Team17 also being the publisher. Out of all the games we got to play, Overcooked 2 is the only one with an official release date of August 7th, 2018. As one of the most exciting indie titles of the year, you can expect us to cover Overcooked 2 when it’s officially released.
A special thank you to Team17 for the opportunity to play the game at E3 2018.
