Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 15/Jan 00:01

Overcooked! 2 (Switch 2) – Review

Ah, welcome dear guest! Have a seat and take a look at our menu. Today’s special is a classic: Overcooked! 2. Now, you may think you already know this dish through and through, but chef Team17 has drizzled Switch 2 upgrades on top. We do hope you brought some company, as this meal is best enjoyed “to share”. Just a warning, though: this kitchen isn’t for the faint of heart! Orders fly fast, fires spark, and teamwork is the only way to avoid a culinary catastrophe. Bon appetit! Given that Overcooked! 2 has been around in one form or another since 2018, the question you should be asking yourself isn’t whether or not this is a good game (it is!) but how well it holds up. Is it worth revisiting, and if yes, can the Switch 2 version be considered the game’s definitive edition? The answer may not be as clear as you think, actually. Sure, we can list the technical improvements, and there are quite a few here. Load times have been significantly improved over the original Switch version, as has the game’s frame rate, which is now a buttery smooth 60 fps. While these changes undeniably make for a much smoother experience overall compared to the Switch, they don’t push the Switch 2 version ahead of its counterparts on other platforms. On the other hand, Overcooked! 2’s heart was never in its technical prowess, but in its chaotic co-op experience instead. And boy, does Overcooked! 2 deliver here. Over the last decade or so, the Overcooked! formula has been imitated countless times, but none of the copycats we’ve played can live up to this blend of frantic co-op chaos. The “catch”, if we can call it that, is that you need to find some willing sous-chefs, as this is the kind of game that is at its best when you can loudly shout at each other while trying to figure out the most efficient way to make sushi. Yes, you can play Overcooked! 2 online, but not only did we find that online multiplayer is pretty much dead in the post-COVID era, the game is simply way more fun when your friends channel their inner Gordon Ramsay within earshot. The Switch 2 version’s specific USPs -apart from the exclusive Platinum Platypus Chef Skin- put emphasis on that co-op aspect. The addition of GameShare means that everyone can play on their own Switch or Switch 2 without needing their own copy. While playing on a TV is, of course, the more comfortable option, GameShare makes co-op play feasible without having to huddle together around a tiny screen in tabletop mode. Just be aware that setting up GameShare can be a bit fiddly, as the instructions are unclear, but once you get it up and running, it’s smooth sailing… but not smooth cooking. By comparison, Camera Play is the less successful option: while it does try to bridge the gap between co-op and online play, unfortunately, it is laggy, which doesn’t help for a fast-paced title like this. There are a couple of other areas where the Switch 2 version of Overcooked! 2 misses the mark. Single player is still, by lack of a better word, undercooked. While the Switch 2 version is available as a standalone purchase for €29.99, this version feels incomplete, as none of the existing DLC packs are included in this release. You’re much better off picking up the original Switch version, which regularly goes on sale, and then upgrading it for an additional €9.99. Now, if you’re on the fence about whether or not that upgrade is worth it instead of sticking to the OG Switch version, we’d still say yes, it is. Not because of the additional features, although GameShare is handy, but for the smoother, more consistent performance. Conclusion At the end of the shift, Overcooked! 2 still holds up remarkably well, even eight years down the line. The heart of the experience is in that couch co-op experience and that is very much intact here. The Switch 2 upgrade makes the game smoother and more accessible than ever. Online play may be mostly quiet these days, and the single-player mode doesn’t warrant picking up the game, but anyone looking for another excuse to invite friends over for dinner shouldn’t be looking any further. Just don’t forget to tell them that they’ll be doing the cooking!