What’s the Difference Between All the Overcooked Versions?
We’ve been playing the Overcooked series for a while now, and have a good grasp on all the differences. Originally, we started with the first in the series, Overcooked. Then we got Overcooked 2 when it came out. Finally, we added Overcooked All You Can Eat to our collection.
While they all follow the same basic premise and gameplay. There are some subtle differences we discovered. All the games center around playing as chefs. Preparing, cooking, serving, and washing dishes.
The main difference between the original Overcooked and Overcooked 2 is:
- Throwing
- Dashing
- Order complexity
Overcooked All You Can Eat is not a separate game. Rather it’s the combination of all the Overcooked content. It has Overcooked 1, Overcooked 2, bonus content, and an assist mode.
If you want both games plus bonus material then Overcooked All You Can Eat is the best option. However, if you already have the original Overcooked and Overcooked 2, then the primary addition is the assist mode. We got it anyway since it’s one of our favorite games and we love all the different chefs to choose from.
Throwing
Throwing is new to Overcooked 2. We found it’s useful in just about every level. While it would be useful in Overcooked 1, throwing is not available in the original.
Any chef can throw. Not all items can be thrown. Throwing doesn’t work with dishes, pots, pans, or mixing bowls. You can throw any ingredient.
The ability to throw changes the game in a fundamental way. For example, in Overcooked you have to go to a pot to add an onion to the soup. In Overcooked 2 you can throw the onion from the chopper to the pot.
Ingredients needed to be carried to the chopper in Overcooked. While you can just throw them to the chopper in Overcooked 2. Throwing saves a lot of time spent walking and cuts down on the necessary dashing.
Dashing
Dashing is possible in every version of Overcooked. However, it’s toned down in Overcooked 2. In the first version dashing is powerful enough to send chefs flying off the map. Overcooked 2 nerfs dashing so it isn’t as fast or powerful.
It’s so powerful in the original version there’s a dashing trick to kind of throw items to chefs across small gaps. Actually throwing items is much better though.
In Overcooked, we almost constantly used dash. If we wanted to get 3 stars then dashing is essential. Except on ice levels. Then dashing causes more harm than good.
While dashing is definitely useful in Overcooked 2. We found we used throwing equally as much as dashing in that version. Whereas dashing was used the majority of the time in Overcooked 1 since it was the only option.
Orders
The last major difference is order complexity. When we played Overcooked 2 we noticed the orders tend to require more items or steps to finish. In the original Overcooked there were simple soup orders, cheese pizza, burritos, salads, etc. Orders in Overcooked 2 added several toppings to pizza, more items in a salad, and complicated baked items.
I’m not a fan of 4 or 5 ingredient orders that require mixing, baking or frying in Overcooked 2. Give me onion soup, cheese pizza, and burritos of Overcooked 1 all day.
Gameplay Overcooked
While orders in Overcooked 1 are simpler, the gameplay is not as forgiving. We found Overcooked 1 has short rounds requiring you to be a regular Frank Bunker Gilbreth. He’s the guy from the late 1800’s who came up with “the best way” to do something.
If you’ve ever worked in a factory or on an assembly line then you’ve no doubt been introduced to Frank Bunker Gilbreth’s efficiency. In my experience, Overcooked is a masterclass in efficiency.
We found keeping busy isn’t enough to get 3 stars on every level. And 3 stars are required to get to the final level. We found you have to run a tight kitchen in Overcooked 1. Making sure to get the assembly line going as fast as possible with as little waste as possible.
If too much time is spent cooking or chopping, not enough orders get filled. While the follow up to the original loosens up a bit, the orders are more complicated.
Call me crazy, but I prefer the simpler orders and blazing assembly line feel of Overcooked 1. At least until later levels. The lava, ice, and space levels are brutal in my experience.
You spend much of the game making use of the dash button only to be punished for using it at all on any level with ice or lava. Just staying on the platform long enough to get 1 order filled is hard on any level with ice or lava.
Then there’s the space levels which require a high level of efficiency. We mostly play with 4 chefs but had to drop 2. It’s the only way we were able to get the 3rd star required to advance on many levels.
The final level in Overcooked 1 is actually fun. It’s challenging but not impossible. There’s a falling hazard but it isn’t as bad as the ice or lava levels. Overall, it’s my favorite version. Mainly due to the simpler orders.
Gameplay Overcooked 2
Overcooked 2 dials back the dashing and adds throwing ingredients. Two welcome additions since the dashing is a bit unpredictable in the first game.
I’ll never forget the first time I threw some lettuce from the ingredient box to the chopper. I knew I was going to like this feature. Of course, the first thing my fellow chefs did was have a food fight. Burying each other with an endless supply of ingredients.
Needless to say throwing is a winner. The second version seems to focus more on moving ingredient boxes, adding conveyor belts, adding portals, and buttons.
While we still had to focus on efficiency, it didn’t feel like a blazing fast assembly line. Mostly just figuring out an effective workflow around all the obstacles worked for Overcooked 2.
Many levels in Overcooked 2 had us switching roles. Ingredients would only be available for a short time, the stove would move, or platforms moved.
Overcooked 2 definitely mixed it up with new orders, choppers such as the guillotine, canons to move between platforms, portals, and many more buttons.
Just completing an order felt like more of a challenge in Overcooked 2. Whereas the original felt like an efficiency machine. While efficiency matters in both. Overcooked 2 seemed a slower pace since it was more focused on working around moving obstacles and changing circumstances.
The final level in Overcooked 2 took place over a few environments but overall was fun too.
Gameplay Overcooked All You Can Eat
Since this is just a combination of the first two games there isn’t anything essentially different about the gameplay. This version adds an assist mode which allows you to adjust the timers and difficulty.
It also includes all the bonus content. Bonus content includes a player vs player mode, themed levels, and additional chefs. While all the bonus content is available separately with the original Overcooked and Overcooked 2. It’s built into Overcooked All You Can Eat.
Balance Differences
None of the Overcooked games are well balanced. We found it’s best to play with 2 or 4 players. Playing with 3 is much harder for some reason. Only a lunatic plays Overcooked solo. Switching between chefs is enough to drive anyone crazy.
Summary
We cut our teeth so to speak on the original Overcooked. Overcooked 2 mixes it up in a good way. And Overcooked All You Can Eat brings a lot to the table.
If you haven’t played the Overcooked games they’re worth checking out.
Differences between Overcooked versions brought to you by David M.
I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space and Overcooked All You Can Eat.
