Overcooked 2 - Surf ‘N’ Turf DLC Review

Overcooked 2 - ‘Surf ‘N’ Turf DLC’

Let me start by saying I feel rotten for omitting Ghost Town Games in my main review for Overcooked! 2 - I resoundingly championed Team 17 for publishing this fine offering and simply did not give credit to the hard working people who actually created it. In essence I went to a celebrity restaurant and said loudly to all that only Gordon Ramsay was responsible for the meal. For shame. I am an idiot sandwich.

So god bless Ghost Town Games for giving me a chance at redemption and, more importantly,  for giving us some tasty summer barbecue treats just as the nights get darker and the days colder still. The chaotic party mechanics of Overcooked! 2 still reign supreme and at the low price of your favourite barista coffee chain beverage (served large), the new Surf ‘N’ Turf DLC generously offers more profanity-laden kitchen preparation across twelve new story levels, as well as adding new kitchens to the multiplayer modes.

So what’s on the menu? In lieu of soups we have smoothies and instead of burgers we get some tasty racks of kebabs - with variations in ingredients as per expected to keep you on your toes. There are some tidal waves to deal with (because beaches are obviously fraught with such inconveniences) and some absolute animals from the local couples retreat conga-lining through your kitchen to make matters...interesting. The format really isn’t any different from the main game’s fare; but there is absolutely no reason for it to be. Overcooked! 2 is about manic behaviour, bright colours, tasty food and superb levels of chaos — and so Surf N Turf gives the masses what they want. With a generous helping of potential achievements to bolster your GamerScore (200 points alone for just doing a damn fine job completing the DLC) and three new characters to control (the parrot chef in particular resulted in some particularly hilarious and uncouth “Polly wants a …” comments). So Surf ‘N’ Turf is very generous in giving us simply more of what we already love.

There are a few new mechanics thrown into the mix too, including a handy water pistol to clean dishes with from a distance (a welcome change from the drag that is actually washing the dishes) and a set of bellows to stoke the fires of your barbecue pit (the hotter you get it, the quicker you cook — but the easier it is to burn food!). However, one thing I couldn’t get my head around was that there seems to be a change in the speed of cutting up food; it all seems very slow now. It doesn’t especially change anything later in the game as you’re balancing many things at once, but it does have the effect of making the first couple of levels drag a little bit as you wait for your sous chef to get his act together for a single dish. It’s a minor complaint, but it’s just a very confusing design choice.

That minor niggle aside, Overcooked 2 - Surf ‘N’ Turf provides us with some excellent side dishes to pair with the already excellent main course. Subscribing to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” line of thinking, if you’re a fan of the original game this will only give you more of what you already love.