Overcooked! 2 – Surf 'n' Turf (Nintendo Switch) Review

Considering the meagre asking price, Surf 'n' Turf is great value for money. The twelve brand new story levels are a nice extension to the existing single player campaign, and aren't simply ad hoc additions that cash in on the success of the base title. It comprises of three new chapters to sink your teeth into, which are split into four levels each, not including two secret extras. The DLC features two new chefs - Parrot chef and Island chef - as well as one returning chef, in the form of Boof. The resort-themed aesthetic of Surf 'n' Turf is very pleasing on the eye, and the hazards found within each stage, such as waves that pull your dishes into the ocean, are suitably themed. Likewise, the charming music that accompanied the original receives a laidback island slant here, which makes for very pleasant listening. It's quite reminiscent of Super Mario Sunshine.

Surf 'n' Turf presents a few new concoctions, ingredients, and variants on existing dishes, to keep things feeling fresh. On this vacation resort, smoothies are all the rage. They are reasonably straightforward to make, but feature differing combinations of pineapple, strawberries, watermelon, and pineapple, meaning the player must keep their wits about them to get the order right. Then there are kebabs, a lighter source of protein for the more self-aware islanders, looking to keep their figure for the beach. Last of all, in the way of new recipes, some existing orders have new twists, such as burgers. They can be double-stacked now, and they come with a pineapple garnish rather than lettuce and tomato, in accordance with the island theme.

While these new ingredients and extra dishes are nice, the real interest of this DLC is its mechanical additions, of which there are two. Firstly, the player is armed with a water pistol. This can be used to clean dishes and put out fires, both of which you will be doing plenty of. As with the addition of throwing ingredients in the base Overcooked! 2 experience, getting used to this new ability takes a while. Players might sometimes forget they can clean their plates in this way, or make a mad dash for a non-existent fire extinguisher, before realising they are only wasting time. The other new mechanic is the introduction of bellows, which are used to stoke the barbeque flames, to speed up the cooking time of kebabs. This creates another unnerving element of time management in the kitchen. Overall, these are great tweaks that only enhance the madness and the fun.

While the twelve stages in Surf 'n' Turf are more compact than those seen in the base game, that's not to say they are less complex. In fact, especially given the new mechanics that take a while to embed in the mind, if anything this DLC content is more of a challenge than anything the main experience throws up. For this reason, it's recommended that players finish and master the main story mode before indulging in this. It can be a real test of players' teamwork, skills, and patience. Earning a three-star rating on even the earliest collection of levels can be extremely difficult, which underlines how painstaking it gets. That doesn't present a difficulty and balance issue, however, as this content follows on from the main story, and it should maintain the sense of challenge built-up throughout that original experience.