0:00:00.300,0:00:04.210 This summer, I have been playing a lot of[br]Overcooked. 0:00:04.210,0:00:08.600 This is a pair of games about working in a[br]kitchen, and in each level you must fulfil 0:00:08.600,0:00:13.160 orders by grabbing ingredients, chopping them[br]up, cooking them, and delivering them to the 0:00:13.160,0:00:14.260 restaurant. 0:00:14.260,0:00:18.810 Which would be pretty easy, if only the restaurant[br]wasn’t on a swaying pirate ship, or being 0:00:18.810,0:00:23.869 split down the middle by an earthquake, or set[br]on a hot air balloon… which, halfway through 0:00:23.869,0:00:28.880 the stage, crashes into a restaurant so you’re[br]now having to make sushi as well as salad. 0:00:28.880,0:00:29.880 It’s crazy. 0:00:29.880,0:00:36.430 But, of course, the biggest challenge is simply[br]getting two, three, or even four players to 0:00:36.430,0:00:38.030 work together. 0:00:38.030,0:00:42.640 Working as an organised team will require[br]intense coordination and communication - unlike 0:00:42.640,0:00:45.720 pretty much any co-op game I’ve ever played[br]before. 0:00:45.720,0:00:48.829 Because, playing games in co-op is always[br]good fun. 0:00:48.829,0:00:53.089 From old school run ’n’ gun games like[br]Contra and Metal Slug, to modern day shooters 0:00:53.089,0:00:57.809 like Gears of War and Halo, it’s a well[br]established truism that any game is improved 0:00:57.809,0:00:59.210 with the addition of a friend. 0:00:59.210,0:01:04.690 But most of these games so rarely ask you[br]to truly communicate with your partner. 0:01:04.690,0:01:08.650 This is often because the game is symmetrical[br]- which means that the two players interact 0:01:08.650,0:01:11.370 with the game in pretty much the exact same[br]way. 0:01:11.370,0:01:15.590 Take a game like Resident Evil 5, where there’s[br]not a tremendous difference between playable 0:01:15.590,0:01:18.500 protagonists Chris and Sheva. 0:01:18.500,0:01:23.290 They both carry guns, can both beat up zombies,[br]and can both carry the same gear. 0:01:23.290,0:01:27.630 And so because each character is equally capable,[br]this can often lead to a situation where you 0:01:27.630,0:01:31.500 feel like you’re just off playing your own[br]games - and only infrequently joining forces 0:01:31.500,0:01:37.540 to revive one another, or perform simple co-op[br]actions like boosting one person over a ledge. 0:01:37.540,0:01:42.490 This is very different to the more recently[br]released Resident Evil Revelations 2, where 0:01:42.490,0:01:45.390 co-op players control very different characters. 0:01:45.390,0:01:50.340 In the first episode, one person picks Claire[br]Redfield who is a typical Resi protagonist 0:01:50.340,0:01:52.420 with access to all kinds of firearms. 0:01:52.420,0:01:57.090 The other player is stuck with Moira Burton,[br]who is not able to use guns - but does carry 0:01:57.090,0:02:00.930 a torch which is used to light up enemies[br]and temporarily stun them. 0:02:00.930,0:02:05.070 She can also finish off knocked down enemies[br]with a crowbar. 0:02:05.070,0:02:10.000 With this set-up, the two players are forced[br]to work much more closely together as neither 0:02:10.000,0:02:11.950 can really survive on their own. 0:02:11.950,0:02:16.140 Claire needs Moira’s torch, and Moira needs[br]Claire’s firepower. 0:02:16.140,0:02:20.640 This massively increases the need for the[br]two players to rely on one another, and creates 0:02:20.640,0:02:26.340 the sort of coordination and communication[br]that’s lacking in many co-op games. 0:02:26.340,0:02:31.250 If Revelations 2 shows how giving players[br]different abilities leads to close coordination, 0:02:31.250,0:02:35.720 then Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes proves[br]that giving players different information 0:02:35.720,0:02:37.820 can also power teamwork. 0:02:37.820,0:02:42.740 In this game, one player looks at the screen[br]and sees a ticking time bomb, covered in wires, 0:02:42.740,0:02:45.760 buttons, keypads, and other weird gizmos. 0:02:45.760,0:02:50.220 The other player has a printed manual of instructions[br]for how to defuse the bomb. 0:02:50.220,0:02:52.750 So player one has to describe the bomb. 0:02:52.750,0:02:56.490 Player two has to then read out instructions[br]for how to defuse it. 0:02:56.490,0:03:00.590 And player one has to listen closely, and[br]follow those instructions. 0:03:00.590,0:03:03.730 Literally the only way to play together is[br]to communicate. 0:03:03.730,0:03:07.700 And if you don’t… 0:03:07.700,0:03:12.480 Asymmetric co-op doesn’t just force communication,[br]but it’s also a great way of allowing players 0:03:12.490,0:03:14.870 of different skill levels to play together. 0:03:14.870,0:03:18.990 This is something Nintendo has been doing[br]a lot lately with games like Super Mario Galaxy 0:03:18.990,0:03:23.620 where one player controls Mario and basically[br]just plays the game like usual - and another 0:03:23.620,0:03:28.599 can join in with a much easier role as a floating[br]cursor, picking up star bits and stunning 0:03:28.599,0:03:30.440 enemies. 0:03:30.440,0:03:35.650 But while asymmetrical design can be great[br]for co-op, it wouldn’t work for Overcooked 0:03:35.650,0:03:39.410 because the game needs to automatically scale[br]depending on whether you’re playing in a 0:03:39.410,0:03:44.819 group of four, with a couple friends, with[br]a pal, or even on your own. 0:03:44.819,0:03:48.569 Plus, this is a game that attracts people[br]of very different skill levels, so you need 0:03:48.569,0:03:53.200 to be able to divvy up roles on a level by[br]level basis - to make sure those who aren’t 0:03:53.200,0:03:57.250 super familiar with games don’t have to[br]perform tricky movements like dodging fireballs 0:03:57.250,0:03:59.670 or navigating slippery platforms. 0:03:59.670,0:04:05.099 So in this game, all chefs have the exact[br]same abilities, and the exact same information. 0:04:05.099,0:04:09.660 And each player is perfectly capable of preparing[br]and delivering a meal completely on their 0:04:09.660,0:04:14.209 own - with the only communication being “I’ll[br]make the burger, you do the pizza”. 0:04:14.209,0:04:18.169 But that’s not how Overcooked ends up being[br]played. 0:04:18.169,0:04:19.169 Why? 0:04:19.169,0:04:23.050 Well, in this case, it’s because of the[br]level design. 0:04:23.050,0:04:27.509 From the very first stage of Overcooked 1,[br]we can see that the design of the kitchen, 0:04:27.509,0:04:31.970 with this long island in the middle, makes[br]it very tedious to get from the onions to 0:04:31.970,0:04:35.569 the chopping station to the pot to the conveyer[br]belt. 0:04:35.569,0:04:40.240 But with two players working together - passing[br]onions across the table in the centre - the 0:04:40.240,0:04:42.930 process is much, much faster. 0:04:42.930,0:04:47.060 Pretty much every stage is built like this,[br]and later exasperated by things like paths 0:04:47.060,0:04:51.900 too narrow for more than one chef, and levels[br]split into two by moving vehicles. 0:04:51.900,0:04:57.050 And going faster is important, because the[br]scoring system is all based on time. 0:04:57.050,0:05:00.699 Meals need to be cooked quickly, or customers[br]will leave and you’ll incur a penalty. 0:05:00.699,0:05:04.039 You’ll get big tips for delivering items[br]more rapidly. 0:05:04.039,0:05:08.050 And your final score is based on how many[br]meals you delivered during the level’s tight 0:05:08.050,0:05:09.050 time period. 0:05:09.050,0:05:13.789 So, the level design and the needs of the[br]scoring system quite quickly splits players 0:05:13.789,0:05:19.939 into distinct, and asymmetric roles - in this[br]kitchen, for example, one player might focus 0:05:19.939,0:05:24.110 on chopping vegetables and preparing meat[br]patties, while the other cooks the burgers, 0:05:24.110,0:05:25.930 prepares them, and delivers them to the restaurant. 0:05:25.930,0:05:30.870 And this creates loads of communication at[br]the start of the stage, where players decide 0:05:30.870,0:05:35.759 who will do what, and puzzle out - together[br]- the most efficient way to cook the required 0:05:35.759,0:05:36.759 meals. 0:05:36.759,0:05:40.900 After this, however, Overcooked could have[br]suffered the main drawback of asymmetrical 0:05:40.900,0:05:44.189 co-op: that you can fall into a predictable[br]pattern. 0:05:44.189,0:05:48.430 You have your role, and you stick to it, and[br]in some games you don’t even need to communicate 0:05:48.430,0:05:51.439 that much any more because you’re so used[br]to a familiar set-up. 0:05:51.439,0:05:54.120 But that’s not what happens in Overcooked. 0:05:54.120,0:05:57.240 Because no matter how well choreographed[br]your kitchen is at the start of the level, 0:05:57.240,0:06:01.539 it will have turned into a manic [br]catastrophe by the end of the stage. 0:06:01.539,0:06:03.639 Why does this always happen? 0:06:03.639,0:06:08.349 Well, it’s because there are loads of clever[br]bits of design that disrupt these comfortable 0:06:08.349,0:06:11.310 patterns, and force you to keep switching[br]roles. 0:06:11.310,0:06:14.430 So one is the wait timers on food that’s[br]cooking. 0:06:14.430,0:06:19.229 A burger takes a few seconds to fry, so it’s[br]a waste of time to stand around and wait - encouraging 0:06:19.229,0:06:23.860 players to wander off, see if they can help[br]elsewhere in the kitchen, and generally become 0:06:23.860,0:06:25.639 a huge nuisance. 0:06:25.639,0:06:30.089 Wait too long and your burger will start to[br]burn - causing other players to have to disrupt 0:06:30.089,0:06:33.240 their task to come sort out your mess. 0:06:33.240,0:06:34.800 Then there’s washing up. 0:06:34.800,0:06:38.860 Which literally everyone hates, but I think[br]it might also be the absolute key to the success 0:06:38.860,0:06:40.960 of Overcooked. 0:06:40.960,0:06:46.439 Because no one is the dedicated plate washer;[br]it doesn’t have the nice, predictable rhythm 0:06:46.440,0:06:52.120 of the other tasks; it only becomes a thing[br]later in the level; and no one wants to do it. 0:06:52.120,0:06:57.020 Meaning that every time you run out of clean[br]plates, the flow is disrupted, meals starts 0:06:57.020,0:07:00.430 burning, and those comfortable roles get completely[br]shaken up. 0:07:00.430,0:07:05.630 And, of course, there’s the most obvious[br]thing: disruptions in the levels themselves. 0:07:05.630,0:07:10.689 Moving chopping stations, ingredients on conveyer[br]belts, shifting kitchens, and nuisance rats 0:07:10.689,0:07:15.569 break up patterns and destroy your best laid[br]plans, forcing you to constantly talk through 0:07:15.569,0:07:17.189 new set-ups. 0:07:17.189,0:07:22.189 So Overcooked gets to be an asymmetrical game,[br]without asymmetry, because it uses things 0:07:22.189,0:07:27.569 in the level design - like weird kitchen layouts,[br]dirty plates, random fires, and burning burger 0:07:27.569,0:07:31.990 patties - to force players to work together,[br]and then constantly change their roles throughout 0:07:31.990,0:07:35.180 the stage, leading to lots of great communication. 0:07:35.180,0:07:38.770 In the best Overcooked kitchens, you’ll[br]never stop talking to each other. 0:07:38.770,0:07:44.000 And, if you ask me, that means it’s a hugely[br]successful co-op game. 0:07:45.740,0:07:50.800 Hey, thanks for watching, and cheers to my Patrons[br]for their support, and a special thank you 0:07:50.800,0:07:55.059 to my girlfriend for helping me get the Overcooked[br]footage in this video. 0:07:55.059,0:07:58.639 There’s more to cooperative gaming that[br]we can talk about in the future, like making 0:07:58.639,0:08:03.219 choices together, encouraging good behaviour,[br]solving puzzles, or adding a spicy competitive 0:08:03.219,0:08:04.219 element. 0:08:04.219,0:08:08.889 So watch this space - GMTK has historically[br]been very single-player focused but I’d 0:08:08.889,0:08:11.639 love to do more multiplayer stuff going forward. 0:08:11.639,0:08:14.770 You can support me and all that I do over[br]on Patreon.