As a huge fan of couch co-op games, doing the PlateUp! review was right up my plate. It’s a deceivingly simple-looking game with a lot of depth thanks to its roguelite elements. It also seems like a light game to play, a chill cooking experience with friends, well a friend isn’t talking to me after I allegedly “messed up a simple salad.”
Comparisons with Overcooked are inevitable, after all, both are cooking-themed games from small teams. Both games are drastically different in gameplay though. While Overcooked is more about puzzle solving, PlateUp! goes for a cooking/restaurant simulator experience.
What’s Cooking?
Your goal is to make a restaurant survive multiple days without annoying customers. Anyone who’s worked in the service industry would attest that it’s a pretty hard thing to achieve. To make matters more challenging, a single customer getting angry would shut your whole business down. So you can’t make customers wait for a table, can’t take orders slowly, or can’t service food late. A single mistake and you are out of business.
PlateUp! gives you a small tutorial and throws you into the deep end. I know saying this is cliche at this point, but PlateUp! is like the Dark Souls of cooking games. You are meant to fail again and again here. You get a headquarters where you and up to 3 other players can gather to plan the next cooking venture. Once the restaurant layout and main course are set, you are ready to run your own business.
Eatery-preneur
Once inside your small pre-determined restaurant, you are free to change the setup. Place sinks, counters, hobs, fridges, trash cans, and much more in any way you see fit. Apart from the room layout, everything else is changeable. You’ll get money for services rendered which then can be used to purchase new items, upgrades, and decorations.
After the restaurant is open, you’ll need to take orders, make the food, and serve it. After that, you’ll need to clean the table to cater to the next customer. Sounds simple right? I thought so too until I found myself burning steaks and chopping tomatoes too much (that makes sauce, which is great for pizzas, but not suitable for salads).
It gets too much for a solo player. Having to juggle cooking, waiting, washing, and cleaning is pretty challenging. Maybe it’s my “skill issue”, but I struggled to reach the 7th-day solo. However, each failed restaurant gave me more experience and unlocked new items that would benefit the next restaurant. You’ll unlock more dishes, recipes, layouts, upgrades, and more with experience. The progression is as rewarding as Hades, a critically acclaimed rogue-like that also made failing fun.
Too Many Cooks Won’t Spoil the Broth
PlateUp! is at its best when played with a couple of friends. I had trouble reaching the 7th day in numerous runs because of how challenging it can be. However, throw a couple of friends in the cake mix and you have a great recipe for success. Or in my case, a recipe for epic disasters. A friend placed too many dirty dishes on the counter instead of washing them resulting in a doomed business.
You select the layout and recipes from a random pool in the planning phase. So experiences are slightly different each run. I have no idea who is sinking capital in my restaurants but I’m thankful they have deep pockets. I’ve doomed about 50 restaurants just for this PlateUp! review.
Food for Thought
The PlayStation 5 version of PlateUp! runs just as well as the Steam and PS4 versions. It’s not a demanding title but still has a ton of character. I couldn’t test the online capabilities as the game ran into errors, however, couch co-op worked wonderfully.
I highly recommend bringing a couple of friends along, that’ll make the game easier and a lot more fun. One of you is guaranteed to become the next Gordon Ramsey and start slinging quality insults.
This review is based on the PS5 version of PlateUp! The key was provided by Yogscast Games.
