Overcooked

Kitchen themed time management game Overcooked is one of the most hectic local and online party games available today. And despite the bright, colorful, and adorable design sensibilities at work, this is not an easy game. A competitive mode allows players to go head to head in an attempt to make the most money in the kitchen, but the heart and soul of Overcooked is definitely contained in the cooperative mode. Up to four players can work together in the same kitchen to produce orders and prevent mishaps.

And there will be plenty of mishaps. The level design in Overcooked is exceedingly creative. While the early levels help you cut your teeth by putting you in relatively mundane kitchens, later levels have you navigating icy floors, flying segments that split off and gather back together, and an array of separated islands that force players to coordinate. Coordination is important, because the biggest threat at work here is one another. While players cooperate together, the limited amount of space to work with and the increasingly complex and frenetic demands of customers means that you'll constantly be getting in the way of one another.

That's especially exciting because it's rare to find games that even offer couch co-op, much less games that actively benefit from having all the players in the same room. The chaos of a four player game on one of the harder Overcooked levels can match the hyperactive energy of the best party games. Overcooked's sensibilities make it accessible to everyone, but the challenge ramps up to offer a truly engaging experience for groups of friends.