The third day of the Lunar New Year, inside a gaming enthusiasts' group chat.
"Any good game recommendations, everyone?"
"Overcooked! It launched today! I've been eyeing it for a whileâNebula Games Platform has a buy-one-get-one-free deal. I'm looking for someone to play with. I'll buy the game, you bring yourself!"
"Isn't that a couple's game?"
"Who says couple's games are only for couples? Can't two real men play it too?"
"Fair point."
"How much is this game anyway?"
"55 yuanâit's not expensive, and if you buy it on Chen Xu's Nebula Games Platform, it's buy one, get one free."
"By the way, where's Old Zhang? Want to join us!"
The group, full of gaming enthusiasts, was buzzing with chatter about what games to play recently.
At that moment, the person called Old Zhang replied in the chat: "Hmm... I'd love to play with you all, but... sorry, I'm in a relationship now."
A wave of dot-dot-dot ellipses flooded the chat, followed by a barrage of memes.
Ignoring the group's chatter, Old Zhang got up from the sofa, stretched his limbs, and sat down in front of his computer.
Old Zhang's real name was Zhang Yi. Although his gaming buddies called him Old Zhang, he wasn't actually oldâonly twenty-five years old.
Watching the group discuss Overcooked, Zhang Yi felt a flicker of curiosity.
"Let me see... this game actually looks pretty decent! Wait... it's made by the designer of Outlast? That's quite a shift from the grim to the cheerful!"
Seeing Overcooked's extremely Q-style cute store interface, Zhang Yi couldn't help but look surprised.
A massive poster displayed the game's title, Overcooked, spelled out with various ingredients.
Below it stood a giant food truck.
Atop the truck stood a group of cartoon characters wearing chef hatsâ a little crocodile, a little squirrel, a Doggo, and cartoon versions of a boy and a girl.
These tiny chefs held kitchen toolsâknives, rolling pins, frying pansâlooking incredibly adorable.
Seeing the Overcooked promotional poster, Zhang Yi couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
The cartoon art style made every character in Overcooked extremely, incredibly cute.
"What game is this? So cute!" Wang Han, Zhang Yi's girlfriend, had just stepped out of the bedroom and noticed what he was looking at. She asked curiously.
She played games from time to time, though not as passionately as hardcore gamers.
But the art style of this game on the screen did catch her attention.
The Q-style cute characters looked like something out of a fairy tale, giving off a warm, cozy feeling.
"Overcookedâit's the new game by the same designer who made Outlast, and it was specifically released on Valentine's Day," Zhang Yi explained.
They had both played Outlast together before.
Like most ordinary players, they hadn't paid much attention to the game's designer back then.
Only now, seeing Overcooked, did Zhang Yi realize that this designer, Chen Xu, had actually developed several gamesâall of which he had played.
"This was made by the Outlast designer?" Just like Zhang Yi earlier, Wang Han was surprised.
"Yep, and this same designer also made To the Moon and Undertale. Quite different vibes, right?" Zhang Yi chuckled.
"To the Moon and Undertale were also made by him?" Wang Han exclaimed in shock.
"Then let's buy it and try it? This game seems pretty interesting," she suggested.
"Heh heh, that's exactly what I was thinking," Zhang Yi grinned. He searched for Nebula Games Platform in his browser, downloaded it, registered two accounts, added each other as friends, scanned the QR code to pay, and then sent the gifted copy to the other account.
Unlike some players, he didn't care much about which platform.
As long as the game content wasn't censored or cut,
for him, the rule was simpleâbuy it on whichever platform offers the better price.
He had bought Outlast on Nebula Games Platform before.
Now with a buy-one-get-one-free deal, there was no reason not to go with Nebula Games Platform again.
Although the game supported split-screen co-op on a single PC,
since they lived together and both loved gaming, they each had their own computer.
After downloading and logging in, the game installed quicklyâit wasn't large.
Launching the game, they skipped the Nebula Games company Logo, and a line of text appeared on the black screen: The following content is based on real eventsâonly names, locations, and vegetables have been altered...
Then came a cutscene: a stormy night over a castle, thunder rumbling, large raindrops pouring from the sky.
ăAfter Tea Time...ă
'Finally, the moment I've been waiting for! After overcoming countless challenges for the Gourmet Grand Prize!'
'Behold, Kevin! The legendary Delicious Necronomicon!'
As the Onion King muttered to himself, he began his necro-culinary art experiment.
Terrifying cooking spells created hordes of zombie bread, flooding toward the castle!
To defend against the zombie bread, players must cook enough dishes to satisfy these monsters.
"As expected, story isn't the focus in this kind of game!" Zhang Yi sighed with emotion.
"The Onion King perfectly embodies the saying: if you don't do stupid things, you won't die stupidly!" Wang Han chimed in beside him.
They exchanged a playful grumble, then shared a laugh.
Following the simple intro, the game entered the Tutorial Level.
It was very straightforwardâWASD to move, Space to interact, Ctrl to chop.
Standard control schemes found in most games. Though neither Zhang Yi nor Wang Han were gaming experts,
they had played enough games to pick it up immediately.
They quickly understood the gameplay.
In short: cook mealsâselect ingredients, chop them, some may need frying or boiling, then plate and serve.
Certain dishes required combining different ingredients.
The victory conditions were simple too.
In Campaign Mode, the highest perfect score was three stars.
Within a time limit, each dish served earned a tip. Once the total income reached a target, the corresponding star rating was awarded.
The rules were incredibly easy to grasp.
And if all levels were completed with a three-star rating, the game would unlock a hidden four-star ratingâthough that was far beyond the reach of ordinary players.
"Got it! So easy!"
"This actually feels really fun!"
"If cooking in real life were this convenient, that'd be amazing."
"Feels like it'd be even more fun with multiplayer. Let's clear the campaign first, then try online matches against other players!"
Zhang Yi and Wang Han divided rolesâone handling plating and serving, the other chopping ingredientsâand breezed through the first tutorial level.
Seeing the three-star perfect score screen, both wore wide, joyful smiles.
Before playing, because of Outlast and the initial zombie bread plotâwhich did have a somewhat grim vibeâthey'd been a bit wary.
But after just a quick try, it turned out to be genuinely fun!
Especially cooking together, serving dishes side by side.
It brought back childhood memories of playing house.
That nostalgic warmth, paired with the gameplay, made the entire experience even cozier and more delightful!
Looking at the post-level score screen, Zhang Yi and Wang Han both wore bright, happy grins.
(End of Chapter) <