After a few simple tutorial levels, the game officially entered Story Mode.
Zhang Yi and Wang Han continued playing, chatting and laughing as they went.
The first few levels were extremely easy. Customer orders would spawn one by one in the top-left corner. All they needed to do was complete each dish on time and deliver it to the window.
The first two levels were straightforwardâmostly slicing raw fish. The slightly more complex task involved cooking rice.
But upon reaching Level 1-4, Zhang Yi and Wang Han clearly sensed a change.
In this level, the game's background was set right in the middle of a busy street.
Hmm... never mind why they were cooking in the middle of a road.
The setting was what it was.
A truly excellent chef should be able to cook anywhere in the world.
Only by focusing entirely on cooking could one be considered a good chef.
This level was different from the previous ones.
Most of the area was blocked off by stoves, leaving only a path shaped like a sideways âćĽâ character.
But the key difference was that the upper and lower pathways were equipped with one-way conveyor belts that accelerated movement.
Moreover, the customer orders were no longer as simple as slicing raw fish or boiling rice.
Chopping, steaming, boiling, fryingânone of the cooking methods were left out.
If their goal had merely been to Clear the Game, this level would have still been relatively simpleâjust fill and deliver the four plates in the center to meet the clearance condition.
But clearly, their goal now went beyond mere clearance. They aimed for the highest score: a three-star rating.
And as the level progressed, new orders appeared faster and in greater numbers.
Before they could finish one task, another dish was already demanding attention.
"Quick, cook the rice!"
"Wait! Wait! What's the rush? I havenât even sliced the cucumber yet!"
"Whereâs the seaweed?! And why hasnât the fish been cut!"
"Donât keep rushing me! The conveyor belt carried it too far!"
"Cook the rice faster! The order time is almost up!"
Compared to the cozy, harmonious atmosphere at the beginning, as orders piled up, the initially organized teamwork began to falter. The two started to feel overwhelmed.
Especially with new orders arriving and existing customers growing impatient, their stress levels spiked.
And even more critical was this:
They each had their own ideasâZhang Yi wanted to cook rice first, while Wang Han insisted on prepping ingredients.
This completely threw off their rhythm.
In an instant, they were both flustered and chaotic.
"Hey! Why did you grab so much seaweed!?"
"Well, you need seaweed for sushi, donât you!"
"Seaweed can be plated directlyâthereâs no rush! Just cook the rice first!"
"Iâm cooking it, Iâm cooking it! Stop nagging me! Look at you, just standing around! You should be chopping!"
"Iâm waiting for you to finish the rice! How can I assemble dishes without it!?"
"Wait, why is there fire?! Fire extinguisher! Fire extinguisher!"
"Itâs right next to the stove! Where are you running?!"
"Hurry up and put out the fire! You see the fire extinguisherâjust grab it and use it!"
"Conveyor belt! Conveyor belt! Itâs carrying me away! Wait, donât rush!"
"Wash the plates! Weâre out of plates!"
"Why do we even have to wash plates?! These customers are so picky! Canât they just reuse them!?"
"Do you think this is an India kitchen? Would you eat food served on unwashed plates!? Stop complaining and wash the dishes!!"
"Youâre washing dishes way too slowly!"
With orders piling up and impatient customers waiting, the situation became even more chaotic.
And the more chaotic it got, the worse things became.
Orders on the screenâs top-left corner disappeared one by one after their timers ran out.
Rice pots on the stove turned into blazing flames.
In the game, if fires werenât extinguished quickly with the fire extinguisher, they would spread.
Eventually, the entire kitchen was engulfed in flames as the timer reached zero.
Their final score earned only a two-star rating.
"We were so close to three stars!" Wang Han exclaimed, her face filled with regret.
"So close? We were half the points short! Thatâs not so closeâthatâs so far!" Zhang Yi grumbled inwardly.
"What can we do? In the end, you sprayed the fire extinguisher forever and still didnât put out the fire," Wang Han said, pouting at the computer screen.
"Hey! How is that my fault? You were the one who didnât notice the rice was about to catch fire!" Zhang Yi protested, refusing to take the blame.
Hearing this, Wang Han grew indignantâshe had her own justification.
"How can you blame me for the rice catching fire? You took forever chopping vegetables and made me help you!" Wang Han huffed.
"And how is that my fault? You kept blocking me on the conveyor belt! And you even flung a vegetable off the counter!" Zhang Yiâs voice grew louder.
"I was just in a hurry! And besides, when the kitchen first caught fire, wasnât it you who didnât notice? Why are you blaming me now!?" Wang Han shot back.
"When the kitchen first caught fire, wasnât it you who didnât know where to wash the dishes? Took you forever to clean one plateâhad to help you myself!" Zhang Yi huffed again.
"Youâre being fierce with me!?" Wang Han puffed out her cheeks.
"Iâm not being fierceâIâm just stating facts!" Zhang Yi retorted, feeling he didnât deserve the blame.
"Oh, so youâre saying Iâm slow at washing dishes?" Wang Han widened her eyes.
"Exactly! You really are a bit slow at it!" Zhang Yi nodded confidently.
"What are you trying to say? Are you criticizing how slowly I wash dishes?" Wang Han clenched her tiny fists.
"Thatâs right! Your dishwashing is way too slow!" Zhang Yi declared boldly.
"Fine! If you hate it so much, then from now on, I wonât wash a single dish or bowl at homeâeverythingâs yours to wash!" Wang Han suddenly raised her voice.
Hearing her sudden outburst and recalling the argument, Zhang Yi grew defiant.
What was that for? Why are you shouting?
Not getting three stars wasnât entirely his fault!
Without a word, Zhang Yi shot up from his seat, his face turning red as he shouted even louder: "Fine! Iâll wash them! From now on, all the dishes at home are mine to washâyou donât touch a single one! Iâll show you what efficiency and speed really mean!"
Instinctively saying this, Zhang Yi paused, taken aback.
Waitâsomething felt off.
What had he just said?
His competitive spirit and refusal to back down had clouded his judgmentâhad he just made a rather dangerous promise?
"Since youâre so insistent, comrade Zhang Yi, from now on, all the dishes at home are yours. Let me see what you call efficiency, what you call speed!" Wang Han said solemnly, patting Zhang Yiâs shoulder.
"Wait! Thatâs not what I meantâ" Zhang Yiâs eyes widened in panic.
"No more talking! Those who understand, understand. Those who donât, wonât. Itâs settled! After all, you were the one who insisted so strongly!" Wang Han placed Zhang Yiâs hand firmly on the mouse and keyboard, refusing to discuss the dishwashing any further.
The Game Misled Me!
Staring at the cartoonish characters on the Overcooked screen, Zhang Yi felt utterly âdespairingâ.
What kind of game was this!?
Where was the promised warmth and friendship?
Why had they become so Hyped Up so quickly?
If not for his pride and stubbornness clouding his judgment in that heated moment, how could he have agreed to such an unfair agreement!?
And worseâhe had practically volunteered for it!
But compared to Zhang Yi and Wang Han, many other players experienced even more Heated atmosphere when playing this Two-Player Game.
Writing this, I got the urge to try a co-op game with my girlfriend. But then I rememberedâI donât even have one. cries~
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