Overcooked makes even Japanese celebrities fear their co-players

Recently, Japanese actress and former idol group member Rino Sashihara revealed how the co-op cooking sim Overcooked! Brings about personality changes in people, sparking agreement from other Japanese celebrities who have witnessed the high-pressure game lead to arguments. 

Although it looks cute and cartoony, the four-player couch co-op game Overcooked is pretty good at recreating the chaotic stress of working as a team of chefs in a busy restaurant packed with stroppy customers. Working together with your friends, family or significant other to whisk up delicious dishes while the clock is ticking may well lead to arguments because why can’t your friend hurry up and chop the -ing tomatoes already!  

It seems that the game is enough to turn even a Japanese celebrity’s boyfriend into Gordon Ramsay (not literally). In a recent interview on Sponichi Annex, Japanese singer and actress Rino Sashihara reminisced about her former boyfriend playing Overcooked. If you are a fan of Japanese idol groups, then you will probably know Sashihara from her days as a member of girl groups HKT48, AKB48 and STU48.  

As Overcooked requires everyone to work well together and coordinate their actions, Sashihara describes it as a game in which “Even the calmest person can become sharp-tongued, and fights start easily. I was really surprised by this.” She revealed that “I used to play this game with a guy I was seeing last year.” She explained that although her boyfriend was normally a gentle person, he completely changed while playing Overcooked and became scary.  

Another former member of AKB48, Haruka Ishida, chimed in with her own Overcooked experiences via X (formerly Twitter). She says she’s seen people completely change while playing the game too, and describes seeing players get so worked up that they have bloodshot eyes. She warns people not to be fooled by the cute graphics.  

On the other hand, couch co-op games like Overcooked and the train-track building Unrailed! are a good test of peoples’ ability to work together and stay calm under pressure. By playing them with your significant other, best friend or even co-workers, you can see how well you can co-operate to solve issues, which could be handy in real life too. Just don’t go crying over spilt milk, if you or your co-players end up steaming like a pot left on the stove too long. 

Overcooked is available on PC (Steam), PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series S|X and Nintendo Switch.