‘PlateUp!’ is the Chaotic Party Game That Won’t Ruin Friendships
Even though PlateUp! is a hectic mess, you’ll never feel upset at your friends. Probably. But at least you’ll be excited to start over.
Teamwork is great. People working together, each a cog in the greater mechanics of life, sparks joy in my heart. But, sometimes cogs will accidentally start the dishwasher too early and dirty plates start to pile up and then your 5-Star fish pie restaurant goes out of business. But somehow, it’s not a big deal.
PlateUp! is a cooking cooperation game, like Overcooked, and it’s developed by Yogscast, which is a fun bonus. You are playing as restaurateurs trying to become a 5-star establishment. Each day you’ll have a set number of guests, and you’ll have to take and make their orders, clean up the dirty plates, and make sure you don’t burn the place down.
I’ve been playing PlateUp! with friends and solo for a couple of weeks now and it still hasn’t gotten old. Unlike Overcooked, PlateUp! has a flow that doesn’t feel overwhelming when things are going wrong. This is mostly due to the roguelike nature of the game. Because each game isn’t meant to last forever, it doesn’t feel as devastating when it doesn’t work. You just start up a new restaurant and try again.
Failure isn’t Frustrating
Plus, because of the roguelike elements, you’re excited to try again. Pies didn’t work? Maybe you’re a steak place this time or a pizza joint. Getting random equipment and upgrades each run makes the game so much fun to start over and see where it takes you.
And with a hint of Factorio-style automation, some runs will run themselves. It’s a great feeling of seeing the place run with barely any intervention on your part. And that’s part of the appeal of failure in PlateUp!, there’s always a new strategy to try.
If you’re looking for a fun, chaotic, exciting game that won’t stress your social circle, I highly recommend PlateUp!
