Hey team! I’m pumped about PlateUp! It’s developed by It’s happening and published by Yogscast Games. On Steam, it boasts a Very Positive rating from thousands of players. For example, one player logged 32 hours in duo mode and called it a 10/10, mirroring my excitement for uncovering hidden kitchen secrets and emergent co-op chaos. The randomly generated daily layouts continually fuel my exploration drive, and although I’d love automation to unlock sooner, the experience still feels delightfully fresh.
Deep mechanics lie beneath PlateUp!’s surface: tile-based kitchen placement pairs with daisy-chained ovens for seamless workflow, and tasks can be assigned via hotkeys or controller buttons with tight, responsive controls. Moreover, linking the mixer to the freezer unlocks creative ingredient combos, reinforcing its roguelite cooking-sim identity. What’s more, persistent progression and gear upgrades set it apart from Overcooked, and the recent dev diary on procedural kitchen AI sheds light on how each service stays unpredictable.
I track every dish and appliance: PlateUp! features over 50 appliance types—from sizzling fryers to precision sous-vide stations—and dozens of recipes spanning breakfast to late-night snacks. I enjoy side objectives like pastry pop-up events, timed delivery challenges, and seasonal specials. The story unfolds through franchise growth rather than cutscenes, as each day unlocks new gadgets and décor options in the HQ—a chef’s narrative center complete with customizable banners and trophies. One minor quibble: a few tooltips could use more detail, and I learned the core dev team is under 15 people.
I chase optimal runs. PlateUp! lets me split a 15-day shift into micro-runs. My best layout shaves 30 seconds off each dish. I exploit turbo-ovens and conveyor belts for max throughput. The procedural kitchens test my routing skills. I wish the game logged split times natively. Still, it’s a joy to speedrun. This Unity title holds a steady 60 FPS on PC.
The soundtrack mixes jazzy lounge with upbeat tempos. It shifts pace to match each chaotic day. Sizzling pans and bell rings cue you to rush orders. Voice lines are minimal but add charm. The devs said they use FMOD for dynamic audio blending.
You customize chefs with outfits and colors. All chefs share skill sets but each sprite shows unique flair. This light approach suits a cooking sim. I appreciate the inclusive cast of skin tones and hairstyles. There’s no heavy voice acting, but the animations convey expression well.
To begin with, early days teach the basics at a relaxed pace. As you progress into mid‐run days, you’ll suddenly face ice storms and rush hours that put your planning to the test. Then, in late‐game days, you must rely on speed and multitasking to keep orders flowing. Having tested 20 runs, I found that the difficulty curve remains fair throughout. Moreover, you can tweak challenge levels via HQ modifiers, which not only boost accessibility but also help keep rage quits to a minimum.
Roguelite progression gives a strong replay pull: you unlock gadgets and new recipes that change with every run. Moreover, each procedurally generated kitchen feels fresh, and I even discovered hidden achievements tucked into side challenges. In fact, I find its variety comparable to Hades’ weapon roster. Ultimately, PlateUp! rewards repeated play and encourages endless menu experimentation.
Final thoughts: PlateUp! stands out in the co-op kitchen genre. It injects roguelite growth into cooking chaos. It edges Overcooked with deeper progression systems and customization. A small studio like It’s happening made a big impact. Yogscast Games helped polish the final build. If you love PlateUp!’s busy co-op kitchens and roguelite upgrades, check out Overcooked 2 and Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!. Overcooked 2 offers wacky teamwork challenges, while Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! delivers deep menu management. Also try Battle Chef Brigade for its cooking combat combos and menu strategy.
