A fairytale kitchen under pressure
Cook-Out: A Sandwich Tale takes place inside the cook's cabin of a fairytale forest. Hungry enchanted creatures show up with orders, and the kitchen has to keep up. You assemble sandwiches from the ingredients on hand and get them out before the queue falls apart. The tone is cartoonish and colorful, with a whimsical storybook setting rather than anything grounded or realistic. As levels go on, the orders come faster and the kitchen gets messier, so the work turns into a steady flow of grabbing, combining and handing over food while the situation around you gets louder. This is a VR game played in first person, so everything you do with your hands is done directly in the space in front of you.
Playing together as a team
Cook-Out is built for up to four players working in the same kitchen, and its Steam features list Online Co-op, so your group can play it together. Everyone ends up handling part of the job: taking in orders, gathering ingredients, assembling the food and dealing with trouble while it happens. Coordination matters more than speed on your own, since the kitchen only holds together when people split the work and cover each other's gaps.
Trouble also comes in the form of nasty customers who actively interfere with the cooking. Jesters hide parts of orders so you have to work out what is missing, and thieves steal ingredients you were counting on. These disruptions mean someone has to keep an eye on the room instead of only building sandwiches, which is where a group naturally falls into roles.
Solo players are not left out: the game includes a simulated partner that assists with orders, so there is always a team tackling the work even when you play alone.
Before you start
Cook-Out is a VR title with 6DOF movement, so you will need a VR setup that supports motion-controlled play, and you should expect to be reaching, grabbing and moving your hands constantly. Sessions are built around cooperative kitchen work, so it suits groups that want something casual and team-based rather than competitive.
The game offers a co-op campaign, so there is a progression of levels to work through rather than a single endless round. It is tagged as family friendly, which fits its cartoon presentation and light fantasy setting. Customization is available through the "Make it Your Way" feature for your chef's look, and the "House Party" update adds new skins and customizations.