With “What the Fork?!”, the Switch has a new couch co-op game that requires good teamwork. This reminded MeinMMO author Max Handwerk directly of the co-op hit “Overcooked” – and thus also to the one or other evening with 280 pulse.

This is What the Fork: What the Fork has been available on Steam since mid-October, and it landed on the Nintendo Switch on November 5, 2020 – and thus also in my living room. You can play the game alone, but it is clearly designed for couch co-op with up to 4 players. The Switch version does not offer an online component.

Often, the name “Overcooked” is mentioned in connection with the game, and that is no coincidence. What the Fork has basically the same principle as the couch co-op hit. In close quarters, you have to:

• Transport items from A to B.
• Pay close attention to what your teammates are doing.
• And try to keep track of everything.

What the co-op party game for the Switch looks like is well shown in the trailer:

In “What the Fork”, however, you are not bustling through imaginatively designed kitchens with stressed restaurateurs, but racing back and forth with forklifts between warehouse and loading ramp. Instead of serving finely roasted fillets, you deliver loading crates here.

Otherwise, the similarities are significant – which is why I had a bit of anxiety about the gameplay.

This is the thing with Overcooked: Not once has Overcooked caused a few wild co-op evenings at my home. Because: When the processes work out, and you can cook everything well together, the game makes you incredibly happy. Then you work together, follow a plan, and congratulate each other at the end on a successful game.

But beware, if the nerves yield to the chaos in Overcooked. Then suddenly the burger burns on the grill, you send the game partner salad instead of tomatoes, and lastly, you keep falling into abysses. You get upset about yourself, about the teammates, about the devil who invented the frying pan, and above all about the damn game … and in the worst case, it becomes so heated that in the end even the controller gets cooked in your own hands.

Accordingly, I looked with a skeptical eye, shaped by personal experience, at the forklift task that lay ahead of me and my girlfriend. Would “What the Fork” summon the same demons?

Yes, What the Fork is forklift Overcooked – but more relaxed

This is how What the Fork plays: With Joy-Cons securely strapped to our wrists, we started the game. It begins in an office room with the chief forklift telling us the story that you must stack as well as you can to defeat flying delivery drones … fine.

Outside the office, you go up onto a map, and there from level to level. This is also known from Overcooked. By the way, there is no big tutorial, but there are helpful control overviews displayed during loading times:

However, it ultimately boils down to:

• Driving
• A small speed boost
• Raising and lowering the forklift forks
• Picking up and dropping off packages

This looks very clear and is quite easy to grasp. You only need a few buttons: The game runs wonderfully on the small Joy-Cons and is thus also suitable for inexperienced players or children who may not play often or are not used to controllers.

Only the raising and lowering of the forks – you have to get that right first. Because if you are not at the right height, you can’t pick up the package. This can lead to problems when you want to grab a package from the conveyor belt but it makes an honorary round until you position the fork correctly. At first, this looks like a small stress factor, but it relaxes with some practice.

Overall, the game is noticeably more relaxed than Overcooked. Because while you have to combine many different ingredients in the kitchen and must simultaneously ensure nothing burns, can’t get lost, must make the right order, and keep an eye on the conveyor belts … I’m getting invested again.

In short: Overcooked is sometimes very complex. In What the Fork, you generally only have to bring the right packages to the correct delivery vehicles while keeping in mind the specifics of the levels.

The levels are nicely designed and quite equipped with tricky elements. Here, too, there are conveyor belts, springs, or icy floors and pits. The tasks are partly demanding and require good coordination. But it doesn’t get too overwhelming like Overcooked.

Sometimes you load a package into a cannon and shoot it over to your teammate, or you throw the package off a roof. But at least during our evening with the game, we did not encounter situations where everything suddenly went haywire.

Here, by the way, you will find some free alternatives for the Switch.

What else does What the Fork offer? Overall, What the Fork is very colorful and nicely designed, even though the Switch version is not necessarily among the best graphics you’ve ever seen. However, this does not detract from the fun of the game. Occasionally, there are strange bugs where the forklift suddenly flies across the level – but those are also tolerable.

On the mini-map, the levels can be freely selected and repeated at any time if you want a better result. There is also the possibility to unlock many different forklifts.

If you know Overcooked, the principle becomes clear very quickly – but when it comes to complexity, the forklifts lag a bit behind the cooks. You can hold that against the game, as the comparison just arises.

Nevertheless, the forklift operation is a lot of fun and provides for really entertaining co-op evenings – and so far, at least, without melted controllers.

Are you still looking for more games to try out together at home? Then you can find some co-op tips for the couch!

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Are you more of a Killer, Achiever, Explorer, or Socializer in an MMORPG? The Bartle Test categorizes players of an MMORPG into four categories, which we would like to present to you here on MeinMMO.

Did you know that as an MMORPG player, you belong to one of four categories that even have significant effects on the development of online games? These categories are based on the Bartle classification theory developed by Richard Allan Bartle in 1996 to categorize video game players based on their interests.

An important test for MMORPGs

What exactly does this test provide? The Bartle Test was designed and launched between 1999 and 2000 by Erwin Andreasen and Brandon Downey based on Richard Bartle’s classification theory. It helps players find out what type of gamer they are, making it easier to recognize whether a new online game is interesting to them. If the MMORPG focuses heavily on PvP battles, it appeals to “Killers”. If exploring the game world is the primary focus, “Explorers” will have more fun.

The Bartle Test is also used by game developers to better tailor their titles to a specific target audience. Developers can quickly determine whether their new MMORPG is aimed more at “Killers”, “Explorers”, “Achievers”, or “Socializers” and see how many players they can reach and how they can tailor their title even better to the target groups.

Who is Richard Bartle? Richard Allan Bartle, born in 1960 in England, is considered one of the most important developers of the MMO genre. He was a co-author of the original MUD, the first multi-user dungeon, which was created in 1970 and is among the beginnings of MMORPGs.

In 1987, he developed MUD 2, for which he even interrupted his professorship at the University of Essex. His book “Designing Virtual Worlds”, published in 2003, deals with the development, history, and peculiarities of virtual worlds, focusing on MMORPGs.

What types of players are there? The Bartle Test divides gamers into four categories that we would like to present to you here:

Achiever

The “Achiever” wants to achieve as much as possible in an MMORPG and show it to others. Therefore, this group of players pays special attention to maximizing skills and stats, finding item sets, and collecting achievements. It’s about collecting, improving, and showcasing what you have achieved. A good example is the Paladin from World of Warcraft, who has 99.4% of everything.

According to the Bartle Test, about 10% of MMORPG players belong to the “Achievers”.

Explorer

As the name suggests, an “Explorer” aims to explore a game world, discover secrets, and see new things. Explorers must find every secret door and do everything to unlock new areas of the game. Exploration does not have to be limited geographically to the world of the MMORPG. It also involves exploring and mastering game mechanics. In the survival MMO Fallout 76, for example, many Explorers are out and discovering the most beautiful locations in the game world.

The Bartle Test explains that about 10% of MMORPG players are “Explorers”.

Socializer

The “Socializer” focuses on interacting with other people, meeting up, exchanging experiences, and embarking on adventures together. Cooperation is central to achieving success as a team. “Socializers” enjoy helping their fellow players, supporting them with quests, gifting gold or items, or perhaps lending a hand on a friend’s farm in a sandbox game.

According to the Bartle Test, about 80% of all players are considered “Socializers”.

Killer

The “Killer” group aims to win, especially through combat. Specifically in PvP against other players. The difference between “Killers” and “Achievers” is that “Killers” take pleasure in seeing other players lose. They aim to bring out the best in an MMORPG by any means necessary. Surprisingly, this type of player makes up the smallest percentage.

According to the Bartle Test, only about 1% of MMORPG players are “Killers”.

What type of player are you?

Where can you take the Bartle Test? Do you want to find out which group you belong to? Then take the Bartle Test yourself. However, it is only available in English.

You need to answer 30 questions, after which you will be assigned to one of the 4 player groups. You can answer the questions on the Bartle Test website.

How accurate is this test? There is certainly criticism of the Bartle Test. Some players do not believe that they can be categorized in such a way through some questions. Furthermore, there are voices that argue that the questions do not go deep enough and that they are now outdated. MMORPGs evolve quite rapidly. According to critics, the nature of the response options, which are always opposing, does not lead to meaningful results.

Nevertheless, the test has established itself. By October 2011, over 800,000 players had participated. Game developers still use evaluations today to adjust their MMORPGs to the four gamer types and optimize accordingly. It simply provides a simple and convenient way to find out to whom a game is targeted, how people play, and in what direction the title still needs to be optimized.

This is why there are actually even more players: Particularly in the field of single-player gamers, it is not so easy to categorize gamers into just four categories. Therefore, Richard Bartle expanded the system to eight categories. These are:

• Planner – Set goals they wish to achieve.
• Opportunists – They do not yet know what they want to achieve.
• Scientists – They gather knowledge methodically.
• Hackers – They intuitively understand how the game world works.
• Networkers – They evaluate with whom it is worth hanging out.
• Friends – They simply enjoy the company of people.
• Politicians – They want to gain as much prestige as possible.
• Griefers – They seek to achieve a low reputation.

What type of gamer are you? Let us know in the comments.

There is much more to learn about MMORPGs. For example, why there are actually Tank, Healer, DD in MMORPGs.

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