Pizza Bandit Blends Gears of War and Overcooked for a Flavorful Shooter Experience

Sure thing, let’s dive into this.

—

So, okay, ever just sit there and think, “Who was the genius who first thought about mixing peanut butter with chocolate?” I mean, imagine the kind of life they must be living now—probably swimming in cash. But then there’s this nagging part of me thinking, maybe they just got a pat on the back and were sent off to the basement, tasked with making fries taste better. Seriously, I hope it’s the first scenario. Anyway, every once in a while, you stumble upon something so brilliant you just scratch your head, wondering why nobody ever did it before. Every single time my buddies and I dashed back to our time-traveling dropship, dodging the ever-so-annoying Time Reapers, I found myself seriously questioning why nobody had come up with “Overcooked meets Gears of War” before Pizza Bandit.

Alright, here’s the thing with Pizza Bandit—it’s simple but oh, so good. You play as Malik, who used to chase bounties but dreams of being a chef. Sounds cliché, right? You’d think, but then there’s a twist. He gets duped out of his pizza place and needs to dive back into the bounty game when his old crew hits a snag. The writing? Well, it leans heavily into the silly zone, and that’s what makes it, I dunno, charming. Like, I can’t stay mad when Albert, our android buddy upgrading my firearms, shrugs off an apology for my lost pizza shop because, well, he’s simply an android. And there’s all this random nostalgic dialogue, like a pilot babbling about missing the fog. It’s just bizarrely funny.

And check this out—you’re not a run-of-the-mill bounty hunter. Nah, you’re part of a time-traveling crew; you pop in across different times and spaces to get things done. I haven’t the foggiest idea how this works. Just know that pizza heals and those Time Reapers really don’t like it. But that’s just too bad for them. We’re making dough, literally and figuratively.

Here’s where it gets wild. Pizza Bandit mashes up Overcooked chaos with the shoot-’em-up action of Gears of War. My first mission with the team was in this secret restaurant from nowhere—serving pizza to other bounty hunters. Picture this: piecing together pizza orders, tossing them in time-traveling pods, getting drinks right, shooting extras when the spice level rises, all while those Time Reapers try to ruin everything. They’re clearly not here for small business support.

The blend of frenetic cooking and blasting your way through Time Reapers is just genius. They’re relentless, these Reapers, swarming in with all sorts—crawlers, giant hammer-wielders, and some tossing fireballs that scorch your plans. You need strategy, prioritizing targets, multitasking like a champion. And trust me, the arsenal grows wild, everything from landmines to a disco ball that makes enemies bust a move before it detonates.

I’ll tell ya, slice and dice with a katana or opt for a pizza slicer that’s human-sized. It’s life-changing, let me tell you. Navigating through different scenarios—sushi joint hijinks, magical tomb adventures with jetpacks—you name it, it’s in Pizza Bandit. Keeps you on your toes, mixing up orders, evading traps, and yeah, slaying those persistent Reapers.

The game just keeps delivering, with antics straight out of absurdity’s playbook. The Dr. Emmert Browne mission? A nod to time-travel classics—genius, if you ask me. You’re defending, feeding, battling, and protecting the dude creating time travel on a cold night journey. Don’t you just adore a well-rounded homage?

And the wild gets wilder—breaking into safes with explosive laser drills, whipping up “magic powder,” cooking and hiding it inside fresh chicken. Yes, fresh is mandatory. Bland? Never. Obvious influences? Maybe. Fun? Always.

Between the chaos, you return to pimp out your Pizza Bandit hub, flavor it with personal touches, score some snazzy gear, and bake a pie or two for a little stat boost on missions. The milk carton backpack is a total classic, but I’ve got my eyes set on snagging a cat-themed one. Because style, right?

Pizza Bandit hits that special place of ‘wow, I never knew I needed this until I tried it.’ From my first taste at PAX to now, it’s been a ride. Give this game a controller, and it all makes delicious sense. Fingers crossed for Jofsoft to keep nailing it, because we’re in for a treat, like a piping hot slice of NYC pizza—one you won’t want to blow on before digging in.