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

Oh man, you ever just, like, really sit down and think about the genius behind peanut butter and chocolate? I mean, some person, somewhere, just decided, "Hey, let’s squish these two together" and BAM! Reese’s is born. Part of me hopes they’re a millionaire by now, living it up. But what if they’re just like that guy who invented Chicken McNuggets and got a handshake and a "good luck" before being tossed back into obscurity? It’s like, come on! Anyway, sometimes these wild combinations just pop up, and you’re left wondering how it wasn’t a thing before. Like the time my pals and I dashed to our time-traveling ship — yeah, real life is like that sometimes — dodging Time Reapers, and I thought, "Why didn’t someone mix Overcooked with Gears of War before this Pizza Bandit game came along?"

So, Pizza Bandit. Let me break it down. You’re this ex-bounty hunter named Malik. Dude wants to be a chef, but gets scammed out of his pizza gig. His crew is stuck in a pickle, needing Malik’s skills to bail them out. Now, the script is kinda goofy, but in the best way. You got Albert, an android, trying and failing to apologize for losing your pizza place, ’cause, you know, he’s just a robot. And your pilot? They miss the fog. It’s like, what? But it’s all so charmingly absurd.

Get this, the crew isn’t your regular bounty hunters. They hop through time, battling in various eras. Ask me how it works, I dare ya. I mean, pizza? Heals you. Bullets? Deadly. Time Reapers? They’re these pesky critters messing with your timeline, all dead-set on ruining your dough. Not on Malik’s watch.

The real fun kicks in with this mashup of Overcooked antics and Gears of War chaos. After rallying the crew, our mission involves pleasing other bounty-hunting teams with our pizza masterpieces. Off to The Restaurant From Nowhere we dash, preparing pizzas and drinks while shoving them into time-travel pods — and dealing with Time Reapers because, shocker, they hate successful small businesses.

And those Reapers? Whew. They’re out for blood, quite literally. Shooting isn’t all you do. No sir! You’re handling pizza orders too. One minute you’re arranging toppings, next you’re fending off a horde with a pizza slicer the size of Bigfoot. This brawl of making pies and executing baddies is a whole vibe. Guns, grenades, a disco ball for some…dancing pre-destruction? Yes, please! Oh, and the pizza slicer — larger than life changes, I’m telling you.

Then there’s the usual bunch of crazed Time Reapers. Some sprint right at ya, others crawl or leap. A few swing massive hammers or toss fireballs, ruining your whole vibe if you let ‘em. You gotta stay sharp.

The chaos thrives with good teammates, shouting pizza orders amid gunfire. Picture: "Pepperoni, pronto!" "I’m on the drinks!" and "Down for the count!" And choices, oh those sweet, complex decisions — like where to drop that crucial rocket pod full o’ supplies. Do you use it to barricade a stairwell? Decisions, decisions…

Hang on, we spoke only about The Restaurant From Nowhere. That’s just the first level, mind you. Pizza Bandit, it’s full of surprises. A sushi joint makeover? Grabbing tuna? Chopping it while Time Reapers ogle you like a snack? Check, check, and check. You’re not just tossing pizzas, you’re handling sushi orders like a champ, evading foes as you roll that cucumber.

Other wild rides include Wizard’s Tomb, where you navigate traps, crack puzzles, and haul a sarcophagus mid-jetpack escape. I’m not even kidding. Each mission heads home with you battling through adversity. Who knew the life of a Pizza Bandit was so…exhausting?

Let’s not forget the shenanigans with Dr. Emmert Browne. Great Scott, Jofsoft gets me every time! Keeping him cozy while the Reapers aim to disrupt time travel. Paradox potential? Sky high. But no time reaping on my watch. And breaking into safes with explosives for magical recipes? Sounds legit. A touch of danger, a dash of madness — all in a day.

Between gigs, our Pizza Bandit home base is prime for weapon upgrades, a touch of redecorating, whipping up pies for stat boosts or just flaunting those stylish new threads. The milk carton backpack calls to me, though those cat ones are so tempting. Fashion first! Then, onward, bandit life calls.

Funny thing about not knowing what you want until you see it. Pizza Bandit did that for me, right from the get-go at PAX a couple of years back. The buzz! The curiosity! It didn’t truly click until my hands got on that controller. It’s that kind of magic you didn’t know was missing from your life. A game that swirls together pizza, bullets, and chaos into one roller-coaster ride. If Jofsoft’s vision holds up, we’ve got a delicious slice of gaming goodness heading our way.