Pizza Bandit Melds Gears of War with Overcooked for a Flavorful Shooter Experience

Okay, so, here’s a thought. Ever wonder who first mixed peanut butter and chocolate? Whoever it was, genius or just lucky, they might be rolling in dough now. Or maybe they just got a high-five and sent back to make something else taste good. No idea why this intrigues me—it just does. Anyway, every so often you hear about these combos that are so wild you’re like, “How wasn’t this a thing before?” That’s me with Pizza Bandit, where it feels like someone just said, “Hey, what if we threw Overcooked and Gears of War into a blender?” Weird, right?

So, here’s the deal with Pizza Bandit. You’re this guy, Malik. Used to chase bounties but dreams of tossing dough. Thinks he’s out of that bounty game? Nah. Gets scammed out of his pizza shop—by the way, I wouldn’t fall for that, but Malik, well—his old crew ropes him back in. The story’s just goofy enough to be fun. Like, Albert, some android dude, tries to apologize about the pizza shop fiasco but can’t nail it because, you know, he’s a robot. Makes me chuckle. Then there’s this pilot who misses the fog—random, but whatever.

Your crew isn’t just any crew; they bounce around through time. Don’t ask me how, because honestly, I haven’t the foggiest. Just know that pizza is like a health potion, and Time Reapers are bad news all around. They’re these annoying little freaks messing with your pizza flow, and that’s a no-go.

What’s different here is you’re not just pew-pew shooting enemies—there’s this Overcooked twist. My squad and I (you can bring up to three pals) ended up at this hidden spot called the Restaurant from Nowhere. We had to dish out pizzas to other bounty hunters. Picture this: throwing together pizzas, baking ’em, matching drink orders, stuffing pods, all while ducking Time Reapers that just hate small businesses.

So, here’s another layer. Time Reapers are jerks. You can’t negotiate with them. They’re all about chaos, and guess what? Your arsenal’s pretty stacked. Pick from rifles, a minigun, and more, but the real fun’s when you get some crazy add-ons. And dude, a disco ball that lures enemies into a dance before going kaboom? Yeah, that’s the kind of wild energy we’re talking.

The Time Reapers? They’re a mixed bag. Charging ones, creepy crawly ones, Terminator-flavored leap-at-you types. Some toss fireballs. They’ll ruin your day if you let them.

Pizza Bandit truly shines with the right team, though. Imagine a game of chaos with folks yelling orders over gunfire and pizzas flying. Decisions range from when to use a special pod to where to launch it. You learn not to block the stairway—or maybe you should? Keeps things interesting.

Anyway, Restaurant from Nowhere is just the starter. One level is at a sushi bar—dropping and slicing a huge tuna while dodging Time Reapers. I didn’t see that coming. Then there’s a level in a wild tomb with traps, puzzles, and a sarcophagus to nab. Jetpacks, anyone?

Or guarding a cabin with a time travel inventor—Dr. Emmert Browne, wink wink. Gotta keep him warm, fed, and fend off some loony shapes of Time Reapers, plus help him set time-traveling history. I bet the Reapers don’t get time paradoxes. It’s like, guys, come on.

And another has you crack open a vault with an overly explosive drill to snag a magic cookbook. Live a little dangerously, right?

Between all this craziness, you head back to your base—Pizza Bandit—where there’s time to gear up, decorate, or whip up pizzas that offer boosts in the next mission. Fashion’s a thing too. I’ve got my eye on a cat-themed backpack. Priorities, right?

Funny thing, I didn’t realize how much I needed Pizza Bandit until I tried it out. At PAX, a couple of years back, I was all, “Okay, I’m sold.” It’s one of those ideas that seem too nuts to work until suddenly it clicks. Pizza heals, bullets do their thing, and Pizza Bandit just sticks. I just hope Jofsoft sticks the landing. We’re in for some tasty chaos if they do.