In order to reach 4 stars in duo, this level only needs 6 dishes all served in order, with no time-outs. In the video, we managed to do this with 3 cakes and 3 pancake orders. (Pancake orders give less points than cakes, but take less effort to cook). This being said, our 5th order nearly timed out, so I would recommend prioritising serving the 5th order as soon as it’s ready to avoid it being timed out.
I would recommend focusing on only two orders at a time. When I play this level with less experienced players, or watch them play this level, the biggest problem I see is that players try to think too far ahead, and mess up as a result.
It is much more simple to focus on only two orders at a time. Get them mixed. Get them cooked. Get them served. Only start preparing ingredients for the next set of two, when there is absolutely nothing else that can be done. The biggest priority should be mixing, cooking and serving the left-most two orders.
Within a couple of tries, there should be plenty of time to cook 6 orders in this style. In our video, we served our 6th order with 15 seconds to spare. This was with a lot of deaths and close calls, too.
If a player is at the top platform, waiting for a cake to cook, they can throw ingredients to the player waiting at the bottom left.
There are two protrusions on these platforms that both players need to stand on, in order to be able to throw ingredients. This can help save time, while the pathways are gone.
If the middle pathway has just disappeared and you want to get back to the left platform, sometimes it is quicker to throw yourself into the swamp, as you’ll respawn on the left platform. It takes 5 seconds to respawn, and it can be quicker than waiting for the pathway to reappear, and then cross it.
The same applies to bowls, in a different circumstance. If you are at the top platform and you’ve just finished cooking and plating the cake - it can be quicker to drop the empty bowl into the swamp than to run it back. The bowl will respawn on the left platform, and a player waiting there can quickly refill it with the required ingredients.
See Section 2 of this guide: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1700450005
Ensure that you maintain the combo throughout your play
Bored of 4 stars? Try this challenge: https://overcooked-ea36b.web.app/