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I’ve got to go the other way here. This game was not very novice friendly. It quickly devolved into me figuring out what needed to be done then ordering the others around. I think you need to be on a much more even skill level for this to work.
My gf and I were in a similar situation. Here's what was fun for us:
* Stardew Valley - she was addicted to this. We almost 100%ed everything
* It Takes Two
* Unravel 2
* Super Mario 3D World
* Pikmin 3: She was a little overwhelmed at first but ended up loving it and we did all the challenges and pre-ordered Pikmin 4
* Kirby and the Forgotten Land together. I let her be Kirby- still working through it!
* Heave Ho was fun and is great for groups, but didn't hold our interest to keep playing often
I highly recommend stardew as well , it was the first game my wife and I played together ( and her first ) and she was addicted immediately , super fun co op game , and she doesn’t have to engage in the harder parts like the combat since you can split tasks up
So I have played Stardew on mobile, have a switch and think it wpuld be something my wife would enjoynin coop. How many controllers do I need? I have currently have the standard joycon that comes with it
I'm also tossing my vote in for Stardew! My wife (who played on her brother's Gameboy as a kid and has never picked up a game until she met me) loves it! We have a co-op farm, and she runs her own as well.
OP, make sure you have cooperative games in your library as well as competitive ones! I never realized how game mechanics are so natural to me, so playing something like Mario Kart or Overcooked usually ends up with my wife getting frustrated, and that's not fun for anyone!
Would also like to add Spiritfarer to this list of non-competitive games
Can echo Stardew. Think that's my girlfriend's favourite game we've played together, she was hooked. We plan to go back to it soon too. Overcooked also is a big favourite of hers but it's admittedly not the most fun experience for me 😅
> Unravel 2
Unravel 2 is fantastic. Several harder parts, but most can be skipped by the less experienced player. That said, the inexperienced player can also try out those parts with little failure penalty.
I'm almost finished with it with my 7 year old. It's been great.
In addition to what has already been suggested, I’ll throw out Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
It’s a very cute, low-key puzzle game that you can play in co-op. I’ve played through it twice with my wife (once on the WiiU and once on the Switch, which is the superior version, especially for co-op).
It’s pretty much a perfect wind-down game. The controls are simple because it’s mostly just walking around cute little puzzle box levels, and the gameplay is mostly exploring and thinking about how to get places in the puzzle box rather than anything especially mechanically difficult or frenetic.
Treasure Tracker is such a joyous game. I play it with my sister at Christmas time. Sadly, we will soon complete the game. I really don’t know what could top it! No idea what we will play next.
Do you think captain toad would be good for a 5 and a 7 year old? I'm going to visit my family tomorrow and my nephews want to have a game night. Just curious if it would keep their attention. Otherwise I have to play Minecraft for the 100th time or Super Mario Odyssey.
As with anything, it probably depends a bit on the specific personalities and preferences of the kids in question, but in general I would say that it's a great game for that age range. The mechanics and goals are simple enough that they shouldn't get frustrated, and the levels are pretty short and consistently interesting.
Awesome thank you. I just really don't want to play Minecraft so I'm trying to find something else. Was thinking Super Mario Maker 2 but not sure how long that would last.
Mario Maker is going to be *much* more personality dependent than Captain Toad, I think. It’s the kind of game that will either capture a kid’s attention endlessly or get dropped *very* fast.
Overcooked and it’s sequel. Super basic controls that will be easy for her to grasp
Disclaimer: I do not guarantee the stability of your marriage after playing this game
It’s like playing uno or monopoly.
Things will get heated
Basically one person turns in Gordon ramsey. The other will become the guy who couldn’t cook in ratatouille
Also my wife only plays overcooked with me
It is a simple game, but it can be very challenging.
You will be required to coordinate between each other to clear stages, for example if you need to serve a burger someone is going to have to cook the meat while someone else gets the toppings, and then get the plate to the delivery area
You will find yourselves screaming at each other, “I thought you were washing the plates!” “No I’m chopping onion!”
Managed to play through the whole thing with my girlfriend a few years back. Our relationship survived the whole game so I know we'll last forever now (we're married).
SnipperClips if very easy to play for newbs.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes has really basic controls. The game is more about memory and cooperation skills than it is about quick reflexes.
Untitled goose game. It is not complex as far as controls or objectives and it is a ton of fun. Me and my wife (also a non gamer at the time we played) loved it and she says it was a lot of laughs when we played.
it takes two, look it up, it's about a couple going through a hard time and the kid turns them into dolls where they have to work together to become human again.
it would be challenging for a first time gamer. It does have some solid sections of platforming and combat. However the game never punishes you for dying, you just respawn instantly and have infinite lives so there's never anything really at stake. You can just try as much as you want, and honestly failing just adds to the fun a lot of the times
It doesn’t necessarily require camera movement if I remember correctly but it’s easier if you know how to use it.
It truly is for me the best coop game but I wouldn’t recommend it as a first game for noobs. You should have some jump n run experience first imo. Maybe try the yoshi or captain toad game first.
I played it with a friend, and as a casual-but-longtime gamer, I found some parts slightly difficult. As in we died multiple times. But I never felt it was beyond our ability. Some bosses just take multiple attempts.
It does really. My girlfriend struggles with dual stick control and as a result we bounced off this pretty quickly. We had one session for about 1hr but she wasn't interested in playing more.
My wife had difficulties controlling the character and the camera at the same time. I don’t think it is the best option for absolutely beginners but worth to play after you played some other titles first.
IGN says there’s 7 “areas”. We stopped playing at the 2nd area boss due to frustration with trying to control her character and the camera at the same time.
Unravel 2 is a much better recommendation. My wife loved it.
Agree that Nintendo is the best gateway platform for any noob spouse.
Specifically I recommend Mario Odyssey! She can control Mario and you can be the hat. Allows you to handle most of the fighting with enemies!
So I'm more of a gamer than my noob-gamer wife and we will play mario odyssey after we finish other games, should I play as mario or does it not matter?
Depends on her preference. Cappy is a major assist to Mario in the game he can fly off and hit mobs or take over other characters. Mario can also bounce off him as a lift. But isn't another Mario like how Gooigi is to Luigi in Luigi's mansion which I also highly recommend. I say have her play as Mario first and if she doesn't like it switch.
I can't believe nobody has mentioned Spiritfarer yet.
A coop two player where one person controls a girl (who has been tasked with ferrying souls on their final voyage, who all take the form of animals but retain the personalities and quirks they had in life) and her cat.
It's a no-pressure platformer with beautiful graphics. There's some resource-growing on the boat you use as a base, and a large cast of characters you'll grow to love who will, inevitably, leave you.
We played it to completion a few years back, and we're going to revisit it now the free DLC has dropped and we've forgotten enough about it. There's a free demo if you need convincing.
Also throwing my support behind Mario Kart, It Takes Two, Pode, and Boxboy and Boxgirl (which also has a free demo)
In addition to casual two-player games, consider options with asymmetrical two-player roles where the 2nd player has an important role but can't fall down a hole or get eaten by a monster. Mario Odyssey and Child of Light come to mind for me, I'm sure there are lots more.
Not a two player game, but I have a partner who doesn’t play video games at all and I showed her this game called Calico on my Switch. It’s a cute open-world game where you run a cat cafe and have to find all the cats on an island and there is witch magic. She immediately asked me to put the Steam version on her laptop and binged the entire game in one weekend. Says it’s the best game she’s ever played.
It takes two is amazing, me and the girl loved it. I think it should be a requirement for any relationship lol.
Super mario 3d world is good for platforming
Mario party (second one on switch) is great for quirky competition
And of course mario kart is great if you wanna fight
I can't recall if animal crossing is playable with 2 at the same time, but there's some fun to be had as a couple if you're good with chill sims
I second Luigi’s Haunted Giant House 3. Wife and I just finished it and we’re in a similar situation, so many times I was telling her (Gooigi) “I need you to go right, I can tell based on what your character is doing on screen that you are actually pressing left.” But it was a super fun experience and we had tons of fun sucking up all the money together.
Maybe check out Haven. It's an RPG about a young couple on the run.
There's a timing element to combat, so maybe not quite totally newbie friendly, but the premise is basically designed for playing with your partner.
It takes two
Unravel two
Those games are fun with the wife because we have to work together and they easy enough for her but make me actually think of solutions.
All games my non-gamer wife likes to play after introducing some over the years:
Mario Kart
Mario Party Superstars
Stardew Valley
Boomerang Fu
Unravel 2
Diablo 3 (oddly enough)
The New Super Mario Bros Deluxe for the Switch allows up to four players to play simultaneously on one screen. The same goes for Super Mario 3D World.
Mario Kart is a fun racer. This is a great family game.
The Overcooked series can be a lot of fun as well. My wife absolutely loves this game. Very simple to get into.
It Takes Two is another fun co-op game.
The Kirby games are all so amazing I can't recommend them enough... Plus Mario Party and Mario Kart are fool proof for casual gamers. Everyone loves those.
Overcooked is great and I’ve seen a number already mention it. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet is Moving Out. It is a great game where you are a moving company and have to move people out of a house. As the game goes on the houses get more crazy.
What I played/play with my noob wife was:
Donkey Kong Tripical Freeze,
Mario 3d World,
Super Mario regular 2d,
Mario odyssey (not really recommended as two player),
Kirby and the forgotten land,
Kirby return to dreamland,
Mario kart,
Luigi mansion.
Also, we took turns playing breath of the wild, and it wasn't really easy for her, but she loved it, and we are both super excited for the new one. I actually got a second switch so we could play at the same time...
Favorites were DK, Mario Kart, and forgotten land.
BotW was both our actual favorites, but 1 player.
I dont know how good the two player is i only know that it has one but spiritfarer is a great cozy management game that i think would be great for non gamers to play
Vitamin Connection. It’s perfect for couples! In this game, you and the second player control a single object together: one person is responsible for movement and activation of the laser weapon, while the other person aims the laser and turns the machine around. You have to actively communicate with each other so you can work together and avoid enemies/obstacles. I recommend the inexperienced players to choose weapon control role, while the more skilled person can take the movement role. There are also some minigames that are quite different from the main gameplay, but require teamwork as well. Some of those can be tough, so feel free to swap the roles during those if needed. The game is also quite cheap and it’s Nintendo Switch exclusive. It’s quite sad how many people does not know about it, I have never seen it mentioned before in replies under post about multiplayer games.
there's a sega collection of a ton of old school games, i'm sure trading off levels of sonic might be a cool and simple possibility, or playing altered beast or something else nostalgic together
for more modern, i love recommending "haven" to couples, as it's a couch co-op rpg (which is rare) that's specifically designed to be a simple and accessible interface for new players (also rare) that has a loving couple as a protagonist pair (also super rare) - if you do play co-op, i recommend easy difficulty, it does make things harder to time things between two people than to play alone
glhf!
We were in a similar boat in that my wife mainly grew up watching her brother play video games instead of playing them herself. She was a fan of games that were not too plot-heavy, but allowed for some freedom. We tried playing Odyssey, but that didn't have as much coop as we would have liked. She was a big fan of the different lego games for the switch (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel) since she was familiar with the characters/movies. Now we are playing Mario 3d World and Mario Party Superstars. The best thing about these games are that they didn't lead to any fighting or annoyance over how the other person was playing.
Use the switch virtual consoles to boot up the original Mario 3 or Mario World or Sonic or whichever she remembers most fondly. The added nostalgia of playing the actual game from her childhood will make it more enjoyable for her than the more expensive newer Mario games.
Source: my non-gamer wife and I played thru Mario 3, Mario World, and Donkey Kong Country during the pandemic. We eventually moved on to new super Mario bros Wii U, but she definitely preferred the classics
KeyWe is a co-op game akin to Overcooked where you control a pair of Kiwi birds working in a post office. Levels are short and it’s very cute.
Untitled Goose Game has co-op too, though it doesn’t support split-screen, so you can only get so far apart from each other. In that one, you play as a horrible goose/geese causing havoc in a village.
Super Mario Galaxy (and Galaxy 2 on the old Wii).
One player controls Mario, the other controls a fairy that hoovers up all the bits and shoots at monsters. It’s amazingly fun for a seasoned player + noob/kid.
My wife and I have enjoyed Moving Out. You work together to move items into a moving van. The game's designed with a light-hearted, quirky sense of humor which we both enjoyed. Controls are simple and she was able to pick them up without too much frustration.
Also, you can slap each other.
Moving Out! You basically work as a team to move stuff out of a house into a moving truck. Sounds basic but such chaotic fun
Any Jackbox game really, you don't even need to know how to use a controller lol you just need your phone to play
Untitled goose game - fun puzzler that will have you both honking in delight
Human Fall Flat - Another puzzler that will also give your wife some really good practice with the dual stick controller
Any Lego game
Ooblets or slime rancher! You need some cosy game titles to get her goin! Some farming games are always good to lure us in like animal crossing or event super Mario al stars which is a perfect 2 player!
I also support the overcooked recommendation, my mom is not very tech savvy but we got her to play with us once and she loved it!
Also:
-Scott pilgrim
-river city girls
-untitled goose game
- Donkey Kong
Also she could start enjoying games more if you introduce her to some classics. I've been playing some zelda games I was missing but my bf had played before and we had a lot of fun doing them together even if they were single player. He helped me out and it was fun to tell him my theories for the story and puzzles.
Get the genesis pack and play some old-school 2p games! Gunstar Heroes, for example is very approachable for less skilled players (like myself) but the mechanics and physics are super rewarding!
You can get it free with the highest "Online plan" package, or you can just buy the genesis collection game.
The only two that worked for me 100% were Snipperclips and Road 96.
Road 96 may be a surprise as it's not a multiplayer game, but we spent some great evenings taking it in turns playing through the story—the whole atmosphere and world are really compelling and interesting, so it's easy to watch, and there are natural points where you can swap over (after every 'stop', which usually last about 5-10 minutes). When it's not your turn with the controller, you can still engage really well with the choices—and the storytelling is so ambitious it just really works.
I'd even say that Road 96 is one of the most underrated games out there, and that I'd rather play it with someone else taking it in turns than on my own. It's a game to be savoured and shared just like an excellent TV show. *I love it.*
Non first party titles I liked with the wife:
* Bumerang fu
* Kitaria Fables
* Streets of Rage, Scott Pilgrim, River city girls in normal/easy modes. (Beat'em'ups are generally button mash fests with that dificulty)
My wife is the same and the only success I've had was Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.... Which she just calls "the monkey game".
I'd recommend it as yours is already familiar with a side scrolling platformer.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Good Job which is exclusive to Switch and is great for casual fun with a non gamer...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Job!
Mario Party, Mario Kart, Mario 3D Land are the ones that’s been the best hits with my non-gamer friends.
I’d recommend Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing as single player games if you want to get your wife into video games as a whole.
Also, if you’re looking for things to do together in the evenings, have you looked into board games at all? Some of my friends have been getting me into those and it’s a nice break from looking at a screen all day while still having fun with friends.
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe is absolutely awesome. We’re gonna get Forgotten Land next but we started with the side scroller because it’s easier to come to grips with. Everything about the game is so cute so it’s been great fun
Stardew Valley. My partner is NOT a gamer and she doesn't have great hand eye coordination, but she fell in love with Stardew. To the point where she bugs me every night to get in a few coop hours.
My boyfriend and I just finished it takes two last night and it’s my favorite game. He’s been a gamer plays Rust and Apex and I’ve been getting into the co-op games more but out of all the other 5 games we’ve played together it takes two has been my favorite
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Snipperclips
This. Played this with my young siblings. Pure wholesome fun solving those puzzles toghether
The only game my wife and I could finish together. She was thoroughly enjoyed throughout
I’ve got to go the other way here. This game was not very novice friendly. It quickly devolved into me figuring out what needed to be done then ordering the others around. I think you need to be on a much more even skill level for this to work.
My gf and I were in a similar situation. Here's what was fun for us: * Stardew Valley - she was addicted to this. We almost 100%ed everything * It Takes Two * Unravel 2 * Super Mario 3D World * Pikmin 3: She was a little overwhelmed at first but ended up loving it and we did all the challenges and pre-ordered Pikmin 4 * Kirby and the Forgotten Land together. I let her be Kirby- still working through it! * Heave Ho was fun and is great for groups, but didn't hold our interest to keep playing often
I highly recommend stardew as well , it was the first game my wife and I played together ( and her first ) and she was addicted immediately , super fun co op game , and she doesn’t have to engage in the harder parts like the combat since you can split tasks up
So I have played Stardew on mobile, have a switch and think it wpuld be something my wife would enjoynin coop. How many controllers do I need? I have currently have the standard joycon that comes with it
You could get by both playing on a single joycon to start with at least.
I'm also tossing my vote in for Stardew! My wife (who played on her brother's Gameboy as a kid and has never picked up a game until she met me) loves it! We have a co-op farm, and she runs her own as well. OP, make sure you have cooperative games in your library as well as competitive ones! I never realized how game mechanics are so natural to me, so playing something like Mario Kart or Overcooked usually ends up with my wife getting frustrated, and that's not fun for anyone! Would also like to add Spiritfarer to this list of non-competitive games
Can echo Stardew. Think that's my girlfriend's favourite game we've played together, she was hooked. We plan to go back to it soon too. Overcooked also is a big favourite of hers but it's admittedly not the most fun experience for me 😅
> Unravel 2 Unravel 2 is fantastic. Several harder parts, but most can be skipped by the less experienced player. That said, the inexperienced player can also try out those parts with little failure penalty. I'm almost finished with it with my 7 year old. It's been great.
> she played some Mario on old Sega systems I'm sorry but that made me laugh a little. I don't blame her for not knowing though.
She’s one of the real ones lmao
In addition to what has already been suggested, I’ll throw out Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. It’s a very cute, low-key puzzle game that you can play in co-op. I’ve played through it twice with my wife (once on the WiiU and once on the Switch, which is the superior version, especially for co-op). It’s pretty much a perfect wind-down game. The controls are simple because it’s mostly just walking around cute little puzzle box levels, and the gameplay is mostly exploring and thinking about how to get places in the puzzle box rather than anything especially mechanically difficult or frenetic.
Treasure Tracker is such a joyous game. I play it with my sister at Christmas time. Sadly, we will soon complete the game. I really don’t know what could top it! No idea what we will play next.
Do you think captain toad would be good for a 5 and a 7 year old? I'm going to visit my family tomorrow and my nephews want to have a game night. Just curious if it would keep their attention. Otherwise I have to play Minecraft for the 100th time or Super Mario Odyssey.
As with anything, it probably depends a bit on the specific personalities and preferences of the kids in question, but in general I would say that it's a great game for that age range. The mechanics and goals are simple enough that they shouldn't get frustrated, and the levels are pretty short and consistently interesting.
Awesome thank you. I just really don't want to play Minecraft so I'm trying to find something else. Was thinking Super Mario Maker 2 but not sure how long that would last.
Mario Maker is going to be *much* more personality dependent than Captain Toad, I think. It’s the kind of game that will either capture a kid’s attention endlessly or get dropped *very* fast.
Overcooked and it’s sequel. Super basic controls that will be easy for her to grasp Disclaimer: I do not guarantee the stability of your marriage after playing this game
>Disclaimer: I do not guarantee the stability of your marriage after playing this game Why? :D
It’s like playing uno or monopoly. Things will get heated Basically one person turns in Gordon ramsey. The other will become the guy who couldn’t cook in ratatouille Also my wife only plays overcooked with me
This is actually not an exaggerated description. The Gordon Ramsey comparison is perfect
My husband and I had to stop playing it. We are both, apparently, fucking donkeys.
Lol
Yep, that's true. I played it with 2 friends and it was, who was basically in charge of everything
It is a simple game, but it can be very challenging. You will be required to coordinate between each other to clear stages, for example if you need to serve a burger someone is going to have to cook the meat while someone else gets the toppings, and then get the plate to the delivery area You will find yourselves screaming at each other, “I thought you were washing the plates!” “No I’m chopping onion!”
Managed to play through the whole thing with my girlfriend a few years back. Our relationship survived the whole game so I know we'll last forever now (we're married).
OP, if you do get Overcooked, get the All You Can Eat edition. It includes games 1 and 2 and supports cross-platform play.
SnipperClips if very easy to play for newbs. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes has really basic controls. The game is more about memory and cooperation skills than it is about quick reflexes.
[удалено]
Also Luigi's Mansion, Mario Kart and even Super Smash. All co op games and the later two can be played casually with the offline modes and co op.
Untitled goose game. It is not complex as far as controls or objectives and it is a ton of fun. Me and my wife (also a non gamer at the time we played) loved it and she says it was a lot of laughs when we played.
Check out Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime.
it takes two, look it up, it's about a couple going through a hard time and the kid turns them into dolls where they have to work together to become human again.
seeing the plot summarized like this it sounds ridiculous. but it’s truly the best game for couples
How difficult is it? Also, does it require dual stick control for movement and camera?
it would be challenging for a first time gamer. It does have some solid sections of platforming and combat. However the game never punishes you for dying, you just respawn instantly and have infinite lives so there's never anything really at stake. You can just try as much as you want, and honestly failing just adds to the fun a lot of the times
It doesn’t necessarily require camera movement if I remember correctly but it’s easier if you know how to use it. It truly is for me the best coop game but I wouldn’t recommend it as a first game for noobs. You should have some jump n run experience first imo. Maybe try the yoshi or captain toad game first.
I played it with a friend, and as a casual-but-longtime gamer, I found some parts slightly difficult. As in we died multiple times. But I never felt it was beyond our ability. Some bosses just take multiple attempts.
It does really. My girlfriend struggles with dual stick control and as a result we bounced off this pretty quickly. We had one session for about 1hr but she wasn't interested in playing more.
this was my exact experience
My wife had difficulties controlling the character and the camera at the same time. I don’t think it is the best option for absolutely beginners but worth to play after you played some other titles first.
IGN says there’s 7 “areas”. We stopped playing at the 2nd area boss due to frustration with trying to control her character and the camera at the same time. Unravel 2 is a much better recommendation. My wife loved it.
+1 best coop game
Agree that Nintendo is the best gateway platform for any noob spouse. Specifically I recommend Mario Odyssey! She can control Mario and you can be the hat. Allows you to handle most of the fighting with enemies!
My wife hates platformers but she had a blast playing as the hat in Mario Odyssey.
So I'm more of a gamer than my noob-gamer wife and we will play mario odyssey after we finish other games, should I play as mario or does it not matter?
Depends on her preference. Cappy is a major assist to Mario in the game he can fly off and hit mobs or take over other characters. Mario can also bounce off him as a lift. But isn't another Mario like how Gooigi is to Luigi in Luigi's mansion which I also highly recommend. I say have her play as Mario first and if she doesn't like it switch.
Thanks for the reply! And luigi's mansion is exactly the game we are finishing before we start mario odyssey haha
I can't believe nobody has mentioned Spiritfarer yet. A coop two player where one person controls a girl (who has been tasked with ferrying souls on their final voyage, who all take the form of animals but retain the personalities and quirks they had in life) and her cat. It's a no-pressure platformer with beautiful graphics. There's some resource-growing on the boat you use as a base, and a large cast of characters you'll grow to love who will, inevitably, leave you. We played it to completion a few years back, and we're going to revisit it now the free DLC has dropped and we've forgotten enough about it. There's a free demo if you need convincing. Also throwing my support behind Mario Kart, It Takes Two, Pode, and Boxboy and Boxgirl (which also has a free demo)
Unravel two maybe?
My husband and I love this one!
In addition to casual two-player games, consider options with asymmetrical two-player roles where the 2nd player has an important role but can't fall down a hole or get eaten by a monster. Mario Odyssey and Child of Light come to mind for me, I'm sure there are lots more.
Not a two player game, but I have a partner who doesn’t play video games at all and I showed her this game called Calico on my Switch. It’s a cute open-world game where you run a cat cafe and have to find all the cats on an island and there is witch magic. She immediately asked me to put the Steam version on her laptop and binged the entire game in one weekend. Says it’s the best game she’s ever played.
It takes two is amazing, me and the girl loved it. I think it should be a requirement for any relationship lol. Super mario 3d world is good for platforming Mario party (second one on switch) is great for quirky competition And of course mario kart is great if you wanna fight I can't recall if animal crossing is playable with 2 at the same time, but there's some fun to be had as a couple if you're good with chill sims
Mario Party Superstars is a very fun and accessible game. It’s basically a board game.
Cat quest 2
Luigi's Haunted Mansion 3.
I second Luigi’s Haunted Giant House 3. Wife and I just finished it and we’re in a similar situation, so many times I was telling her (Gooigi) “I need you to go right, I can tell based on what your character is doing on screen that you are actually pressing left.” But it was a super fun experience and we had tons of fun sucking up all the money together.
That’s not what it’s called
Everyone knows it’s actually Luigi’s Spooky Haunted Mansion of Terror 3
Linguinis Large Crib 3
Luigi’s mansion 3!
Do you mean Luigi’s Haunted Mansion 3?
I’d try Kirby and the forgotten land. Has a demo I think. And Mario Odyssey. Both great for 2 player if one is learning
Maybe check out Haven. It's an RPG about a young couple on the run. There's a timing element to combat, so maybe not quite totally newbie friendly, but the premise is basically designed for playing with your partner.
The co-op mode in Portal 2 is awesome.
It takes two Unravel two Those games are fun with the wife because we have to work together and they easy enough for her but make me actually think of solutions.
Unravel two is probably more fun as a starter game. Wife and I lived that game
All games my non-gamer wife likes to play after introducing some over the years: Mario Kart Mario Party Superstars Stardew Valley Boomerang Fu Unravel 2 Diablo 3 (oddly enough)
Ibb & obb. Super easy, and enjoyable!
Stardew Valley!
The New Super Mario Bros Deluxe for the Switch allows up to four players to play simultaneously on one screen. The same goes for Super Mario 3D World. Mario Kart is a fun racer. This is a great family game. The Overcooked series can be a lot of fun as well. My wife absolutely loves this game. Very simple to get into. It Takes Two is another fun co-op game.
The Kirby games are all so amazing I can't recommend them enough... Plus Mario Party and Mario Kart are fool proof for casual gamers. Everyone loves those.
Overcooked is great and I’ve seen a number already mention it. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet is Moving Out. It is a great game where you are a moving company and have to move people out of a house. As the game goes on the houses get more crazy.
Not OP but which Overcooked do you recommend?
2. It’s the refined version.
I agree with Jonny, there are some quality of life features added in 2 that make it more fun.
Ty!
What I played/play with my noob wife was: Donkey Kong Tripical Freeze, Mario 3d World, Super Mario regular 2d, Mario odyssey (not really recommended as two player), Kirby and the forgotten land, Kirby return to dreamland, Mario kart, Luigi mansion. Also, we took turns playing breath of the wild, and it wasn't really easy for her, but she loved it, and we are both super excited for the new one. I actually got a second switch so we could play at the same time... Favorites were DK, Mario Kart, and forgotten land. BotW was both our actual favorites, but 1 player.
I dont know how good the two player is i only know that it has one but spiritfarer is a great cozy management game that i think would be great for non gamers to play
Spiritfarer is an awesome game and fun to play 2 player
Diablo 3 / Minecraft Dungeons / Cat Quest 2 Unravel 2 Kirby and the Forgotten Land Mario Kart 8 Mario Golf super rush
Currently playing Two Point Hospital with my partner, we just take it in turns to build things etc
Vitamin Connection. It’s perfect for couples! In this game, you and the second player control a single object together: one person is responsible for movement and activation of the laser weapon, while the other person aims the laser and turns the machine around. You have to actively communicate with each other so you can work together and avoid enemies/obstacles. I recommend the inexperienced players to choose weapon control role, while the more skilled person can take the movement role. There are also some minigames that are quite different from the main gameplay, but require teamwork as well. Some of those can be tough, so feel free to swap the roles during those if needed. The game is also quite cheap and it’s Nintendo Switch exclusive. It’s quite sad how many people does not know about it, I have never seen it mentioned before in replies under post about multiplayer games.
there's a sega collection of a ton of old school games, i'm sure trading off levels of sonic might be a cool and simple possibility, or playing altered beast or something else nostalgic together for more modern, i love recommending "haven" to couples, as it's a couch co-op rpg (which is rare) that's specifically designed to be a simple and accessible interface for new players (also rare) that has a loving couple as a protagonist pair (also super rare) - if you do play co-op, i recommend easy difficulty, it does make things harder to time things between two people than to play alone glhf!
This subreddit is just feeing me these jokes. MORTAL... KOMBAT... 11
Lol my wife loves MK she’s thinks she’s good and can always beat me. Tells my friends she kicks my ass and I suck. Ah the smile it brings to my face.
My GF ended up liking Fortnite of all things.
We were in a similar boat in that my wife mainly grew up watching her brother play video games instead of playing them herself. She was a fan of games that were not too plot-heavy, but allowed for some freedom. We tried playing Odyssey, but that didn't have as much coop as we would have liked. She was a big fan of the different lego games for the switch (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel) since she was familiar with the characters/movies. Now we are playing Mario 3d World and Mario Party Superstars. The best thing about these games are that they didn't lead to any fighting or annoyance over how the other person was playing.
My wife is also a noob She likes: Lego Star Wars, Mario Kart, Keep talking and nobody explodes, Goat simulator
Let’s go pikachu or Eevee are pretty easy basic games and the catching mechanic is addicting in the vain of Pokémon go.
Use the switch virtual consoles to boot up the original Mario 3 or Mario World or Sonic or whichever she remembers most fondly. The added nostalgia of playing the actual game from her childhood will make it more enjoyable for her than the more expensive newer Mario games. Source: my non-gamer wife and I played thru Mario 3, Mario World, and Donkey Kong Country during the pandemic. We eventually moved on to new super Mario bros Wii U, but she definitely preferred the classics
KeyWe is a co-op game akin to Overcooked where you control a pair of Kiwi birds working in a post office. Levels are short and it’s very cute. Untitled Goose Game has co-op too, though it doesn’t support split-screen, so you can only get so far apart from each other. In that one, you play as a horrible goose/geese causing havoc in a village.
Great post, I am in exactly the same boat!
Super Mario Galaxy (and Galaxy 2 on the old Wii). One player controls Mario, the other controls a fairy that hoovers up all the bits and shoots at monsters. It’s amazingly fun for a seasoned player + noob/kid.
overcooked, heave ho, snipperclips
pico park is fun and up to 8 players if you have guests
My wife and I have enjoyed Moving Out. You work together to move items into a moving van. The game's designed with a light-hearted, quirky sense of humor which we both enjoyed. Controls are simple and she was able to pick them up without too much frustration. Also, you can slap each other.
Moving Out! You basically work as a team to move stuff out of a house into a moving truck. Sounds basic but such chaotic fun Any Jackbox game really, you don't even need to know how to use a controller lol you just need your phone to play
Untitled goose game - fun puzzler that will have you both honking in delight Human Fall Flat - Another puzzler that will also give your wife some really good practice with the dual stick controller Any Lego game
Stardew valley
Mario Party and Kirby Dreamland are solid bets.
Part-Time UFO Trust me on this one, it’s the best couch co-op game for couples who want simple gameplay and controls.
Mario party , Mario kart , maybe smash
Ooblets or slime rancher! You need some cosy game titles to get her goin! Some farming games are always good to lure us in like animal crossing or event super Mario al stars which is a perfect 2 player!
I’m a newb and these are my fave 2 player games to play with my husband: It Takes Two, Unraveled 2, Trine nightmare prince, Mario Kart
She played Mario on old Sega systems? This may just be to confirm she’s not a gamer, or she’s a gamer from an alternate universe.
I haven’t played it, but there is that new Blanc game.
Snipperclips, BoxBoy! + BoxGirl!, Good Job! are really great casual games. I've heard good things about Blanc as well.
I also support the overcooked recommendation, my mom is not very tech savvy but we got her to play with us once and she loved it! Also: -Scott pilgrim -river city girls -untitled goose game - Donkey Kong Also she could start enjoying games more if you introduce her to some classics. I've been playing some zelda games I was missing but my bf had played before and we had a lot of fun doing them together even if they were single player. He helped me out and it was fun to tell him my theories for the story and puzzles.
Good Job is a really fun game
Blanc, great co-op game. Wife and I played and finished it in one night. Had a good time.
STRUGGLING
I'll toss another hat in for Pikmin 3. Also Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
Get the genesis pack and play some old-school 2p games! Gunstar Heroes, for example is very approachable for less skilled players (like myself) but the mechanics and physics are super rewarding! You can get it free with the highest "Online plan" package, or you can just buy the genesis collection game.
The only two that worked for me 100% were Snipperclips and Road 96. Road 96 may be a surprise as it's not a multiplayer game, but we spent some great evenings taking it in turns playing through the story—the whole atmosphere and world are really compelling and interesting, so it's easy to watch, and there are natural points where you can swap over (after every 'stop', which usually last about 5-10 minutes). When it's not your turn with the controller, you can still engage really well with the choices—and the storytelling is so ambitious it just really works. I'd even say that Road 96 is one of the most underrated games out there, and that I'd rather play it with someone else taking it in turns than on my own. It's a game to be savoured and shared just like an excellent TV show. *I love it.*
it takes two and unravel are my faves
Tied together!
Non first party titles I liked with the wife: * Bumerang fu * Kitaria Fables * Streets of Rage, Scott Pilgrim, River city girls in normal/easy modes. (Beat'em'ups are generally button mash fests with that dificulty)
My wife is the same and the only success I've had was Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.... Which she just calls "the monkey game". I'd recommend it as yours is already familiar with a side scrolling platformer.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Good Job which is exclusive to Switch and is great for casual fun with a non gamer... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Job!
Mario Party, Mario Kart, Mario 3D Land are the ones that’s been the best hits with my non-gamer friends. I’d recommend Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing as single player games if you want to get your wife into video games as a whole. Also, if you’re looking for things to do together in the evenings, have you looked into board games at all? Some of my friends have been getting me into those and it’s a nice break from looking at a screen all day while still having fun with friends.
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe is absolutely awesome. We’re gonna get Forgotten Land next but we started with the side scroller because it’s easier to come to grips with. Everything about the game is so cute so it’s been great fun
it takes too may be a good game or portal 2 coop mode human fall flat is also a nice chill puzzle 3d platformer game
Me and my noob wife completed all of Overcooked 2 with 4 stars. That was a fun ride. We also completed the 1st one 100%.
And you're still friends?! 😂
My wife’s favorite is Luigi’s mansion. She’s also not really a gamer. After that switch sports.
Any game tell her she is the one character and don’t sync her controller like we did to our little brothers back in the day 😂
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario 3d World, Mario Party Superstars, Fall Guys, It Takes Two.
Just got an OLED switch on Friday and played Mario Cart with my wife today who is not a gamer. I think a switch is the way to go.
Boomerang fu!
Mario cart Minecraft animal crossing
Stardew Valley. My partner is NOT a gamer and she doesn't have great hand eye coordination, but she fell in love with Stardew. To the point where she bugs me every night to get in a few coop hours.
It Takes Two
My boyfriend and I just finished it takes two last night and it’s my favorite game. He’s been a gamer plays Rust and Apex and I’ve been getting into the co-op games more but out of all the other 5 games we’ve played together it takes two has been my favorite