Due to the fact that there are so few games on the market now that embrace co-op functionality, and even less so that employ split screen and couch co-op, it can often lead to the same co-op games being recommended ad-nauseum.
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Only the most hardcore gamers need apply.
However, if you’re willing to dig, there are quite a few underrated co-op gems that are well worth playing and can broaden your horizons. But, finding them is half the battle.
That being said, by finding this list, the battle is already won, because we have compiled a list of ten couch co-op hidden gems that you need to try.
Carrier Pigeons Got Nothing On Them
We kick things off with one of this list’s cutest and most chaotic co-op games. Games likeOvercookedandMoving Outhave popularizedfrantic teamwork-based co-op,but many shamefully leave KeyWe out of this conversation.
KeyWe is a jovial title in which you play as a pair of Kiwis who run a post office. Your goal is to run around the office stamping parcels, moving boxes, and finding appropriate labels to ensure that each message gets delivered as intended.
It’s a wonderful title with a variety of great ideas, gameplay gimmicks, and fun cosmetics. Making this one an ideal one to test out how dynamic your gaming duos really are.
9Ship of Fools
Get Your Sea Legs
Roguelikes are amazing fun, and very rewarding as each new run often comes with new challenges, new upgrades and the possibility of going that little bit further. But, for the most part, the genre often caters to the single player market.
However, if you’re willing to take to the high seas, you’ll find thatShip of Foolshas a lot to offer.
It’s a game that aesthetically and mechanically feels quite a lot likeCult of the Lamb, only in this title, you’ll need to act as a ship’s crew as it navigates choppy waters, and naturally, there will be a sea monster or two to contend with.
It’s a game with a casual feel, but it also offers a chaotic format that requires communication and coordination, much like the aforementioned Overcooked.
So, if you feel like you’ve lived the life of a landlubber for too long, it’s time to set sail and get your sea legs!
8Toodee and Topdee
A Matter of Perspective
I’m a sucker for any game that allows you to flip perspectives between the 2D and 3D planes, but I would argue that among the games within this niche sub-genre, Toodee and Topdee is one of the most clever examples of all.
This title has one player control the 2D plane of existence, while player two controls the 3D plane, and your goal is to alter the environment in each plane to get both players to the exit portal, completing the level.
It’s expert puzzle design that takes a wonderful, broad concept and then milks it for all its worth. This translates to oodles of content that starts out manageable but becomes very challenging.
So, if you feel like you and a friend could do with a bit of brain training, then this might be the one for you.
Dark Souls For Couples
Next up, we have a game often lovingly referred to as ‘Dark Souls for couples,’ and while that’s a little off base, you can see howOutwardhas achieved that reputation.
In truth, this game feels more like a co-op Elder Scrolls game due to the vast fantasy open world, the abundance of magic, and the wealth of unique cities to explore. But the gameplay definitely hassimilarities to Souls.
Combat requires the player to be cautious and methodical in their approach; every excursion requires a great deal of preparation, provided you don’t want to die instantly.
Plus, the game has a wealth of rich systems, and the game isn’t willing to hold your hand and show you the ropes.
It’s a game best shared with a pal so you may endure the perils, the hardship and every little win together. So grab a partner and set off into this underrated fantasy world together.
6Knights And Bikes
Pedal Fast, Or Finish Last
Knights and Bikes
If you’re someone who enjoys stories that blend fantasy and reality seamlessly, like The Goonies or Stranger Things, then chances are that you’ll get a real kick out of Knights and Bikes.
This sees you play as one of two teenage girls with a penchant for adventure, and the goal here is simple. Explore, ride your bikes fast, and uncover all the secrets that your little island has to offer.
It’s a game bursting with charm, loaded with fun puzzles, mini-games, and combat sequences, and best of all; the game is infinitely better as an experience if played in co-op as opposed to playing in single-player and swapping between the two main characters.
We all love a good 80s-inspired coming-of-age story, and this one is probably one of the best that the medium of video games has to offer. So get on your bikes and ride!
Penguins At Their Peak
Bread & Fred
If you’re familiar with the gameChained Together, and the subsequent copycat games that came thereafter, you’ll know that the gimmick of being tied to your co-op partner and being forced to platform higher and higher is equal parts fun and infuriating.
However, beforeChained Together,there was a cute-as-a-button 2D version of this successful formula that is still a blast to play today, and that’sBread and Fred.
You’ll play as two mountaineering penguins, and the goal is simple. Climb the mountain.
But obviously, this simple goal proves to be nightmarishly hard in practice and only those with great platforming prowess and even better communication will reach the summit.
But if you feel up to the challenge, then set off and wrap up warm because it’s cold up there.
Multiplayer Megaman
If you’re talking about classic video game heroes, then it won’t be long before Megaman is injected into the conversation, and for good reason. Megaman is one of the finest run-and-gun platformer series ever made. But sadly, there isn’t really a way to play Megaman in co-op on modern platforms.
However, if you’re willing to play a Megaman-inspired indie instead, you’ll find that30XXoffers a refined Megaman-style adventure that you can play with a pal.
30XX combines Megaman’s fluid gameplay with the roguelike format of games likeDead Cellsto provide a procedurally generated playground for you and a friend to blast through for hours on end.
Plus, thanks to a robust level editor and lots of community-created levels to play, it’s a game that just keeps on giving. So, if you want a modern take on a retro classic, this is the co-op game for you.
3Wildermyth
Endless Campaigns, Endless Fun
Wildermyth
If you’re someone who has milked impressive RPG co-op experiences likeBaldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity 2: The Original Sindry, thenWildermythmay be a way to fill the void.
This picturebook RPG offers a procedurally generated format that allows you to play with up to four players, and creates bespoke characters and campaigns every time of asking.
This not only leads to excellent potential for replayability, but the stories told within and the excellent tactical combat throughout enrich each adventure tenfold.
While the stories can become repetitive with time, as is often the case with procedural generation, it’s a clever format that many will get a lot of mileage out of regardless.
So, if you’ve been dying for another multiplayer RPG campaign, Wildermyth may be able to offer you a very epic adventure indeed.
2Children of Morta
Welcome to the Family
Children of Morta
If you’re in the market for a game that offers bombastic action and compelling writing in equal measure, then look no further than Children of Morta.
In this title, you play as a magical family, each member with their own special powers, who will serve as the last line of defense between the world and the newly awakened gods who seek to destroy it.
This leads to a loop of heading on crusades, progressing through various dungeons, and then returning home for an emotional cutscene or a new plot point that furthers the narrative.
It’s an excellent co-op experience with varied gameplay due to the game’s format incentivizing you to use all family members in equal measure, but it’s the story that will stay with each player long after the credits roll.
1Degrees of Separation
So Close, Yet So Far
Degrees of Separation
Then, to wrap things up, we have one of the best, and most criminally underrated co-op puzzle platformers on the market.
Degrees of Separation is a game that takes the idea of ‘Split screen’ very literally and effectively places two characters in alternate and parallel universes, with each occupying exactly half the screen.
Then, your job as the player is to use this unique visual split to alter the environment around you to unlock new paths, solve puzzles, and achieve the euphoria that comes with every coveted ‘A-ha’ moment.
Whether it’s using this split between the two elemental characters to form a bridge, or using their elemental powers to affect the environment around them, each puzzle feels satisfying and challenging.
The story may be a little lacking in substance, but the puzzles more than make up for it, making this a must-play couch-co-op gem.
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