1mo ago

Looking for a local co-op game to play with my SO (Steam Deck)

My SO and I have been having a lot of fun playing co-op games on the Steam Deck connected to the TV. We recently finished Split Fiction and I'm looking for the next cool experience to try out. We enjoy casual co-op games, nothing too hard or violent. EDIT: pixel art is apparently a big turnoff for her so that's out as well.

Games We Enjoyed:

Split Fiction
It takes two
Untitled Goose Game

Games that flopped:

Stardew Valley - She is open to "farming" games but doesn't enjoy the energy management aspect of the game. It also gave her motion sickness, somehow
Overcooked / Moving out - We enjoy these games but as they start to get more chaotic and hard, the enjoyment goes way down
Ibb & Obb - A bit dull and samey
Portal - Gives me serious motion sickness, completely unplayable
Lego Lord of the Rings - I'm a lord of the rings fan but I hated the gameplay for this game, I found it to be so boring. We quit after an hour or so.

96 comments

Check out Kingdom Two Crowns. Absolutely brilliant
- This one looks for me, actually :P
  
  The whole series is great. But two Crowns is multi player. But, thinking, might only be split screen on one device?
- I second this. I've played it with three mates now and they all loved it

A Hat in Time
Trine
Spiritfarer
The lego games
Knights and bikes
Human fall flat
Cassette beasts
Chariot
Octodad
Monaco
I don't remember these being particularly violent but maybe are worth a look:
Pit people
BattleBlock Theater
I also liked Moon Hunters and Children of Morta but those are harder.
Divinity Original Sin 1 is also good but definitely falls into the violent category. Its kind of goofy too so it could be worth considering. The second game + BG3 are significantly more violent and serious so are harder to recommend with that criteria.
Edit: hmm it seems the formatting is funky in Voyager, should be fixed now
- +1 for the LEGO games. Sort of my go to sleeper pick for surprisingly good games. The humor is good, gameplay is decent though I have to go on big breaks between playing through one because gameplay game to game can be a bit samey.
- Dude, Octodad in the random arm-leg mode is so fucking funny. My wife and I had so much fun with that game. Too bad the game is so short!
- I'll add a +1 to Battleblock Theater! Such a well done game that can be true co-op or "co-op with shenanigans" if that's more your vibe. The story is entertaining and lighthearted and the levels introduce new mechanics throughout.
- Trine
  I do own the first 2, I totally forget about this game. Definitely gonna give it a try.
  Spiritfarer
  I already played and loved SpiritFarer, it was an amazing journey. I don’t want to say too much but I just can’t repeat it any time soon.
  The lego games
  I forgot to mention in the original post that we did play the lord of the rings lego game and I really hated it. I found the gameplay so boring...
  Knights And Bikes
  This one looks intriguing, I'll check it out!
  Monaco
  I do own Monaco, maybe i'll give it a try!
  Thanks!

If you're open to doing emulation, there's a multitude of Nintendo games that are amazing couch co-op.
- I have RetroDeck set up but I'm honestly not into emulation. I do own a Nintendo Switch and we've played a couple of those. They're fun but I'm not looking into supporting Nintendo for the time being.
  
  That's fair. But since you do have a Switch, I'd still recommend finding a used copy of Yoshi's Crafted World if you haven't played it.
- Any suggestions?
  
  Kirby and the Forgotten Land
  Super Mario Wonder

... Genital Jousting.
- Like, doing it or playing it?
  
  Yes

Me and the wife played a few coop games.
DERU - The Art of Cooperation is a pretty puzzle game that is satisfying, not too difficult nor does it overstay its welcome.
We also enjoyed the snake-esque puzzler OmoTomO. Only on itch, not Steam, so you have to install it via the desktop mode. When you're willing to dig a bit itch grants you some shiny gold nuggets for cheap.
In Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime you have to run around a spaceship to operate the different parts (engine, guns, shield). More straightforward than it sounds, and the pacing is such that you're not rushed but do get some tense moments.
Almost forgot Pode which is a very cute 3rd person puzzle adventure game.
Some games recommended by other people in the thread that we can corroborate
Trine series is good platforming fun with pretty graphics and dialog that is a little on the nose sometimes.
Kingdom: Two Crowns is good for a few hours at least, can't say I cared about beating it because the levels just keep coming with only minor variations. Definitely a unique blend of tower defense and base building.
Personally I agree on Overcooked, once the novelty wears off it gets a bit frustrating because of the difficulty. Its still fun in groups though.

A way out. Two criminals escaping prison, made by the Same studio as it takes two and split fiction. Full of mini games along the way like the other two and my god the story made me laugh with it's ridiculousness. it's definitely not as good as it takes two or split fiction but well worth a go imo
- The steam deck status is unfortunately unsupported. Otherwise it would be a great fit.
  
  In case you're comfortable trying a couple things out it does work for some on steam deck. ProtonDB link
  
  A Way Out is marked as "Playable" by Valve, mainly because of Origin (or EA App nowadays?) and some quirks with the controls. Should play just fine though and once in-game controllers should be well supported.
  
  Hm. I was able to play it without issue on my Linux computer.
  I don't see a reason why the Steam Deck would be unable to play it or have any issues that I didn't.
  If buying it is a concern (which it should be), you can always torrent it.

I’m a fan of taking turns “driving” for slower paced logic or puzzle games. Titles that come to mind:
Myst
Curse of the Golden Idol
Summertime Madness
Chants of Sennar
Superliminal
Viewfinder
Baba is You
I can highly recommend all of these as they almost universally benefit from more minds working on them together. I would say Baba is the only one that gets REALLY challenging, but there are good mind and logic bending puzzles throughout them all!
EDIT: I’ll also add that Myst, Golden Idol, and Chants of Sennar (Summertime Madness maybe a little) all benefit from solid note taking and map making This provides a great job for the “copilot” while the other person is managing the actual input device.
- Obra dinn too
  
  Oooohhhh yes!!! I haven’t gotten to play it yet which is why I forgot it! It’s on my list!!
- My girlfriend and I do the same but with more simplistic story heavy games. We just finished Slay The Princess and it was an amazing experience like this.
- No game makes me feel more like a complete idiot than Baba is You. Great game though.
  
  Yeah, it’s a game I chip away at. I’m at a point in it that the levels often take hours and/or multiple sittings to work out.

If you don't want something too serious, you can try
Fling to the Finish
Keywe.
Both are cute and kind of funny, doesn't get too difficult as long as you don't chase highscores.
Unrailed is less chaotic than overcooked, but can still get a little stressful as tasks pile up.
- Oh yeah KeyWe is great fun! Some levels took me and my partner two tries but it's nothing too punishing. Highly recommended
- Also PlateUp!

Keep talking and nobody explodes could be a fun one, only needs 1 device and the other player needs the manual which can be on a phone or printed out. You could even play it over a phone call.
- As I recall, the 'campaign' gets impossible to do with two players because of the inability to look up enough stuff in parallel. There are mods and custom bombs though.
  
  Might do but you can always go until you find it too hard and then go back to one that you like, or use custom to set a difficulty that you like.
  Also tried playing it with extra people before, so far just 3, 1 with the bomb and 2 with manuals. But playing with a few more could also be fun, maybe even set them up with a phone each and stick each team in a different room.
- You know I have like 4 manuals printed and only played it once? Gotta give it a try some time!!

Ballers gate 3? Pretty sure that runs on. Steam deck.
- It's verified
- It's only just playable on the Steam Deck. I really wouldn't expect it to perform to a satisfactory standard rendering two scenes at once in split-screen.

A bunch of retro games have good couch co-op support & the steam deck can emulate pretty much all of them
Zombies ate my neighbors, smash TV, 2-d brawlers like TMNT turtles in time, double dragon, and streets of rage, Goldeneye, toejam and Earl, bubble bobble

My wife and I were having fun doing co-op on the Trine games. Coordinating your character switches to cross obstacles can be pretty fun. The Lego Star Wars games were also fun for us both to just mess around and cause chaos.
- Trine sounds like a great idea, I already have the first two. Gonna give it a go.
  We tried the lego lord of the rings game but it fell flat for us.
- Lego Star Wars are quite bad for motion sickness, I find.

Spelunky 1 & 2
Monster Prom, Monster Camp, Monster Roadtrip
Also seconding Kingdom: Two Crowns
- OP asks for "nothing too hard" and you recommend spelunky, you absolute monster.
  
  Fortunately I already made that mistake once, a friend recommended me Spelunky 2 as a casual mining game...
  
  😈

Brothers: tale of two sons

Split Fiction is peak, gonna be hard to beat. Too bad you can't do 'a way out' it's very well done. Might want to look into tweaks for those "unsupported" games, as many of them work fine. Unraveled 2 is a good example.
Otherwise, If this is something that is really becoming your thing, it might be time to hook your PC to the TV or invest in a console. If you go console, you additionally open up the world of games that require individual screens (crossplay games-you on steam deck screen and them on TV screen, but still sitting together OR you on pc and them on TV if same room).
Our couch coop at some points was me with my laptop on a stack of books on the coffee table while she was on a ps4. Played Aragami this way, for one.
They may seem silly, but there are a slew of Lego games that people get really into and are very impressive. Human Fall Flat also has some silliness, but good puzzles at times
- I don't know why I didn't remember this. I do have a decent PC and the streaming functionality works quite well. I played Path of Exile 2 this way and it was great. Thanks for reminding me!

Broaden your horizons, start using emulators.
Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Super Mario Wonder
Any of the Warriors games (just don't buy it, don't reward them for releasing the same damn game 20+ times)
Legend of Mana (highly recommended, please don't sleep on this)
Destroy All Humans 2
Ratchet: Deadlocked
Divinity: Original Sin
Resident Evil 6
Halo: Master Chief Collection
Lego Star Wars
The Tales games are long and go up to 4 players. I'd recommend them if you have more people to join.
Be prepared for a few roadbumps while you acclimate yourself to using emulators. It won't be smooth at first, but it gets easier the more familiar you become with it.
- Broaden your horizons, start using emulators.
  I get what you're saying. I do have RetroDeck fully set up but I only use for old games that I do physically own. Most of them haven't aged very well and aren't of any interest to my SO.
  I have enough disposable money that I'd rather support "new" games/developers rather than emulating titles for other consoles.

Unravel 2 :) It's a beautiful little co-op game with lots of puzzle-y problems to solve and some dynamic ones as well
- It went on sale yesterday so I ended up buying it!

Ship of Fools is -60% on steam right now and I can't recommend this game enough. It's a rogue lite where you both need to protect a ship from monsters maning the cannons and it's an absolute blast! It has good progression and it's intense but not in annoying sort of way.
- It looks sick, definitely something I'd enjoy playing. Unfortunately I feel like it would fall under the same umbrella as Overcooked or Moving Out. Too chaotic, I think.
  
  Its much more approachable and not nearly as frustrating or difficult as those. We finished the game while being stoned if that tells you anything lol

If you like puzzle games, you might try a game that's not technically multiplayer but that the two of you can work on solving together, which is what my wife and I do. Good candidates for that are Case/Rise of the Golden Idol, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, and we're currently playing Blue Prince.
- Baba Is You belongs to the same category. One of my favorite puzzles.
  
  I have Baba Is You! It's a brilliant game, love it to pieces, but it's not a good fit for my SO. She'd lose interest very fast, looking for something more chill and casual.
- Blue Prince is definitely something I've been considering but I'm unsure if she'd enjoy games that are just puzzles. Pretty sure Lorelei is just too thinky for her to enjoy.
  Definitely looking into more chill games to blow off some steam.
  
  I'd say check out Case of the Golden Idol on a deep sale to test the waters. Lorelei is definitely hard mode if you're not sure if this is something you'd want, but we found that having two people to approach solving the puzzles helped a lot.

crawl, rounds, ship of fools, pico park (better with a large group), risk of rain returns (2 would also be good except that it doesn't actually support local multiplayer, only online).

https://www.co-optimus.com/system/4/pc.html

We just started the spiritfarer. Absolutely worth it
- I already played and loved SpiritFarer, it was an amazing journey. I don't want to say too much but I just can't repeat it any time soon.

Lovers in a Dangerous Space Time
Manage your malfunctioning space ship together while fending off waves of enemies.
Very fun.

My gf is pretty new to video games but these are a few she enjoyed
Trine 2/3
Snippets
Castle crashers
Unravelled
Diablo 3
Children of morta - my gf also doesn’t really like pixel art but this turned out to be one of her favourite games

I'm not even a huge platformer guy, but Rayman Legends is absolute peak and a fantastic, chill co-op game. The music levels in particular - where the already great soundtrack is synced in time to your jumps and hits - are incredibly satisfying and so well made.
I'd also be remiss if I didn't suggest Blue Prince. It's not co-op per se as it'd only be one person at a time "driving", but the game is about puzzle solving so who holds the controller doesn't really matter. It's a fantastic game if you enjoy puzzles and escape rooms. My sister isn't even a gamer at all but I recommended it to her fiancé and they've been playing together and even she's been enjoying it a lot. From my own experience playing it on my own I also think it would be much more fun if playing alongside someone else. I've often missed having someone to bounce ideas off when stuck.
- On the notion of "one person at a time driving," I played Outer Wilds with my partner. 10/10. Just make sure that when there is text, both people can read it before you move on.

My SO isn't that big of a gamer but these are the games we've played together:
Lovers in a dangerous spacetime Battleblock Theatre Octodad
I don't know how the tolerance for difficulty is for you guys but I think it's worth a look
- Lovers in a dangerous spacetime (i.e. Space bunnies) is a great, light, up to 4 player arcade game
  
  My partner and I find it a bit awkward with just two of us

We enjoyed A Way Out. Gonna try Sea of stars soon.

Death Squared. Puzzle solving, each player controls two blocks on the map used to solve the puzzle.

Blur...from archive.org

A few options me and my partner have enjoyed:
Bunhouse - a non-management-heavy farming simulator but you are bunnies growing plants. Cute as hell. There is a sequel where you run a bakery too but we haven't got round to that just yet.
Unrailed - might fall into the overcooked catagory, but when it gets hard and goes wrong it tends to be a looming inevitablity, not a frantic panic
Nidhogg - a 1v1 fighter, but is quick fire frantic sword fights you can button bash through which is wildly entertaining in 5 min bursts.

Cult of the Lamb maybe?
- I think the combat portion of the game would be a big turnoff for her. I do own the game so it doesn't cost anything to try it.

My partner and I make a point to occasionally play through a couch co-op game as well. Here are some of the things we enjoyed.
Phogs - Currently playing this. It's a cute, dog-themed puzzle game thing, where you play as two heads of a single long dog-thing. We're enjoying it, but we're not particularly deep in, and I do wonder if it'll get Ibb and Obb samey, but it's worth checking out imo.
Cassette Beasts - Couch co-op, Pokemon inspired, adventure RPG with great storytelling, fantastic music and a retro aesthetic. The world is very Zelda-like in exploration and puzzle solving, while combat is Pokemon double battles. Highly recommended, just be aware that one player gets to be the player-made protagonist, while the other is one of an interchangeable series of partner characters.
Sea of Stars - The co-op update did a lot of good for this game. A Chrono Trigger inspired, faux-SNES era, indie RPG. There's a lot of unvoiced dialogue, which I could see as being a barrier to enjoyment as a multiplayer game, but the game is paced quite well, so I don't think it's a huge problem. Also, players do take turns inputting commands, but everyone is responsible for the timed hits/blocks, and you each control a character of equal agency in the overworld, so it avoids the largest co-op turn based RPG folly of having one player and one half-watching "follower." There are a ton of accessibility options/features (difficulty is VERY malleable), and as an added bonus, there's a free story DLC coming on the 20th.
Children of Morta - This is perhaps the most "hardcore" of my list, but the girlfriend, despite explicitly not enjoying "hard" games, really really enjoyed this one. An action-RPG with some very light roguelike elements, Children of Morta has you play as a family of hunter-gatherer-warrior types in a fantasy world, working together to stop a malevolent power from corrupting the physical world. Each family member has a different playstyle, their own skill tree, and a lot of personality. The game is very story driven, with a few moments being taken between each run for the fantastic narration to drip feed the narrative, slowly teaching you more about the world, the characters, and their family dynamic.
These are the ones that came to the top of my mind, either because they were particularly good or, in the case of Phogs, is ongoing. If I see anything else worth mentioning when I look at my Steam list next, I'll add.
- There's a lot of unvoiced dialogue, which I could see as being a barrier to enjoyment
  No, it's more like the protagonists' personalities being totally interchangeable. That made me stop playing after I realized it doesn't improve.
  
  That's an interesting take. I found them to be very different people. Two different flavours of cliche'd anime protagonist, sure, but very different people none the less.
- Phogs
  This one caught my eye as well. Split Fiction had a small section that played very similarly to this game, don't want to spoil too much. It was fun, but I'm unsure if I want a full game about it.
  Cassette Beasts
  This one looks good for me heh :P
  Sea of Stars
  This one has been on my wishlist forever now, the mixed reviews have been turning me off. I'm not sure if these classic RPG games are her thing but we should try and figure it out.
  Children of Morta
  This one fell flat for me. I don't know why, I didn't connect with the game.

Death road to Canada is pretty solid.
Spelunkey 2 is fantastic, albeit incredibly challenging.

One of my favorite games to play with my SO is Out of Space the vibe is very similar to Overcooked but it's procedurally generated and a lot more chilled out, i.e. less chaos.

Would be great if you updated this post with new games you enjoyed 😊

If you enjoy escape rooms try out Escape Academy, haven't seen anyone mention it but it's really a blast!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1812090/Escape_Academy/

I really like the Life Is Strange series for “playing together” with my wife.
It’s not multiplayer, but it’s like watching a movie and making choices for the characters along the way.

Degrees of Seperation - 2D puzzler with wonderful scenes and visuals
Heavenly Bodies - 2D puzzler about astronauts and 0 gravity environments
Unrailed - isometric 3D. A train starts driving and you need to gather resources and build tracks etc.
Wobbly Life - 3D fun game, no real objective, just many quests and activities throughout the world

96 comments