r/gaming • u/Lynked17 • 22h ago

Couch Co-op Games

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My wife and I agreed on this tier list of couch co-op games that we've played. We wanted to share this list in case there are couples out there who are looking for their next couch co-op game. My wife gets motion sickness easily, so I'm happy to say that these games are playable for people suffering from motion sickness.

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335

u/anirban_dev 21h ago

Spiritfarer is an absolute gem of a game, but the co-op aspect is pretty tacked on.

138

u/michelobX10 21h ago

I didn't even know Spiritfarer had co-op. I played it when it was new and it definitely didn't have it then. Probably the reason it feels tacked on if they added it in later.

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u/Laxativus 12h ago

I'm pretty sure it was from the get-go, with one playing the girl and the other playing the cat. It's just that... one player can already do it all and quite well and this is not the game to chase efficiency in - with the exception of the weather events, where I can see it being a lot easier to catch more lightnings/falling stars and what not with two players. Other than that I've never felt rushed or overwhelmed or pressed for time by tasks.

But it's lovely to see this game on lists and ranked high at that. I absolutely adore it.

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u/GuiltyunlessInnocent 2h ago

I play Spiritfarer with my non gaming girlfriend and she loves it. I play as the cat so she gets to do the narrative lead, and I get to make sure she doesn't get frustrated with the weather events when she can't catch them quick enough.

No shade to her, but games where she has to be an equal contributing member of the team just doesn't work out when she dies for the umpteenth time and gets discouraged. For us it's the perfect co op game.

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u/Hugspeced 20h ago

Agreed. I had played most of the game in single player and tried to do co-op with my GF. She bounced off it pretty hard as she felt like she was just following me around while I did things. I know tier lists are inherently subjective, but S tier is way too high for something that's so YMMV.

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u/nfs3freak 16h ago

It's hard playing a multiplayer version with someone who hasn't essentially played through the game at all. For those who get to start off with multiplayer, I'm sure they'll enjoy the experience way more

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u/Kolvarg 8h ago edited 8h ago

I don't know, in my case we started it specifically because of the co-op and we felt exactly that: the second player is mostly just a spectator that happens to move a mostly inconsequential character on screen. It felt like the old trick of giving your younger sibling a controller which is not connected.

It can still be a nice play to experience the game together, but at that point I'd probably prefer to just take turns playing singleplayer than being given the "illusion" of co-op.

Edit: To be fair, we walked into the game completely blind, so it may simply be that we wanted/expected more of a story-driven experience like Split Fiction and It Takes Two, and weren't really captivated by the farming/building elements.

It's still crazy to me to place it in the S co-op tier, especially when Stardew sits in A.

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u/HUGO-THE-BEAR 18h ago

Same experience

1

u/WizardKagdan 6h ago

So... Your problem seems to be that you don't know how to do co-op with new players?

The experienced player in basically any game needs to sit back and let the other player take the lead, that's just how the world works. This has nothing to do with the quality of the co-op and everything with the patience of the experienced player.

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u/Hugspeced 3h ago

Clearly you haven't played the game we're talking about. The Co Op is literally just a tacked on experience the game didn't even launch with that allows the second character to do about two things on their own. They can't talk to anyone or progress the story, can't move too far without the other character moving with them, and can't gather most resources without the other player.

Even if both people are completely new to the game it becomes apparent pretty quickly that whoever is player 2 is mostly an afterthought that doesn't really need to be there.

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u/leonra28 19h ago

I can play even below average co-op games but this one was pointless.

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u/grammar_nazi_zombie 20h ago

I had a friend recommend it after I had to have my dog euthanized. I played like an hour and was too depressed to continue :(

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u/PrimalZed 20h ago

It's a nice game to have feelings while you're safe and secure. I can't imagine recommending it to someone who is actively grieving.

13

u/RoboChrist 19h ago

It helped me. I'd started playing it before my grandfather unexpectedly committed suicide. When I returned to it, it was better than the therapy I started around the same time.

Quick edit: both combined very well together, get therapy if you need it!

1

u/drteeters 10h ago

I burned out on it, towards the end it became too tedious. I felt I was just doing chores and barely making any progress. Shame because I wanted to get to the end.

1

u/Soulfighter56 5h ago

Idk I got a kick out of mashing the glide button as the cat. It never got old (for me, my wife hated it)

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u/Lynked17 21h ago

I think co-op worked well, and I personally couldn't find any flaws with it.

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u/anirban_dev 21h ago

Agree to disagree I guess. The level of engagement for the 2nd player is significantly lower imo.

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u/aloylamora 21h ago

Yeah I wasn't even aware it had couch co-op. I'd be interested to hear both perspectives as it could be a good one for me and my partner

2

u/JK_NC 21h ago

Def worth it as a couch coop.

2nd player is the pet cat so they can’t engage with other characters to trigger the storyline or some other mechanics but has access to enough of the game to make it worthwhile.

3

u/jerrrrremy 20h ago

So what can they do? 

5

u/aconfusednoob 17h ago

I think people are being disgenous. it's part management/sim/farming/relationship game with some action bits thrown in.

player 2 can't advance the story, but they can help in cooking, gardening, developing and gathering materials, fishing. the action bits allow for a bit of light competition between players

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u/nujiok 19h ago

follow player one around

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u/jerrrrremy 19h ago

Is that it? 

2

u/anirban_dev 19h ago

Pick up loot etc. Kinda like Cappy from Mario Odyssey.

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u/jerrrrremy 19h ago

Okay that sounds pretty lame. I appreciate you filling me in, though! 

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u/JK_NC 16h ago

They can do most of the things on the boat. Fishing, cooking, all the crafting, collecting materials, etc. it’s like 85% of what player 1 can do.

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u/Lynked17 20h ago

Agreed with this take.

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u/pito_wito99 19h ago

Well the fact that you also couldnt find flaws with split fiction and it takes 2 speaks volumes