Game Break
A while back, I did an entry on some great board games to try out next time you had friends over, one I always meant to have a follow-up too. Seems kind of strange, under current quarantine conditions, to even imagine so casually having people over for an innocuous night of figurines and dice. I don’t know about you folks, but I got pretty tired of that early on, and have been hunting for safe alternatives to such amusement for the last few weeks. Today is about sharing the things that have helped me forget the current state of the world, even if only for a brief few minutes of revelry. Some are new discoveries, some are old classics, hopefully all of them will help take away the stress of a really rough day when you need it.
Solo Games
I guess I decided on doing this in order of social intricacy, which is an… interesting sorting choice, but makes the most sense for the narrative so here we are. Solo games, as the name implies, are games just for you. One-player, no muss or fuss, fire it up and have a grand old time. Because as much as we love our friends and families, occasionally you want to vanish off into an adventure all your own.
Quick Note: The point of this is to draw attention to more obscure stuff, so I’m skipping the most obvious answers. Hence why Mario Odyssey isn’t getting a section, despite kicking all the platforming ass.
Rogue Legacy – A roguelike from several years back (hopefully keeping it cheap), this game’s structure allows for a lot of customization within the shifting character stats. Between gears, runes, and upgrades, it’s possible to tweak your playstyle to exactly the method that works best for you. I toss on a ton of jump and sprint runes, darting through the air to get around enemies then drop in and smack them, but it would be just as easy to make a tank-like beast that smashed through obstacles. While it may take a bit to unlock all the features you want, each step closer makes the game play that much better.
Shantae (1/2 Genie Hero) – Despite the cute art style, this series of metrovania-like structure platformers offers a lot of mechanics and complexity in every iteration, and ½ Genie Hero was no exception. It begins quite basic, scaling up the intricacy of level design as your assortment of shape-changing powers grows. You may well be able to grab this on sale as well, because as of this release (though not the writing) the next game, Shantae and the Seven Sirens, has already come out. I haven’t played it yet, as I’m speaking from the past, but I do have it pre-ordered for release day.
Multiplayer Games
Not really a shock, right? This is the natural continuation from solo games, ones where you and some friends are in it together. A bit more work to coordinate, though one of the few silver linings of a lockdown is less places to be.
Castle Crashers (Remastered) – While the original was a staple of many video game systems owned by my friends, I didn’t see this update get much love when it launched, and figured there might be some folks to whom it would be a new experience. Castle Crashers is a good ole fashioned hack and slash, one with excellent art, style, polish, and mechanics. It’s simple enough that you’ll feel comfortable by the end of the first level, with ample room to grow and options to unlock. Add in that the remaster offers online multiplayer, so you don’t have to corral everyone into one room the way we did in the old days, and it’s an excellent fit when you want to have a quick game session with friends.
Overcooked – A bite-sized game, appropriately enough, that’s easy to take on in chunks, you and up to four friends are chefs coordinating to serve a restaurant. The tasks start out simple enough, but by the end you have to be a perfect synergy of teamwork to hit those goals. Fun, cheap, and frantic, this one is solid for when you’ve got a short amount of time and still want to game.
Online Board Games
That’s right, we’re going full circle on this one, back to where we started: board games. Much as I thought it would be a long time until I got to indulge that hobby once more, the digital world was a few steps ahead of me. Several popular games had already developed online versions, and I can only imagine a great deal of others are working on a similar pivot now, a trend I am fully behind. Not only were some of these as fun as the real world versions, in some ways the games were a lot easier this way.
Roll20 – I won’t spend too long on this one given how much I’ve plugged it in the past, however it’s too good of a resource to skip entirely. Roll20.net is a map/dice-rolling/character-sheet/tabletop gaming simulator. If you want to play D&D or anything else in that vein, Roll20 is a tool you’ll need to check out. Plus, this is the only entry on the list that has a totally free option, so you can give it a full whirl and see if it works for you.
Pummel Party – Do you love Mario Party, but loathe needing to be in the same room? How about the fact that you can’t blow up one of your other players when they steal a star? Well, Pummel Party addresses both of those concerns, offering a format similar to Mario Party with the option of online multiplayer (step that shit up Nintendo) and weaponry to do battle with. This one’s big limit is that it’s on Steam only as of this writing, and one I would highly recommend hooking up a controller for, but outside of those limits it is a great, chaotic time with friends.
Mysterium – Described to me as “Clue meets interpretive art”, Mysterium is a game where you try to solve a murder by interpreting vision cards from whatever player is acting as the ghost that round. Online works really well for this one, as the actual version can be cumbersome to setup, and everyone being locked into their own screen really drives home the limited methods of communication. Well, unless you also have everyone on Discord while playing, which me and the others from Authors & Dragons did when we took a crack at it on Youtube. It’s a video worth checking out if Mysterium interests you, if only because its one of those games that’s a lot easier after you’ve seen it played.
Feel free to let us know some of your lesser-known favorite games in the comments below, I think it’s safe to say everyone is open to new content these days, if not actively searching for it. Happy Gaming!