Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and if you’re planning on spending the day indoors with your significant other, a gaming marathon would be the perfect way to bond. For owners of the Nintendo Switch, there are a few games that would be especially fun to try out right now. Some of these games are casual, while others require both of you to put your heads together to win.
Top 10 Nintendo Switch games for couples to play
The games on this list vary in genre, but they all follow a common theme—teamwork. While games like Overcooked and Mario Party can be fun, they tend to get competitive—a true test of your relationship. If you want to work together to accomplish your goals, these co-op games are what you want to try out, guaranteed to strengthen your relationship.
10) Bloons Tower Defense 5
If tower defense games are your jam and you want to support our monkey ancestors, Bloons Tower Defense 5, or simply BTD5, is for you. Take control of various specialized monkeys with your significant other and place them strategically to take down the invading Bloon force. Bloons are sentient balloons that want to cause the fall of all monkeykind, and it’s all up to you to stop them.
If that premise sounds fun, you are in for a wacky time. As light-hearted as the game’s presentation is, beating the higher difficulty levels will take a lot of skill and cooperation. Certain tracks like Switch also have gimmicks that will test your skills at the highest level, so make sure that both of you are sufficiently prepared as you rise up the ranks.
9) Cuphead
Cuphead is the perfect game for couples who enjoy a challenge. This game is a combination of a 2D platformer and Souls-like when it comes to boss battles. When you play co-op, one player takes the role of the titular Cuphead while the other plays his brother Mugman. Cuphead’s graphics and animation are a throwback to the classic 1930s style of animation that will bring back a bout of nostalgia.
Cuphead and its expansion—The Delicious Last Course are best played together in co-op to experience the game’s true challenge. As fun as it is to blast through groups of enemies with reckless abandon, Cuphead tends to get a little difficult at times, so remember to take a break and try out one of the more relaxing games on this list.
8) Super Mario 3D World
If there is a Super Mario game that is perfect for couples to play co-op, it would be Super Mario 3D World. The game was originally released for the Wii U but was then ported over to the Nintendo Switch, rebranding itself as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. The play style of the game works like a 2D platformer with a 3D approach to its camera angles, allowing players a wider field of view.
This version will have you play as Mario, Luigi, Toad, or Princess Peach, each with their strengths and weaknesses that you can cover for each other. Pick any two of the four characters and work together to clear Bowser’s challenges across multiple levels. When you finally make it to the end, you might just find a new surprise waiting for you.
7) Don’t Starve Together
Don’t Starve Together is a perfect way to unwind for players who enjoy survival games. If you are familiar with the mechanics of the original Don’t Starve, this game should be easier to get into because they share most of the same features. The sequel will allow you and your partner to pick up two characters from the game’s unique cast and navigate through the dangers of the wilderness together.
Twice the number of people also means that the dangers of Don’t Starve Together will double. If you seem to be having trouble with the game, you can invite up to two more friends to help as you uncover the mysteries of this land together. Just make sure you don’t venture into the darkness without a proper light source, or you might find your journey cut short in no time.
6) Animal Crossing: New Horizons
While most of the games on this list are action-packed, some of them will allow you to slow down and take it easy. Animal Crossing: New Horizons will do just that, putting you and your partner in charge of your own islands while taking care of its anthropomorphic animals. This life simulation game will have both of you manage farms, improve the islands, and upgrade your facilities to a self-sustaining ranch.
You can do this by gathering resources from the wilds and taming animals to live on your lands. Raising them will grant you rewards that can be used to further improve your existing facilities or build entirely new ones. The game’s pace is perfect for couples who want to relax and enjoy their gaming time while taking care of virtual animals that will respond to your care and affection.
5) Disney Dreamlight Valley
Disney Dreamlight Valley is the culmination of everything Disney, creating an experience where multiple Disney characters make an appearance as you traverse through the franchise’s fantastical lands. After playing through some of the game’s story content, you can invite Vanellope to the Dreamlight Valley. Once you do, complete the “Valley Visits” quest to set up your multiplayer experience.
As fun as the game’s single-player mode is, every aspect of the game is vastly improved when you play it with a partner. After creating a session, both players can join each other’s domains and participate in every activity that they have unlocked. This can ease the burden of long fetch quests and allow you and your partner to cover more ground as you progress through the story together.
4) Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is one of the best farming simulator games today. The core mechanics of the game are similar to Animal Crossing with more emphasis on farming and improving your homestead. Stardew Valley allows for split-screen multiplayer, letting you and your partner engage in farming together. You can either choose to start new farms together or have one person join the other’s existing farm.
Similar to Dreamlight Valley, the multiplayer features of Stardew Valley simplify the core game loop by accelerating the resource-gathering aspects of the game. With twice the number of hands available, you can improve the farm, dig deeper into the mines, find the rarest fish, and become tycoons of a self-sustaining plantation in no time.
3) Terraria
Terraria is a little different compared to the other co-op games on this list. You start the game with your partner in a massive sandbox where you can shape the world in the way you imagine it. You can seamlessly engage in farming, mining, or fighting off enemy creatures while you forge your own place together in the world of Terraria. Every skill you develop will improve your character in some way.
Playing multiplayer will also allow you to divide your tasks while you work together to build a sustainable base. The maps are randomly generated, offering a unique challenge every time you create a new world. As you delve deeper into these worlds, you might just encounter untold horrors that will require you to put your heads together to overcome.
2) Minecraft
If Terraria kept your creative brain engaged, Minecraft will stimulate it even further. This retro-themed blocky world is home to several unexplored secrets that can lead to dangers or huge rewards. Try your best to survive together during the daytime because all bets are off once night hits. Everything you encounter in the world of Minecraft will shape your playthrough in unique ways.
As difficult as the game can be, with a lot of unforgiving mechanics, playing with your partner can gradually smoothen the learning curve. The biggest appeal of the game is showcasing the creative bases you can build with all the resources Minecraft has to offer. With a helping hand, you should be able to create the base of your dreams while keeping out all the threats of this hostile world.
1) It Takes Two
It Takes Two is widely considered to be the best game to play with your significant other. It cannot be played single-player, and overcoming some of its more difficult challenges requires immense cooperation from your partner. The game features mechanics derived from several popular games over the decades.
The story of the game revolves around a couple about to go through a divorce. Their daughter is distraught and tries to repair her parents’ relationship by creating dolls that look just like her parents. The couple’s souls are then trapped in the bodies of the dolls and, with the help of their therapist, will have to find a way to escape by fixing their marital problems.
The themes and gameplay mechanics of It Takes Two are designed for couples and will be the perfect way for you and your partner to bond while your characters find their way back to each other.
Read the full article here