Over the past few years, I’ve been searching (and finding) more and more couch co-op/party games to play with my girlfriend. Some games that take us an entire weekend to complete. Other games are revisited over time. Others are only entertaining for a short while. I’ll call these games, “Party Games.”
“Party Games” are the types of games you would boot up during a gathering of friends (or a party). Something that is fun for a group, is simple to understand, and may require little to no skill. These games may work for both gamers and non-gamers alike. They may even work when guests have been drinking a bit.
This first list contains a few “basic” level party games. “Basic” meaning that these games mostly have one real mechanic or gimmick to them — which makes them simple for anyone to get into. In these games, players only end up using a couple of buttons at a time.
“Basic” doesn’t have to mean easy. Some of these games are cooperative, while others are full-on battles. Even with simple control schemes the difficulty can quickly ramp up as the game progresses.
Let us take a quick moment to pay tribute to our favorite couch co-op series of all time, Overcooked 1 and 2. In these games players must quickly cook meals and send them off to hungry patrons. Players only use two or three buttons at a time, but as they progress there are new outside elements introduced raising the stakes. There are more complicated recipes, moving kitchens, inclement weather, pesky rodents, and so much more.
That’s enough about Overcooked, for now. Let’s talk about a few recent Basic Party Games:
1 | Pool Party
Pool Party is a mini sports-inspired battle party game where everyone plays as a cute cue ball, capable of rolling or kicking other players (and balls) into holes. The mini sports include pool (aka billiards), tennis, sumo, soccer, and a few others — some real and some made up. Over multiple rounds of one or a mix of mini games one cue ball will rise to the top.
The mini games can get repetitive quickly. Playing Pool Party with four players, and more switching in and out between rounds, would be ideal. It’s easy to learn and great for non-gamers to get the hang of. Pool Party sports a family friendly look and feel. An update with some extra mini games would definitely add some extra life to this game. As of now, it’s a great game to keep around for when friends are over.
Pool Party is currently on PlayStation consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC.
2 | Bare Butt Boxing
Bare Butt Boxing is a slippery physics-based game where unregulated big booty alien boxers punch it out to be the best Bare Butt Boxer. Up to four players can punch each other off of platforms or into portals for points. With each knockout you make your way closer to being the Bare Butt Boxing Champion.
While the boxing bouts themselves aren’t groundbreaking, the goofy character design (and big butts) makes this a silly romp. The character movement resembles that floaty, goofy style of a Fall Guys or Human Fall Flat. For me, this is a button masher, but maybe that’s exactly what I’ve been doing wrong?
Even with the differences in level layouts, the gameplay remains pretty constant throughout. The power-ups are a welcomed add-on, and throwing foreign objects at an opponent is always fun to watch. The goofiness of the animation of Bare Butt Boxing make it a good time for spectators as well — even if they have no idea what is going on.
Bare Butt Boxing is available on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
3 | Boomerang Fu
In Boomerang Fu up to six players choose their food of choice and slice and dice each other in a frantic, physics-based party battle game, until only one food remains. Over the course of many rounds across multiple battlegrounds (each with their own distinct hazards) players murder each other for points. This game takes the big battle royale craze and puts it on a smaller fast-paced stage.
One big plus is while most party games allow only four players, Boomerang Fu adds two extra. Although there’s a cute kawaii look to the characters and world, this deadly game is not as family friendly — with all of the food murder.
The slight differences in level design, along with the distinct power-ups give Boomerang Fu more staying power than other party games. This is one of the games on the list that we continuously come back to.
Boomerang Fu is now on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
While those first three titles were competitive battle games, these next two entries function on a cooperative level.
4 | Crossy Road Castle
Crossy Road Castle is a mobile game which recently made the leap to consoles. It comes from the developer of the original Crossy Road, Hipster Whale. Now that Crossy Road Castle is on consoles, it can be enjoyed by up to four players.
The original Crossy Road was a mobile take on Frogger. Crossy Road Castle feels closer to games like FEZ and Celeste, but on a more simple level. The action takes place one screen at a time, and in group play only one player needs to survive in order to advance to the next level (or screen).
Crossy Road Castle follows the basic mobile game model of “Play. Die. Repeat. Upgrade.” The model also works because every run is different due to each tower being procedurally generated. We usually play this one run at a time. We play until we die and take a break until later.
Crossy Road Castle can be enjoyed on Apple Arcade, as well as PlayStation 5, Xbox consoles, and the Nintendo Switch.
5 | Quadroids
Of all of the games on this list, this is by far the most unique and the most basic (since each player only needs to worry about one button at a time). In Quadroids levels are broken up into four screens where one button (a jump button) corresponds to each. Up to four players can each control one screen or one, two, or three players may control multiple screens. It starts off simple, but quickly turns into a chaotic puzzler.
As little quadroids pass through your screen, you now control them with your assigned button. Your goal is to advance them to the next screen so they become someone else’s problem. Another twist is that the screens are rarely lined up in the order you’d expect.
Each level is its own specifically designed puzzle. I’ve only played with two of us at once (each controlling two screens), but I can totally imagine up to four players yelling at each other to pay attention to their screen. It all happens so quickly.
Quadroids is currently out on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
These are only a few of the many Party Games I have played this past year. Just like with any tabletop (or board game) party, a video game party requires a good spread. You don’t just bring one game to the group. You want a diverse lineup, so you have other choices when a game gets too tough or stale.
I’m hoping to keep this series going. Next time, with some more “advanced” party games. Share your favorite party games below? What games do you pull out when friends are over?
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