Switch Kid-friendly Online Multiplayer Recommendations?

Computer Games
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So yeah, the title says it for the most part.

After a few initial forays into Animal Crossing–which now bores him–my nephew (9yo) has been playing quite a lot of Minecraft with my dad. Sadly, his aunt (me) is not enamored of Minecraft and so hasn’t been playing with them.

We had a couple of Mario Kart family races but the kid hates losing (he’s very good which makes that rare loss worse) and Mario Kart with just two isn’t that much fun.

But he’s been asking to play something with me… and I am having a hard time finding Online Multiplayer games that are kid friendly–it has to be on the Switch. No shooters or action RPGs, those are usually rated 16 and up. No brawlers either.

I already have a recommendation for Overcooked…
Other friends recommended Lovers in a Dangerous Space Time but it appears that only has local multiplayer.

(My fallback is to play remote boardgames with him but I am not 100% sure that that is going to work out.)

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Would Splatoon not fit? Nintendo went out of their way to make a non-violent shooter with that series. It’s a game about area control—achieved by splattering the level with your team’s colour of paint.

[EDIT] Seems like Fall Guys is coming eventually. Really late to the party with that one. :flushed:

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Huh. I had no idea. Color splats might be fine. I’ll need to check with my sister :slight_smile:

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My youngest loves Terraria. I’m not really sure what you do, but he loves it.

Do the Lego games have online multiplayer?

When I play 2 player Mario Kart (admittedly on the N64) we race in the cups rather than head to head

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Smash brothers is good although may have the losing issue.

Mario 3d and and Mario u deluxe both offer o line multiplayer which is pretty fun.

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This may be a bit of a non sequitur, but Wingspan has a really nice app on the Switch, with online multiplayer. :smiley:

Aside from that, I think Stardew Valley has online multiplayer, a game which I would describe as “Animal Crossing, but fun”. I’ve put in about 100 hours on Switch, and it’s fantastic. Mario Tennis Aces is also pretty good, although I haven’t played much of it.

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Here are my thoughts, including games that are already recommended. I’d go for any of these:

If you’re interested in co-op, Mario is a good shout. The new Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury has online multiplayer and I’ve been playing it with my girlfriend (I think New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe only has local?)

Overcooked 2 has online multiplayer, the first one is local-only unless there’s been an update. The second one is a bit more polished and well balanced so the better choice anyway.

Splatoon 2 is a good shout as well for the reasons above. It has a competitive and a co-op online mode apparently. Alternatively: Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville comes out in 4 days. Splatoon is probably the safer bet.

Phogs is a game where you each control one head of a double headed dog in a charming colourful environment. It’s new and silly and I enjoyed a demo I played a while ago.

Fall Guys is a really good recommendation but doesn’t arrive until later this year and involves lots of losing (but in an environment against 60 people maybe is a good way to prove that losing doesn’t always oppose fun) It’s colourful and funny and you can dress your little guy up to show off how many wins you’ve got which, if Fortnite is anything to go by, kids love.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 has online co-op and hits a sweet spot where it’s a recognisable IP and simple for kids to get into. It’s also probably incredibly tedious if you’re not interested in Marvel. Same goes for Minecraft Dungeons where it’s pretty fun but probably not for you if you’re already put off by the original game.

Human Fall Flat is maybe a bit too janky and complex to recommend fully unless you’re interested in exploring that space. Out of all the games it actually has the best player-interactions where you’re able to touch, bump, grab each other and feel like you’re interacting in a way that’s super engaging. It’s a simple physics based puzzle game that I found really enjoyable in multiplayer.

Stardew Valley is probably also a good idea, if he enjoyed Animal Crossing. I haven’t played the multiplayer but seems similar in that you’re both inhabiting a small town together, with enough new bits to separate it.

Presented in roughly the order I’d go for them in, but hopefully with enough info in there to help you figure out which ones are appropriate/interest you :slight_smile:

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My sister sends many thanks for all the recommendations… :slight_smile:

I’ll see what we decide and post here how it goes.

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You’re right new super Mario bros u is couch co-op only, apologies. Also I second overcooked!

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FTFY :stuck_out_tongue:

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