Lately, my husband and I have found ourselves diving deep into Portal 2. It’s what I’d call the quintessential couch co-op game of today, even with Hazelight’s game-changer, It Takes Two, making waves in the genre. If I were to list a handful more games, that would pretty much cover it. What I’m really referring to, though, are those games where you need a teammate by your side to truly progress—or at the very least, enhance the journey. At home, we’ve turned all sorts of games into cooperative experiences.
Our inspiration sprang from playing The Quarry, that star-studded, character-packed interactive film. It does have a local co-op mode, where you switch the controller between players to make choices and dodge the occasional obstacle, but we skipped over that part. Instead, we played as a team, dissecting each decision, often pausing to piece together clues or reflect on past dialogues. I’d say we embarked on this adventure through The Quarry three or four times like this—with one of us holding the controller while the other would be busy preparing dinner. We applied the same approach to Overboard!, the murder mystery turned on its head, where you play as the culprit evading capture. It might be even more suited to this style of play given its replayability, with new objectives and paths each run.
These games, not inherently designed for co-op but lending themselves beautifully to it—particularly narrative-driven ones involving decision-making—have become staples of our weeknight routine. They’re also an exciting way to kick off a date night during the colder months. Plus, they offer a fun platform to share the games we individually appreciate. And, like all remarkable art, experiencing these stories together brings us closer, as evidenced by our emotional moment at the end of Firewatch.
With that in mind, I’m eagerly anticipating Split Fiction, Hazelight’s next venture. But my excitement is equally piqued for Expelled!, a new entry in the universe of Overboard!—a game my husband and I are sure to immerse ourselves in for countless hours.
