I have an old Raspberry Pi 1 (!) still going strong with Batocera Linux running NES, SNES and Mega Drive (Genesis) emulators.
I’m looking for easy multiplayer games that can be played with a 5yo. Non violent and ideally co-op, bonus points if somewhat educational.
Multiplayer is hard to find for the megadrive but some cutesy games,
- Ecco the dolphin
- James Pond 2 - Robocod
- the sonic games with cute little bunnies
- where in the world is carmen san diego i think was on the md
On the SNES, all of the games below have coop:
- Tiny Toons Wild and Wacky Sports - a collection of several silly minigames as some sort of tournament, with minimum scores that need to be reached. No direct violence between players, only cartoon shenanigans like falling down a cliff, snowballing after tripping while skiing, etc. (Maybe show the kid some of the old cartoons as well, if s/he enjoys, I’m sure the game will be more interesting to him/her)
- Super Bomberman - Might count as “violent”, since you’re bombing weird looking enemies, but it’s a formula that rarely gets old and plays great as co-op. Your kid might enjoy 3 and 4 the most, with the variety of mounts to be had (if your rpi can run NeoGeo games, Neo Bomberman is also a great choice)
- Top Gear - Racing game with one of the best soundtracks in the console. Top Gear 3000 goes to space and has plenty of options for upgrading your car.
- Secret of Mana - Might count as “violent”, especially as you start off with a sword and kill cute bunny-thing enemies. An action RPG that, once you get the 2nd character, it can be played with the 2nd controller. Drop-in/drop-out, so you can easily join and leave while your kid plays or vice versa. The same applies for Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 3)
- Magical Quest 2 and 3 - Disney games that are best when played cooperatively (the first lacks coop). Starts off easy enough and you get new costumes that give special powers, which help you out in the stages going forward. It’s “Disney violence” how you beat most enemies (jumping on their heads, spinning them against one another)
- Kirby Super Star and Dreamland 3 - Both allow for a second player to join in and help. Dreamland 3 has a very unique and cute looking style.
- International Super Star Soccer - If you’re into normal football (soccer), this is easily the best of its kind for the 16-bit era
- NBA Jam - Also available on the Mega Drive, dunno which version is better. BOOM SHAKA LAKA!!
Bubble Bobble is one of my favourite retro multiplayer games since it has both players playing simultaneously (not each take a turn/hand off the controller) but might still be a bit difficult for a 5 year old 🤔
Edit: Tetris & Dr. Mario for the SNES might also work
Nah. I played the crap outta Bubble Bobble around that age. Some of my best early memories involve playing Bubble Bobble on NES with my parents after dinner every night. Had all the level codes jotted down on a sheet of notebook paper, including all the lettered levels.
If Bubble Bobble fits; Snow Bros, TumblePop, Puzzle Bobble or Super Pang may work too.
- Bonus educational game, is to install GCompris and solve the puzzles together.
Dr Mario? My 3 yo wanted me to play Dr Mario while looking around in the n64 thing on switch. The game totally crushed me. Maybe 5 year olds are better at it than 40 year olds 😂
I second Dr Mario. When I first went off to kindergarten, my mom and little brother would play Dr Mario together. It’s perfect for that age range, simple to play and control, with an option for two-player mode.
I played the shit out of bubble bobble as a 3 year old. It has passwords for saves, which was tricky because none of me and the other neighborhood kids could read. It’s a great game, though.
There’s one level like a third of the way through that baffled us for weeks. Still hard, as an adult. Good fun, though. Lots of “go go go go get it go go go oooh no dang.” moments.
I’m double on the Bubble Bobble! A core memory for me is playing that game with my brother for hours on end!
This is a great idea. I was also just thinking of using cheats to enable invincibility for player 2, that way they can save you and not worry about dying.
Hard to beat Super Mario Brothers. I tried other classics, bunch of arcade games, but my son never liked them. Ms. Pac-Man might work. The big hit with us was Wii sports.
Wii sports is retro…
cries
Nearly as old as Super Mario Bros. at release.
Are you saying that Wii Sports is nearly as old now as Super Mario Bros was when Wii sports released? Because Wii Sports came out in 2006?
Because SMB came out in 1985 and …
…
Jesus Christ.
I’m sorry
…what…no. That can’t be…
does math
…STOP USING NUMBERS AGAINST ME!!!
Sonic 2. Make him be tails. As is tradition.
Honestly? This is a great, low stakes way of letting him get the feel for the game without feeling like he’s not “helping”.
This is the way.
And in case OP doesn’t know: the same can be done with Sonic 3 and then with Sonic and Knuckles.
But also, I second starting with Sonic 2. The controls are a bit simpler, and it’s a classic.
TMNT Turtles in Time on SNES. Its a fun game and kids can button mash, and turtles are still relevant today. Puzzle games like tetris can be good for using the brain. There were a ton of puzzle games in the snes era, like bust a move (puzzle bobble), yoshi’s cookie, puyo puyo (kirby’s avalanche), and many more.
I would mostly avoid NES because it looks really dated, aside from a handful of the real classics like Super Mario Bros 1 & 3.
Those beat em ups are a great way to spend time together. As long as you can keep continuing, you barely need to pay attention and it gives you something to talk about.
You both can play Goof Troop. It’s a Co-op game with Goofy and Max as protagonists, it’s very funny.
Balloon Fight (NES)
With that avatar, I wonder why you might suggest that ;-)
Kirby Superstar (SNES) is great for this, I play it with my 5-year-old. The second player plays as the “helper” character, and when they die, Kirby can create them again. It effectively plays like a “buddy mode.” That game is also one of my all-time favorites just for what it is, so I’m a bit biased.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Little one can be Tails and play coop.
I would say that most retro games can be enjoyed by a 5-year-old (having once upon a time been a 5-year-old playing some of them myself), but the first one that comes to mind is Donkey Kong Country.
My 4 year old raging at mine Cart madnessis a particular find memory of mine
first one that comes to mind is Donkey Kong Country.
Ooh. Good call!
For OP, I was confused by the multiplayer in Donkey Kong Country (SNES) the first time I played it.
If I recall correctly, the second controller doesn’t do anything until the first player gets hit, then second controller takes over as the other Kong.
I think there’s also a button the active player can press to switch out.
I think there’s also a button the active player can press to switch out.
Either A or Select. On DKC 2 and 3, A gets the other monkey on the 1st’s back, so you can throw them at an enemy or on a platform. 2 and 3 also feature a 2 player “competitive” mode, with each player going 1 life or 1 stage
Super Mario World, Battletoads
Battle City
Man this brings back good memories.
“Toejam and Earl: Panic on Funkotron” (Genesis) has a very well designed “little kid mode” in the options, and it’s still really fun.
Edit: Example regarding violence - you get to throw jars at humans to trap them for transport back to earth. And you need to watch out for bowling balls falling out of trees.
Sonic 2.
Controlling Tails can be good fun if you’re very young and don’t fully know what you’re doing!
Can be hard keeping both characters on screen at times though.
Actually Sonic 3 is a slight improvement in this regard once you get the hang of things - Tails can be more helpful, and carry Sonic to higher ledges
