These are the couch co-op games that came out in April and May. Since May is already mostly over, I’m going to go through what released, what got updated, and some co-op news I found.
April Couch Co-op Releases
The Spectro: The Fighter Focus
This came out on April 2nd. It’s a 2D sidescrolling beat ’em up that looks actually pretty basic, like it could have been made using the Beats of Rage engine or something, but the Steam reviews are actually positive.
I’m a huge fan of beat ’em ups. I haven’t played this one yet, but I definitely will be.
Living Dead House
This also came out April 2nd on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
This is a single screen platformer where you and a friend walk around, shoot zombies, and try to barricade the windows. This one looks very simple, but it might be a good time if you’re really into retro games. And you can get this game for $5.
Cave Story Co-op Update
The Steam version of Cave Story finally got the two-player local co-op update.
This used to be an exclusive feature only on the Nintendo Switch, so they finally brought it over to PC players. I think this is great. More people should be able to experience this. I loved Cave Story, and I did play it a lot on the Nintendo Switch in co-op.
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel
This is an older game, but on April 9th, they had a free update that added local co-op.
This is basically an action RPG with some roguelite elements. It’s from a top-down view, so if you’re into games like Diablo and Gauntlet, I think this will probably be similar to that.
Null Point Protocol
This is an action roguelite that can be played with up to four players locally or online. Instead of traditional levels, every stage is a different boss fight.
You want to take your time to learn the patterns and figure out how to defeat the bosses. I think this is a pretty solid game, even though it only has mixed reviews on Steam.
Super Alloy Crush
This game came out into early access on April 8th.
This is pretty much a 2D platformer that’s a clone of Mega Man. I think it’s really solid, and as far as Mega Man-style games go, this is one of the better ones that I’ve played.
Looters
This is a game built for two-player co-op. You play as these two goblins in split screen, and you go around and try to steal items and put them in your backpack.
They also have stealth sections, so you have to sneak by the enemies and try to find the exit.
I had a lot of fun playing this with my daughter.
Dome KeeperMultiplayer Update
Dome Keeper had a multiplayer update.
This was originally a single player game, but on April 13th, they added co-op. And this works really well for me. The best way to describe it is a mix between Dig Dug and a tower defense game.
Together: Moon Escape
This came out on April 21st.
This is a fully 3D split screen game developed by a single developer. I did a full in-depth highlight of this game at its launch, and I really enjoyed it.
If you like games like Portal 2, Escape Academy, or the We Were Here series, I think you’ll like this one too. It’s very puzzle focused, but it’s a co-op only game, so you have to have a second player. You can play this online or in split screen co-op.
Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch
This is a sidescrolling beat ’em up that’s been in the works for a really long time. I still haven’t had a chance to play this one. I do like the art style.
It looks like a pretty basic beat ’em up and it’s getting mixed reviews on Steam.
Bug Scraper Demo
The demo for Bug Scraper came out in April.
This is a 2D shooter you can play with up to four players. This is another one that has some roguelite elements.
May Couch Co-op Releases
The Awakener: Battle Tendency
This came out May 5th.
This is a hack-and-slash action game that’s clearly inspired by the Dynasty Warriors games.
And for what this is visually, it looks really impressive, and I’ve always been a fan of Dynasty Warriors games.
WheelMates Demo
The WheelMates demo came out May 6th.
This is described as “It Takes Two, but with RC cars.” It’s another game built around co-op. It looks like there’s a lot of exploration and teamwork-based puzzles.
This is one that I was really excited for, and the demo is available now.
Alien Strike: Blasting the Intruders
This came out May 7th.
This is a sidescrolling run-and-gun platformer you can play with up to three players co-op. It’s definitely heavily influenced by games like Metal Slug and the Contra series.
The graphics are very basic and do look on the cheaper side at times, but there are elements that I think look really good as well.
Directive 8020
This came out May 12th.
This was made by Supermassive Games, the same team behind Until Dawn and the Dark Pictures Anthology games.
This is basically like an interactive movie, but this is the first one where they really focused on the couch co-op element. To me, I personally really appreciate the extra focus on couch co-op.
The game is made to be played with up to five players locally, but it sounds like you’re supposed to use one controller and pass it between players, each controlling a different character.
I enjoyed the Dark Pictures games, so this is one I was looking forward to.
Underling Uprising
This came out on May 14th.
This is a beat ’em up with a really nice Saturday morning cartoon art style. It looks like it’s implementing some supernatural elements, and that seems like a nice change of pace when it comes to the typical street brawling beat ’em up genre.
This one’s been on my radar for a really long time, so I’m glad that it finally got released.
Mad King Redemption
Mad King Redemption came into early access on May 14th.
This is one that I was really excited for. This is another action RPG with some roguelike elements, but the art style is what really sets this game apart. It kind of has that HD-2D art style that I really like.
Lost Twins 2
Lost Twins 2 came to Nintendo Switch in May.
This is a puzzle platformer that you can play in two-player co-op. It originally came out on Steam, PS5, and Xbox last year, but now it’s also on Switch, so I wanted to mention that.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was also announced.
This is another LEGO game with two-player co-op. The LEGO series has been pretty reliable for including local co-op, so I’m really glad that they’re doing it again here. These games are great to play with your family. Pretty much anyone can jump in and try them out.
Retro Co-op News
Now let’s talk about some retro news that has to do with co-op gaming.
Nintendo Switch Online Additions
The Nintendo Switch Online service added a few more games in April.
Only one of them had co-op though, and that’s Mendel Palace on the NES. This is a really great game that often gets overlooked. It’s made by Game Freak, the same people that made the Pokémon games.
It’s a two-player co-op puzzle action game where you basically flip over tiles to eliminate enemies. Once they’re all eliminated, you move on to the next screen. I love this game.
Bio Creeps
There’s a new NES game that’s currently on Kickstarter called Bio Creeps.
It has a planned release for 2027. This is a single screen platformer with the main gimmick being you shoot down in order to jump up.
This game’s been on my radar for a while, and I played the demo a year or two ago and I really liked it.
Clash of Courts
I don’t have a lot of information about this game. I just found it on itch.io, but it’s a new NES game that can actually be played with six players.
It’s a single screen platformer inspired by games like Joust, Bubble Bobble, and Killer Queen. And yeah, you can actually play this on original NES hardware, but you do teams either two-on-two or three-on-three.
This seems very inventive for the NES.
Hidden GBA Co-op Modes
A couple of months ago, there were some Game Boy Advance games where someone looked inside and found that they had co-op code hidden away that was never included in the official releases.
So they hacked these games and put the co-op back in, and they made it so you can actually play couch co-op. If you do it on an emulator, you can just boot it up and you don’t have to have two Game Boy Advances.
The games include Sword of Mana, Double Dragon Advance, River City Ransom EX, and Mario Tennis: Power Tour.
I love seeing this kind of stuff happen in the retro community. Hopefully they do this with more games.
Triple Impact
A couple months ago, there was a new Super Nintendo game announced called Triple Impact.
This is a 2D beat ’em up that can be played co-op.
Arcade Archives: Street Smart
Arcade Archives continues to release new ports of arcade games and put them out on modern platforms.
The most recent one with co-op is Street Smart. This is basically like a fighting game, but you can do two-on-two matches.
Neo Geo AES Plus
Another big piece of retro news was the Neo Geo AES Plus.
When this comes out, it’ll be $200. It comes with wireless controllers, HDMI out, and can play the original cartridges. They’re also doing reproductions of AES games, ten of them.
There’s only two of them though that have co-op, and that’s Metal Slug and Shock Troopers.
I’m definitely interested to see what they do with this, but I already have an original AES console, so I probably won’t buy this.
Modern Couch Co-op News
He-Man Delay
First of all, the He-Man game was supposed to come out April 28th, but it was delayed.
There’s no official release date yet, but it’s expected sometime this summer.
After BEat
After Beat was announced to be coming out of early access sometime soon.
This is like a bullet hell shooter that implements rhythm mechanics as well. I don’t know too much about this game, but it looks really cool.
Goodboy Galaxy
Goodboy Galaxy is coming to the Nintendo Switch.
This is actually a game that originally came out on the Game Boy Advance as a homebrew, and then they ported it to Steam, which is when I played it. They added co-op to that version.
This new Switch version is also going to have the co-op gameplay on October 30th.
Catgirl Survivor 2: Beyond the Veil
This is another retro-style pixel art beat ’em up and you can play this one in two-player co-op.
Lost Castle 2
Lost Castle 2 is coming out of early access on June 11th.
I have never played the first Lost Castle, and I haven’t played this version either, so it’s something that I definitely need to try.
Friendly Steps
The announcement trailer for Friendly Steps came out, and this game definitely reminds me of Chained Together, but a little bit more light-hearted.
Prolly Nothin
Another announcement trailer came out for a game called Prolly Nothin’.
This is a two-player horror type of game. I really like the art style and it actually kind of reminds me of ToeJam & Earl.
Coffee Raccoon
Coffee Raccoon also had an announcement trailer.
This looks like a really cute, cozy game. You can play it in split screen co-op and it looks like it implements a lot of different styles.
From the trailer, it looks like they have parts where you’re making coffee and it’s like Overcooked or something. You can upgrade your tech and explore and gather resources.
I really like the art style here, and any game that is fully 3D that includes split screen is always cool to see.
ID@Xbox Showcase
The ID@Xbox showcase happened in April and they announced a bunch of new games.
There were only two games though that actually included couch co-op.
Escape Academy 2
Escape Academy 2 is coming to Steam and all Xbox platforms. It’ll also be a day one game on Game Pass.
SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed
SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed is a four-player 2D platformer where you basically run and platform as fast as you can.
Orbitals
Orbitals got a brand new gameplay trailer.
If you haven’t heard of Orbitals yet, it’s an upcoming couch co-op game that’s coming out exclusively for the Switch 2. This is another one of those games that is two-player only, so there’s no single player mode whatsoever.
In this new trailer, we got some new information, and the developers talked about how the gameplay is built around asymmetrical co-op. Basically, each character has their own unique abilities, weapons, and tools, and you have to use them together in order to solve puzzles.
In the trailer, one player has a beam cannon and the other player has a hookshot-type tool. The player with the beam cannon is constantly shooting this droid to keep him charged. They said that if you don’t, then he explodes.
This helps the other player navigate the environment and get through the obstacles. While moving on this hovering platform, the player with the hookshot has to shoot these numbered gates to open them up.
The other player is on the other side of the gate and has to follow along and shoot through the gate as it opens to continue charging the droid.
Then they go on to show other examples of asymmetrical co-op gameplay as well. This looks really creative and it’s definitely showing some unique co-op gameplay.
Anyways, this got me excited, and Orbitals definitely continues to be one of my most anticipated titles of the year.
Don’t Starve Elsewhere
We also got a reveal trailer for Don’t Starve Elsewhere.
This is a sequel to Don’t Starve Together. Co-op has been confirmed, but they haven’t said whether that’s online only or local co-op.
But I did want to mention this because Don’t Starve Together obviously had local co-op, so hopefully this one does as well.
Outro
That’s all of the co-op news and releases that I could find for April and May.
What games are you most excited for?
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All right, that’s all I got.