Bjomesphat Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 I've got twin 4 year old boys. I think they're pretty good at games considering their age, but they're still working on their fine motor skills and reaction time. We have a blast with games like 3D Mario World. They get to run around and jump on things while I push forward and make progress so we can all get through the level. Unfortunately, most of the stages past like world 3 they end up going in a bubble for a lot of the time because it's just too challenging. We also play a lot of Mario Kart 8, which has auto steering and driving. They loved watching me play Breath of the Wild, so I let them try the Link's Awakening remake. They mostly just like wandering around and attacking enemies with the sword, but that's pretty much the extent of what they can do. They also like 2D Mario and Sonic, even though their skills don't get them very far. However, they've really taken to Paper Mario Origami King. Obviously the combat system is way too challenging for them and it's not like they can read yet, but the exploration and discovery is really fun for them. They absolutely love exploring the entire world, visiting all of the different locations, towns, and dungeons, finding hidden secrets, playing the mini games, etc. And I realized that this is actually a pretty cool game for them because there's very few stakes, and you can't really lose if you're just passively exploring. If they run into an enemy, they either run away or hand me the controller to beat it. So with that type of game in mind, can you think of other games in the same vein? Something with lots of variety and charm. Plenty of exploration and secrets to find. But very few stakes or consequences. They recognize their own limits, so they get frustrated when something is too difficult, so it's nice to have a game that they can just relax and explore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Roblox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 My daughter is 5. Her favourite game is Minecraft. She also plays a number of simple games on Roblox. There is a ton of great free content on Roblox that is very kid-friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Minecraft Dungeons and those Lego games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spawn_of_Apathy Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Lego anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bacon Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Dark Souls 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjomesphat Posted September 23, 2021 Author Share Posted September 23, 2021 The Lego games are probably good choices. Minecraft dungeons seems pretty cool. Though I guess I'm looking for games I'd enjoy too. Right now, they're not asking for games or even know about games outside of what I've shown them, and we only let them play once or twice on the weekends. I'll let them discover Roblox and Minecraft on their own through school and friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjomesphat Posted September 23, 2021 Author Share Posted September 23, 2021 3 minutes ago, Bacon said: Dark Souls They actually liked watching me play Sekiro, but everytime they would come in the room while I was play, I would have to avoid fighting anything and just run around and grapple everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bacon Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 When I was 4 liked playing DKC and Mario on the snes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slug Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 My niece is around that age. We just tend to let her loose in Animal Crossing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Fallout 4. Bethesda is great at making games with no stakes or consequences. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GameDadGrant Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Try them out on Spider-Man and set the difficulty to “Neighborhood Friendly.” Bug Fables is also good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 24 minutes ago, Xbob42 said: Fallout 4. Bethesda is great at making games with no stakes or consequences. Or maybe you could say Farcry 5. Ubisoft is great at making non political games with no stakes or consequences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaysWho? Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 If you have a PS4 or PS5, Concrete Genie is a good one, though it does get more actiony later in the game. But overall, it was the perfect chill game for me after work. Chicory is a recent indie game that I believe had similarities and is available on both PS4 and PS5. Looks to be very relaxing and cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Snipperclips 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggydoo Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 To fit your criteria: Yoshi's Crafted World - way easier platformer than the Mario ones. Minecraft Dungeons - easy dungeon crawling game, simple mechanics and nice difficulty slider. Good exploration on the maps. Bugsnax - if you got PS5 early and redeemed it for free. The game does get more difficult later and require a bit more gross motor skills to capture certain bugs. Other games my little kids play constantly. I have 9yr old and an 8yr old with special needs. Roblox (obvious answer here) Side Scrolling Beat-ems - River City Girls - if you die, your teammate can revive you and if party wipes you just restart in the area you wiped. This might fit your criteria too as it's somewhat an open world side scroll beat-em. - Streets of Rage 4 - tons of difficulty modifiers to make this game easy to complete and my kids get excited when they unlock a new character try out. Moving Out - same people who made Overcooked but way less complex than Overcooked. Easy to carry little kids through some levels. Injustice 2 - what little kid doesn't like superheros fighting. Concrete Genie - I think this might be too difficult for 4yr old but worth a try if you redeemed it on PS+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 I dunno how closely this fits your criteria, but my nieces and nephews have enjoyed Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjomesphat Posted September 23, 2021 Author Share Posted September 23, 2021 @GameDadGrant Spiderman is actually a cool idea. They love Spiderman, even though they've never seen it. Can you play and explore the city without fighting anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamer.tv Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Pokemon Snap feels like a winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GameDadGrant Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 2 hours ago, Bjomesphat said: @GameDadGrant Spiderman is actually a cool idea. They love Spiderman, even though they've never seen it. Can you play and explore the city without fighting anything? Yup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_MH Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Has nobody mentioned Kirby yet? Kirby Star Allies is a great title for younger kids. My son was playing Kirby games before he was able to really play anything else on his own. Super Kirby Clash is also the only multiplayer game I allow him. I just laugh him out of the room any time he asks me to pay for some random microtransaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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