If you want a wholesome and relaxing gaming session with friends, you typically want to avoid party games or PvP shooters. After all, they’re naturally competitive games, which can lead to fallouts and rage.
Yet, co-op games put you all on the same side, meaning it should create harmony among you and your gaming buddies. That isn’t always the case, though. There are co-op titles that can still lead to plenty of frustration, typically because they’re very challenging or require a lot of cooperation. Here are some of the most infamous rare-inducing co-op games.
Pico Park is one of thegreatest co-op puzzle games in recent memory. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t irritate you at times. Each player controls a little colorful creature with a blocky head. You must all work together to complete puzzles and progress in the level.
Typically, this involves jumping on top of one another to get extra height. But there are also other little gameplay mechanics thrown in at times to mix things up. Whatever you’re up against, cooperation is typically essential. This is where the frustration can come in, as it’s easy to ruin things for everyone, whether purposely or accidentally.
Streets of Rage is a 2D side-scrolling beat ‘em up from the ’90s. So, it contains an old-school type of rage-inducing co-op gameplay. This mainly comes from the fact that the game allows you to attack one another. There are enemies coming from anywhere and ambushing you from both sides. So, the screen gets filled up quickly, and it becomes easy to hit your teammate multiple times accidentally.
This is a tough game, and you don’t have regenerating health, so those hits aren’t easily forgiven. What’s also not easy to forgive is if you accidentally eat one of the few healing food items you’re given when the other person needs it.
A rarely seen type ofco-op game is one where everyone controls the same characterat the same time. Octodad is one of those rare titles. It stars an octopus that is attempting to masquerade as a human. To get across that this isn’t a regular human, the game gives the protagonist wacky ragdoll physics, making him tough to control.
It gets even tougher when you’re playing in co-op, and each one of you controls a tentacle or a set of tentacles. This means cooperation is very much needed, as you try to complete objectives without giving away that you’re an octopus. If cooperation is a struggle, things can get frustrating quickly.
Being a surgeon is likely a very tough and stressful job. However, it would be even more challenging if someone else were controlling your other hand. That is the basis of Surgeon Simulator’s co-op mode. You each control a hand as you attempt to operate on your patient. Grabbing and moving things around is intentionally difficult, but it’s made much worse when someone else is flinging things around.
It isn’t like you have unlimited time, either, as the patient needs help quickly, especially once you start the operation and they begin losing blood. Working as a strong tandem is key to success, but accomplishing that is tricky.
The first thing you will notice about Cuphead is its beautiful, hand-drawn art style. Yet, don’t be fooled, as this is one of thosecute-looking games that is actually very difficult. It’s a punishing 2D side-scroller, mainly due to the game’s boss battles.
You fight against some very tough foes with tricky attack patterns and multiple phases you have to go through. Both you and your co-op buddy will likely die a lot in these encounters, causing you both to rage.
New Super Luigi U is actually an expansion to New Super Mario Bros. U, instead of a full game. The main game can hurt your friendships, too, but the Luigi expansion really puts them to the test.
Part of the reason for this is the difficulty level, as this expansion is much harder than the base title. What makes matters worse is that you only have 100 seconds to complete each level, so you’re also under constant time pressure. Therefore, stress levels are high while playing, and an accidental jump on your buddy’s head, knocking them into a pit, may drive them over the edge.
Chained Together doesn’t try to hide anything with its title. This is a game where you and your co-op friends are chained together. While in this predicament, you have to bypass the many different obstacles in your way. This means you will need to run, climb, and jump your way forward.
Because a chain attaches you together, you need to make sure you cooperate, as one person making one wrong move could doom you all. This is where the rage-inducing aspects come in. You can do a brilliant job of getting through a tricky platforming section, but still get pulled down into the abyss because your buddies didn’t make it.
On the surface, Overcooked looks like it will be a nice and wholesome cooking game. After all, just look at how adorable the little characters are. Once the game begins, though, things get hectic, and emotions start going wild. This is because you and your co-op buddies have to prepare, cook, and deliver food as quickly as possible.
The goal is to complete as many orders as you may before time runs out. If you’re attempting to get three stars on every level, everyone has to work fast and avoid mistakes. The pressure and stress can lead to arguments.
