What are some great retro games that I can play with my 5yo?
from ceiron@europe.pub to retrogaming@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 21:45
https://europe.pub/post/1898017

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.

#retrogaming

threaded - newest

cloudless@piefed.social on 26 Jun 22:00 next collapse

Balloon Fight (NES)

Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org on 26 Jun 23:06 collapse

With that avatar, I wonder why you might suggest that ;-)

RedIce25@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:02 next collapse

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

cannedtuna@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:10 next collapse

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.

ace_garp@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:21 next collapse

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.
Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 23:11 next collapse

I’m double on the Bubble Bobble! A core memory for me is playing that game with my brother for hours on end!

Albbi@lemmy.ca on 27 Jun 02:31 next collapse

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.

jjjalljs@ttrpg.network on 27 Jun 03:03 next collapse

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.

Minnels@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 10:26 next collapse

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 😂

Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 10:48 collapse

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.

BigTrout75@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:07 next collapse

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.

Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:16 collapse

Wii sports is retro…

cries

can@sh.itjust.works on 26 Jun 23:01 collapse

Nearly as old as Super Mario Bros. at release.

thejbw@lemm.ee on 26 Jun 23:39 next collapse

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.

can@sh.itjust.works on 27 Jun 00:13 collapse

I’m sorry

Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 02:22 collapse

…what…no. That can’t be…

does math

…STOP USING NUMBERS AGAINST ME!!!

Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 26 Jun 22:12 next collapse

My kid used to love one of the Kirby games for the Wii, where the three of us could play at the same time. I can’t remember the name of it, but I’m pretty sure it was previously released for the SNES. It was the one with Armor Knight, if I’m remembering the character name correctly.

Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:17 next collapse

Meta Knight?

Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 26 Jun 22:21 collapse

Sorry, yes, Meta Knight :)

RedIce25@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:27 collapse

Kirby’s return to dreamland for the wii probably, but I doubt the old raspberry pi’s could run it

Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 26 Jun 22:33 next collapse

Yeah, that’s the one. I’ve just checked the Wikipedia page for it, and it was rereleased on the Switch, so I’ve got it muddled up.

Apologies OP :)

brsrklf@jlai.lu on 27 Jun 14:45 collapse

Return to Dreamland is an original game though. Which is even more confusing in Europe where it’s called Kirby’s Adventure Wii, while being completely different from Kirby’s Adventure.

However, Nightmare in Dreamland (GBA) is an actual NES Kirby’s Adventure’s remake.

Kirby game titles are a mess, especially since they’re almost all different in every region.

maaneeack@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:17 next collapse

City Connection, Bugs Bunny’s Crazy Castle. While neither are co-op my mom and took turns playing crazy castle on the nes when I was a kid and we beat it. Core memory right there.

I think Tetris or Doctor Mario had 2 player modes but I’m not sure.

Does Sonic Spinball on the Genesis have multiplayer?

A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:22 next collapse

Not that I recall re: Spinball, but hot damn i loved that game

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 03:01 collapse

Does Sonic Spinball on the Genesis have multiplayer?

Technically yes, but it’s old arcade style “pass the controller, it is player 2’s turn” - so not really.

db2@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:20 next collapse

Nobody’s gonna say hide and seek huh? 🤷

Zarxrax@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:27 next collapse

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.

Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 23:15 collapse

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.

nivenkos@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:34 next collapse

Super Mario by far IMO, basically all of the games.

5yo is probably still too young to understand Zelda.

Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 23:13 collapse

I’m still too young to understand Zelda 2, and I played it when it came out!

brsrklf@jlai.lu on 27 Jun 13:34 collapse

IMO I think it’s less “understand” and more “find a way cheese those bullshit Iron Knuckle fights”. I’ve completed Zelda 2 a few times. Those are still torture and terribly un-fun.

Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 16:54 collapse

I started it again a few years ago thinking “Now that I’m older, this won’t be so hard.”

Even by cheesing save states, and googling the tricky bits, I still got stuck in the Death Mountain caves.

SolidShake@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:43 next collapse

Turtles in time

jordanlund@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:48 next collapse

A GREAT game to play with kids is called “Stacking”. Looks like there’s a Linux version so you might be able to get it running on the Pi:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacking_(video_game)

PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, OS X, Linux

The gag is this…

You play the smallest of a set of Russian nesting dolls and you want to re-unite with your family.

In order to do that you have to solve a bunch of puzzles in a world filled with other Russian nesting dolls.

You can jump into any doll one size larger than you, and you can jump out to be one size smaller.

Each doll has a specific skill or ability, so by swapping bodies, you use the various skills to solve the puzzles.

The challenge is, you might find one that has the right skill, but you’re too small to jump into them, so you have to find the right chain of dolls to size up and size down to do what you need to do.

Trailer:

youtu.be/oEJtypcyL5I

wjrii@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 22:53 next collapse

Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Little one can be Tails and play coop.

capuccino@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 23:10 next collapse

You both can play Goof Troop. It’s a Co-op game with Goofy and Max as protagonists, it’s very funny.

Drusas@fedia.io on 26 Jun 23:16 next collapse

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.

WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 00:49 next collapse

My 4 year old raging at mine Cart madnessis a particular find memory of mine

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 15:12 collapse

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.

ICastFist@programming.dev on 28 Jun 19:10 collapse

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

cRazi_man@europe.pub on 26 Jun 23:21 next collapse

Are you committed to using the R.Pi1? You could emulate on your computer or phone (connected to the TV) to have way more options.

How adept is your little one with games? My 4 year old loves any and all Mario games. He plays sitting on my lap. I celebrate his successes and he passes me the controller when he gets to a section too difficult for him. This is mostly with Mario 3D land (3DS) these days.

Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org on 26 Jun 23:22 next collapse

You know what? Gyromite and Stack-Up, the games made to be played with R.O.B. You play the robot. I don't know many co-op multiplayer games on the NES. Maybe Chip & Dale, or Mario Bros. (not Super, the arcade game - though in 2025, I suggest Kaetekitta(sp?) Mario Bros., the rerelease). Bomberman might have cartoon violence, but I don't think it's going to scar a kid.

On SNES, there's Secret of Mana if you want to try for depth. I forget if any of the sports games let you go co-op. Pocky & Rocky (and other cute 'em ups) might be fun too.

Actually, general suggestion, cute 'em ups. Cotton, Twinbee, Fantasy Zone, Air Zonk, and many of the Parodius incarnations (obviously Sexy Parodius notwithstanding).

oji@lemmy.world on 26 Jun 23:31 next collapse

<img alt="Battle City" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/602eef87-87ed-4ccb-aa48-6ba8d6ef37c8.jpeg">

Battle City

B0NK3RS@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 09:32 collapse

Man this brings back good memories.

Father_Redbeard@lemmy.ml on 26 Jun 23:55 next collapse

Wai Wai World 2 on Famicom emulator. Don’t need to know any Japanese to play and it has great cartoony sprites.

Bubble Bobble (NES) is great two player, though you’re competing

Buster Bros (PsOne, and probably others) probably one of my top 5 co-op games of all time

Micro Mages (retro despite being released in 2019 because it plays on original NES hardware) probably top co-op of all time for me

There’s quite a bit more but have various degrees of violence so won’t recommend those (Contra, Heavy Barrel, Silk Worm, Jackal, Life Force, etc)

Hello_there@fedia.io on 27 Jun 00:08 next collapse

Sonic 2. Make him be tails. As is tradition.

pezhore@infosec.pub on 27 Jun 00:47 next collapse

Honestly? This is a great, low stakes way of letting him get the feel for the game without feeling like he’s not “helping”.

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 03:04 collapse

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.

BlackLaZoR@fedia.io on 27 Jun 00:27 next collapse

My Famiclone childhood:

Mario Bros (the first one, with POW block in the middle.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bros.

Battle City, known more by its pirated version name: Tank 1990
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_City

Atomicbunnies@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 27 Jun 01:07 next collapse

Super Dodge Ball!

owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca on 27 Jun 01:34 next collapse

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.

kewjo@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 01:47 next collapse

from a sega childhood my top:

  • toejam and earl
  • micro machines
  • world of illusion (mickey and donald)
  • California games
  • Bonanza Brothers (has guns but in game they are tranquilizers and enemies wake up)
pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 03:09 next collapse

These are great! All with little to no violence, too.

I will say (for OP), Micromachines needs more patience than some 5 year olds will have, since the controls and speed aren’t very forgiving until learned. So I might not start with Micromachines for a young gamer.

kewjo@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 17:10 collapse

fair point micromachines is finicky to play so it’s good for teaching patience lol. although the mechanic will only give points if one player falls to far behind and goes off screen. when i was a kid my brothers and i would just explore the maps and played it more as we have to stay close enough to not lose. as an adult the game just becomes chase your kid, probably best to not play it seriously

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 19:08 collapse

chase your kid,

Oh, that’s good advice for playing with a kid. I forgot that I used this approach with my kid brother, back when Micromachines was new.

so it’s good for teaching patience lol

That’s true, lol. I recall telling my brother how he’s building character.

calavera@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 07:36 next collapse

My kid loved to play toejam with me

BenLeMan@lemmy.world on 28 Jun 15:09 collapse

Oh man, Micro Machines was great.

londos@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 01:49 next collapse

World of Illusion (Genesis)

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 02:52 next collapse

“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.

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 02:54 next collapse

Super Baseball Simulator (SNES) is competitive, but can be really chill if the adult player throws easy pitches, and the super powers are hilarious.

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 02:57 next collapse

Dashin’ Desperados (Genesis/Mega Drive) is a racing platformer, where the adult can control the difficultly by slowing down or backtracking.

Edit: Cartoon violence - you can freeze each-other, light each-others shoes on fire, and stuff like that. And everyone recovers in cartoon timing, of course.

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 02:58 next collapse

Mega Bomberman (Megadrive) and Super Mega Bomberman (SNES) both have multiplayer mode where players can team up against bots, and the bots have adjustable difficulty (different bot skins have different AI).

Edit: Re violence - you blow each other and bot players up with bombs. Players that die disovle the way Pac-Man does.

brsrklf@jlai.lu on 27 Jun 08:07 collapse

I was going to recommend Bomberman. Super Bomberman 4 on SNES in particular is very fun, you can grab not only bombs but opponents too, and there are cool mounts with special powers. A bit chaotic in some arenas, but the classics are still there of you want them, and then when everyone gets better ot wants a quick laugh, you can go for the crazier ones.

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 03:00 next collapse

Ms. Pac-Man (Genesis) is fully co-op throughout, and has adjustable difficulty by choosing smaller maps.

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 03:12 next collapse

It’s single player, but too good to miss: “Richard Scary’s Busy Town” (Genesis) is a fantastic open ended set of mini-games that are fun and accessibible to almost all skill levels of gamer.

Trainguyrom@reddthat.com on 28 Jun 16:44 collapse

You can even play the sequel in your browser on archive.org!

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 03:17 next collapse

Fun-N-Games (Genesis/Megadrive) is mostly single player, but has many mini games accessibile to young gamers.

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 03:19 next collapse

Oh, and sorry for so many responses, but I figure that posting these separately will let the votes give you some idea where to start.

The votes I’ve seen so far very much reflect the order I would try these games out with a five year old gamer.

ceiron@europe.pub on 27 Jun 21:09 collapse

Thank you, some great recommendations!

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 28 Jun 12:57 collapse

Sure thing. Happy gaming!

Danitos@reddthat.com on 27 Jun 03:21 next collapse

Goof Troop, for SNES.

djidane535@sh.itjust.works on 27 Jun 04:47 next collapse

Magical Quest 2 & 3 are very good for that. They already know the characters, and the games are beautiful and pretty good gameplay-wise.

You play together and if the child loses all his/her lives, he/she can steal yours. For difficult sections or bosses, you can do it alone.

There are new costumes regularly so the child wants to continue to discover the next costume, and its associated powers.

Magical Quest 2 is easier than 3, so I think it’s better to start with this one. You can either play as Mickey or Minnie.

In Magical Quest 3, you can either play as Mickey or Donald. Donald is meant to be played by the child because his gameplay is a bit different (with his soldier costume which is wooden barrel, preventing him to sink while Mickey has a silver armor which kills him if he goes into water with it). It’s not that difficult to play as Mickey (my nephew did not want to play as Donald and we had no major issues).

SlartyBartFast@sh.itjust.works on 27 Jun 05:30 next collapse

Super Mario World, Battletoads

kokesh@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 07:27 next collapse

Gta 1.

HexagonSun@sh.itjust.works on 27 Jun 09:25 next collapse

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.

HexagonSun@sh.itjust.works on 27 Jun 10:23 collapse

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

the16bitgamer@programming.dev on 27 Jun 10:38 next collapse

Lots of other great suggestions. But I do think the consensus is multiplayer games with coop.

Konami beat ‘em ups like TMNT, The Simpson, Xmen would be great.

I’m also going to throw in Party games or kart racers, CTR and Mario Kart of Mario Party or Crash Bash would also be great

That said Pokémon might be a nice option too though not sure how you’d play that together.

Or edutainment like Gizmos and Gadgets or Jumpstart

rocky1138@sh.itjust.works on 27 Jun 13:42 next collapse

That’s easy. Daggerfall.

zod000@lemmy.ml on 27 Jun 18:25 collapse

I like the way you think.

jsomae@lemmy.ml on 27 Jun 17:14 next collapse

Kirby Super Star

specialseaweed@sh.itjust.works on 27 Jun 17:19 next collapse

Joust. Easily understood game for little ones, and you can discourage player killing.

pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip on 27 Jun 19:10 collapse

Ooh. Good one! Joust even gives nice bonus points for managing not to kill each-other.

BlushedPotatoPlayers@sopuli.xyz on 27 Jun 17:24 next collapse

A c64 emulator? Then basically anything, LOCO maybe?

whotookkarl@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 17:49 next collapse

A bunch of arcade games become much more friendly to kids with infinite continues, shmups, fighters, brawlers, etc but for those you’ll need to filter on violence. I’d probably also avoid anything RPG or story heavy.

My picks would be Bubble bobble, Kirby on SNES, ice hockey on NES, Mario 1-3, super Mario kart, Tetris, monkey ball, Dr Mario. For Sega Sonic 1-3 & knuckles, ecco, robotnik’s mean bean machine, Alex kidd, outrun

zod000@lemmy.ml on 27 Jun 18:25 next collapse

It doesn’t count as non-violent, but every kid I have played it with has thoroughly enjoyed the TMNT arcade game (as well as the Simpsons game that plays similarly. If you play with them you can essentially carry them through the game and they are just along for the ride, but feel like they are part of the team.

directive0@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 22:27 next collapse

The NES sesame Street games are pretty good.

My youngest loved sesame Street countdown. it was really forgiving and taught her basic platformer mechanics.

Leather@lemmy.world on 27 Jun 22:41 next collapse

Pong

Bravo@eviltoast.org on 27 Jun 23:08 next collapse

SNES:

  • Harvest Moon - this can lead into allowing the kid to plant something IRL and having them water it regularly, allowing them to “be a real farmer”. Incidentally this is also a great way to get a child to eat vegetables, as a child who refuses to even consider eating a vegetable will change their mind when they grew it themselves

  • Super Mario Kart

Mega Drive:

  • Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine - simple puzzle game with humorous characters from the old cartoon
GenosseFlosse@feddit.org on 27 Jun 23:40 next collapse

Lemmings for Amiga had a 2player split screen mode. Goal is to guide the most lemmings (yours and the other players) into your exit.

sprite0@sh.itjust.works on 28 Jun 00:35 next collapse

R.C. Pro Am

RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world on 28 Jun 08:32 next collapse

Troddlers - SNES

The music in Troddlers slaps.

Its a puzzle platformer game similar to Lemmings. Little dudes walk in a straight line and you play as a wizard that can place blocks. You have to get the little dudes to the exit.

The only violence is when the little guys or the other player gets smooshed by a block I think, its been a long time since I played the game.

the_wiz@feddit.org on 28 Jun 09:04 next collapse

Pacman! I am not entirely sure, but I think it was an Atari 2600 where I really enjoyed this on at a similar age

LunarLoony@lemmy.sdf.org on 28 Jun 14:55 collapse

The 2600 version is considered extremely bad. (It’s not that bad but it’s also not arcade-accurate)

There’s a SNES version of Ms. Pac-Man which is extremely good, though.

the_wiz@feddit.org on 28 Jun 15:26 collapse

I have not played it since the beginning oft the 90s, so… perhaps it was Mord enjoyable if you had no alternatives 😉

LunarLoony@lemmy.sdf.org on 28 Jun 16:49 collapse

This is true! If you don’t have a frame of reference for what is “good” (or what everyone else considers “good”) then who the heck cares, play what you want

LunarLoony@lemmy.sdf.org on 28 Jun 15:01 next collapse

Lode Runner (NES) might be okay. Not multiplayer, but it’s got nice low-stakes puzzling gameplay.

Edutainment games are a bit few and far between on consoles - Donkey Kong Jr. Math springs to mind, but it’s remarkably dry for a Nintendo game.

a_wild_mimic_appears@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 28 Jun 17:26 next collapse

Alley Cat Remeow Edition is a fan remake of Alley Cat, an arcade game, with up to 4 players, but it’s PC (should still run on that hardware, i hope!)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIm6oRhyDrM

funkyfarmington@lemmy.world on 28 Jun 17:28 next collapse

Snake Rattle and roll! For the NES.

arararagi@ani.social on 28 Jun 17:34 next collapse

Goofy Troop

Dearth@lemmy.world on 28 Jun 18:58 next collapse

Sonic 2! Let the 5yo be tails! He’ll never die. He can collect rings and kill enemies. It’s the best 2 player platformer ever created

ICastFist@programming.dev on 28 Jun 19:13 next collapse

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!!
catty@lemmy.world on 30 Jun 14:23 collapse

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