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.

  • catty@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    6 days ago

    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
  • Blue@lemmy.worldEnglish
    39·
    9 days ago

    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.worldEnglish
      13·
      9 days ago

      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.worldEnglish
      7·
      9 days ago

      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.
    • Minnels@lemmy.zipEnglish
      4·
      9 days ago

      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.worldEnglish
      3·
      9 days ago

      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.

    • jjjalljs@ttrpg.networkEnglish
      2·
      9 days ago

      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.

    • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      9 days ago

      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.caEnglish
      2·
      9 days ago

      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.

  • BigTrout75@lemmy.worldEnglish
    26·
    9 days ago

    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.

    • pezhore@infosec.pubEnglish
      9·
      9 days ago

      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.zipEnglish
      4·
      9 days ago

      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.

  • Zarxrax@lemmy.worldEnglish
    23·
    9 days ago

    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.worldEnglish
      9·
      9 days ago

      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.

  • owenfromcanada@lemmy.caEnglish
    13·
    9 days ago

    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.

  • Drusas@fedia.io
    9·
    9 days ago

    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.

    • pinball_wizard@lemmy.zipEnglish
      3·
      9 days ago

      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 Cast Fist@programming.devEnglish
        2·
        8 days ago

        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

  • kewjo@lemmy.worldEnglish
    91·
    9 days ago

    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.zipEnglish
      3·
      9 days ago

      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.worldEnglish
        2·
        8 days ago

        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.zipEnglish
          2·
          9 days ago

          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.

  • pinball_wizard@lemmy.zipEnglish
    8·
    9 days ago

    “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.

  • HexagonSun@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    8·
    9 days ago

    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.worksEnglish
      5·
      9 days ago

      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