It's the end of January, and that means February has almost arrived. Valentine's Day is looming, a holiday that is hard to ignore whether someone chooses to celebrate it or not. It permeates stores in the form of cards and candy, and loved-up couples crowd the sidewalks and dominate restaurants as the universal date night rears its head. An alternative to braving the streets during Valentine's Day could be turning to video games for some couple-related fun, and players need to look no further than the wide range of excellent co-op experiences like It Takes Two and other recent releases.
Gamers might be in the self-proclaimed single category, and as a distraction from all the romance in the air, they might also be looking for a game to play with a friend. Whether it's playing together online or in the same room, there are plenty of different cooperative experiences that players can whittle away the hours with, from puzzle-focused titles like Escape Academy to food-based sims like Overcooked.
It Takes Two
A game that navigates the collapse of a relationship may not seem like the most obvious choice for a Valentine's Day playthrough, but Hazelight Studios' action adventure platformer It Takes Two is perfect for a date night. The award-winning title was first released in 2021 and follows Cody and May, a married couple on the brink of divorce. Trapped inside the bodies of their daughter's homemade dolls, Cody and May must work together through their issues with an anthropomorphized therapy book as they explore their home and their relationship from a new perspective. The co-op gameplay is fun and super collaborative, the story is wholesome and emotionally resonant, and the whole experience is undeniably magical.
Overcooked: All You Can Eat
It Takes Two's subject matter might be a little too serious for some couples, so Ghost Town Games' cooking simulator could be a great alternative. The chaotic co-op series sees players overseeing a number of cooks as they attempt to prepare food orders, all the while battling against a time limit, various obstacles, and sometimes even each other (however unintentionally). The original Overcooked has been remastered and included in a bundle with its sequel in the more recently released Overcooked: All You Can Eat, which brings all the mayhem and madness of the games together. With up to four players able to don their chef hats, Overcooked could be the ultimate double-date game as well.
We Were Here Series
Not all couples will be lucky enough to be in the same place this Valentine's Day, but thankfully there are lots of games that can help make this distance feel smaller. Total Mayhem Games' indie series We Were Here has a simple but unique premise where for the majority of the games players are separated and must work together solely through the use of walkie-talkies. Exploring the empty environments and collaborating to solve puzzles while trying to find each other makes each We Were Here playthrough feel poignant as well as challenging, and with four standalone games to experience, there is a lot to keep players occupied.
Spiritfarer
Another charming and original indie title is Thunder Lotus Games' Spiritfarer. Again, some players might think this is an odd choice for a romantic evening in with a partner, but even though Spiritfarer is a management sim centered around ferrying souls to the afterlife, it's also a soothing and stylish title about the beauty of existence. Gamers can either play solo as Stella, the new ferrymaster who is in charge of transporting the deceased to the Everdoor, or play two-player as Stella and her pet cat Daffodil. Instead of the stress of games like Overcooked or the platforming prowess required for It Takes Two, Spiritfarer is a title with a much slower pace. Its mesmerizing animations and whimsical soundtrack will make for a transformative Valentine's Day for even the most skeptical couples.
Portal 2
When it comes to co-op, Portal 2 is an undeniable classic. Following on from the massive success of the first Portal, Valve's Portal 2 takes all the puzzle-solving and teleportation goodness of its predecessor but adds a cooperative mode where players can take control of robots Atlas and P-Body. The complex environments and mind-bending puzzles may put relationships to the test, but the triumph of finally solving a conundrum together is bound to make any Valentine's Day a special one. Portal 2 was massively popular upon its release, and even years later it's not hard to see why. It's a must-play for any couple that likes to work through a puzzle together, and its non-intrusive story lets them truly focus on enjoying the task at hand.
The Quarry
Supermassive Games' previous narrative adventure titles may technically be single-player, but plenty of gamers have turned them into a group experience. Whether it's passing the controller on when a character dies or voting for story decisions along the way, titles like Until Dawn are sometimes best played with a partner or with friends. The recent The Quarry adopted this into its gameplay, with players able to assign characters to themselves and swap whenever one inevitably reaches a sticky end. The interactive horror drama plays out like a slasher film, and that enjoyable feeling of collective dread in the audience is captured to perfection in The Quarry.
Escape Academy
Another puzzle game for players to dive into, Coin Crew Games' Escape Academy channels the explosive popularity of escape rooms and positions them in a virtual setting. Gamers control students training to become the best Escapist out there as they work together to solve mysteries, search for clues, and tackle puzzles. Rooms within the Escape Academy each have a different school subject theme, so there's lots of variety when it comes to the types of puzzles gamers will be facing. With the choice to team up locally or take the challenge online, players can hone their skills in Escape Academy from the same couch or all across the world as they connect this February 14.
Unravel Two
Another sequel like Portal 2 that added a two-player mode, Unravel Two encompasses all the joyful cuteness of the first game with added gameplay options. Solving the environmental puzzles and exploring the gorgeous world as a diminutive Yarny is twice as fun in Unravel Two with the option of bringing a partner along in local co-op, and the sequel really levels up the challenges of the first Unravel as well. The incredibly tactile animation is astounding, but the game's true magic lies in its ability to bring people together as they navigate the dangerous world and learn to support each other through pleasing problem-solving.