Kirb and Yosh are good, easy, co-op games. Stardew Valley is also another and also has co-op, but you may just lose her to Stardew.
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My GF just finished the Pokémon games on Switch, what should I buy her next?
- Thread starter Kingsora
- Start date
I recommend future grind for fun with low investment. If you want something more story based I'd go with A Night in the Woods. The Link's Awakening is also very solid and lighthearted.
These are all solid options, but I'd say Hollow Knight above all of these tbh.
1. Animal Crossing New Horizons - Not out for another months but this is the obvious pick. Just a chill, relaxing game that you play at your own place and is also adorable and I shouldn't really generalize but the series tends to be very popular among female causal gamers. It's why a franchise that has sold over 10 million copies in 2 different entries doesn't seem that popular on here.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - If you feel BOTW is a bit too tough, why not go with classic 2D Zelda that we were all able to beat before the age of 10?
3. Dragon Quest XI S - See a lot of people suggesting this and for good reason. Also a turn based RPG like Pokemon with a charming art style and great monster designs. Also it is legit brain dead easy on default difficulty settings, so she can likely beat it with no issue. It has a huge demo that took me 12 hours to finish, so really download that right now and give it a whirl.
I'd love to suggest some really cool 2D platformers like Rayman Legends and Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze but thinking on it they can get quite hard in certain areas. Unfortunate cause they're cool single or multiplayer games with great aesthetics and music
2. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - If you feel BOTW is a bit too tough, why not go with classic 2D Zelda that we were all able to beat before the age of 10?
3. Dragon Quest XI S - See a lot of people suggesting this and for good reason. Also a turn based RPG like Pokemon with a charming art style and great monster designs. Also it is legit brain dead easy on default difficulty settings, so she can likely beat it with no issue. It has a huge demo that took me 12 hours to finish, so really download that right now and give it a whirl.
I'd love to suggest some really cool 2D platformers like Rayman Legends and Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze but thinking on it they can get quite hard in certain areas. Unfortunate cause they're cool single or multiplayer games with great aesthetics and music
OP
OP
Yes I can let her try out that demo maybe. Does progression carry over to the main game?
The thing I also often think that maybe she won't like with a big open world game like Botw, is that there isn't a clear path. The world is your playground can be quite overwhelming. In Pokémon it's always clear what she has to do next and the game often takes her by the hand.
Yes DQ XI demo carries over to main game.
I forgot about Octopath Traveler. That's a fun turn based RPG with a demo as well, but it's much shorter
Get her Super Mario Odyssey so you can show her how far gaming has come since Super Mario World.
No one's recommended it yet so: Steamworld Dig 2 is really good. I enjoyed the heck out of that game. Metroidvania not super tough, lots to explore at your own pace. Great progression. Lovely artstyle.
If she likes the Pokemon IP that much, then it's worth keeping in mind that Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is coming out March 6th. It's not traditional Pokemon gameplay, but it looks SUPER cute and the demo felt easier than other titles I've played in the (sub) series at least. Oh yeah, and like I just said, it has a demo.
I don't know what a lot of people are thinking here with their recommendations if you don't think she can even handle Breath of the Wild. Mind you, I'm not sure whether you're correct in assuming she can't handle a nonlinear game or not since I don't know her. And not wanting to pick a nonlinear game really limits your options hard, because games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing are (mostly) nonlinear but also really, really gentle on players. And all three games have large amounts of women in their playerbases.
For my part as a girl I've fallen head over heels for the Splatoon IP, but it's probably harder than I give it credit for. I have the reward for beating the notoriously hard DLC bonus boss and the top player tier on the PvE mode, so like. . .maybe I'm out of line for saying as long as she avoids Ranked mode she's probably fine LOL
I don't know what a lot of people are thinking here with their recommendations if you don't think she can even handle Breath of the Wild. Mind you, I'm not sure whether you're correct in assuming she can't handle a nonlinear game or not since I don't know her. And not wanting to pick a nonlinear game really limits your options hard, because games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing are (mostly) nonlinear but also really, really gentle on players. And all three games have large amounts of women in their playerbases.
For my part as a girl I've fallen head over heels for the Splatoon IP, but it's probably harder than I give it credit for. I have the reward for beating the notoriously hard DLC bonus boss and the top player tier on the PvE mode, so like. . .maybe I'm out of line for saying as long as she avoids Ranked mode she's probably fine LOL
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All those games of fixed camera, which is great for new gamers. But she can practise on wild area of Pokémon Sword.
I recommended you to play Luigi's with here, it is an awesome coop game.
An engagement ring.
Also, this is a bit off the path, but something you could couch co-op might be cool, like Diablo 3 for switch.
Also, this is a bit off the path, but something you could couch co-op might be cool, like Diablo 3 for switch.
My sister pretty much played Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, Zoo Tycoon, etc . . .
The most intensive game she probably ever played was Mount and Blade on PC.
She got through Breath of the Wild no issues and absolutely loved the game. You have the freedom to do whatever you want and if it seems like it may be too hard she can always cook dishes to make it easier.
Other great suggestions that I would echo are Dragon Quest Builders, Ni No Kuni, or Animal Crossing (not out for two months). If she liked the battle system in Pokemon there's also Octopath and Dragon Quest XI, though both are more difficult and less casual. Luigi's Mansion 3 is also an absolute gem. Golf Story is a pretty easygoing game that brings along some RPG elements.
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Collection might be right up the alley- more Pokémon-like gameplay- collecting/battling/raising monsters, but with a stronger and a little more mature and modern story behind it.
Another point on BOTW: like you said, there isn't a clear path, but the game does an amazing job of putting interesting things in the overworld that make you want to explore. That's what makes the game so brilliant. There were things my family and my fiance had found that I still hadn't seen over thirty hours in, and vice versa.
That being said, unless she has experience with the 3rd person player controller camera I would try to stick with something a little more fixed.
That being said, unless she has experience with the 3rd person player controller camera I would try to stick with something a little more fixed.
A Hat in Time is what you are looking for.
Adventurous, very newbie friendly in the beginning, colorful as heck and VERY charming and funny! The pictures make it look like a cute kiddy game but the humor is cheeky and every stage has a unique twist to it. There's cool stuff to achieve and collect but NOT in a collectathon kind of way!
Adventurous, very newbie friendly in the beginning, colorful as heck and VERY charming and funny! The pictures make it look like a cute kiddy game but the humor is cheeky and every stage has a unique twist to it. There's cool stuff to achieve and collect but NOT in a collectathon kind of way!
Oh man.
I bounced off Mario Odyssey pretty hard when I got it and I am a "gamer," LOL. Maybe I'll wipe the dust off it someday.
Also finished all the shrines, LOL. I think twice even, my initial save got wiped because I sent in my Switch for repairs and then I dug it out a year later to try Champion's Ballad.
Oh man, I grew up on Zoo Tycoon. Was never good at it as a kid, LOL.
But yeah, Breath of the Wild reloads your saves so quick that dying feels less like a punishment at times and more like a slap on the wrist. Even when I got stuck on shrine puzzles, sometimes I MacGyvered out an unintended solution just using the game's systems-based stuff.
Then there's the "each shrine has it's partner's solution" puzzle, but like, there's guides for that LOL
Mine started with Splatoon, she now enjoys Stardew Valley, Luigi's Mansion 2 & 3, Links Awakening, Overcooked, Picross 1,2&3, CatTails, CatQuest, Animal Crossing, Yonder, Captain Toad, and Yoshi games.
Yeah, plus there's food you can use and if something is truely too difficult to progress with at the time, you can just mark it on your map and go somewhere else. Obviously still not for everyone, but it appeals to casual gamers more than one would think.
There's also the fact that the game isn't. . .as directionless as it seems like OP is worried it is.
Yeah it does let you goof around everywhere if you want, but the game first points out the shrines on the Great Plateau, then Kakariko Village to get you introduced to the plot, then points out Hateno Village to get your Sheikah Slate fixed and the four other plot-related villages to get started on the Divine Beast questlines. The game doesn't forcibly grab your hand and drag you around, but it does point out exactly where you need to go to get to the biggest stuff.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Turn-based, tactical combat, "evolving" your units, single-player, clear progression forward through missions, light exploration elements, only light use of right stick camera controls.
Turn-based, tactical combat, "evolving" your units, single-player, clear progression forward through missions, light exploration elements, only light use of right stick camera controls.
I'd say DQXI for similarities in gameplay cute monsters and very casual friendly difficulty ... unless she'd be put off by objectification of women in which case, yeah BOTW all the way.
My wife is not really a gamer, not even out of nostalgia because she never was, but she finished BotW. And Skyrim las gen.
Outside of those I would say Links Awakening if she prefers cuter stuff, Fire Emblem if she may be into dating games, or wait for Animal crossing.
Outside of those I would say Links Awakening if she prefers cuter stuff, Fire Emblem if she may be into dating games, or wait for Animal crossing.
Uh, well, that's one suggestion I wasn't expecting to see as a follow up recommendation for someone who liked Pokémon.
Stardew valley or animal crossing in a couple of months might be good shots, if botw is really out as has been suggested.
Edit: or Ni no kuni might be a good choice if another monster battling and collection type RPG is what she's after?
If she likes the gameplay of a Pokémon game, she might like Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, because it's also a turn-based RPG and it has an easy difficulty option.
My girlfriend was always a huge Pokémon fan and I decided to buy her a Nintendo Switch for Christmas and got her Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Let's Go. Not too surprisingly I scored some great points that evening :). She just finished both and she really liked playing on the Switch. She really liked it that she could switch from handheld mode to docked mode. And for me it was nice that she could sit next to me playing while I could still use the tv.
But the question now is what next? She is absolutely not a hardcore gamer and the games she often plays is out of nostalgia. The only games she played on my PS4 for example is Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. She also mentioned she 'never really liked Mario'. I think the best game for her would be an 'adventurous' singleplayer-game with a sense of completion like Pokémon where she can also relax and explore the world on her own pace. If it was for PS4 of Xbox One I could name a ton of options, but I don't really have a great idea for Switch at the moment.
Keep in mind, she is a casual player. Zelda would be a logical suggestion, but I have played Breath of the Wild and the bosses and puzzles are going to be difficult for her and I already know that I can play half the game then because she can't finish it without help. So, any other decent suggestions Resetera? What do your casual gamer girlfriends play on Switch?
OP
OP
I already got her one about a year ago, she finished all the Pokémon games already
The thing is that I want her to play on Switch, so that I can use the tv :p
I also got her ring fit, I didn't score a much points as I hoped for =)
Got a review code of that one in my mailbox today by coincidence. I can propose it to her, but I already know now that the art direction is going to put her off.
Maybe you should try Little Town Hero? It's also from Game Freak.
