The Rogueies: Best Co-op Game nominees

Playing video games with friends is almost as old as video games themselves and sharing games is one of our favorite things — we made a whole website about it. We wanted a category that would cover everything from team shooters to co-op chaos games.

Absolum

Absolum features this absolutely gorgeous world and sets up some fascinating characters to populate it. Each hero has their own personality and move set. But each one feels so great that it’s a shame to share in the adventure alone.

Absolum is one of those games that just oozes personality from the moment you see a screenshot, and it lives up to that for the entire time you’re playing it. But it’s so lonely alone – the way I’ve spent most of my time playing. And lonely isn’t always bad. But with Absolum, you’re able to jump in with a friend and elevate an already incredible experience through cooperation.

There is an old-school element to Absolum, and it obviously harkens back to classic beat-em-ups. But when I think back to Turtles In Time and The Simpsons Arcade Game, the first thing I think about are the friends I played them with, even before my mind wonders about the specific moves and attacks. Absolum wouldn’t be complete without its co-op option.

— RG

FBC Firebreak

I came to FBC Firebreak as an outsider. Much to my chagrin (and my coworkers’ frustration), I still haven’t played any Alan Wake or Control. And that made me worried about playing a team-shooter spinoff of the IP.

FBC Firebreak was a big change in style for Remedy. Instead of a moody, narrative-heavy game, it was a fast-paced squad shooter. And the remarkable thing about Firebreak is just how well it works — even for someone unfamiliar with the larger universe.

The only real shortcoming of Firebreak is just how little fanfare it got and how little staying power it seems to have. The missions are engaging, the squad synergies and tactics are satisfying in a way that I think falls (very) short in a lot of team-based games, and it is just a ton of fun to play with friends.

— JP

Fellowship

Fellowship does something really impressive, which is boiling down the best part of a game like World of Warcraft into a far more digestible experience.

I’ve spent the past few years telling myself that I would one day jump back into Mythic+ dungeons and the WoW endgame. There is a lot that goes into playing a game like WoW. And it’s hard to juggle work, my life, games I play with friends like Destiny, and another hobby game like WoW. But I really miss running those Mythic+ dungeons from the Legion days.

What makes Fellowship so, so good is how well they replicate that experience and how successfully they toss out the other stuff. I love WoW, but the social aspect, the gearing, and all the other stuff required me to get to the real juice I want to squeeze is so much work. Fellowship's ability to serve that gameplay up to me in 15 minutes and for it to scratch that itch is reason enough for it to be on this list.

— RG

Jump Space

Jump Space puts four players on a ship and launches them onto a hostile adventure, where battles await both aboard the ship and during planetside expeditions. Yes, you can technically play this game alone, but it’s definitely built for co-op play. Space adventure games can often be stuffed with so much to do that it becomes overwhelming – it can take the better part of a session simply to launch a ship in Star Citizen, and No Man’s Sky makes room for tranquil moments like fishing or watching a stormy night.

Jump Space, on the other hand, focuses on providing an adventure. Battles can break out, either in space or planetside. It’s smooth and transitionless to switch between the two, which feels great and dynamic. Movement and combat feel great, and the core loops of the game feel well considered. There are enough random events and unexpected hurdles that make each session feel different: radiation leaks, a robot ambush, a fire ripping through the ship, a space walk gone catastrophically wrong.

Jump Space is still in early access, and I haven’t engaged with pursuing any of the “end game” progression – but as a vehicle to go on a space adventure with friends, this game is so far unmatched in dynamic and satisfying action. –CM

Peak

You’ve most likely seen some footage from Peak this year. The game stars a band of unlucky scouts who crash on some distant shore. In order to escape the island, which is full of poison, lava, quicksand, angry scorpions, bees, and zombies, the scouts must make their way to the top of an intimidating mountain. Once they do that, the fog clears to reveal an even bigger, scarier mountain. It’s great comedic timing.

Peak is a funny game to start, but once you add in proximity chat, things get chaotic quick. When I’m climbing solo, I’m having a fairly relaxed time. With friends, I have to keep an eye on the other scouts, and it’s real easy to get lost. Someone can topple down into a crevasse, perish from heatstroke, or die so stuffed full of spores they reanimate as a zombie. Teamwork is both the best tool and worst threat in Peak, and it’s delightful to see a prepared group fall apart in a hostile biome.

We’ve already seen a couple of big upgrades for Peak so far, intrdocuing the Mesa and Roots biome. This is the kind of game I can see marching on for years. The core concept and gameplay are so strong, and the amount of hilarious obstacles a developer could add seems infinite. Peak offers the perfect balance between achieving new heights via skill and dying alone in a gully due to bad luck, and both extremes are a lot of fun.

— CM