Gaming Opinions
Date Night Puzzle Games
Here are a few games to consider the next time you decide to stay home for the evening.
Puzzle games are generally not at the forefront of consideration for date night activities. Commonly a single-player endeavor, puzzle games are crafted to tax one’s mental prowess, but, that shouldn’t stop anyone from loading a puzzle game for their next stay-at-home date night.
Casual co-op games are becoming more popular with developers and there are plenty of puzzle games that can be enjoyed by couples even if the game was developed with a single player in mind.
A Single-Player Experience for Two
Roundout by POWGI
For couples that enjoy word games, Roundout could be an evening of fun. Roundout is a word wheel game mixed with a crossword puzzle. Given the letters in the word wheel, players create words containing only those letters and arrange them in the crossword puzzle.
Since each word has its place in the crossword, the challenge is finding the proper spot once the word is created. Word wheel games are fairly common in the mobile market; even this combination with a crossword puzzle isn’t a unique experience. However, it is difficult for two people to crowd around a phone to play.
Now that experience can be enjoyed on the Nintendo Switch. Couples can solve the puzzles together, taking turns forming words and discussing the proper placement of the words in the puzzle.
The casual pace and calm gameplay allow for lots of cuddle time on the couch.
The Glass Masquerade Series
Glass Masquerade provides an opportunity to view museum-quality art from the comfort of a couch. The goal of Glass Masquerade is to create beautiful stained glass clocks masked as jigsaw puzzles.
The puzzle pieces in Glass Masquerade do not look like normal jigsaw pieces. They are shaped like individual pieces of glass that compose a complete stained-glass picture.
This is a favorite date night activity with my wife after a long day at work. It’s very easy to play: one person uses the controller to pick the pieces and placing them in the puzzle, but both people can discuss the options and arrangements to solve the puzzle.
Overall, the gameplay is very relaxing and the payoff, beautiful stained glass artwork, is excellent.
Picross for Two
Picross, or picture crosswords, are a great activity for number crunching couples. Picross puzzles require a considerable amount of deductive logic as players use clues to determine which squares of a grid are filled so that an image is displayed.
Picross puzzles can be rather challenging, especially with large grids, but with the power of two minds working together to solve the puzzle, it becomes a little easier.
My wife and I take turns discussing which boxes to mark in a row or column given the clues that we have. Even working with another person, it is extremely satisfying to see the picture that was created.
Casual Co-op Games
Boxboy + Boxgirl
Cuddling on the couch is nice, but some nights, both parties want to take a more active role in solving puzzles.
Boxboy + Boxgirl is a great puzzle platformer that includes a Tale for Two-mode, where both players must coordinate their actions to collect crowns and traverse the level with both Qbby (Boxboy) and Qucy (Boxgirl).
The gameplay doesn’t focus on action as each level is staged as a series of obstacles. Communication is required for both players to overcome these obstacles with their limited resources in their quest to reach the goal.
Boxboy + Boxgirl gives both players a chance to control the action while flexing their minds together and solving puzzles.
Snipperclips
For couples that like laughter and puzzles, Snipperclips is a great option for a date night.
Each level forces players to cut the other character into funny shapes to complete tasks like putting a bowling ball into a basketball hoop or helping a robot frog hop into a pool of water.
Snipperclips appeals to a wide range of people because of its creative solutions and humorous action. Even when a puzzle requires a restart, the frustration is limited because of the whimsical nature of the puzzle.
At the end of the night, Snipperclips should put a smile on everyone’s face.
Pode
Relationships often need teamwork to succeed and Pode provides a playground to hone those skills.
Described as a puzzle exploration game, Pode focuses on the friendship of a rock (Bulder) and a fallen star (Glo) as they search through ancient ruins for a way to help Glo return home.
The overall vibe of Pode is peaceful and relaxing, never encouraging players to rush though the game. The charming musical score adds to the ambiance for players who just want to chill on the couch.
It’s a great way at the start of the date to let the worries of the day fade away.
