Some co-op gamers prefer laid-back gameplay. They enjoy chilled zen-like games that won’t raise blood pressure or require fast reaction times. This article is not aimed at relaxed gamers like that.
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This list of games is for co-op players who enjoy a real challenge, who need to be tested and perplexed, and who are prepared to face failure or frustration in order to get their gaming fix. The following titles are all excellent games in their own right, but they also have the potential to cause stress in different ways. There is a great reward to be had, but only for the determined.
8BattleBlock Theater
This is a co-op masterpiece.The entire game is simply brimming with wackiness and inane humor that also extends to the gameplay. The stress in this game comes in two forms. Firstly, the environments get very challenging toward the end of the game, and tight timing means players will need to cooperate very efficiently in order to succeed. Expect to restart levels many times.
Secondly, the game seems to breed an exceedingly compelling urge to constantly betray one’s teammate. Although there is no benefit to doing so, it is just endlessly hilarious to fling them to their death, punch them, throw grenades at them, or move the boat just when they are jumping into it. This mischief is the undoing of many teams and can cause vexation amid the hilarity.
7Death Squared
This little 3Dpuzzle game tasks playerswith sending all colored cubes to the correct ending locations. In single player it is relaxing, for the most part, aside from the slightly unreliable camera view causing some untimely deaths. The problem comes with three or four-player multiplayer.
Since careful patience, planning, and precision is required, it only takes one player who is a bit impatient or adventurous and the entire level can be foiled quite easily. Plus it is once again just delightful fun to push teammates off the edge, which will cause many, many level restarts and blood pressure will start to rise.
6Elden Ring
One of the highest-rated games of 2022,Elden Ringhas rapidly gained a reputation for being relentlessly challenging. Its captivating game world can be played in full co-op mode using theSeamless Co-Op Modwith other gamers for an even more enjoyable experience.
The problem is when hardcore gamers end up playing with people who are not quite up to the task. Since the game difficulty is multiplied by the number of people playing, it takes only one person messing around to cause severe angst to the rest. So choose potential teammates carefully.
5Overcooked 2
They saytoo many cooksspoil the broth. The kitchen can definitely be a high-stress environment. This game takes that idea and shakes in plenty of extra ingredients to ramp up the vexation. This idea is to cook all the dishes required but within quite a tight timeframe. Add in some clueless co-op buddies and the stage is set for culinary disaster.
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The kitchens themselves are fickle environments, as many keep changing layouts and shapes. Teammates constantly get in the way, burn the stew, chop the wrong ingredients, or forget to wash the dishes, or just generally panic and run around like a headless chicken achieving very little. There are many comical consequences, but it takes a certain mindset to withstand this kind of pressure for those who take the game seriously.
4Killing Floor 2
The tension in this game comes primarily from being constrained within a limited environment but being overrun by increasing numbers ofsurprisingly deadly zombies.As well as the large number of regular zombies that are thrown at the players, there are also quite a few very strong bad-ass zombies that wish to eat all humans.
Difficulty and zombie numbers scale with every extra player that joins the game. When everybody plays together as a team the situation is manageable, but when a few players toddle off to play Rambo or just run away in fright, the state of affairs gets exponentially worse for the players trying to survive. Being overrun through the fault of others is the cause of much annoyance to gamers.
3Bloody Trapland 2: Curiosity
The name pretty much sums up the game experience. The levels are absolutely laden with spikes, traps, enemies, water, and a million other ways to die. Eventeammates can kill each otherjust by landing on the head of their mate.
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While the joy of being annihilated alongside co-op buddies numerous times can be a great laugh to start with, anybody who gets serious about wanting to complete the game is going to suffer a lot. The game is merciless and punishing, so only the most tolerant and determined of players should take on this challenge.
2Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime
This game is cute, endearing, enjoyable, and fun. But within the misleadingly childish exterior lies a game of iron. Co-op players are tasked with working together to manage the variousoperations on their spaceship, such as thrusters, shields, plasma cannons, etc.
The problem is that the game throws players into increasingly tense and enemy-laden environments, yet they never have quite enough members on the team to man all the needed stations at one time. There will always be a few directional guns that need to be activated at the expense of another ship part. Enemy encounters frequently turn into stressful shambles as teammates run around screaming at each other for help. Not for the faint of heart, yet so much fun.
1Unrailed
While the concept ofUnrailedis not new, it builds on the idea magnificently. An unstoppable force starts moving and the only way to control it is to build a pathway ahead. In this case, clearing the land and laying train tracks for a locomotive. An extremely compelling style of game.
However, randomized environments are constantly causing exceedingly stressful moments. The terrain turns into water, forest, snow, or something else. Co-op players work frantically to clear the path of trees and obstacles, while also creating tracks, laying tracks, building bridges, clearing snow, putting out fires, and stopping thieves from stealing their stuff. Tensions can run very high indeed as players struggle to keep composure during this ultimate test of keeping a cool head in a high-stress environment.
