Summary
When you head intoa great co-op game, you typically know what to expect. Each player controls a separate character. They might be clones of the same character or two separate people. Either way, you are controlling them independently, but you may need to work together at some points, which is where the co-op aspect comes in.
However, there are rare single-character co-op games where all the players control the same character at the same time. This significantly increases the need for cooperation, as if you aren’t working together, you aren’t going to be able to progress much. This form of co-op play isn’t often seen, but it is featured in the following games.
Octodad is an unusual game about an octopus that is masquerading as a typical human father. Nobody seems to realize he doesn’t look or move like a human, even his own family.
As the protagonist, you spend each level trying to complete various tasks, which means fighting against the game’s intentionally wobbly physics to move around and grab things. In co-op, you each control different tentacles and must work together to do the tasks you’re set. Naturally, this makes things even more chaotic.
7Struggling
You and a friend control a very unsettling-looking creature in Struggling. It has two arms that are attached to a deformed head.
The game is a physics-based platformer where each player controls one of those arms and must work together to crawl and swing their way through various levels set in strange places. Along with the ability to grab things, you unlock a range of powers that can help you get past various obstacles as you’re platforming.
6Regular Human Basketball
There are plenty ofgreat basketball gamesout there, but few are as original as Regular Human Basketball. Its title humorously makes out that this is just a typical basketball game where humans compete against each other on the court.
In reality, though, it’s a party game that features large robots, made to look like humans, that you need to control. You do so by jumping into the bots and running between the controls to get your bot to move, pick up the ball, and attempt to score. If you play with several people, you can have multiple players in each robot, meaning you have to control them together.
In Manual Samuel, you play as a spoiled rich kid who dies and has to make a deal with Death. That deal is that he can carry on living if he survives 24 hours doing everything manually.
For you, this means you have to control everything Sam does, from walking to blinking to breathing. So, it’s the most control you’ve ever had over a character in any game. However, controlling a person is difficult, so you can have a friend join you and control them together. This way, you’re not in charge of everything. Yet, controlling Samuel is still difficult, and you really need to be on the same page as your buddy.
All dogs are adorable, but the protagonist from Phogs is even cuter than the typical canine because it has two cute faces that are attached to a long body. You could argue that it is actually two dogs instead of one, but it certainly feels like one while you’re playing.
This is because you and a co-op partner need to work together to maneuver the body around. You control a face each, though, and together, you have to complete all sorts of different puzzles that require cooperation.
3TwinCop
The world has been treated to all sorts ofcooperative top-down shooters, but TwinCop is different from the others. Both you and your friend control one arm of the protagonist. Thankfully, he’s equipped with two guns, so you both get to shoot all the foes you come across. This alone isn’t too tricky. However, you also both control the movement of the character. This is where things start to get a little wacky, as it’s not easy to coordinate your movements.
Much of the game features you walking around and shooting foes. Yet, there are also various minigames that have you disarming bombs and participating in car chases. Once again, you will need strong teamwork to accomplish these tasks.
Since Heroes of the Storm is a MOBA, it isn’t the sort of game you expect to see two players controlling the same character. After all, it’s not a concept that is common in PvP multiplayer games. And it isn’t a main mechanic in Heroes of the Storm, either.
Yet, there is one character that allows this unique form of gameplay, and that’s Cho’Gall. This is a creature that has two heads. One is named Cho, while the other is Gall. Each of them can be controlled, and they each have distinct abilities. So, they both can deal some damage. However, Cho is in control of the movement, meaning Gall is forced to go where Cho goes.
Surgeries aren’t done by a single surgeon; it takes a full team for an operation to go smoothly. In real life, though, each of the people on that team is controlling their own bodies. In Surgeon Simulator, each player controls a single hand.
Also, maneuvering a hand isn’t easy in this game anyway, as you control the fingers individually, which makes it intentionally awkward to grab things. The game is about overcoming this to complete surgery on your patient and avoid killing them in the process. Having another person ‘helping’ doesn’t make things easier, but it does make it more fun.
