Detective Pikachu lets young sleuths solve crimes alongside the famous Pokemon.
Detective Pikachu lets young sleuths solve crimes alongside the famous Pokemon.
March means the beginning of spring and a crop of fresh new games, including the kid-friendly Detective Pikachu, MLB The Show 18 and Kirby Star Allies.
Detective Pikachu
Rated E
Appropriate For: Kids who can read well and love mystery stories
What Pokemon-loving kid doesn’t love Pikachu? Well, this Pikachu is totally different. He’s a tough-talking detective and he wants to solve cases with you. The bravado in Detective Pikachu is adorable, and the game’s mechanics are great for teaching kids to think laterally to solve a case.
Great If Your Kids Love: Pokemon, Professor Layton, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
MLB The Show 18
Rated E
Appropriate for: Older kids (with patience) who love sports strategy and math
MLB The Show isn’t your average baseball game. It’s a simulator. Simulators are complex games that require patience to learn and dedication to master. MLB The Show allows players to compete in a series of different modes, including Road to the Show, the game’s career mode, which has a story to go along with it.
Great If Your Kids Love: Baseball
Surviving Mars
Rated E
Appropriate for: Kids who can read very well and can puzzle through complex controls
Elon Musk’s SpaceX project can’t transport us to Mars just yet, but Surviving Mars might prep us for our eventual migration. (Maybe.) For kids that are looking to graduate from their Minecraft roots to something more nuanced and strategic, Surviving Mars (Paradox Interactive) is for them. They’ll learn how to build a colony, manage the society and survive in the unforgiving unknown of the red planet.
Great If Your Kids Love: Sim City, Kerbal Space Program, Cities: Skyline, Minecraft, Civilization V and VI
Kirby Star Allies
Rated E
Appropriate for: Kids who are comfortable with console controllers
Couch co-op games are the bread and butter of any game-centric family. Kirby Star Allies is Nintendo’s latest cooperative experience on the Switch handheld hybrid console. It supports up to four players and allows players to drop in and out at will. Players combine abilities to overcome big baddies and need to employ collaborative strategy to get through the toughest levels. (Bonus points for tapping into the Gameboy Advance nostalgia of the ‘90s for those of us who grew up with Kirby on a handheld.)
Great If Your Kids Love: Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong, LittleBigPlanet 3, Castle Crashers, Battleblock Theater
Sea of Thieves
Rated T
Appropriate For: Older kids (13+) that don’t necessarily want the intensity of a battle royale multiplayer game
Ahoy, mateys! Rare’s latest title, Sea of Thieves, is all about piratical skullduggery both on the open sea and land. This is a cooperative and competitive game where players can either sail solo or team up with their friends to take down other bands of pirates. Players can enjoy the spoils of victory (loot!) and explore the world however they choose.
Great If Your Kids Love: Fortnite, Destiny, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
A Way Out
Rated M
Inappropriate for young teens and children
A Way Out is one of the hotly anticipated games of the month, sporting a similar cooperative play-style to Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the studio’s previous game. However, A Way Out is about two brothers trying to escape from prison. The game’s content reflects the environment and has warnings regarding strong language, nudity and intense violence.
Try These Games Instead: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Destiny 2
Ni no Kuni II
Rated T
Appropriate For: Teens who love roleplaying games and anime
The original Ni no Kuni was released on the PlayStation 3, so your teen likely missed out on the original title (unless you have it kicking around in your personal collection somewhere). However, you don’t need to have played Ni no Kuni to enjoy Ni no Kuni II, as it takes place 100 years in the future. Ni no Kuni’s world is lush, the music is beautiful, and the animation style is similar to Miyazaki’s films (like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and The Secret World of Arrietty). If your teen loves anime and Japanese style roleplaying games already, they’ll love Ni no Kuni II.
Great If Your Kids Love: Final Fantasy XV, I Am Setsuna, any Japanese roleplaying game (JRPG)
Far Cry 5
Rated M
Inappropriate for children and teens
Set in the American heartland, Far Cry 5 is a violent nod to the very real problem of Christian extremists. There isn’t a single game in the Far Cry series that is appropriate for teens under the ESRB recommended age of 18. Far Cry 5 will continue to follow in the series footsteps of over-the-top villains and violence.
There are currently no games that are rated T (and under) and are similar to Far Cry 5.
Notable kid and teen-friendly titles are in bold.
Wednesday Mar 14, 2018
#WarGames, PC
The American Dream [PS VR], PlayStation 4
The Long Reach, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Vita
Alchemist’s Castle, PlayStation 4
Thursday Mar 15, 2018
BINGO for Nintendo Switch, Switch
Blake and Mortimer: The Curse of the Thirty Denarii, PC
Enchanting Mahjong Match, Switch
Gal Gunvolt Burst, PlayStation 4
Gem Smashers, Switch
Maria the Witch, PlayStation 4
Neonwall, Switch
Soulblight, PC
Surviving Mars, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Tesla vs. Lovecraft, Xbox One
The Long Reach, Switch
The Sparkle 3 Genesis, Switch
The Way of Life: DEFINITIVE EDITION, PC
WorldNeverland – Elnea Kingdom, Switch
Zeus Quest Remastered, PlayStation 4
Friday Mar 16, 2018
Burnout Paradise Remastered, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Kirby Star Allies, Switch
Nonogram – The Greatest Painter, PC
Splatoon 2 – Starter Edition, Switch
Toki Tori, Switch
Vicious Attack Llama Apocalypse (V.A.L.A.), Xbox One
Monday Mar 19, 2018
TY the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan [Early Access] , PC
Tuesday Mar 20, 2018
ASSAULT GUNNERS HD EDITION, PC
Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Attack on Titan 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Switch
R.B.I. Baseball 18, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch
Sea of Thieves, Xbox One, PC
South Park: The Fractured But Whole – From Dusk Till Casa Bonita [DLC], PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
The Count Lucanor, Xbox One
Velocity 2X: Critical Mass Edition, PlayStation 4, Vita
Dream Alone, PC
Wednesday Mar 21, 2018
Where Are My Friends?, Xbox One
Thursday Mar 22, 2018
Gekido Kintaro’s Revenge, Switch
Manticore – Galaxy on Fire, Switch
Pizza Connection 3, PC
Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut, Switch
Friday Mar 23, 2018
A Way Out, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Ash of Gods: Redemption, PC
Castle of Heart, Switch
Detective Pikachu, Nintendo 3DS
MLB The Show 18, PlayStation 4
MX vs ATV All Out, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Ni no Kuni II: REVENANT KINGDOM, PlayStation 4, PC
Pokkén Tournament DX – Battle Pack Wave 2 [DLC], Switch
Western Press, Xbox One
Tuesday Mar 27, 2018
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings, PlayStation 4, PC, Switch
Batman: The Enemy Within – Ep. 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Far Cry 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Injustice 2 – Legendary Edition, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Outlast 2, Switch
The Alliance Alive, Nintendo 3DS
The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2, PlayStation 4
Wednesday Mar 28, 2018
Long Gone Days, PC
Thursday Mar 29, 2018
Empires Apart, PC
Friday Mar 30, 2018
Agony, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Alteric, Switch
Code: Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~ , PlayStation 4, Vita
