My first introduction to gaming was in 2017, and if you know anything about the game that was big that year, then you can safely assume that it was, in fact, Fortnite. This game did not stick, thankfully, though it did deter me from trying any kind of video game ever again.
Until college, of course. (Due to an insistent suitemate.)
And so, I was reintroduced to video games for the first time in years, and severely intimidated. At least for a little bit. Now, however, after a year, I’ve learned that there are always friendly ways to start and great methods for adapting.
To help others, I’ve even compiled a list of suggestions for where to start.
Pancito Merge was not the first game I played upon entering college (Henry Stickmin was actually), however, it is the ideal definition of what a casual game is supposed to be.
This single-player game is a puzzle match highly influenced by Mexican culture and pan dulce (pastries). In the game, you combine different types of pan dulce to create others, raising your score, while also selling pastries to whatever customer comes to the window. If the bag gets full and not enough pastries are sold or combined, you lose the game and have to start over.
It focuses on strategy while also giving the player enough time to simply pause. It’s similar in concept to many mobile games, such as Tetris or Candy Crush, but not an exact replica. It includes three levels: Classic, Dia de Los Muertos, and Japomex, a cultural fusion of Japanese and Mexican pastries.
The animation and visuals are all hand-drawn and give both a cozy and mellow vibe. The game includes four languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese. As someone from a Mexican household, seeing a game like this was really eye-catching and entertaining.
On the other hand, if you prefer flashy or ‘risky’ gameplay, a non-standard gambling game with holographic poker cards might be the perfect mix for you.
Balatro is a rogue-like card game inspired by poker hands. Rogue-like games are typically adventure action games, but any game where the risk is “dying” and having to restart from the beginning can also be classified as rogue-like. The game was made by Localthunk as a side project, but caught traction and became huge amongst many online players.
Though, of course, no real money is spent within the game, this single-player game is strategy and luck-heavy, much like real-life gambling, which motivates its players through multiple difficulty levels and rewards, such as cash.
Each card in your deck can contain a special add-on (either due to luck or the player buying the add-on), and at the end of each round, you have the chance to buy a Joker. Each Joker is a unique card that can add further points to your poker hand, ultimately helping you beat the round’s blind (score).
It is both Apple and Windows compatible, and has won awards from the British Academy Video Games Award for Debut Game (BAFTA) and the Game Awards.
Balatro works as a pretty non-intimidating card game with great graphics and engaging levels. It’s casual, available on both mobile devices and laptops, but also challenging by forcing players to create winning tactics. All without the pressure of multiple players. After each win or loss, you are left eager to hop to the next round.
If card games aren’t your style, however, perhaps an immersive choice story game is, such as Dispatch, Slay the Princess, and The Wolf Among Us.
Story games are by far the easiest entry into gaming, in my opinion. If you love world-building, learning about interesting characters, and being able to change the narrative, then choice games like these are a perfect fit.
The Wolf Among Us is a Telltale game centered around Bigby, the Big Bad Wolf. In this world, all fairytale characters are real people called Fables and live in a hidden-in-plain-sight part of New York called Fabletown (original, right?). The episodic game follows Bigby as the sheriff solving crimes in Fabletown, the most prominent crime being murder.
The game is very mature in terms of themes and violence. It is much more than a simple dialogue choice game, as you can move around and investigate areas for clues, and die if you fail quick-time events. These events are usually action events where you are fighting another character or trying to endure immense pressure.
The game will have you press your Q key repeatedly until you overpower your opponent. (I would suggest you be careful about not messing up your Q key, as I have.)
Overall, Wolf Among Us is a good game if you want a darker/deeper story or a good laugh at the crass language. (There is also the source material, Fables, a series of comics, if you find the story interesting without wanting to play the game.)
If you find that you want a lighter, more comedic game, Dispatch is a good start.
As the first story game I ever played, Dispatch holds a special place in my heart. The game is an original game by ADHOC Studios in partnership with Critical Role. The game follows Mecha-Man on his journey to repair his Mecha (a robot suit) after an explosive crash that leaves him in a coma and unable to continue fighting crime.
You play as his civilian form for the majority of the game, aka Robert Robertson III, who works at the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN) in exchange for fixing up his suit. Here he is in charge of a group of redeemed villains, dispatching them to missions and dealing with an array of calls from civilians.
Dispatch presents itself as more than just a superhero workplace comedy but also as a well-animated and lore-heavy adventure. The gameplay itself includes quicktime events, dialogue choices, and interactive dispatching. You, as Robert, get to send our wanna-be heroes on every mission and see both their successes and their failures.
However, despite my singing praises of many of these games, my favorite, due to its multiple endings, the art, and the complexity of the storyline, has got to be Slay the Princess.
Slay the Princess is a visual novel where the player is given a single mission: kill the princess in the cabin, or the world is over. It is presented as a horror love story with depictions of gore and violence, however the center of the story has to do with reasoning and mortality.
The dialogue reads naturally and has beautiful voice actors, as well as a narrator leading you through your choices or even challenging them in some cases. How the story unfolds depends entirely on the player’s choices and their dialogue responses, but the timeline is rarely linear and instead branches and loops in a never-ending structure. Each loop is generally centered on the player’s choice to save or slay the princess, and the actions they took to get there.
The art is black and white, with the exception of the color red when it comes to any intense scenes. Unlike most story choice games, where your decisions might only change a scene or your overall ending, this game has multiple realities and 131 achievements for players to receive. Honestly, without spoiling too much, the game takes a very creative spin on good vs evil.
There are multiple beginner-friendly action games out there, don’t let this article fool you, but do believe that this is the best one. (Heavily opinionated.)
Absolum is a rouge-like beat’em-up adventure game featuring four main characters: Galandra (swordswoman), Cider (ninja), Brome (humanoid frog), and Karl (dwarven fighter).
The game centers around fierce battles between these outcast heroes and the minions of the Sun King Azra. As fighters, we are on the side of good, retaking magic from being abused by the king, and siding with Mother Uchawi.
Uchawi is the leader of the root sisters, a resistance group against Azra. She is also the one who guides the players through the ritual of rebirth, such as healing and the number of lives you receive. She is your link to history and to the old ways before Azra took over.
When you first start the game, the two playable characters are Karl and Galandra (my favorite is Galandra). The moves are much like those of many fighting games, with an attack, a dash, a special attack, a rechargeable attack, and a one-time-use ultimate. You gain magic to add to these moves after surviving fights, but you also gain healing properties and gadgets. You can also farm for these perks by destroying surrounding objects.
The story in the game is revealed through each death/round. You can discover new achievements and complete side quests throughout the game, while also slowly discovering different elements of magic to help your cause. You can receive companions and crew members just as quickly as you can find enemies.
This game is more than just fighting hand-to-hand, but also deeply rooted in a unique story with beautiful art and animation. It is fully controller supported (and is best to play on a controller) and can be played as a single player and in co-op. Co-op is offered in shared/split screen (a rarity these days) as well as online co-op.
In all honesty, this game can be seen as super intimidating to get into, but due to the storyline, it is very easy to be immersed in the world and characters. I suggest this game to anyone who wants to try to move into combat-heavy adventures.
Again, I have no research-driven proof that these are the best for beginner players. I have my experience and my challenges getting into gaming as my only reference. However, no matter what game you get into, games are meant to be fun. So if you suck at it in the beginning, just shrug it off.
The only people who actually make fun of others for being ‘bad gamers’ are the ones who probably suck the most. Play the games you like, ignore the games you don’t. It’s never really that deep. Enjoy yourself!
