Mario Bautista
The numbers, and anyone within earshot, will tell you that 2023 was a fantastic year for video games. When the dust settles on the 2020s as a whole, there’s a good chance Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 will be in the mix for game of the decade, and that’s before you get to the likes of Alan Wake 2, Spider-Man 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Resident Evil 4, Slay the… you know what, I can’t do this whole list thing again. It was a good year, okay? You get it. You were there.
But it was perhaps a less legendary year for the youngsters. They could skibidi on their Robloxes and make Ohio rizz in Minecraft, but fresh video games being shot into the world and directly onto their consoles? 2023 is not one for the record books. There were some, sure – I just mentioned Mario, and Spider-Man is probably in the ballpark for older preteens as well. Then there’s the fact many of us grew up playing games way earlier than we were probably supposed to, what with all the mise en scene going under-appreciated and the copious graphic violence unfolding before our eyes.
2024 Has Been Full Of Perfect ‘First’ Games
I’m not saying 2023 was the worst year ever to be a kid gamer. But for the youngsters, it feels like 2024 is their 2023. The front runner for Game of the Year right now is Astro Bot. It’s a brilliant, joyful, wondrous experience, and it’s perfect for kids to play as well. The beauty of Astro Bot is it goes far beyond its framework of references, so even a newbie with no idea who Ellie is (or let’s be honest, the rest of us who have no idea who Alundra is) can enjoy the whimsical platforming and clever level design ideas without needing to point at the screen every few minutes like we’re watching a Marvel movie.
But Astro Bot is not the lone soldier in this child-friendly warzone. One of the early games that got 2024 rolling was Princess Peach: Showtime, which reinvented the dress-up genre into something more dynamic. With a simple story, excellent bite-sized levels, and interesting use of costuming, it’s a perfect game for a younger audience. It probably lacks the all ages appeal of Astro Bot, far more suiting its core demographic, but it still delivers a high quality experience. I got it for my niece and nephew at their eighth birthday, and they’ve been hooked on it.
Meanwhile, this week saw The Plucky Squire drop. I haven’t reached the halfway point just yet, so there may be challenges to come, but like Princess Peach it seems to be relatively straight-forward in execution. Clever ideas raise the overall quality of the experience, and those beetle-infused stealth sections might put a kid off gaming for life, but generally this is yet another game that is perfectly suited to younger players.
We Need A Mix Of Childish Games
The Plucky Squire uses the aesthetics of a kid’s storybook inside a kid’s bedroom, and doesn’t take itself too seriously within that framework. From what I’ve seen it does a little more to try to appeal to all ages, but it never opts to be edgy or dark just to appear more serious or highbrow. It plays up the slightly silly aesthetics specifically because they’re silly, and therefore offers a whale of a time for younger players drawn in by the bouncy font and colourful aesthetics.
And we’re still not done. While the latest Zelda, Echoes of Wisdom, is likely to be the most difficult of this quartet, it still fits this demographic. All Zelda games have a somewhat cartoonish identity, but by channelling the art style of the Link’s Awakening remake, Echoes of Wisdom looks like the fluffiest Zelda game yet. It remains to be seen how beginner friendly it will play (previews suggest a moderate yet manageable challenge), but it has all the makings of joining the pantheon of 2024 Games That Are Very Good For Younger Players To Try. The pantheon probably needs a catchier name. Maybe something with skibidi in the title.
All in all, 2024 is a decent enough year for video games with the various challenges facing the major consoles and the industry at large, especially in the shadow left by 2023. But it’s an excellent year for youngsters wanting to get into gaming, and while it feels like pathways into the hobby are collapsing under the weight of high prices, that’s a very encouraging sign.
