Your Guide to June’s Family Friendly Video Games
School is coming to an end, but the pools are open and the weather is (mostly) gorgeous outside. Video games may not be the priority.
Is this the month where Nintendo doesn’t release a major game? No, it is not. At least, presuming you believe a Switch version of a 3DS game from 2013 is a major game.
I suppose that’s debatable.
Frankly, even though I’m playing more video games than ever because of the absolute deluge of indie releases in the past few months, I can’t give my children, oldest or youngest, to give a crap about video games at the moment. The pools are opening, the sun is staying out later, and the neighborhood parents are letting their children play a little longer so they can all finish a beer. Video games will come back, as they always do, but I’m curious how the season impacts the playing habits of your family, too!
If you represent these games and have a potentially interesting story to share about how these games consider kids as part of their audience, do get in touch with me!
Star Wars: Hunters (Switch, iOS, Android) - June 4
Description: 4v4 battles in Arenas inspired by famous locations throughout the galaxy. Choose from a roster of Hunters, each with a unique ability set. Customize your Hunters, master each playstyle, and rise to the top of the leaderboards!
Rating: T
Price: Free-to-Play
It’s been a minute since this game was in its testing, but in 2022, The Why of Play was positive on a much earlier version, but worried it would have trouble standing out amongst its contemporaries in the MOBA-ish genre, which seems like a fair point.
The Smurfs - Village Party (PC, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One/S/X - June 6
Description: Papa Smurf has decided to organize an exceptional party!To do so, he asks all the Smurfs to get involved with the preparations to make the party unforgettable! Walk around the village and invite all the Smurfs scattered around the world to the event, but be careful with Gargamel as he has heard about the party and will do everything to spoil it…
Rating: E
Price: $39.99
This looks shockingly okay? It’s a mini-game collection based on a kids property, but the developer, Balio Stadio, isn’t a licensed game factory. Maybe this one has a chance.
Rabbids: Legends of the Multiverse by (Apple Arcade) - June 6
Description: Embark on the wackiest journey as the mischievous Rabbids run amok across the multiverse. In this zany new adventure, players must gather their wits and build the ultimate deck, featuring an eclectic mix of knights, ninjas, pirates, cowboy Rabbids, and more. They will explore five outlandish universes, from the Noodles Valleys of Dragon Land to the mighty Mount Rabbidsmore, encountering absurd Rabbids at every turn. With their best deck and imaginative combinations, players can also challenge other players in the PvP arena. Get ready to laugh, strategize, and embrace the chaos in this uproarious romp through the worlds of Rabbids.
Rating: 9+
Price: $6.99 per month
I have little love for rabbids, but Mario + Rabbids remains one of my favorite Switch games, so I’m forced to, at the least, leave hope this card mashup could also be good.
Return to Monkey Island+ by Devolver Digital (Apple Arcade) - June 6
Description: Return to Monkey Island+ is an unexpected, thrilling return of series creator Ron Gilbert that follows the legendary adventure games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge. The game continues the story of Guybrush Threepwood, his zombie pirate nemesis LeChuck, and his true love Elaine Marley. Return to Monkey Island+ is playable across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Players will solve puzzles and explore the islands with a clever evolution of classic point-and-click adventure game controls.
Rating: 12+
Price: $6.99 per month
One of my favorites from 2023. Easy to imagine this being a blast to play with a kid, especially because of its hint system. Rather than spoiling what to do next and making you feel foolish, there’s a gentle hint system akin to sending a friend a message and asking for a nudge in the right direction. I wish more games adopted such ideas.
Fabulous - Wedding Disaster+ by GameHouse (Apple Arcade) – June 6
Description: Fabulous - Wedding Disaster+ is a perfect getaway for the lovers of fashion, romance, celebrity gossip, and time management games. Say “Yes!” to the dress in this popular wedding-themed time management game, and get ready to take the New York bridal scene by storm. Players will step into the world of wedding planning and put their dress designing skills to the test, traveling to unique bridal boutiques across six glamorous locations.
Rating: 12+
Price: $6.99 per month
This is quite a pull by Apple; the original game was released in 2018. The deluge of mobile games means it’s hard to find formal reviews of the game, but the few Steam reviews available are positive, with one player familiar with the series saying they “recommend it to people who love this genre and love games with a heavy story.”
Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked (PS4/5, Switch, PC) – June 11
Description: Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked is an electrifying 3 game classic revival collection where players relive the nostalgic side scrolling experience by becoming Sparkster. As Sparkster prepare to battle an army of robots and pigs in order to save the princess.
Rating: E10+
Price: $29.99
A throwback to my childhood. We were a SNES household, but one of my best friends was a Genesis household, and this was a series I was always jealous of. (I wasn’t aware of Sparkster, a SNES spin-off, until later.) It’s fun to read reviews of the original, with EGM calling the first game “one awesome possum.” Those were the days, man.
Monster Hunter Stories (PS4, Switch, PC) - June 14
Description: Monster Hunter Stories is an RPG that takes the world of Monster Hunter and expands upon it in new and exciting ways! No longer are you hunting monsters, but raising them! In this deep story featuring heroes known as Monster Riders, you will live alongside monsters and form lifelong bonds with them. The first installment of the Monster Hunter Stories series returns, fully voiced in Japanese and English, with additional features such as a new museum mode where you can listen to music and view concept art, allowing you to dive even deeper into the world of Monster Hunter Stories.
Rating: E10+
Price: $29.99
These RPG spin-offs of Monster Hunter are well regarded, with IGN reviewing the 3DS game and declaring “Monster Hunter Stories' heartwarming story is served with amazingly fun RPG gameplay that never gets old, even beyond the 50-hour campaign.”
Five Nights At Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 (PlayStation VR2) – June 20
Description: Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 is the sequel to the terrifying VR experience that brought new life to the iconic horror franchise. As a brand new Fazbear employee you’ll have to prove you have what it takes to excel in all aspects of Pizzeria management and maintenance.
Rating: M
Price: $39.99
It would be mean to subject my seven-year-old who adores Five Nights at Freddy’s to this, right? It’s a mini-game collection, but UploadVR did say Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 is “a great all-ages horror game that makes excellent use of VR.”
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble (Switch) – June 25
Description: Join AiAi and friends in Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, where you and up to 16 players can compete online across multiple game modes as you aim to become Top Banana! You can also work together with your favorite bunch in 4 player cooperative mode, or slip into a wonderfully crafted story in the all-new Adventure Mode experience!
Rating: E
Price: $49.99
Aa story from my poor and often misguided youth. My parents were out of town, and my friends and I decided to raid my parents’ liquor cabinet. We grabbed some old crap in the back, and started taking shots while playing Super Monkey Ball on the GameCube. You were supposed to take a shot if you lost a round, but everyone just wanted to get drunk, so everyone was losing on purpose. We got drunk very quickly on extremely questionable liquor, and I spent the rest of the evening in the bathroom.
Luigi's Mansion 2 HD (Switch) – June 27
Description: Progress through diverse missions to retrieve the missing shards of the Dark Moon scattered across several distinct haunted mansions, each with their own puzzles to solve and ghosts to capture. Go for a high rating by using your superpowered ghost-hunting tool, the Poltergust 5000, to suck up ghosts (and window curtains) and blow air to search every nook and cranny of the chilling-yet-charming mansions. This spooky fun adventure, originally released for the Nintendo 3DS system, is now visually enhanced in HD on the Nintendo Switch system.
Rating: E
Price: $59.99
Nintendo, make a Luigi’s Mansion cartoon! Also, Negative World’s review of the 3DS game called it “ a sequel that surpasses the original on nearly every measurable level.”
Tchia (Switch) – June 27
Description: Join Tchia on her tropical open-world adventure as she sets off to rescue her father from the cruel tyrant, Meavora, ruler of the archipelago. Climb, glide, swim, and sail your boat around beautiful islands as you explore a physics-driven sandbox. Face the fabric soldiers created by Meavora in open encounters where your creativity gives you the edge. Take control of any animal or object you can find, make new friends and jam on your fully playable Ukulele. A poetic coming-of-age story inspired by New Caledonia.
Rating: T
Price: $29.99
I liked this one, a unique spin on Breath of the Wild. It wasn’t enough for me to see it through, but Eurogamer said Tchia “isn't just a game about a child, it's a game with a child's eagerness to find meaning and interest in a wide, wide range of things.”
NeoSprint (PS 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) – June 27
Description: NeoSprint zooms back to life as a single screen arcade racer for up to 8 players, paired with a robust track builder and intuitive sharing tools, ensuring a racing experience that satisfies speed demons and architects alike. Campaign mode, Grand Prix, Obstacle Courses and Time Trials provide tons of pulse-pounding race content, and multiplayer modes make for chaotic fun. Can you conquer the speedways and claim the fastest times?
Rating: E
Price: $24.99
All I can think about when watching the trailer for this is Super Off Road. Hell yes.
Have a story idea? Want to share a tip? Got a funny parenting story? Drop Patrick an email.
OMG Atari remade Super Sprint! ❤️