Our friends at tinyBuild have decided to take a break from murderous stabbing sprees to instead share something more kid friendly.... and slimey. Snail Bob 2: Tiny Troubles is a physics platformer (with very forgiving physics) designed for parent-kid cooperative puzzling. In it, you play the role of the unflappable Snail Bob you perseveres endlessly forward towards victory (unless you tell him to stop, or he dies in one of many cartoonishly humorous ways).
Just Keeping Slithering
From a somewhat slow start with a basic tutorial, Snail Bob 2 gradually picks up speed throughout the game.... figuratively. Each level features hidden collectables, which unlock new outfits as well as additional levels. Towards the end of the second act there is even a sort of boss battle, which I was pleasantly surprised to find. I found the early levels a little slow, but they were on a good pace for my kids, and it allowed me to lead them through the logic of solving a level while staying far enough ahead mentally that I knew what to do next. There are also plenty of pop culture, comic book, and game references to keep you interested as you slowly slide from one level to the next. Getting there is half the fun, and I found myself enjoying the interactions with my kids more an more as we progressed into the higher levels.
Better Together
Snail Bob 2 strikes a very careful balance that lends itself specifically to a "play together" experience. It's worth noting that the puzzles are decidedly kid focused, and aren't intended to be brain-bustingly complicated. That said, the "physics platformer" aspect of the game, and the logic puzzles themselves, mean that many kids in the target demographic aren't going to be able to play this game without help. For my part, I consider that to be fair game, because I'm not looking at the game as "parent free entertainment", but rather an activity to participate in as a group. If you are looking for a hands-off game, this one might not be for you... but even if you aren't a gamer you might find that if you play it as a family you'll all enjoy it more than you'd expect.