It is useless to go around it: if you are doing the responsible thing, you are most likely on your own.
We need a way to spend these holidays and maybe meet with "our loved ones" through the video game and that's why we wanted to create a small list of online games that can be recovered with Xbox Game Pass, titles whose heart is in being together in a way deeper and more meaningful than a Zoom call or message.
Minecraft Dungeons
Minecraft itself started out as a game for creating, imagining, and Minecraft: Dungeons continues the trend with a title as thrilling for fans of Diablo-style hack-and-slash action as it is fun for players completely new to the genre.
It has another very important feature, it is immediately satisfying: with the first mission you learn to attack, heal and collect loot; after a few hours you will learn the basics to improve your character thanks to enchantments, a sort of buff to apply to weapons.
Finally, it has the incredible ability to be didactic, more than other titles on Xbox Game Pass, preparing less seasoned players to face the most complex titles of the genre and really gives its best when, in couch co-op or online, you find yourself discussing strategies or builds.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
Why did it end up on the list? Man of Medan is essentially a 4 hour long movie with a tree of meaningful and ending choices depending on your actions during the run.
The plot is a pleasant plot: a group of young Americans, in the company of their guide and the captain of the boat they are on, are kidnapped and taken aboard the ghost ship Ourang Medan. Clearly there is something wrong on board and you will soon find yourself having to flee kidnappers and monsters.
The funniest feature is the “Shared Story” mode: essentially 2 players can play independently and make choices according to their point of view but on the same in-game “timeline”, so to speak; only any spectators of the "double" stream on Discord can have a complete view of the events.
In this sense, Man of Medan is the movie night at home, where the player is both director and spectator, a tradition more or less maintained also by its sequel, Little Hope (not present on Xbox Game Pass) which, however, slips a bit in some points.
Human: Fall Flat
Human: Fall Flat exists in a world of textured polygons, full of funny and very flexible men who try to carry out simple tasks to reach the end of the level: it may be necessary to build a bridge or tackle a climb or aim the catapult we are in to get to a given point and then launch.
On paper it is simple, we do not deny it, but if combined with the total and desired unreliability of the controls and the physics engine of the game, you can only begin to imagine the chaos behind the fun of this title. Understanding the task is immediate, it is organizing up to 8 players online which can be a triumph or frustration even for the most experienced players in teamwork.
Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves is a huge pirate-themed sandbox with a plethora of nautical activities, a game in which you can calmly fish on the beach of a tropical island, with the waves bathing your feet as you watch the sun set over the horizon ... or you can get stuck between a galleon that shoots cannonballs at you and a megalodon with a piece of your ship in its mouth. To each his own ... boat?
At the start of a new session, a crew can start a mission, but to complete it there will rarely be only going from point A to point B: practically all the fun of Sea of Thieves is in the distractions along the way, whether they 'meeting with another crew, a chest or a Kraken. Every pirate we encounter is a different player, but Rare has also added ghost ships and derelict galleons full of skeletons ready to fight.
Two things that make Sea of Thieves great to be played in company?
First, there is no grind except for cosmetic stuff; second, the time that is "lost" in navigating the map is one of the best moments of gaming, for many, many people, so much so that you can even invent seafaring songs and play the instruments on board while sailing the seas.
Heave Ho
In Heave Ho you are literally a head connected to two arms and, up to a maximum of 3 players, you must work together to get to the end of the level avoiding all the dangers in the path, including the ever-present Abyss into which you can fall from moment to moment. 'other.
The movements are simple: we can command our hands, cling and hold on to a grip or surface, and try to move the center of gravity; the challenge lies in communicating to other players (perhaps Xbox Game Pass users like you) how to coordinate and the right timing in which to act.
It is a title that explodes with personality, so much so that it allows us to make our character unique, and going out sideways in the level will leave a splash of blood on the back wall, almost as if waiting for us immediately outside the screen there were rows and rows of rotating blades ready to turn us into a milkshake.
What's the only thing that's cooler than playing?
Playing in company, and Xbox Game Pass is an excellent opportunity and excuse to do so.
► Minecraft: Dungeons is a scrolling-Adventure type Beat 'em up game developed and published by Mojang for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 30/06/2020
Minecraft: Dungeons is a beautiful game that cannot be missing from your collection: we have decided to evaluate it with a 77%, if you are interested in learning more you can read the Minecraft: Dungeons review
