Nintendo's online services involve all sorts of hoops, but as one reader points out, maybe that's actually an advantage. Elsewhere, kids with murder rooms?
A Short Hike (and Lil Gator Game tho I haven't finished that so can't recommend it in the same way) could be a couple non-violent options with a similar feel from an observer's perspective as BOTW/TOTK.
Racing games with a free-roam or open world mode are a pretty fun non-violent adventure option for small children that love vehicles.
My 2.5 year old particularly loves Art of Rally and Forza Horizon. She gets to pick out the car we drive (usually something pink or yellow) and we spend some time talking about the stuff in the background and giggling when we lose control of the car.
Thinking about this as I wade into another summer of juggling their awful parental controls for my kids, especially as we all start TotK. So interesting where Nintendo ended up with this. Would love to hear your thoughts on the Switch generally, and would be happy to share my experience if you wanted more.
I remember being thrown into Pokémon Yellow as a kid without the ability to really even properly read yet but I'm not sure if, given a choice to pick a kid's first game, I'd make a similar choice with modern Pokémon. Maybe Mario 3D world? I feel like an odyssey would be overwhelming but a 3D World where a parent can be a second character that quite literally carries them with the god mode stuff enabled to avoid frustration.
I love when young kids get a ton of joy out of horror/horror-adjacent stuff. Like those videos that went around recently on the little girl who loved the big horrific, bent limped monster puppet.
For the person asking about 3d games with no or limited violence i would personally recommend Beasts of Maravilla Island and Pupperazzi just on top of my head.
Beasts of Maravilla Island is a game where you move through the envirnoment and take pictures of the wildlife and have some pretty light puzzle solving. there is one part at the end where to do a thing there is a 'fight' with a beast but its only one if i recall and it ends well the game is only a couple hours long as well.
Pupperazzi you've more likely heards of probably but its a game where you take pictures of dogs in certain locations or moments , it wasn't the most amazing game in my personal option but alot of ppl speak more highly of it than i do. that said i think it might fit your open enviroment with no violence criteria.
As i type this also maybe Eastshade as well? its more complexed and probably less kid friendly since it has a fair bit of dialog but it has zero combat and imo it was pretty great for what it was which is sorta what if you were a painter but in an elderscrolls-eqse game with anthropomorphic animals as the people, i actually found maraville looking for more games like it .
All this said i don't have kids so these are not tested in that space personally , but as an aunt to 3 i think i would have been ok playing these in front of them.
A Short Hike (and Lil Gator Game tho I haven't finished that so can't recommend it in the same way) could be a couple non-violent options with a similar feel from an observer's perspective as BOTW/TOTK.
Also try Sable! Totally non-violent with some of the same climbing mechanics as Zelda, and you get a hover bike.
Racing games with a free-roam or open world mode are a pretty fun non-violent adventure option for small children that love vehicles.
My 2.5 year old particularly loves Art of Rally and Forza Horizon. She gets to pick out the car we drive (usually something pink or yellow) and we spend some time talking about the stuff in the background and giggling when we lose control of the car.
Thinking about this as I wade into another summer of juggling their awful parental controls for my kids, especially as we all start TotK. So interesting where Nintendo ended up with this. Would love to hear your thoughts on the Switch generally, and would be happy to share my experience if you wanted more.
I remember being thrown into Pokémon Yellow as a kid without the ability to really even properly read yet but I'm not sure if, given a choice to pick a kid's first game, I'd make a similar choice with modern Pokémon. Maybe Mario 3D world? I feel like an odyssey would be overwhelming but a 3D World where a parent can be a second character that quite literally carries them with the god mode stuff enabled to avoid frustration.
I love when young kids get a ton of joy out of horror/horror-adjacent stuff. Like those videos that went around recently on the little girl who loved the big horrific, bent limped monster puppet.
For the person asking about 3d games with no or limited violence i would personally recommend Beasts of Maravilla Island and Pupperazzi just on top of my head.
Beasts of Maravilla Island is a game where you move through the envirnoment and take pictures of the wildlife and have some pretty light puzzle solving. there is one part at the end where to do a thing there is a 'fight' with a beast but its only one if i recall and it ends well the game is only a couple hours long as well.
Pupperazzi you've more likely heards of probably but its a game where you take pictures of dogs in certain locations or moments , it wasn't the most amazing game in my personal option but alot of ppl speak more highly of it than i do. that said i think it might fit your open enviroment with no violence criteria.
As i type this also maybe Eastshade as well? its more complexed and probably less kid friendly since it has a fair bit of dialog but it has zero combat and imo it was pretty great for what it was which is sorta what if you were a painter but in an elderscrolls-eqse game with anthropomorphic animals as the people, i actually found maraville looking for more games like it .
All this said i don't have kids so these are not tested in that space personally , but as an aunt to 3 i think i would have been ok playing these in front of them.