Chaotic co-op platformer Pico Park 2 shows that the Switch is still getting great new games

Given the excitement surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 rumors, it’s easy to miss new games released for the current Nintendo Switch consoles. Recent Nintendo Direct presentations seem to rattle off a bunch of random titles with little focus on each game, and the console hasn’t gotten any major new releases in a while, aside from the recent The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. However, amid both the excitement about a future Switch and the slow death of the current one, I’m writing here to ensure that one special game in particular doesn’t die: Pico Park 2.

While the gameplay may vary depending on the mode you play, or even the set of levels you play, the overall pitch of it is Pico Park 2 is quite simple. You and your friends will team up and take on various platform challenges together. You jump on each other, press switches for each other and work together to solve each short level. Pico Park 2 Up to eight players can participate at a time, but you can play with only two, and the game automatically adjusts the level design based on the number of people playing.

In my opinion, the more people you have, the more fun it becomes, and having at least four players is ideal. Much of the fun comes from the chaos (and coordination required) of eight players jumping across the screen at the same time. You may have to carefully stack on top of each other to create a bridge to span a large gap, or figure out how to cross flimsy platforms with everyone connected by one bungee cord. Gameplay varies considerably, and some levels even feature co-op arcade gameplay where you shoot monsters together.

Every time the level screen loads, you won’t know what to expect. Still, everything can be played with a simple control scheme and a single Joy-Con. There may be a special gimmick, like a vacuum gun that lets you suck in your friends and complete a challenge, but the controls remain pretty simple. In my experience, this made the game fun for its variety, but also accessible to all kinds of players.

The game has several level groups, organized by theme and gameplay, so if you get stuck on one set of levels you can always try one of the dozens of others. If you don’t want to work together, you can choose to play some simple competitive mini-games. I played it with my partner’s parents, who hadn’t touched a video game controller since Wii Sportsand my 8-year-old Mario-loving cousin, and everyone could easily pick up the game and have a good time. Regardless of varying skill levels, the high that came from successfully overcoming a challenge as a team never got old, no matter how much yelling was involved.

So if you’re looking for a fantastic gem of a game to keep you busy until the Switch 2 comes out, or just want to remind yourself that the Nintendo Switch is still as good as ever, then I recommend checking out the long-awaited on Pico Park 2.

Pico Park 2 is available to play on Mac, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series.