Kids games OK’d by critical father

I love my child more than anything in the world, but her taste in video games leaves a lot of room for improvement.

It’s not the content, nor the art, nor the storytelling. It’s the microtransaction minefield.

My kid mostly plays mobile games, preferring the kinds that avoid killing and encourage her to squeal, “Awww!” every few minutes. I’m glad she found her niche, but I am always trying to remind her of the world out there where the gameplay stands on its own and progress is encouraged, not stymied by timers or a paywall.

With that in mind, here are video games that avoid such pitfalls and are just good for the sake of being good.

Apple Arcade (Specifically, “Sneaky Sasquatch,” “Word Laces,” etc.)

Platform: iOS

My kid often runs to me with her device asking for permission to download something that makes me scowl with concern. With an Apple Arcade subscription, I discovered I can just point to the Arcade shortcut on the App Store’s front page and say, “Only get games from here.” I still need to offer my parental oversight to tell her things like, “You probably wouldn’t like ‘Neo Cab,’” but I rest assured knowing that whatever she finds in there will be free of predatory transactions or other questionable mobile game practices — a requirement of every Apple Arcade game.

The two big hits so far have been RAC7 Games’ “Sneaky Sasquatch” and Minimega’s “Word Laces.” “Sneaky Sasquatch” is a friendly story about a Sasquatch trying to collect food and blend into society. It’s silly, colorful and is good about making sure you’re not always doing the same thing. “Word Laces” is a word puzzle game that I like for new readers because it helps with spelling and offers all the hints you want without any penalty. You also can’t go wrong with “Rayman.”

“Ring Fit Adventure” Platform: Nintendo Switch The Wii became one of the Top 10 best-selling video game consoles of all time thanks in part to how it encouraged kids to move, which was attractive to parents. They could buy an Xbox 360 with all those shooty-shooty gun games, or they could buy the one that made their kid stand up and pantomime the act of bowling. That latter option was also cheaper.

I like the idea of my kid playing something that makes her move, but I also recognize the fun-value of a game where you sit, motionless, lost in an interactive world. “Ring Fit Adventure” is on this list not because it encourages my kid to move around and work up a sweat (which is a nice bonus), but because the game side of it is engaging and interesting.

Rumor has it the game was built using “Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s” engine. That fact is difficult to verify because Nintendo doesn’t love to share those insider secrets, but I am a believer. The world’s grass sways in similar ways, the colors are bright and inviting, and it just makes the world of “Ring Fit Adventure” an exciting place to visit. My kid and I are competing, and she is winning thanks to the energetic vibrancy of her youth. (That and she’s playing at a lower difficulty.)

“Untitled Goose Game”

Platform: Nintendo

Switch, PC

House House’s bizarre waterfowl simulator won Game of the Year at the annual DICE Awards. It also bears the new mark of success that every video game aspires to: tweets from Chrissy Teigen.

All of that success and praise is helped by “Untitled Goose Game’s” meme potential, but it’s also a fun game and an especially good one for playing with kids. You can’t play co-op, but it’s great for passing the controller and solving puzzles together, and you don’t have to solve every puzzle to complete the game. You also never enter a failstate, which means even if you mess up, you never have to leave the game. Nothing frustrates a young player (or a cool adult) more than having to start something over just because you can’t figure it out right away.

“Luigi’s Mansion 3” Platform: Nintendo Switch My wife and daughter basically marathoned “Luigi’s Mansion 3” one weekend, and I am jealous they got to experience the game together while I just hung out pretending I was part of their cool ghost-hunting crew. “Luigi’s Mansion 3” is a puzzle game with occasional ghost-catching combat. You have to play for a little while to unlock Gooigi (Luigi’s clone made of goo), but once you do, you can control Luigi, while your young partner handles goo duty.

Gooigi is genuinely helpful and also basically invincible so there is no downside to having him around and there are plenty of opportunities to solve puzzles and fight ghosts with him. The boss battles represent an occasional difficulty spike, which can be frustrating, but there probably is a lesson for kids about overcoming obstacles (or something) hidden in there.