I highly recommend Splody if you want some Bomberman action with up to 4 players.

A Hat in Time is a polished and vast 3D platformer, with great art and a sense of humor. Kid friendly, too. It runs natively via Proton and can be purchased from Humble, Steam, GoG, and likely elsewhere.

Video trailer, if you're not familiar:
https://youtu.be/um_3_cmnSmg?list=PLhZHP3kfQzzcea74hYvSCDWUn7zvEjXzl

Last edited by Chuckaluphagus on 5 March 2024 at 5:43 pm UTC

Just wanted to quickly drop in and say a great big thankyou to all of you for adding so many games! You have no idea how cool it is for me to see it continuing to be proven that the "Nintendo-style" of gaming can be done entirely without Nintendo. I've ended up wishlisting some titles that I didn't know about, too!

I originally dropped a couple of games from my list because they're Capcom titles and I didn't feel comfortable recommending them because the company has gone back and added undeclared DRM to them. However, in the interests of the fact that not everyone will be bothered by that (they do still work fine via Proton, and it's probably not a big problem if you're restricting them to a gaming-only machine like the Steam Deck), and that this list might be handy for users of other platforms as well, I figure that I may as well add them also;


Mega Man 11 (Proton)
Cutesy-robot platformer with various difficulty and language settings, where you can steal the bosses' powers to use for yourself. An accessible jumping-on point for this long-lived series.


The Disney Afternoon Collection (Proton)
A collection of six Disney-licensed games by Capcom, originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Save-states, retro graphical filters, and new time-attack and boss-rush modes are available, and two of the games offer 2-player co-op.

Last edited by Pengling on 5 March 2024 at 3:00 pm UTC

Quoting: ChuckaluphagusA Hat in Time is a polished and vast 3D platformer, with great art and a sense of humor. Kid friendly, too. It runs natively and can be purchased from Humble, Steam, GoG, and likely elsewhere.

There's a native Linux version available somewhere? Or did you mean something else?

Quoting: tuubi

Quoting: ChuckaluphagusA Hat in Time is a polished and vast 3D platformer, with great art and a sense of humor. Kid friendly, too. It runs natively and can be purchased from Humble, Steam, GoG, and likely elsewhere.

There's a native Linux version available somewhere? Or did you mean something else?

You're right, I misspoke above. I would have sworn it was a native build and not running through Proton, but I just went back and checked. I'll go back and fix my post.

A couple I would throw my hat into the ring and mention:

• Terraria (native, and a damn good native port at that), which is a sandbox survival game, often simplified as "2D Minecraft". The passion the devs have for this game is nigh unmatched at this scale, still delivering content updates 12 years later. More than just being very accessible, it has the same kind of design finesse Nintendo are often credited for.


• Portal 2 (native, might actually even use DXVK Native now for its graphics). The story-driven puzzle game, it isn't even close. Valve are often hailed in terms of game design as the Nintendo of PC gaming, and Portal 2 (as well as Portal 1, while not being as all-ages) are the most all-ages way to get into this. Of course, its predecessor, Portal, and the parent series Half-Life, contain fantastic games, but they are not quite as all-ages.


• SuperTuxKart (native). The kart-racer that has a dedicated following. This one is a ton of fun and good for anyone looking for an all-ages Mario Kart replacement.

Last edited by sonic2kk on 5 March 2024 at 5:56 pm UTC

Quoting: sonic2kkTerraria (native, and a damn good native port at that), which is a sandbox survival game, often simplified as "2D Minecraft". The passion the devs have for this game is nigh unmatched at this scale, still delivering content updates 12 years later. More than just being very accessible, it has the same kind of design finesse Nintendo are often credited for.

I recommend getting tModLoader on Steam to use with Terraria for mods. It's free, and it works on Linux, Mac, and Windows like the game.

Quoting: Linux_Rocks

Quoting: Talon1024SuperTux (Native, FOSS)
A Free, Open Source 2D jump-and-run game like the original Super Mario Bros.

SuperTux is also on Steam for Linux/Mac/Windows.

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Pingus is a good Lemmings clone.

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Extreme Tux Racer is a really good racing game.

I'll forever have the music from Tux Racer burned into my brain. I remember playing the original on
Mandrake 8.2 Pro with the keyboard arrow keys. That distro came with Tux Racer, SuperTux, and Pingus. 🐧

I almost forgot about TuxPuck! That was another one that I used to play back in the day. lol

Was going to make another joke post, this time involving yakuza, but I actually have a nice suggestion:

Donut County (proton)

Good natured, bite-sized game with some katamari-vibes (gameplay-wise), though it is far more relaxing.

Regularly on sale over at gog, including at this very moment. Grab it while it's still hot.

Last edited by emphy on 7 March 2024 at 2:58 am UTC

I'm getting slightly ahead of myself here since the game isn't released yet but I just finished the excellent Inspector Waffles and noticed that the announced sequel belongs here. It releases not just on PC but on Gameboy and Gameboy Color!




Inspector Waffles Early Days (PC, GB, GBA)

I guess technically it's a combination de-make and prequel. Taking place before the events in the original Inspector Waffles (but not going back as far as to kittengarten!). Very cool project!