There are so many ways to approach multiplayer design that even the binary competitive or cooperative options have a ton of variety in each. It's awesome to see the great creativity developers have getting us to mess with or help one another. Maybe both.
Here are the nominees for TechRaptor's 2023 Best Multiplayer Award for exceptional multiplayer gameplay and design.
- Baldur's Gate III
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Party Animals
- Street Fighter 6
- Super Mario Wonder
Check out here for our other award categories and nominees.
Third Place - Super Mario Wonder
Developer: NIntendo | Release Date: October 20th, 2023
Written by Andrew Otton
One of my favorite moments while playing Super Mario Wonder happened in one of the later Special World levels. It was an extremely tough one that forced me to farm up some coins in past levels for some 1-Ups.
I was playing as Luigi and someone from somewhere was playing as Princess Peach. We were progressing through the level at the same pace and got to the point we’d wait for each other on the next section to help one another out.
A standee in a key location was pretty clutch on more than one occasion for the both of us. The teamwork with this stranger I'd never see or play with again is an experience not many games get to offer with much meaning behind it.
While the most memorable, I had many moments like this throughout the game. Both helping others and getting some help myself. It feels like an evolution of what many of us experienced playing Journey, just on a bigger scale.
It’s the first time I can remember a sense of community while playing a Mario game, which is pretty awesome. Hopefully they do even more with the idea!
Second Place - Street Fighter 6
Developer: Capcom | Release Date: October 27th, 2023
Written by Robert Scarpinito
There's a certain hat trick that fighting games have to pull off. It needs to inspire players to keep saying, "Just one more game!" On the other hand, it needs to feel good enough that there's a chance your opponents will absolutely crush your health bar and spirits. Street Fighter 6 walks the line between these two perfectly.
Yes, getting started in SF6 will be hard. You'll probably lose more often than you'll win, but it's about learning from your mistakes and getting better.
The ultimate joy comes from the matches with real people, especially those who are willing to do long sets with you. You may lose 19-1, but you'll start seeing the mistakes they make. More importantly, you'll learn the mistakes you make—and try to improve.
Ironically, despite being a primarily multiplayer experience, SF6 is a journey of self-discovery, where the gains you make are in your skills and mental game. It can seem like an insurmountable hill to climb, especially if you're new to the genre, but the patience and effort pays off in spades.
Winner - Baldur's Gate III
Developer: Larian Studios | Release Date: August 3rd, 2023
Written by Robert Scarpinito
Much like irl Dungeons & Dragons, it takes a certain group of friends to maintain a multiplayer run of Baldur's Gate 3. And much like D&D, the irreverent chaos from personality clashes and critical misses make every session an absolute eldritch blast.
When you play solo, it's easy to give into using quicksaves to get the outcomes you want, but multiplayer games aren't as easy to quickly restart. Plus, there's a charm in going with the flow and living with your friends' decisions.
Maybe your normally wouldn't raze the druid grove to the ground. Maybe you wouldn't get branded by the Absolute. But everyone makes new memories every now and then thanks to peer pressure, and Larian rewards you by letting your decisions have consequences.
It leans into the beauty of Baldur's Gate 3's narrative web. Every dumb, calculated, and fumbled decision by the group isn't just a bunch of friends having fun at the pub. There are consequences to your team's actions, and the world reacts to you. You can play a full chaos playthrough, a tightly run ship, or somewhere in between, and the experience will still feel like a unique story that only you and your friends can experience.
What BG3 sacrifices in terms of pickup-and-play multiplayer, it gains in strides with long-term dedication. Setting aside 100 hours across weeks with friends doing one thing likely won't be an easy or common thing to pull off, but if it can happen, you're in for a genuinely weird, memorable experience that lives up to its tabletop counterpart.
Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net
There's no I in TEAM!! We're all on the case, and this is how you know it :)