So theres this silly new co-op game you have to check out. You and your friends play as a bunch of little guys wearing oversized helmets. You have to rescue a princess. By the way, its 2008, this game is called Castle Crashers, and life is good. #yolo!Wait, Im so sorry, I have some of those details wrong Its actually 2025, this game is called Big Helmet Heroes, and life is [Ed note: adjective redacted]. Were not saying yolo anymore, are we?Youll hopefully understand my mistake. Big Helmet Heroes, released last month for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, is functionally a high-fidelity spin on Castle Crashers, a popular 2008 beat-em-up by developer The Behemoth that helped pave the way for an indie game revolution in the late 2000s and early 2010s.This comparison is not an exaggeration, by the way, nor is it a put-down. But the similarities are undeniable. Its not just the princess-saving or the medieval vibes or the whimsically anachronistic music. Even the first major boss crashes through a gate in the same manner as Castle Crashers first boss.That said, there are a handful of aspects that could count as differences on a technicality. Big Helmet Heroes eschews the cartoonish look of Castle Crashers for an art style that resembles, or at least aims for, photorealism. In Castle Crashers, you could level up heroes individually, and they each wielded unique weapons. Big Helmet Heroes stars 29 characters, and while they all wear comically oversized helmets, you cant level them up. They all neatly fall into one of four weapon archetypes: sword, staff, daggers, or giant hammer.To unlock additional characters beyond your starting roster, you need to scour hidden corners in each of the games levels. These other unlockable characters arent too varied, although each one comes with a different special ability. And some of these abilities are game-changers: One freezes all nearby enemies, while another creates a localized zone of bullet time, while yet another immerses all nearby enemies in bubbles, as they flail helplessly while floating off screen. (Others are less helpful: One ability floods the screen with sheep.)As such, much of the fun in Big Helmet Heroes comes not just from beating levels but from exploring each one to look for new little guys (with big helmets). But the best part? You can play the entire game with a friend while and this is the most important sitting next to that friend. Such is the state of the games industry where, if a game has couch co-op, Im gonna check it out for at least a little bit.Its no secret that couch co-op has slipped from a welcome feature to one thats barely present in the biggest games. And in the rare cases where it does exist, it feels tacked on. Save for some Nintendo games, getting a local lobby in Call of Duty or Gears of War or whatever practically requires a user manual. Even the Halo series, which pretty much minted the Mountain Dew-fueled pastime of sitting on the couch with your friends and shooting make-believe aliens, forwent local campaign co-op a decade ago. (You can still play competitive multiplayer locally.)Yet Big Helmet Heroes carries the flame, and further heralds a strong year for couch co-op games. The shooters Revenge of the Savage Planet and Borderlands 4 will include local co-op when they launch in May and September respectively. The hack-and-slash Towerborne will support up to four players locally when it exits early access and lands on Xbox later this year. Just next month, Split Fiction, the next game from It Takes Two developer Hazelight Studios, launches with multi-genre-verse gameplay that not only supports but actively encourages playing side by side with a friend, though youll also be able play with that friend online.No, a Castle Crashers spiritual successor isnt the hero (with big helmets) that we deserve. Its the one we needed.Big Helmet Heroeswas released Feb. 6 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on Xbox Series X using a download code provided by Exalted Studio. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can findadditional information about Polygons ethics policy here.