When comparing Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara vs BattleBlock Theater, the Slant community recommends BattleBlock Theater for most people. In the question“What are the best local co-op PC games?” BattleBlock Theater is ranked 3rd while Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara is ranked 16th. The most important reason people chose BattleBlock Theater is:
There is a modified co-op campaign that requires players to coordinate their actions to succeed. This makes it a fun couch co-op game due to the importance of communication (as well as how fun it is to grief your teammate in person).
Specs
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Pros
Pro Not just a normal beat 'em up
Branching paths, item shops with usable inventory, and special player abilities make this game more like an action RPG than a side-scrolling beat 'em up.
Pro Allows for 4-player co-op, just like in the arcades
Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara supports 4-player local and online co-op play, which reflects the old arcade setups that allowed four players to play together.
Pro Widescreen support
Original arcade games of this era were 4:3; it’s nice that the developers included a widescreen mode for modern monitor support.
Pro Challenges and trophies
Challenges and trophies are new additions to the game that extend gameplay by introducing more objectives. They are also a source of pride – and bragging rights – for players who have managed to complete them.
Pro Co-op adds a completely new element of coordination to the gameplay
There is a modified co-op campaign that requires players to coordinate their actions to succeed. This makes it a fun couch co-op game due to the importance of communication (as well as how fun it is to grief your teammate in person).
Pro Thought-out presentation that balances style and humor well
The witty humor, enjoyable songs and cutscenes all demonstrate the high level of care and consideration that went into BattleBlock’s design. These things all add up to a game with polish that still stays unique enough to stand out.
Pro Good mix of co-op and PvP multiplayer modes keeps the game enticing
The 2-player co-op campaign is very similar to the single-player one, except that it requires cooperation between the two players. It can be played online or with 2 local players. There is also an arena mode with competitive levels that supports up to 4 players (local, online, or mixed). This gives a good variety of online and local play modes, which should keep the game fresh.
Pro No difficulty spikes, the game is very well balanced
The difficulty curve for Battle Block Theater is so evenly programmed that the player will barely notice things are getting harder. It really does an impressive job of training the player to handle any challenge the game throws at them.
Pro Endless replayability through the level editor and its easily sharable creations
The game has a built-in level editor, and levels (or level packs) can be shared through the Steam Workshop. This makes for a situation where there is an inordinate amount of content for the player to try out, or even create themselves.
Pro Sort of funny but not too much
Light hearted gaming that you can play with your significant other.
Cons
Con Short gameplay
The games last about two hours – quite short by modern standards. However, this is to be expected because they are ports of classic arcade games that were intended to be beaten in a single sitting.
Con Co-op is spotty and limited
There is no way to mix local and online players, so it has to be one or the other. On top of that, the netcode seems poor and disconnects can happen.
Con Competitive play feels lackluster
Competitive play is not as enjoyable as the co-op modes due to stiff combat. The mechanics of this wear out pretty quickly.