GOTY 2020

Soooo, um, 2020...

Stuff happened this year...including the release of some video games - several of which I enjoyed playing! Incidentally, I just happen to have a list of them right here:

Runners up:

• Lair of the Clockwork God (A clever and subversive adventure game, but also a platformer.)
• The Pedestrian (A novel puzzle-platformer with some cool ideas.)
• Kentucky Route Zero (Sometimes it's absolutely delightful, sometimes it just feels like a real slog.)
• XCOM: Chimera Squad (A nice little XCOM-lite.)
• Gears Tactics (An enjoyable tactics game from a series I know nothing about.)

And, of course, there's always Apex Legends, which I'm still playing regularly. The game underwent a lot of big changes this year - but most importantly, for me, was the release of Revenant, who very quickly became my main. Currently, almost a third of all my wins are as him. I am really interested to see how the game continues to evolve over the next year.

List items

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  1. Spelunky 2

  It doesn't feel like it has the same staying power as Spelunky 1, but it's still a phenomenal game that I loved playing (and getting all the achievements). There are so many absolutely astonishing moments, such as when you first see the [REDACTED] [REDACTED] or when you discover that you can [REDACTED] [REDACTED] the [REDACTED][REDACTED].

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  2. Doom Eternal

  I had a lot of fun playing this despite the many issues I had (how is it possible for a Doom game to have that many different kinds of upgrades???)

  I really enjoyed the 'combat puzzle' - especially in the optional arena areas. The game does a great job at making you feel like you're holding on by a thread during every combat encounter while still giving you many ways to claw your way back and survive..

  I'm also a real sucker for photo modes, especially in a games with incredible environments, which this has.

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  3. Murder by Numbers

  An odd blend of visual novel and picross. It works surprisingly well. The story manages to hit that perfect balance between heartfelt and whimsical.

  Presentation-wise, this game is spot on - from the character designs to the colourful 90s aesthetic to the wonderful soundtrack by Masakazu Sugimori (Ghost Trick, Ace Attorney).

  Also, I'm gonna put my nomination in for SCOUT as Character of the Year. He is a very good robot buddy.

• 

  4. Vaporum: Lockdown

  The follow-up to the 2018 Grimrock-like Vaporum. I played through both of the Vaporums for the first time this year - and they really scratched that dungeon crawler itch I had.

  Lockdown expands and improves upon the original in a number of ways, but, ultimately, it's more of the same - and I'm okay with that.

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  5. Lenna's Inception

  Basically, a procedurally generated Link's Awakening mixed with some Undertale. It took a while, but the game eventually really grew on me. I ended up enjoying it enough to go through the rigmarole of getting all the endings...

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  6. Beautiful Desolation

  This game stands out as something truly unique - not just because of the surreal, post-apocalyptic South African setting, but also because its late-90s-CRPG-inspired (particularly, Planescape: Torment and Fallout) take on point and click adventures.

  Sure, it's a bit rough around the edges, but the world-building and imaginative cast of characters make this journey absolutely worth experiencing.

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  7. Amnesia: Rebirth

  It never gets close to the expectations set by Frictional's previous game, SOMA (or the original Amnesia) - but it's still a very well-crafted, atmospheric horror game with some great voice acting.

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  8. Beyond Blue

  Ironically, the core gameplay is pretty shallow - for the most part, you just go to specific locations and scan things. Thankfully, the game makes up for it in other ways - the voice acting / character interactions, in particular, are top-notch.

  Also, just swimming among digital dolphins and taking in the surroundings is the most relaxed and at peace I've felt in a long while.

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  9. A Monster's Expedition

  There's some excellent puzzles here, but the main star of the show is the writing. There's some delightfully goofy descriptions of everyday items viewed from the perspective of a monster. For example, this is a plaque displayed on an "alphabet collection":

  "During the Era of Maximum Computering, humans developed a curiously personal relationship with the written language. One manifestation of this was how humans would set a framed alphabet on their desk and then stroke it almost non-stop for eight full hours"

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  10. Superhot: Mind Control Delete

  Remember Superhot? It's back...in rogue form!

  The core gameplay loop and the bold aesthetic are still great. However, this game is much longer than the original and sometimes it feels like it stretches the Superhot formula a little thin. Thankfully, though, it does mix things up with various power-ups and enemy types...and other stuff...