Order isn't THAT important here. Some games are simply hard to compare to each other. Most are good and worth checking out. Nothing particularly bad to be found. No endless or open-worlds. Just ones where I managed to see the credits rolling. Tried to add few random sentences for each game featuring some sarcasm and terrible jokes. Failed badly, wink wink. Happy 2020! ^_^
Look at that white animal thingy on poster. Adorable! Baba is cute, isn't she/he/else. That sleeping thing next to Baba is Keke. That's all You need to know besides fact that I <3 "Baba is You" and think about it every single moment. It is such life-changing game. Forget about sleeping, eating and taking poopoo. It's better than Your needs, better than cat photos, even better than Nicolas Cage... Baba provided countless hours of unique and genius puzzle solving constantly finding ways to surprise me again and again. Calling it game of the year is insult. Baba is You and You is You is game of the decade... no, even century. I know, I'm over hyping it so much right now, but just look at trailer (link bellow). Not only it's the most amazing footage You will ever see, it will explain basics better than I could ever do.
Check a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7MJljsoUSo
I mean wow, that was just a minute. 1 minute!!! Now enhance it several thousand times and that's the game You get here.
Highlight is all
Amicia and Hugo... such wholesome team of brother and sister. Asobo (devs) did amazing job with these two to make player feel that emotional connection between them. Game is such adventure and there was nothing like it this year. Actually these types of games are overall just rare. Plague Tale is dark tale. Tale of sickness. Sister trying to save her brother. Poor kids going through unimaginable things. Rats are big part of game judging by cover. You will see thousands of them while slowly moving with torch in one hand and brother's arm in other with hopes to not get eaten alive. Every time seeing someone swallowed by rats is ughhhh... but not everything is so depressing. Plenty of small scenes of sheer happiness can be found through this journey. Plenty of quiet time just listening to conversations between characters while appreciating scenery and solving some simple puzzle. Yes, visuals can be breathtaking. One of the best looking games of year & music in this one is so aaaah. It blends so well and always plays at the right moment. As gameplay goes it's not as simple as someone would expect. It's kinda stealth game with few combat options. Different tools to avoid threat, get past rats and guards who want to harm Hugo like for example swiss army slingshot which can be used for everything, extinguishing fire, drawing attention or squashing some poor innocent apples... There's crafting here which didn't annoy me, that's impressive achievement! It's game after all and really immersive one. Only thing I could question is final act of story. It's just went into unexpected route. Not a dealbreaker, everything else was well done and I was constantly entertained.
The Quickest Note: if interested, play it with French voice acting. It's simply better that way.
Highlights: Chapter 5 / Chapter 9 and approaching the castle. That was hella awesome especially with mysterious music in background / Seeing swarm of rats for the first time. So many rats, oh my! / Few other cool moments, UwU
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtP6mNeN6yE
One of the most fun games of the year. Joy to play. Zero down time during whole playthrough. Awesome physics puzzles. Can be solved in plenty of ways using 3 different characters: Amadeus (Wizzard), Zoya (Thief/Archer) and Pontius (Knight). Favorite is Zoya cause she has the coolest abilities like making bridges with ropes, tying things together or freezing platforms... Bows ftw. Game has really, really beautiful art. Super colorful, will melt eyes. Plenty of 2.5D jumping. Super creative levels and can be played in Co-Op. If You are friendless entity like me then don't worry, single-player is mega fun, nothing lost here.
Highlight: whole game, but part in gardens or during moonlight are most striking and fun fun fun.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFzTe6Sn-bw
"Devotion" is quite heartbreaking and sad story. I mean it's horror. Expecting happy happy times out of it is wrong mindset. It's made in Taiwan and they put crazy amount of detail to show part of their culture and stuff, so it's just really interesting to take a look around game world and explore each corner of every room. That's what You mostly do while experiencing this game. It's so called "walking simulator". Silly name, but hey, it's here to stay... Just get immersed, piece together one of the best vidya game stories of 2019 and get scared. Be prepared to be disturbed, too. Have fun... except if You are Chinese then don't. Fast way to lose social credit points.
Highlights: Pink part / Ending scene / Anxiety compilation.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7kZq9xl_Eg
This game came out of nowhere and I'm glad I stumbled on it. Having sweet spot for these puzzle platfromers and this one has some top quality pixel art and as bonus quite dark themed. Lovely, everything I like. You control green cute bouncy yummy thing which sticks to walls and not just walls. It's all fun till You blow non-playable character's brains out. Most game plays with "floor is lava" concept. It's atmospheric and really creative with puzzles and compelling level design, and boss fights are sooo good and quite challenging too. Can be Dark Souls challenging if want to compare everything with that indie game. MO:Astray is not metroidvania... worth mentioning.
Highlights: Mech warrior / Every single boss fight / Epilogue song.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5_SqCOFsnM
Remake of old survival horror which I have never played. Resident Evil 2 (2019) is silly b-movie thing, but really well made and fun to have time with. There are zombies, aim for head. Guy with loud boots, panic inducer. Ammo is scarce, but not as scarce as in 90s. Visuals good, sound good, pacing good, isn't another freaking open-world... simply put, high quality production. Love what they did with level design and how it all connects. It has sewer levels like every game in existence, but actually good ones. Whaaat?
First playthrough with Leon obviously. Claire is cool and all, but Leon is my boi.
Highlights: Something, something in sewers / Brief switch of gender / Mr Fedora
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtxJtQa6VSw
3D puzzle game... really puzzle heavy puzzle game. I would say it's kinda like "The Talos Principle", but won't bring You to existential crisis. At least puzzle design is in similar fashion and level based. Lots off puzzly puzzle puzzlers. I mean, play, stumble on new game mechanic, learn rules of it, come up with new solutions. Plenty of puzzles work step by step. See end goal, look what You need to do to reach that end goal. Solve small problems, to get past big ones. Basically life. The Sojourn is for patient ones. Beautiful scenery to enjoy, calm ambient playing in background. It can be ASMR for some or heavy metal for others who max out the volume. What I came up from it's 'don't tell a thing' storytelling was pretty cool and satisfying enough.
Highligths: Seeing new puzzle elements introduced is always fun / Moonwalking while looking at The Eye.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR5dhXloIgU
The easiest way to describe this Star Wars vidya is to put random titles of different games. Every game works. Tomb Raider (puzzles & tombs. Has more tombs than Tomb Raider 2013), Need For Speed (same publisher), Knack 2 (it's good), Ori and the Blind Forest (traversal, backtracking and gaining new powers), Dark Souls (exists). Despite fact that I knew 1% of Star Wars universe, I had good time being a Jedi. Now in post credits world, I know 2%. Skipped whole narrative and lore, was too focused on lightsaber trying to see few new pixels after customizing it. By the way pink poncho is canon. If You choose other, You are playing wrong way and losing some story beats. Combat's fun, using force is fun, scaring storm troopers so much that they bug-out. Come on, bugs are cute when they are these little, insignificant things not doing anything harmful. Sadly there are big bugs too such as spiders and seriously fuck these bullies appearing out of nowhere and molesting me with random QTEs. Besides bugs Fallen Order features one of my favorite characters this year. Good reason to check it out so You can guess who or what... and in that case choose at least 3rd difficulty. Don't be half-assed Jedi.
[Obligatory EA is bad comment].
Highlights: Reaching top of the tree / Final boss fight and thing after it / Moving train levels are fun levels / Tombs
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTc-iYL_rrU
Built on Build engine Ion Fury (aka Ion Maiden) offers breathtaking 3D visuals with high quality detailed sprites, objects made of voxels, large scale environments, colored lighting and even working mirrors. Prepare to do carnage while listening to badass synth music and one liners. Rip apart enemies with best revolver in a doom clone while moving like torpedo through futuristic city, metro stations, skyscrapers and fucking sewers!? Be the biggest nerd in district and discover all hidden secrets. Ion Fury is waiting for You.
Highlights: "This is the worst I've seen yet. This man has no dick!"
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncC9jrCqgG8
Modern old school first person shooter. 200% speed, 200% strafing, constant quick saving, smart level design which isn't approved by architects and doesn't make sense. Amid Evil is similar to Hexen, but without bumping into every single wall for hours just to progress one step further. It has crazy dank weapons. There is one which throws planets and probably kills hundreds of civilizations by every shot. That's metal af. Visuals are mix of old and new. Really unique looks. Seeing low poly models with pixelated textures being mixed through some nice high quality looking shaders. Surprisingly weapons are 2D sprites O_O
Highlights: Episode 5 & 6. Fifth had lots of machinery, hazards, traps and platforming. Love that. 6th is dreamlike with fantastic ambience and visuals, super atmospheric, probably featuring best levels of the year.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBlTTW3RRtw
You with talking banana go kill everyone in sight in slow-mo with style on skateboard with two guns on each side while turning around like ballerina and listening to Your favorite beat. Bullets fly, glass shatters, blood sprays and smoke appears. Then You die cause You were too careless, but it's okay, You are having fun.
Highlight: Shooting gamers in sewers / Final levels with all these obstacle courses and lasers.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBbd5YzGyGw
It is in a way similar to game above, but You don't shoot things. You slice them. No banana, just katana, blood, gore and synth music. Hey, synthwave always mix well with these violent pixelated action games. This one even had narrative to follow. Sidescrolling Hotline Miami. Die repeat x100. Scream to screen why are You so bad at vidya games.
Highlights: Apartment with chicky chicky music in background / Deflecting bullets back to where they belong.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GcJC0N07Nk
Really cool puzzle game which deals with concept of infinity. That brings some really fascinating visuals like seeing same structure over and over in distance endlessly. There are some gravity switching too and puzzles can feel overwhelming because of sheer scale, but that's just illusion. Nothing is really that large here, everything just repeats infinitely. You can fall 999999.. hours and still land on same platform. Crazy, I know. Art reminds me of Antichamber. Title doesn't remind me of Antichamber.
Highlight: Ending. It's simply beautiful and have zero clue how dev managed to make it work. THE POWER OF UNITY.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ_yxZwAoCg
3rd person dark souls shooter looter with cool environments like sewers?! but not just that... deserts, alien stuff, fantasy forests with interesting looking fauna, more sewers. I think whole monster design and locations make this game much more enjoyable. It can be repetitive in a way, but gameplay loop is tight and satisfying. Controls are simple. Game mechanics doesn't require You to read whole bible located outside of game. Easy to understand. Challenge is here, upgrade You gear. Shoot roots, survive.
Highlights: Boss fights, all of them / The simple fact that I was finally able to role-play blondine. Crazy bounty hunter type: https://i.imgur.com/EZqDYJS.png
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emLEsdK19PE
Metro Exodus is only big budget first person shooter this year which is worth playing. 3rd part into Metro series where game designers prioritized putting half naked women over creating actual metro stations. Nothing against some pair of tits, but needed more dicks for sweet balance. There will be 4th game so maybe, maybe. Metro (game) is always the best when You are alone with no bullets to waste and lots of monsters around. Cold weather, dirt on gas mask, trying best to survive. More open than previous games in series (almost open-world), but didn't lose all attention to details. Guns look sweet. Map is actual in-game item, not weird menu which pauses the game (hello Witcher). It's impressive how much dialog they recorded for different characters like for example meet some random Russian survivor and he will tell these long stories and won't ever shut up. Usually NPCs just speak few lines, but not in Metro universe. Russian voice acting is a must. If some parts can be cringy with that then English vo is gonna be comedy gold. Graphics are simply top notch (especially forest part), nothing surprising judging by previous games. Story is TV melodrama mixed with vodka and blood. The perfect combination.
4A hired that popular dev who puts "Hold button to interact" mechanic. I don't like that dev. Holding buttons is too complicated for such casual as me.
Highlights: Epic final chapter, ending / One time when game glitched out and all Russians turned into really talkative people repeating same lines and constantly swearing over and over. Even silent protagonist had hard time not to giggle. / That marriage part with songs and drinking around the table. That's just deja-vu.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAuj2ExAMcw
The scariest game of year. At least to me. Similar to the first one locations are mind*beep*. One moment You will be on ship next in labyrinth hiding from some giant and then in next Your vision will turn black & white. At least makes some appealing visuals. Layers of Fear is artsy game no doubt. First game dealt with crazy painter. Now in this one You are an actor. Probably not mentally well one. Game is referencing plenty of movies. Mostly old ones. I'm pretty sure one part of game was taken straight from "Metropolis (1927)" then there was scene with well "Ringu". Others like "Se7en" and "The Shining" as well. Sadly didn't find any reference to "The Hottie and the Nottie". Basically lots of cool details for movie people. In game You mostly move forward, solve simplistic puzzles and try to understand this vague storytelling through audio pieces, letters, newspapers, kids drawings, environment et cetera. Sometimes flee from monsters. Audio design is excellent here so these sequences can be fucking terrifying. There are 3 endings and I personally got mixed one. Gave me that sweet 'what the hell' expression.
Highlight: Room with projector. Creepiest shit I have seen in long time. Leave that room fast!
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE3hP6BbjXg
Control is used as dodge button in PC version of game. Also Control is 3rd person action/adventure game with mindfuck storytelling, lots of weird looking numb faces and cool powers like being able to fly. The way how Jesse (red haired office lady on poster) flies is amazingly animated (can feel her struggle). She can manipulate gravity too and throw random garbage at enemies which are called 'The Hiss'. She also reads a lot of papers and has ability to stop conversations while doing her inner monologue. Story is... well, it is. People like to compare it to David Lynch movies so I compare it to David Lynch movies. Strange and hard to follow especially when I lose myself into all physics interactions, trying to break every chair in existence. Getting back to faces and expressions... that's some uncanny valley stuff and why are NPCs acting like NPCs? Only thing missing is T poses.
Highlights: Poets of the Fall scene / These crazy anomalies which make physics go wild / Every shootout is great to look at / The way how game introduces new areas with LARGE letters on screen. Nice artistic touch.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT5yMfC9LQM
The story of Devil May Cry is such anime, but whatever. Who plays DMCs for story anyway... (probably more than I think). Gameplay is the real deal and it's quite nice here. Kicking some demon ass; That's all I want. Only few games where I can live this inner fantasy. Can finally realize all potential out of my poor, barely working controller. That thing hates character action games. Devs added new character V this time. Such edgelord, but can't surpass 2013 Donte. His fighting style is much different from Nero's and Dante's with all that book reading and monster summoning. Probably has best fighting theme, probably. Nero's theme got old even before game released, but best song of game is one which plays inside van when upgrading characters and buying devil triggers (Nico's theme). It's so chill. Can't leave the van. Stuck in van with girls! Now starting to sound like horror game, but trust me, it is not. By the way they did amazing job with Nico. She looks so lifelike, it's crazy.
Highlights: Killing demons with motorcycle / Dante's dance scene / Intro after prologue which ends with "This game does not promote smoking". PC benchmark worthy it is.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMSGj9Y2T9Q
Spinoff Darksiders and as spinoff it succeeded. This time playing with two characters. War, this overly serious, stubborn horseman and Strife, new to series and one who is constantly making jokes. Oh geez, jokes! >_> Well, these Darksiders games were always geek fantasy, but fun nevertheless. That matters. Darksiders Genesis is isometric Darksiders 1 (which was mix of Zelda and God of War) and a bit like Diablo without crazy loot and grinding, but more puzzles and platforming OR it's twin-stick shooter if You prefer playing Strife.. (who doesn't). Basically Diablolike, but actually fun. Now give me proper Darksiders 4.
Highlight: I think levels in crypts were the best ones.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyo1uG6ljBM
Bloober Team's game so get ready to stuck in a loop and go through same location over and over this time inside the forest at night. That is scary to be honest. At least police officer Ellis on mission to find missing kid was smart enough to bring flashlight and camera which aren't made in China, and he brought dog called Bullet. Bullet makes him more bulletproof against Blair and her weird wood monsters who hate light for some reason. Hey, having option to cosplay Alan Wake is not bad at all. I know there was this 90s found footage movie with same name +Project at the end of title. It was seriously scary at least at time when I watched it. I peed my pants... twice. I don't think game is that connected to these things from other medias. Maybe some mythos. Zero clue. Not first Blair Witch game, too. There were old ones. For more info ask Pepperidge farm. This new one plays like [Insert indie horror game here].
Highlights: Bullet, the dog / House, the spooky house.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj8ESvjrmE0
A bit complex to write about so yea, it's 3D platformer. A bit like Limbo, but with all colors and dimensions. You play as monster girl. Person who isn't person anymore, but some stranger to herself stuck in another world. Someone who has lost hope and doesn't see happiness in her life, but only ugly side of it. She feels like burden making all things worse. Collecting negative thoughts, blaming herself, but still managing to find time for others and trying to turn things right despite her own suffering. Basically Sea of Solitude is kinda like "Gris", "Celeste" and "Rime" thematically, but more flawed. Still always welcome these types of games which deal with such personal thought-provoking topics (depression/grief) even in really straight forward way like this one. It's simple game trying to tell/show something which isn't simple at all and fucking sucks to deal with.
Highlights: Climbing the tallest building / Coming up with own ideas and symbolism.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWY76dNvXyo
Game about perception. Take some tiny little thingy and turn it into big THING just by looking at it from right position and angle. That way You can turn cheese into CHEESE and cheese the way out by using it as bridge or something. Pretty cool, unique little game with BIG ideas. There are plenty of other perception mechanics, but experience them Yourself.
PLAY ME, PLAY ME! I'm only 2 hours long and I live in Epic store.
Highlight: Obviously THE Gimmick of game.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SX8XMwMw6Y
Etherborn has some of that ethereal quality. Meditative stuff. Run & jump through abstract environments. Lose navigational senses by all gravitational changes. Short enough to complete it in one sitting. Little cool experience.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LoWtkDKNxs
Someone was like "What if we combine futuristic sci-fi with viking themes?" Then someone else added "What if we include jump button in horror game in 2019? That would be crazy." That's some inside story of how this game came to be...
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpNCHJVtlVI
At least it's brief.
tldr; brief
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziNZqEw0Adg
I don't have much to say about this one. It's called "Close to the Sun". Released on May 2nd, 2019. Adventure, horror game <-- Not sure about that. Aesthetically it's like Bioshock. Story wise it deals with time traveling stuff and gameplay is lots of walking. Yup, it's one of these "walk, talk, read newspaper" games where You hope that story will be worthwhile. It's last game on list so it is exceptional. Wink!
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFb10rIAObs
