JeremyF's Top 10 Games of 2019

Call me crazy, but I look forward to game of the year time every December. It’s a wonderful chance to look back at the experiences that shaped my digital year and what I’ll take into the next one.

I like to broadly theme each year when making these lists. The commonality between my favorite games in 2017 was powerful emotion. 2018 focused on strong design. In 2019, the theme is creativity. Most of what you’ll see on this list stands out with particularly special art, music, concept, voice or heart.

These games also inspired me to re-stoke my own creative fires, both within and outside them. The biggest lesson I learned is the value of patience and persistence when making art – the result is often much more rewarding. I’m very happy with what I’ve created this year, and it’s due in no small part to the brilliance on my console or computer.

With that out of the way, it’s time to count down the games that most defined my year. And as usual, I’ve included a choice song from each entry. Enjoy!

10. Dreams

With my chosen theme for 2019, it’s hard to pick a better mood-setter than Media Molecule’s Dreams. Even the most jaded person can look through the top-rated section and find something astonishing. Despite my admiration, Dreams is one of my biggest regrets of the year. I fell off the game shortly after it entered early access because I couldn’t get my head around the creation process. While the UX was too unintuitive for me, that does nothing to diminish the incredible creations the community has since realized.

In Dreams, you’re just as likely to find a 30-second gag as you are a full RPG experience. The platform actively encourages inspiration, experimentation, and collaboration. Everything I’ve seen from the community has been totally enthusiastic about capturing that creative spirit. Even from a distance, it’s beautiful to watch. The full launch on Valentine's Day will hopefully evolve the landscape even further. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dreams kickstarts the careers of some of the future’s next great game developers.

9. Outer Wilds

The great tragedy of Outer Wilds is that it may never escape the confusion with Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds. Even I get them mixed up sometimes, and I’ve only played one of ‘em. In this game, you’re tasked with exploring the solar system in a time loop that ends with a supernova every 22 minutes. All that persists between cycles is your knowledge as you follow a Pepe Silvia web to the next clue.

What this means is that you can tackle the game in any order that you choose or bounce between planets at will. It’s great open-ended design that capitalizes on the vast setting. Unfortunately, the traversal was a bit too unwieldy for me, and punishing to boot. Floating in space after falling through the black hole yet again demoralized me from exploring more. I don’t envy NASA engineers. Despite that, it can be exhilarating to pick up the trail as the pieces coalesce. In its best moments, Outer Wilds encapsulates the adventurous spirit and wonder that drives us to the stars in real life.

8. Hypnospace Outlaw

I don’t typically spend time reading lore pamphlets, but scouring the information superhighway of Hypnospace is awfully satisfying. You take the role of a forum moderator on an alternate universe 1999 internet. The world-building that makes up that universe acts as a tempting rabbit hole much like the ones we’re using right now. Each page you find seems to uncover two more. The endless eccentricities and distractions kept me invested in the otherwise simple game.

Hypnospace is a satirical snapshot of a very particular era, and it essentially nails the impression. You’ll find underground music movements, digital scams and ersatz Pokémon with the accompanying Satanic Panic. Every piece of art and music falls right in line with ‘90s aesthetic values. Though it’s your job to police the wacky Hypnospace citizens, you can’t help getting attached to them. Seeing their pages evolve and drama unfold while rocking to The Chowder Man was a great way to spend Y2K.

7. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Until this year, Link’s Awakening was one of the diminishing pack of Zelda games I had not really touched. This handheld beauty really shines in the gorgeous (but probably overpriced) remake. Koholint Island takes on the style of toy miniatures, and a handful of quality of life improvements make the experience that much smoother.

Link’s Awakening is confident in its quirky personality, which helps set it apart. It’s the first Zelda game to have an extended cast of named characters endearing the player to the world. Important story moments are just as iconic as the ones in the game’s console siblings. The visual upgrade kept me hooked as I gobbled up the adventure in a weekend. I loved the imaginative dungeons, and the only annoying spot was when I had to find this one particular bush on the overworld. I suppose the NES Zelda DNA hadn’t fully evolved. Other than that, Link’s Awakening remains an excellent entry in the series and a demonstration of how the series formula can still hit hard.

6. Pikuniku

I learned about, installed, finished and reviewed Pikuniku in less than 24 hours, but the whole experience hit all the right notes for me. The three-hour game leans on oddball comedy set to a flat, minimalist landscape and funky tunes. You play as a walking red ball who must stop a greedy industrialist from taking over the land. Along the way, you solve puzzles, do some light platforming and participate in the occasional bizarre minigame with equally goofy characters.

Pikuniku is a great example of doing a lot with a little. It won’t win any awards for depth, but the pace and variety kept me wanting to see what happened next. I had a smile on my face every moment of the playthrough. While cute and colorful, Pikuniku’s personality hinges on irony and understatement. That isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, it totally landed the punchline.

5. Resident Evil 2

What usually kept me away from survival horror was fear not of the scary monsters, but of resource management. I didn’t want to get screwed over by missing the tiny box of ammo in my pixel hunting three hours earlier. Fortunately, Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil 2 contains an excellent map system and modern controls, allowing me to put these worries aside and fully engross myself in the experience. Lights off, headphones on!

RE2 has a masterful power curve that swings the player between capable and helpless. Poking around the world - especially the police station - felt like a tense mission through enemy territory instead of backtracking. Despite the memes and his silly hat, Mr. X was a terrifying opponent. I really did feel like I was fighting for my life, which is rare in the genres I typically play. While I expected to have fun with this game, I didn’t expect to enjoy it this much. Returning to Raccoon City next April is sure to be thrilling.

4. Super Mario Maker 2

While Dreams has a much more robust palette for creation, Super Mario Maker 2 is the game that really inspired me. No shortage of time was spent refining my levels into something that I would actually like to play. In a way, mastering principles of good design is more rewarding than actually beating levels. The interface is not as beautiful and harmonious as on the Wii U, but it’s a relatively small hill to overcome.

The additions to the sequel seem small from the outside, but they’re huge to those who spent serious time in the original. The given tools are also deceptively powerful – someone made a working calculator, for cryin’ out loud. Still, I always gravitated towards simple platforming stages to nurture my designing skills. I’m very proud of what I produced in the early months, though I’d seriously need a de-rusting should I ever come back. Most notably, digging in Mario Maker’s weeds has given me a better eye for judging level design in other games. Seeing how titles like Donkey Kong Country follow the “Nintendo Method” is interesting up close.

3. Judgment

So, you want to get into the Yakuza series, and you still won’t play Yakuza 0 for some reason. Well, Judgment is another great place to start. Without any baggage from Kiryu’s odyssey, Judgment focuses on a new cast that’s just as lovable as the old guard. The main character Yagami increasingly grew on me as my hour count ballooned. It’s hard to respect a guy with a wallet chain, but his moral code and lovable nature quickly won me over.

Yagami’s role as a private investigator provided a great backdrop for the numerous side cases, which contain a few gems. I hit the controller's share button constantly to save snapshots of dialogue. The combat still held up even in my fourth game from the studio. While not everything is amazing (tailing missions, how the heck does mahjong work?), Yakuza’s trademark gameplay variety is in full force here. I found the surprising inclusion of an English dub to be a welcome addition. Everyone’s performance was good to great, amplifying a largely enticing central mystery. Wherever the series heads next, I hope we get to see Yagami again before too long.

2. Tetris 99

Last year, I had nothing nice to say about the Nintendo Switch Online program. Turns out that Tetris 99, which is a free download to subscribers, made it absolutely worth the cost. It’s easily my most played online game in a long time. I felt the ups and downs as I came back day after day and actually got good. I never thought I’d say that about a battle royale. The minutes before my first win were more pulse-pounding than anything Umbrella could throw at me.

The developers nailed the speed and tactile sensation you get from fitting pieces together. Sometimes you can lose in an instant to what seems like bad luck, but fighting back and conquering lines at the top of the screen is a power trip like no other. The daily missions and unlocks added later in the year only cemented my addiction. Playing Tetris 99 before bed actually induced the medical Tetris Effect more than the game of the same name. Combined, these two brilliant games make up the yin and yang of Russia’s greatest contribution to mankind.

1. Anodyne 2: Return to Dust

Sometimes, it’s more about the journey than the destination. Anodyne 2 is one of those cases for me. Those who consume a lot of postmodern or “meta” media won’t be surprised by the philosophical questions asked by the game’s story. However, it’s in the smaller moments that Anodyne 2 becomes really special.

The game mixes a standout PS1-esque graphics style with more traditional pixel art, leading to some strangely beautiful low-poly landscapes. Analgesic’s two-person dev team leveraged the medium itself in order to craft a uniquely beautiful land. They also possess the uncanny ability to know exactly what the player is feeling at any given moment. Every little joke made me grin with memories of my beloved Earthbound. As the adventure ramped up, I was continually surprised by each new level’s twist. Exploring New Theeland and encountering the desert dolphin will be moments that stick with me for a long time. With such an imaginative world, it was easy for the story beats to resonate with me. It’s hard to do Anodyne 2 justice in this short write-up, but I really encourage everyone to play it for themselves and experience the journey firsthand.