GOTY 2020
Descriptions to follow soon
List items
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I love the Yakuza series, so when a Yakuza game comes to steam, I am first in line to experience it. This game, however, had a lot to prove, being the first game not starred by their traditional cast in a while, and changing directions pretty heavily into a new genre (from Beat'em Up to Turn Based Roleplaying), and I have to say, for the most part, it succeeds. The cast is pretty good, the main character is very likeable, and the game is full of the kind of sidequest that flesh him out a lot.
The part that is less polished is the RPG combat. The enemy AI is awful, environmental and area attacks are really unpredictable, and most of the side stuff is not built for having a full party with you. The whole thing feels like an afterthought, so I guess it is a badge of honor that the game still works great despite those elements.
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This game is wholesome and pure, and sometimes that is all you need. It even have a mechanic to hug people at anytime, which is the epitome of sincere lightheartedness. The game deals with some heavy subjects (you are the ferryman helping people to move on and carrying them to the afterlife), but it's never gloom about it.
My only gripe with the game is that it is too long. The map is really big and the gameplay is sometimes padded with timers or things that can only be used at an specific time of day, so by the time I was ready to wrap it up, the game had several hours of similar content is store for me. It is a shame because, while I treasure many of the moments I spent with the early characters, I found myself rushing through the later content...
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The premise of that game is so good it can be summarized on a sentence: it's a metroidvania style game where you play as The Thing.
What is not expressed on that sentence is how great it controls (especially considering you control something without arms or legs), how it is built as a stealth game, and how that makes you feel.
You can go around rushing through the level as a ball of teeth and spikes, shredding everything in your path; or you can stay in the shadows, terrorizing people left and right, picking them apart and playing mind games with them, baiting them, to the point you start thinking like a sadistic creature from beyond the stars. Sure, I didn't "have to" use a tentacle to drag a screaming civilian to my gaping mouth, and even the act of writing such a sentence makes me feel gross afterwards.
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This was an unexpected surprise. The game is a character driven, 3rd person, action adventure game (so far, nothing new). What distinguishes it from the rest is the setting: this game is based on hindu mythology, which is a very underrepresented panteon, despite being recognized by one of the biggest group of people. As such, it not only uses its setting for its architecture, puzzles and combat, but it takes a lot of opportunities to teach its inspiration to the player.
Lets face it, we have seen lots of world developers taking lots of world settings and expressing them through their lent, not always successfully, not always respectfully and often as nothing more than window dressing, so I find fascinating having a developer present their own identity in a way that is both informative and caring.
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Cute little story presented in interactive vignettes and minigames. The game is short and can be completed in a single sitting, but it's charming and well done. The game follows Florence and Krish as they met, form a relationship, grew closer and then appart and its aftermath.
The reason why it isn't highest is because, as I said, its very short. I don't think it would support a longer experience, but it still left me craving for more. However, if you are in the mood for a short and wholesome experience in this not short or wholesome time, it is definitely recommended.
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This is a first person puzzle game with mystery/lovecraftian elements. It is the kind of game you can explore at leisure, and the journey is in the mystery. Despite being in first person, there are no enemies or quick reflexes required.
The reason why this isn't higher on my list is that the puzzles, the main gameplay element, are not always well implemented: they are all a variety of "arrange this shapes in a specific order" but they each follow their own logic, and there are no linking element between them (barely no two puzzles use the same mechanic), so you never feel like you are getting better at them, just that you stumbled into the logic that this particular puzzle wants you to use.
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This game is a marriage between 2 different genres (an interactive graphic novel and a nonogram game), and while I think it is not always successful, I am glad that it exists since I don't know many good nonogram games on steam.
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This is the steam release of 2020 (and also an attempt to complete 10 games). This game is great. It is amazing the millage they can get from some of the ideas, and the amount of creativity for each level is astounding. Easily the best golf game I have ever played.
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