If you’ve read my work before, you know that I make an effort to look at things optimistically. Yes, it would be ludicrous to call 2020 anything other than a shitshow. The Forces That Be seemed determined to hurt as many people as possible. The bright-eyed predictions I made 12 months ago are now laughable.

But you don’t need me to tell you that. Instead, I’m going to remind everyone that we made it. We were pushed harder than anyone could have expected, but we’re still here. That in and of itself is worth celebrating. Take a moment, then let’s move on to the lighter stuff.

I beat more than 65 games this year, a ludicrous number that I’ll probably never reach again. Key to this accomplishment, if you want to call it that, was avoiding those super long games that drain hour after hour. The only RPGs I played were of the Mario variety. I honestly think the variation in titles was what kept me sane. I also notice that my choices became “safer” as the pandemic progressed, essentially filling the role of comfort food.

As far as new games go, I was pleasantly surprised with the offerings this year. Some of my favorites were totally off my radar, which was a nice contrast to the overhyped big-budget releases. I’m very glad that my blog posts pumping up these smaller games were warmly received. Now, let’s see where they landed among everything else.

10. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

This is the Animal Crossing game of my dreams from around ten years ago. New Horizons feels like it finally has the space for expression found in similar games. Most of the time. The amount of control over your island is staggering compared to previous entries. Players turned their game worlds into art installations, theme park experiences, or simply the coziest town in the world.

I can’t imagine a single person with a soul being unaffected by the game’s gorgeous presentation. When I first saw the trees blow in the wind and the soft texture on the animals… are you kidding me? Nintendo shows once again they are the masters of doing a lot with a little.

Walking into the museum for the first time was breathtaking, and I made it a goal to fill the whole thing out for the first time. Well, I made surprisingly good progress for a few months, but come August I had become frustrated with the lack of return for my efforts. I felt like I was on a losing streak at the slots, and that sort of sucked away a big reason for me to keep playing.

When you don’t have a goal, it’s easy to fall off the train, especially since there are some problems that become more apparent the further you play. The quality-of-life shortcomings really start to stand out, and the villagers in this game are no more interesting than the furniture you choose to decorate with.

But the happenstance of this game’s release will always give it a place in cultural history. In many ways, it was the perfect game for its moment. The monumental success is well-earned.

9. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

I’m of two minds with Crash 4, but in every way that counts, it’s exactly what I was hoping for. Toys for Bob thoroughly understand what makes this type of platformer fun. It’s without a doubt the most thoughtful level design in the series. All of my problems with gimmicky levels were avoided because the new mechanics build on the main gameplay in substantial and fun ways.

In particular, the four masks are great pace shakers and my favorite addition. Platforming junkies will recognize the concepts, but seeing them in the context of Crash is fresh, and they never outstay their welcome. Chaining between the masks in the final area is immensely satisfying when you pull it off. And it’s quite a while before you get to that final area. The game is surprisingly long, and its level variety remains impressive. If the game were just the campaign, it would still be worth the price. But for better or worse, the campaign is barely scratching the surface of Crash 4’s content.

Take it from a guy who spent an entire day of his life getting the time trial on the N. Sane Trilogy’s Stormy Ascent: Do not attempt to 100% Crash 4 for any reason! If you play with the intent of smashing every crate you can find, you suddenly enter a very different game. In this game, the designers laugh at you with boxes placed totally out of view. They mock you for every hour spent combing through levels for that one last crate. This happens every time, without fail.

But that’s not nearly bad enough. You’ll also need to do all of that without dying, which means frequently enduring the torturous load times. Then, you’ll have to do all of that a second time! Plus time trials! On one hand, I feel like it was my choice to muck down my playthrough with some of this stuff. On the other, as someone with three platinum trophies from the original games, I don’t think it’s outrageous to go into Crash 4 wanting to complete it. The sooner you disavow yourself of that notion, the better. It tragically gets in the way of an otherwise fantastic platformer.

8. Spelunky 2

Oh, Spelunky 2. You wound me with your tricks and traps. You make me scream with your blindsiding bullcrap. You drive me to throw my controller with your mean-spirited mockery. Yet, despite it all, I can’t seem to quit you.

Every run in this game ends in humiliating failure for me, but putting it down is harder than I expected. That might be because it’s such a pure experience. It gives the impression that each run is less reliant on luck, though I don’t think that’s true in practice. In any case, I always come up short in the skill department. Imagine you took your driver’s test and kept ramming into the same telephone pole.

I’m sure that you could fill a library with everything I don’t know about Spelunky 2. I have the weird sensation that I’m somehow not worthy of this information until I prove further mastery. However, the stuff around the edges is what most differentiates Spelunky 2 from the first. In a lot of respects, it’s Spelunky “for super players.”

So, my feelings about the experience are obviously conflicted. It may end up being something I can only appreciate from a distance. But for now, I’m still pushing that boulder with screaming determination.

7. Creaks

The first of the lesser-known games on this list, Creaks is an atmospheric 2D puzzler with a surreal style. But, in a rare case for the genre, I never wanted to tear my hair out at a puzzle. The puzzle mechanics involve weird animal creatures that have unusual behavior in various situations. However, Amanita Design does a great job introducing these concepts so that they aren’t overwhelming.

One element I should have discussed more in my review is character interaction. It’s very sparse at first, with occasional vignettes of bird folk squabbling. Even though the game is nonverbal, the birds are rather expressive with clear personalities. When you start to interact with them more directly, it leads to some satisfying moments.

Creaks’s world in general is quite enjoyable to inhabit. The decaying wooden structures and mysterious interactive paintings really did it for me. By the end, I had an appreciation for this outwardly bizarre and hostile culture. It’s not the horror game I was anticipating, but Amanita is making a horror game next. It makes me very uncomfortable, but given how much I enjoy Creaks, I might just give it a go.

6. Resident Evil 3 (2020)

Look, objectively, I can see that this remake is not as satisfying an experience as last year’s Resident Evil 2. But for whatever screwy reason, I got way more into this one! Yes, the game is truncated, but that made me replay it a bunch of times for the sign of domination that is the infinite rocket launcher.

This is the Aliens to RE2’s Alien. There’s very little real horror to be found, but I had a lot of fun with it as an action game. There are also like zero puzzles, which is a little disappointing. Still, the pace of the game is always pushing you forward. That’s probably why so many people found it abrupt.

Where RE3 actually outdoes its predecessor is in characterization. Resident Evil dialogue has always felt wooden to me until now. Jill’s portrayal in this game is really strong. And I went in fully expecting to hate Carlos, but the opposite was true. The two have a buddy dynamic that actually feels natural, which isn’t as common as I’d like.

While acknowledging that this game doesn’t live up to RE2 in a lot of respects, the animosity towards it is totally overblown in my eyes. If you go in with the right expectations, it’s a blast.

5. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

When I was playing Miles Morales, I often had to take a step back and think about how lucky we are. We get a sequel to the best-playing superhero game of all time and we take it for granted! I absolutely adore Insomniac’s version of Spider-Man, and it was refreshing that the plot doesn’t involve a deadly pandemic this time.

My favorite Spider-Man stories have always been the Friendly Neighborhood variety, and Miles Morales embodies them. The conceit of the Spidey app makes quests more personal. Helping out a small business owner, then seeing them cheer Miles on in a cutscene hours later is truly heartwarming. Focusing on Miles and his family fills out the character, expanding on what was in the original game to make him a rounded, conflicted, and thoroughly rootable person.

And whenever we get Spider-Man in the snow, it’s an absolute treat. I played on the puny PS4, but the environmental detail is still gorgeous. It’s a wonderful backdrop for a story that puts personal connections at the forefront. Yes, to be reductive, Miles Morales is “more Spider-Man.” But there’s nothing wrong with a second helping of a perfect meal.

4. Kentucky Route Zero

I truly had no idea what to expect when I went into Kentucky Route Zero so many months ago. What I got was a challenging narrative with complex characters, striking environments, and haunting music. The game will have you read more than anything else, but it also loves throwing you unexpectedly into quiet moments where you must sit with your thoughts. Every time this happened, the evolving story left me in a different state of mind.

Playing a prolonged episodic game all at once is an interesting experience. In this case, the growing skill the developers gain for story and design is palpable. The first episode seemed quite basic to me, but by the end I saw things that I never could have imagined. I especially loved the interstitial episodes, where Cardboard Computer gets wild with the format. Where else is a naturalist's phone tree considered gameplay?

When I reached the credits of Kentucky Route Zero, I was satisfied narratively but still pined for more. I thought of all the writing I had potentially missed during my playthrough and how it might have changed my perspective. It’s absolutely a game that I’ll play again. I suspect that I’ll feel different every time I do.

3. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

I considered myself ambivalent to Troidlikes. I was frustrated by my first playthrough of Super Metroid, I bounced off of Hollow Knight, and my preference for linear Castlevania games is so strong that I leave the “vania” off the genre’s name. But this year, I (re)played the good 2D Metroids, which made me more appreciative of Troidlike design. That culminated in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, which is plainly best in class.

The sequel is often reminiscent of the Blind Forest, but every flaw in the original has been ironed out. I’m especially glad they nixed the manual saving because the Switch version crashed on me a few times. Generally, though, I’m absolutely floored by the wizardry Moon did to make Nintendo’s platform feel uncompromised. Every frame of this game is worthy of being your desktop wallpaper. I found myself standing still, enraptured by the smallest background details.

In a lot of Troidlikes, the double jump is a sign that you’re reaching the end of the power curve. Ori gives you the double jump very early on. Okay, I thought, I better see some crazy abilities. Sure enough, mobility is an art form in its own right. Whipping through the air, bashing off of projectiles, and drilling through the sand all have the perfect energy and weight. Combat incorporates more movement, and it’s actually fun this time. Of course, all of this enhances exploration and makes searching for goodies consistently enjoyable. Even the ideas shamelessly taken from Hollow Knight add to the experience.

The people behind Ori and the Will of the Wisps are geniuses, and it’s shocking that I haven’t seen the game get the appreciation it deserves. It’s on Game Pass, for crying out loud! Just play it!

2. Desperados III

In contrast, Desperados III is in a genre that I had no experience with. That didn’t stop me from appreciating everything the game does beautifully and sinking dozens of hours into its missions. A wild west stealth game, you control up to five distinct characters with their own abilities. Using these powers to their full potential is what turns this RTS into more of a puzzle game for me. It’s utterly satisfying to conquer a challenge thinking outside the box.

Desperados III also has a bevy of extra content to enjoy, from challenges to extra missions to a new debug mode. Thankfully, I learned my lesson after Crash 4, and I can appreciate this content without being neurotic about it. Every moment I spent with the game told me that Mimimi loves what they do. This isn’t just a title for strategy lovers. In fact, playing it might turn you into a strategy lover.

I wrote a bunch more words about the game here, so I don’t want to repeat myself too much. All told, Desperados III reaffirmed my belief that the best experiences can come from the least likely places.

1. Hades

Everyone knows how good this game is by now, and after talking about it so much with friends, I don’t know how much more I can say about it. But I can still try.

Hades is the culmination of Supergiant Games’s work since their origins. I played through their first two titles this year, and the leap to their latest is jaw-dropping. I have no doubt that the time in early access refined the combat into the studio’s best ever. Add the countless variations of playstyles that develop over the course of each run, and you're hard-pressed to get bored of smashing shades. Steering Zagreus into a build that melts opposition is literally divine. Then, you unlock more and more modifiers, and you realize just how much meat is on Hades’s bones.

When it comes to Supergiant’s take on Greek mythology, the smaller figures are what captured my interest. The residents of the House of Hades have a lot of implied history with Zagreus. Every conversation further endears them to the player, and they’re what keeps you playing much of the time. My only disappointment with the story was the ending. It oddly felt both too neat and too inconclusive. It was the sole time I felt the narrative constraints of a Rougelike take a serious toll.

That stumble aside, Hades is an endlessly replayable game that belongs on the highest peaks of Olympus. Everyone on the team is clearly at the height of their power. They’ve always been great, but this is seriously another level. If you’ve also put Hades as your number one, you have good taste, my friend. If you haven’t played it, buy it right now, and the soundtrack while you’re at it. We all deserve to go into 2021 with high spirits. For my money, there’s no better way.

***By the way, DOOM Eternal used to be number 10 on the list. Now it's number 11. But I'm not going to NOT put Mick Gordon on here, y'know?