2016 was a total disaster for anyone who cares about justice, equality, or not being a complete fucking monster. It was the kind of year that could convince one to spend the rest of their life in the fetal position under the whims of anxiety and terror. But at least the video games were good! Due to time, money, and stable Rocket League servers, I didn’t play as many games this year, so this is a shorter list than the usual. Here is my top five:

5. Dishonored 2

Dishonored 2 doesn’t offer much you don’t expect if you played the first game, but damn if it doesn’t execute on its ideas. The beginning of each level is always overwhelming for me; there are so many pathways to go down, so many runes and bonecharms to collect, so many enemies to avoid or takeout via nonlethal means. My version of Emily Kaldwin isn’t a rampant killer. She’s just a poor leader who apparently had no idea that her kingdom was filled with rotten politicians doing everything they could to help a mysterious step-sister supersede her throne. The story strikes a really strange tone that left me feeling more sympathy for the Delilah than Emily or Corvo. But the gameplay systems are so vast and the aesthetics so strong, that I can easily look past that. Thanks to all of the ludicrous amounts of lore and the tender care given to each piece of architecture in the world, Karnaca feels like a real place where people live in. The new powers are great (knocking out a group of enemies with Domino never gets old) and the litany of ways you can complete quests is really impressive. It’s also got a lot of hookahs.

I love the insinuation that this faux-Victorian fantasy realm is filled with erudite people who hit the water pipe while reading from their large collection of books about whale oil and whatnot. That alone makes Dishonored 2 great. The rest is just a bonus.

4. Inside

God, this game is a trip, isn’t it? I actually found Inside frustrating to play at times. This writer you've probably never heard of wrote a piece for Waypoint about the Uncharted: Lost Legacy reveal and why the demo, and the whole series in general, has never connected with him the way it has with so many other people. Initially, I had a similar reaction to Inside. The world this game inhabits is disturbing, surreal, and alluring as hell. I wanted to see how dismal things have become in this place, and sometimes the actual puzzle solving got in the way. Getting stuck on a puzzle for five minutes because you didn’t see that there was a second floating box panel in the floor has a way of disrupting the atmosphere. But those moments are more than worth it in exchange for how well the game expresses its ideas. The game can be read as an allegory for control, life in the corporate world, the human body, and even game development itself, and there are literally no spoken words to be heard in this game. Playing through Inside reminded me of how I feel when I watch a David Lynch movie for the first time.That is, confused and creeped out by what I’m seeing, but compelled to go as deep down the rabbit hole as Playdead will allow me. I can’t remember ever thinking about a game in that way. The frustration is more than worth it.

3. Downwell

This game technically came out in 2015 on the PC and mobile devices, but I didn’t play the game until it was ported to the Vita in 2016, so I feel like it counts. Downwell really put a trance on me for a while. The simplicity of your goals (get to the bottom of the well) and the control scheme (one button and the d-pad) tricks you into thinking that Downwell is a lot more slight than it is. But once you make a few runs through the levels (down the well, if you will), you realize that Downwell is a Russian nesting doll of a game, with additional layers of depth and customization options revealing themselves the more you play. The game is hard as hell, but it never feels unfair or unpredictable. I floundered initially to get out of the first area, but as I played more of the game, I fell into this rhythmic groove as I bounced and shot any creature that had the nerve to impede my descent, creating longer and longer combos as I improved. I realize the Vita is a zombie with no legs and stumps for hands at this point, but if you are one of the few people who bought one, this game is a perfect fit for the platform.

2. Uncharted 4

After bouncing off of Uncharted 3 and the contentious departure of Amy Hennig, I wasn’t that enthused about the prospect of another Uncharted game. I am very happy I was wrong. Finales are incredibly difficult to land, and stories often wilt under the pressure. But the story in Uncharted 4 digs deeper into what makes Drake so prepared to rip up his life, go to previously undiscovered landmarks, using them as his personal jungle gym, and murder hundreds of people in the search of rumored treasure. Supporting characters finally call him on his nonsense, and it opens the door to some really emotive moments. Seeing Drake’s and Elena’s life when they’re not making death-defying discoveries was a beautifully heartfelt moment that most developers don’t even try to achieve. Naughty Dog even managed to retcon a long-lost brother into the picture in an understandable way. The signature Uncharted staples are still there too; The dialogue and the performances of the actors are in perfect harmony, and graphically, it is the most realistic game I’ve ever seen. The improved stealth mechanics are highly useful as well. I actually enjoyed sneaking around, covertly taking out soldiers one by one, much more than the shootouts. It would probably be my game of the year if not for an elongated combat sequence near the end and the subpar final boss fight. But those moments are there, and left me feeling more frustrated than triumphant. So for that reason, I have to give my number 1 to…….

1. Firewatch

If you had told at the beginning of the year that my favorite game to come out this year would be something where you wander around a national park for a couple of hours, I would’ve called you crazy. But Firewatch is the epitome of interactive storytelling that only video games can achieve. The game harnesses the qualities of its locale to brilliant effect. In real life, walking through the forest can elicit conflicting emotional states. As the internet and social media becomes more ubiquitous in our lives, being able to go somewhere that is more or less untouched by industry can be a calming experience. At the same time, though, that disconnect from modern reality we’re obviously accustomed can leave a person feeling out of place and slightly anxious. No other game has ever prompted both of those feelings the way Firewatch does. Camps Santo does a great job at making the park feel like an idyllic sanctuary for both you, and the player character, Henry, during the first act. The dialogue between him and Delilah (big year for Delilahs) is great from the outset, naturally making both characters feel like real, affable people who decided that their summers would be spent living in lookout towers all alone for months. But as the story reveals itself, as Henry and Delilah become more a bundle of frayed nerves, the same gorgeous vistas and little enclaves of unperturbed nature become markers of foreboding doom. I was running through the third act of the game not out of a desire to get the game over with, but because I was so nervous about something or someone doing harm to two characters I really connected with. And when the plot finally comes together, I was shocked at how it managed to be relatively mundane and as brutal as a kick to the head in equal measure.

My only gripe is that the pictures I took on the in-game camera weren’t saved as screenshots on my PS4 so those dope potential wallpapers I had are lost forever. But even that’s worked out in a way; It provides an excuse to play the game again. We could all use a walk through the forest sometimes.

Honorable Mentions:

FIFA 17

Severed

Rez Infinite

Oxenfree