My top 10 video games of the past year…
10 – Close to the Sun
What if Bioshock was a walking simulator, but set on an enormous ship called the “Helios” instead of being underwater and if the genius behind it was Nicola Tesla instead of Andrew Ryan. That’s Close to the Sun.
There are some puzzles, but you’re mostly wandering the decks of the ship, trying to learn what has happened, and to find your sister who is trapped somewhere on board. And there are monsters. Of course.
The Helios was interesting to explore, and the environmental storytelling was fun. There were a few unnecessary sequences (I felt) where you are chased and have to run a pretty-much specific path to escape (or it’s game over), but that was minor. It’s also relatively short. Still, it was a fun world to explore and a pleasant diversion.
9 – Stygian
Disclaimer: I backed this one on Kickstarter.
Yes, it’s another “Lovecraftian” game. But, this one is set in a world after the Old Ones have returned, and you’re trying to survive the aftermath.
It’s an RPG with a rather unique art style, almost two dimensional. You explore the town looking for resources and allies and trying to unravel a conspiracy you have become involved with.
I want to rate this one higher, but the game ends somewhat abruptly while leaving some plot threads unanswered. The developers admit that they ran out of money and had to release what they had, but are working on an expansion/sequel. Hopefully, it comes out.
8 – Encased
Disclaimer: I backed this one on Kickstarter.
This is an isometric RPG in the style of the original Fallout, with a plot inspired by the original Roadside Picnic. A mysterious zone has appeared containing strange items and materials, and a scientific city has been built to study it. Then, things go wrong.
The original Fallout, Roadside Picnic, and a touch of SCP Foundation? Again, sign me up. It’s a single-player RPG where you play as one of several classes, and it looks like different options and missions become available to you based on your class.
I say “looks” because this is still in (very) early access and the game is currently incomplete. It is getting regular updates, the latest of which completely changed the opening of the game. Because of that, I can’t rate it any higher than this. The combat is also brutally hard (for me anyway), so hopefully, it gets a balance pass at some point.
Really looking forward to this one when it is finished.
7 – Metro Exodus
No one does post-apocalypse like the Russians, and Metro Exodus is a prime example.
The last(?) of the Metro series, you leave the tunnels of the Metro and head out across the Russian wastelands by train. It’s a fun FPS shooter in itself, but what makes the game special is your teammates back on the train. Between missions, you return to the train and interact with them, hearing their stories, and getting to know them better. And their stories are what you might expect from the post-apocalypse. These are people who are doing what they can to survive, and that brings them closer together.
Again, I played this one on PC Game Pass.
6 – Mutant: Year Zero
A hybrid RPG/tactical combat game based on the PnP RPG and inspired by XCOM. It is sometime after the apocalypse, and the last surviving vestige of civilization resides in the “Ark.” To get what it needs to survive, the Ark sends out “Stalkers” to scavenge for supplies. And, most of these Stalkers are mutants.
There is a story because things are never what they seem. You level up your squad with new abilities and new equipment and, as usual, wind up having to save the world.
There is a DLC that I need to pick up, and I hope to see more in the series. And I’d love to see a straight-up RPG set in the universe.
5 – Occupy White Walls
A game about running a museum? Yes, that’s it.
Part building simulator and part art exhibit. You slowly build out your museum and stock it with art, then invite guests (both NPC and other players) to come to view it. Then you can go to visit the other player’s museums.
It’s a quiet, zen game. Just a relaxing exploration of art and architecture.
I think this actually released in 2018 in early access, but I didn’t pick it up until this year. It’s still in early access, but the developers are releasing new content regularly. And… it’s free. Hop in.
4 – Beat Saber
I actually forgot this one when I was making my initial list because I didn’t play it on PC (I’m on PSVR). But I can’t leave it off.
If VR has been waiting for a “killer app,” this is it. Friends who had no interest in VR suddenly “get it” when I convince them to play.
The game is a basic-simple rhythm game, but with lightsabers. Hit the blocks as they come at you to a techno-electronic beat. That’s it. But it is somehow so addictive.
This isn’t a game that I play for extended periods, just something I jump into for a song or two every now-and-then. But, I keep coming back to it again.
3 – Dragon Age: Inquisition
Speaking of Bioware and single-player RPGs. Yes, I only got around to this one this year though it has been sitting in my Pile for a while.
A fitting end to the Dragon Age story (for now, anyway). An appropriately apocalyptic plot, well-written companions (Solas, what are you doing?), and choices that, again, affect how the game plays out. And the story shows more than once that if it seemed too easy, it probably was.
Yes, the map suffers from a bad case of Ubi-pox, it is sometimes difficult to figure out how to get to where you go, and sometimes the game seems to
2 – The Outer Worlds
Obsidian steps into the void that Bethesda and Bioware have (hopefully temporarily) abandoned and showed that a big, story-driven, single-person RPG can still be done.
Once again, you are the mysterious stranger who gets to decide the fate of the world(s), but that’s how it always is. The companions you can recruit along the way are interesting (and Parvati is one of the best-written companions I’ve seen in a game for a while). And, your decisions actually feel like they mean something in the world.
The environments are a bit generic, the environmental storytelling was weaker than those mentioned Bethesda and Bioware games, and it doesn’t entirely explore the corporation/workers dynamic as much as it could. Plus, the ending actually teases a more exciting story for the sequel than this one had. On the other hand, this wasn’t a $60 AAA title; it was a $40 AA one. And I played it on PC Game Pass anyway, so I can’t complain too loudly.
And as one of the few single-player RPGs released, it comes in at a solid number 2.
1 – Control
As the protagonist Jesse says at one point in the game, “That. Was. Awesome!”.
This game lands directly in the middle of the Venn Diagram of my interests. A shadowy government agency? Check. Supernatural conspiracies? Check. Mysterious cosmic entities? Check. Brutal third-person combat? Well… not a check, but telekinetically ripping up chunks of flooring and throwing it at enemies never got old…
And it’s the best SCP Foundation game ever made.
Exploring the Old House never got old, the characters you meet are interesting, and the random environmental storytelling was fascinating. And going through the “Ashtray Maze” is one of my top gaming experiences of all time. Definitely my GOTY and near the top of the list of my Game of the Decade.throw a plot twist at you just because it can, but it still was an enjoyable play.
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