Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of 2020. For some reason I’ve had a bit more time this year to play and complete games… So I thought I’d end the year by sharing five that I really enjoyed, and would want others to as well. It’s not a “top five”—apart from one which is definitely my favourite—and it isn’t a list of ones that were released this year, but ones I’d recommend that I played and finished this year, and as spoiler-free as possible. So here goes:
Outer Wilds
What is it?: An action-adventure/puzzle game set in a fictional solar system. You are a young Hearthian, living on a planet called Timber Hearth, and you’re just about to go on your first space adventure. Not to be confused with “The Outer Worlds”, though, which was released the same year but is an entirely different thing.
Why I like it: I’m not sure exactly what order I’d put the others in this list in, but this is absolutely my favourite game I’ve played this year, and in fact one of my favourites of all time. It’s best played blind as the entire premise of the game is about exploring, but I loved looking for any and all information and experiences to flesh out my knowledge of the game’s universe. It’s worth it, because the more you explore and understand the more the game will pay you back in droves. It is fascinating, hilarious, wondrous, and terrifying. I wish I could experience it for the first time again. Finally, the art direction and soundtrack are… out of this world. Sorry.
Return of the Obra Dinn
What is it?: A puzzle/murder mystery game with a lot of story to uncover. You take the role of an insurance inspector in the year 1807, investigating a ship which has turned up after being lost for five years. All of the crew have disappeared, and it’s your job to find out what happened to them. Luckily, you have a supernatural pocketwatch to help you, which will let you look back in time when you find certain clues, and figure out the fates of each of the sixty(!) crew members.
Why I like it: The most immediate thing to notice is the 1-bit-style graphics (even though it is fully 3D). This might turn some people off, but I find it very clever and it works very well with the mood and setting of the game. It also provides a unique aesthetic (an overused word these days but the only one to use here!) in a modern gaming landscape. I was initially drawn towards this title because it’s by Lucas Pope, creator of Papers Please, which is very near and dear to me. And it didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed exploring every inch of the Obra Dinn, finding out obvious “fates” certain members encountered, and using deduction to figure out others. And the soundtrack is gorgeous, it must be said.
SOMA
What is it?: A survival horror revolving around the surreal experiences of a Canadian gentleman who has suffered a serious brain injury.
Why I like it: This is another one of those games which is best played knowing as little about the story as possible, but I really like the way it plays with the concept of what consciousness is, and the excellent use of sound direction to really give you the spooks. It has an optional “safe” mode which turns it into more of a terrifying walking simulator rather than a traditional survival horror, and in some ways this actually enhances the experience, although you can’t change it for your current save game once you’ve chosen. If you like the TV series Black Mirror, you’ll like this too.
Yakuza 0
What is it?: An action-adventure/brawler set in late 80’s Tokyo and Osaka. You play two simultaneous but linked stories about two members of the Yakuza: fresh-faced newbie Kazuma Kiryu and the somewhat more experienced one-eyed ex-Yakuza Goro Majima.
Why I like it: From what I wrote above it sounds like a serious crime drama, right? Well, it is. Kind of. This was my first journey into the Yakuza franchise, and when I first started playing I have to admit I wasn’t really hooked by the many names and branches of the Yakuza being introduced to me. I found it quite heavy and hard to follow. But I kept playing a little bit every time I had a gaming session, and once I began the first Majima section of the game it drew me right in. The main storyline is gripping, the side-stories are mostly very entertaining and it likes to poke fun at 80’s Japanese cheesiness for good measure. Plus it’s quite satisfying to swing a motorbike around at a horde of enemies. And how can I forget: You can run a hostess club, and it’s extremely addictive! I can safely say I am now a Yakuza fan, albeit a little burnt out on sidequests for now. And the memes, oh goodness the memes.
Ōkami HD
What is it?: An action-adventure game where you play as a wolf deity in a fantasy/folklore version of ancient Japan. The lands have been stripped of their colour and life, and you must bring it back. You can draw shapes with ink on the screen which will have various magical effects, like causing trees to grow or fixing broken bridges.
Why I like it: The setting is fascinating and beautiful, the soundtrack is spine-tingling, and I found it therapeutic to scour the lands of Nippon with my Celestial ink brush, making everything green again. I liked the way the story evolved, subverting your expectations of what direction it will take and revealing deeper information about characters you think you already had sussed out. It is a very long game and starts off slowly, but is absolutely worth the time in my opinion.
So that’s the list. There are other games I would have wanted to include, but either I haven’t completed them or I had to make the difficult decision not to include them in my favourite five. If I inspire even one person to try one of these games then that would be just great.
Here’s to a decent end to 2020, and a more decent 2021!
Turn Based Turnip 
I first played Okami when it came out on PS2, and it remains one of my favourite games of all time! I haven’t played the others on the list but they all sound intriguing – will check them all out at some point.
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I was amazed when I was playing it, I had to keep reminding myself it was originally a PS2 game. It is so well designed! That’s fantastic, I hope you enjoy them — it was so hard to only include the ones I did for the list.
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