Mark's Game of the Year picks for 2019 | Playlist (Patreon)

Hello! 

So, no playlist this month. To be honest, I'm just playing stuff I've already talked about. I finished up Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and am now back to Disco Elysium.

But that's okay, because it's game of the year time! I went back through every game I played in the last 12 months and tried to choose my 10 absolute favourite ones. 

It's a slightly odd list, with some notable omissions and some surprising entries. I hope you dig it! And if you don't want to watch, here's a written version.

Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire is a card-battling roguelike. You work your way through an army of monsters, slowly expanding your deck of cards. This allows you to use more interesting strategies and tasty synergies against your foes - until you die, and have to start the whole process from scratch.

To me, this made Slay the Spire a card game for those who don’t really like card games. And that’s because it’s simple, streamlined, and you don’t have to sit in a menu for two hours making a perfect deck. You just build it as you go - adding, and - more crucially - removing cards from a dynamic deck of ‘em.

Combat is fun because the enemy telegraphs its every move, so like last year’s Into the Breach, the puzzle is about trying to mitigate damage and outsmart your opponents. And the three different characters all work so differently that each campaign is almost like a brand new game.

I just had a really good time with this one. There was a rare thrill in coming across some amazing card or relic and figuring out some amazing combination of cards that would give you immense power. And while you’re kinda at the mercy of the random drops, it’s still fun to plug away at the enemies even if you land a dud.

Resident Evil 2

I was a little sceptical of the Resident Evil 2 remake, which dropped the awkward CCTV camera angles of the PlayStation original, in favour of a bog standard behind-the-back action cam. But Capcom kept the spookiness up with new mechanics like enemies coming through windows until you board them up. And the increased screen time of invincible nightmare nasty Mr. X.

The Raccoon City police station continues to be a cool place to explore: a multi-level, spaghetti hallway of a space that’s comparable to Resident Evil 1’s mansion. And the puzzles are as nonsense as ever - making it feel more like an Escape Room than a lockup.

I’d kind of prefer Capcom to make some new stuff than overhaul their past hits. And with Resident Evil 3 remake due in 2020, it looks like I’m going to have wait even longer for something fresh. But as remakes go, this one is done to an obscenely high standard. 

Baba Is You

I’ve talked about this one in my end-of-year video, but if you missed it: Baba Is You is a block-pushing puzzle game where the rules that dictate the level are written on screen as big sentences like “Rock is Push” and “Flag is Win”. You can then shove those words around to make new sentences - and rewrite the rules of the level, to your puzzle-solving advantage.

This leads to really creative solutions to puzzles like turning yourself into a wall, or teleporting across the map by passing control to a faraway rock. The creator never stops making you think and smile with endless new words - from simple stuff like Pull, Open, and Move - to brain-busting game breakers like Empty, which lets you control the empty tiles on screen. Or Not, which lets you negate your own rules.

This is a surprising and satisfying game. A really clever idea, executed with near perfection. And one of the best puzzle games in years, putting in the company of stuff like The Witness and Stephen’s Sausage Roll.

Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus was a surprise for me. I’ve become a bit tired of first person shooters as of late, but Exodus had me gripped from the first moment until the last.

That’s probably because the game works so hard to immerse you in its horrid post-apocalyptic world. That’s done through all the tactile interactions you have with your gear, the endless chores and scavenging, the way characters respond realistically to your presence, and the way the game doesn’t pester you with waypoints, objectives, XP points, skill trees, and all the other trappings of modern games.

No, this one is happy to let you explore it’s collection of tiny open worlds yourself. Just climb up a tower, spy some curious locations with your binoculars, and then go see what’s there. Might be a beast’s den, or an item for your allies, or a handy new upgrade to your gear. 

The story is good too, as your band of underground heroes take a never-ending train trip across the scarred wasteland of Russia. It really feels like a desperate, lengthy journey. 

Blasphemous

Next up is Blasphemous. This turns Dark Souls into a side-scrolling Metroidvania: so expect tricky combat, corpse runs, and item descriptions that double up as world-building lore. It’s not nearly as hard as Souls, though, so you won’t be beating your head against the wall. Much.

I really enjoyed how this game just lets you get on and explore. It’s world is open and inviting, allowing you to choose where to go and just stumble upon challenges, upgrades, and titanic boss fights wherever you go.

And it’s packed with good ideas like enemy types, platforming challenges, and secrets. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it’s a bunch of good ideas all squashed together to make something really, really fun.

Disco Elysium

I have to admit that I’ve yet to finish Disco Elysium, but what I’ve played was extremely interesting. This is basically a classic computer RPG in the same vein as Baldur’s Gate or Planescape Torment. But there’s no combat, so you can focus exclusively on talking to characters.

Which is handy, because you’re a detective - of sorts. A drunk, amnesic loaf in the middle of an existential crisis, that is. But a detective nonetheless, and you’ve got a murder to solve. So you better get chatting to people.

There’s a complex skill tree to work through, which allows you to pump skills into aggressive traits, or logical thought processes, or endurance for stomach-churning smells. Plus you can think on stuff - which is kinda like doing research in a strategy game. And depending on your choices in the game, you’ll also stumble upon new traits, allegiances, and political factions.

The writing is pretty much unlike anything in games today. This is clever, sophisticated, political and poetic stuff that will really force you to pay attention to keep up. And it’s funny, too, in a sort of dark, twisted kind of way. It won’t be for everyone, but to those who have been looking for this sort of game since the 90s, you’ll be infatuated. 

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Here’s a game that wasn’t on my radar at all: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Probably because I don’t have any interest in Star Wars whatsoever. I am a fan, though, of the game’s designer: Titanfall and Apex Legends studio Respawn. They can be trusted to do interesting level design - check. And cute robot companions - checkity check.

So this is a bizarre game. It starts out as a direct Uncharted-in-space clone, before transitioning to something entirely different: a Metroidvania with upgrades, locked gates, secret paths, and pick ups. With Dark Souls style combat and a find-your-corpse respawn mechanic. And puzzle-heavy tombs, ripped right out of Tomb Raider.

It’s an odd mish-mash, and nothing quite works as well as the games Fallen Order was inspired by. The Metroidvania exploration is pretty weak, thanks to nannying objective markers and there being so few reasons to go off the beaten track. And the combat is kinda cool, but it takes a lot of time to click, and a lot of upgrades and skill unlocks to become anything more than a simple button basher.

But it’s more than the sum of it’s parts: an enjoyable sci-fi romp through a bunch of planets with a surprisingly affecting story and very competent gameplay in every moment. It’s not setting the world on fire, but it’s a perfectly warm and cozy game to get stuck into.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

So, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on Game Boy is - canonically - my favourite game of all time. Which made the remake so scary. Other games haven’t fared so well: Broken Sword is one of other all time favourites, but the Director’s Cut was sacrilegious.

Luckily, Nintendo and Grezzo have gotten off lightly. Link’s Awakening is a shot-for-shot remake of the GB original with hardly any gameplay changes whatsoever, but an incredible visual and audio overhaul that somehow captures what the game looked like in my 8 year old head, way back when.

The only gameplay changes are quality of life improvements like better item management and a clearer map screen. The extra warp points are a little cheeky, I suppose, but I don’t think the original really benefited from all the backtracking.

And if you’ve never played any of version of the game, then you’re in for a treat. This is a magical adventure, spread across a weird and wonderful island full of different critters and biomes. And underground you’ll find eight spectacular dungeons, full of clever puzzles and spacial-reasoning strategy.

All wrapped up in a cute, sentimental story that will stick with you for some time. Nice!

Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds is truly something special. In this game, you are tasked with hopping in a rickety wooden space ship, blasting off into the tiny solar system you call home, and trying to figure out the secrets of an alien race that has been here much longer than you have.

Unfortunately, about 22 minutes into your trip the sun goes supernova, destroying everything in sight. Luckily you’re stuck in a time loop, and wake up - ready to go again, and see what new stuff you can learn this time.

Outer Wilds is kind of like a Metroidvania, but you never unlock new items or powers. You simply learn new things about the galaxy, and can apply that knowledge elsewhere. This makes you feel like a proper scientist slash archeologist, as you slowly become more familiar with the world around you.

If you are driven by curiosity and like to make your own way through games, this one is darn near essential.

DARQ

Finally, a shout out to DARQ, which is a nausea-inducing puzzle game about spinning the entire world around. Each level sees you manipulating the world in different ways: in one, you ratchet the world around on its base, so north becomes west and west becomes south. In another, you roll the world like a kebab on a skewer.

This lends itself to a collection of spatial-reasoning puzzles where it’s not just about collecting and using items, but changing the layout of the world so you can get around to the places you need to go. In it’s short run time, DARQ squeezes every possible idea out of its central idea and then bows out before it gets boring.

The sneaky, stealthy, survival horror inspired bits aren’t much cop. And the deep purple hues that cover every level are a bit dreary. But ignore that and you’ll find a really enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.