Video Game Highlights

I've been writing annual retrospectives about the video games I played, briefly describing my experiences — but I've never actually shared them before. Instead of letting them gather dust, I decided to publish them in two parts: one for my highlights and one for my disappointments.

I've listed these games alphabetically for a change (even though I have an unnatural fascination with detailed scoring systems). Also note that not all of them are "new" games. I don't really keep up with the video game industry and often end up replaying games that I once enjoyed (Max Payne 2 being an absolute mainstay in my gaming library).

• Bombe: It's a very interesting variant of Minesweeper where you don't actually solve the puzzles but construct a number of rules that would algorithmically do it for you (30,000 of them in total). There are variations regarding tile set (hexagonal, square, triangular, etc.), tile size, and clue types (like "2 or less", "4 or more", or "an odd number"). It's incredibly minimalistic in its presentation, and it doesn't explain itself too well, but once you get it, it's really good. It also works really well with a tight gaming schedule; you just incrementally add or modify rules to solve even more stages.
• Firewatch: A walking sim taking place within a national park where you're on lookout for fires. The gameplay is simple (you walk around, notice things, report them on the radio, and chat with the nice lady on the other end); most of the time you're either looking at things or listening to the dialogue. I tried it simply for the atmosphere: being tucked away in the wilderness, isolated from other people... I think we can all relate to it sometimes. The game is centred around a mystery that gradually presents itself, but it's not really an investigative game. It's also gets pretty emotional at times. It's nicely done overall, although the resource usage was subpar the last time I played it (lagging and jittering at places where it really shouldn't have), and of course it's got fairly low interactivity. If you're a fan of games like Dear Esther, Tacoma, or Gone Home, you should definitely give this one a try.
• GemCraft - Frostborn Wrath: One of the best tower defence games out there. There are more than 100 fields (each with three game modes) and a number of battle traits to customise your runs (and to get juicy XP multipliers). It can get a little grindy at times (particularly to farm currency and talisman fragments), but at least XP cannot really be farmed as you only gain the highest amount you've been able to achieve on any given stage. It's a real gem is all I'm saying.
• Graveyard Keeper: A sort of life sim with a grim setting and dark humour. You find yourself in a quasi-medieval place as the newly appointed graveyard keeper. You do the usual life sim stuff (collect, craft, farm), but your main job is to maintain the church graveyard (and after a while the church itself), while figuring out how to get back to the real world.
• Hollow Knight: This game caught my eye back when it was on Kickstarter, but I only pulled the trigger much later. In general I tend to skip hype trains and check out the product (whether a game, movie, or something else) when the buzz has considerably calmed down. In this case, I think the hype was justified. The sounds and visuals are beautiful, the movement fluid, the controls responsive, the obstacles challenging, and the secrets bountiful. It's a metroidvania with excellent non-linear design centred on exploration and defeating bosses. This latter aspect is one I am not a huge fan of, but it didn't bother me too much.
• Kindergarten: An irreverent game where you replay the same day in kindergarten as the new kid over and over again, solving various puzzles and collecting items. It's rather minimalistic in terms of graphics and controls, but the dark humour is top notch. Mind you, there's a lot of violence. A lot.
• Knytt Underground: This was my first metroidvania game, and it's still my favourite. It's one of the few games where I really just want to walk around and see where a particular path leads me. The map is enormous, packed with secrets; seriously, I cannot overstate how huge and atmospheric it is. The story's nice, too, but I really played for the moments when a curious detour took me to completely unexpected places.
• Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk: A Wizardry-like game of the Japanese tradition. I'm not too fond of the graphic style of JRPGs (or anime, FWIW), but I can't argue with good design. The beginning of the game is rough (almost explaining the same things twice for some reason), and one of the main character's voice is annoying enough that I almost didn't continue playing. It would've been a huge mistake as the game itself is otherwise one of the best in the genre. The gameplay loop is as expected: recruit characters, equip them, go down, explore the dungeon, fight monsters, gather loot, return, sell loot, heal/revive as necessary, then go down again — with every aspect being rather polished. I loved exploring the various dungeon levels and uncovering their secrets. Just remember that it's a Japanese game, so expect at least some grinding to be necessary (and probably a lot if you want to 100% it).
• Outer Wilds: You're an astronaut exploring a solar system equipped with a translator device so that you can gather as much knowledge about an extinct (and much more advanced) civilisation as possible. You're trapped in a time loop, though: every time the sun explodes, you find yourself waking up next to your spaceship back at home base. It's a mystery game with a fully simulated (albeit miniature) solar system with very interesting planets (seriously, the level design is incredible). You're given some pointers, but otherwise you get to explore freely. There are a few difficult parts (a little platformer experience can go a long way), but apart from those, it's all about uncovering secrets and applying what you've learnt. A truly amazing experience.
• Postal 2: An oldie but goodie. I just love this game. Basically, you're a crazy dude trying to get by in a society on the verge of madness. You can decide how big of an asshole you'll be, but everyone else is definitely going mental around you. You play through five days (or a week with the expansion), each day having a to-do list with rather innocent items like "get milk" and "pick up pay cheque". You get to explore the town (each day with new zones available for you), and you're always rewarded for it (with ammo, weapons, armour, health, etc.). Also, different groups react in different ways to each other and to you — a real open world experience.
• Stardew Valley: An amazing true indie game; it's a farming sim (or life sim) where you manage your grandpa's old farm. It can be very relaxing (or not, depending on how much you want to optimise your time and profits), and even emotional (as some of the villagers' stories feature all sorts of troubles related to relationships and the human condition). The visuals and music are rather charming. Best of all, the creator occasionally drops massive updates for the game (with slight tweaks and a lot of new content) — and these are not DLCs you need to purchase separately, but genuine updates to the base game.
• Streets of Rogue: You join the (shady) resistance to overthrow the (genuinely) evil mayor. You start at the bottom of the megacity and work your way up one procedurally generated level at a time. You pick a class that gives you some abilities, unique ways to earn XP, and an optional goal beyond just fucking up the mayor. There are all sorts of ways you can achieve your objectives on each level, relying on all sorts of items (a boombox that compels nearby NPCs to dance, a cardboard box that lets you sneak into anywhere provided no one actually sees the box moving, or the Necronomicon that wakes up the dead in the graveyard) and predictable behaviour patterns of the NPCs. It's fast, wacky, and furious — and insanely replayable as you figure out new strategies and unlock new classes (jock? mobster? gorilla? vampire? all of those and more), not to mention mutators that change the rules of the game in often major ways.
• Supraland: It's a 3D metroidvania in a literal sandbox. The story is kept to a minimum; the focus is on exploration and solving puzzles. There are a number of unlockable abilities that allow you to overcome challenges in obvious and delightfully non-obvious ways ("wait, can I do that?"). There's some fighting and coin-collecting there, too, but it's mostly about solving environmental puzzles and figuring out if and how you can get up there.
• The Stanley Parable: Another walking sim, but this time with an existential philosophical bent. You play as Stanley who realises there's no one else in the office, so you go looking for your co-workers. Everything "interesting" you do is beautifully (and hilariously) narrated... and I can't really say anything else without going into spoilers. If you haven't played it yet, and you don't mind games making fun of themselves, developers, and players equally, then do yourself a favour and check it out.
• Train Valley 2: A charming little puzzle game where you build railways to move materials, workforce, and products to their destination. I found the graphics and music fairly relaxing. The game's not too difficult; it's perfect for winding down after a long day.