Greg’s Top 10 Games of 2019
I played a LOT of games this year. Most years I would struggle to make a top 10 list, but this year I played so many I had a problem narrowing it down to only 10. Similarly, most years I wouldn’t bother to rank or discuss my favorites, because my field of view was so narrow that my recommendations would be hollow. This year I played enough games that I feel like I had a pretty good view of the landscape, and there are plenty of titles here that completely surprised me.
I have to talk about my one hesitation about sharing something like this, which is, I have a LOT of friends who make games, and a lot of them made games on this list and a lot of them made games that aren’t on this list, and to synthesize this I had to had to measure my personal experience with their art separately from my relationship to them. I would hope it goes without saying, but I will say anyway, please don’t take these selections personally or try to infer anything meaningful from them!!! These are cool games that I loved and want to talk about.
ONE LAST CAVEAT: here is a list of games which I HAVEN’T PLAYED YET and SHOULD and I’m sorry: Luigi’s Mansion 2, Disco Elysium, Noita, Wattam, Ring Fit Adventure.
OK now I get to gush.
Honorable mention: Pokémon Sword/Shield (Switch)
I grew up with Pokémon, I’m obsessed with Pokémon, and no matter what quality the game I would have played it for like 50 hours and had a good time and probably ranked it. So I don’t feel it’s fair for it to take a spot on the list. But I will say, the new games are the most fun I’ve had with Pokémon in my adult life; I’m super grateful for the quality of life improvements imported from Let’s Go Pikachu, and the new Pokémon designs are among the all-time best. I could go on for a while about what I wish was different (character writing is depressingly flat, let me fight gyms in any order!!!…) but as an overall experience it shines. I’m really enjoying the new competitive meta, and how accessible it is (I’m battling in ultra ball now, and I really wanna got master ball before 2020…!) If you’re playing, let’s talk. I’ll fight anyone in 3v3 singles 8)
№10: Eastshade (Steam / XBox / PS4)
I did not expect to like this game. I’ve never been much attracted to Elder Scrolls games, which this one seems closest to. But Eastshade CLICKED for me. It’s a first-person fantasy adventure game where you play as a painter. The painting creation itself is essentially photography, but the game is all about the social/political/emotional aspects of being an artist; meeting characters, finding clients, creating art to commission and specification. Paintings require resources to make, including an amorphous “inspiration” stat which goes up when you visit a new place or see something exciting — this also means that you can’t just go around painting anything anytime, and when you do make one, it’s a measured decision. I love this because the game makes you think about painting all the time, even though you very rarely are. You’ll be scoping every gorgeous new vista for good angles, paying attention to the arrangement of every flower and tree. In every way I think this game delivers on the feeling of a grand and fantastical journey, full of secrets and intrigue and mystery and interesting characters, and it does it all through art rather than combat and conquest. I think that’s really special.
№9: Wilmot’s Warehouse (Switch / Steam)
I liked this game a lot, lot more than I thought I would — it is tragically unexplainable, and demands to be played to be understood. But I will endeavor to explain!! It’s a game about organizing boxes, and then delivering boxes on request. It feels somewhere between Tetris and Overcooked, with the incredibly strong co-op of the latter. What makes this game shine is the incredibly tight pacing, which naturally pulls you through timed and un-timed sections. You can take a luxuriously long time organizing your boxes, which is weirdly satisfying, and then take on the rushed timed delivery sections only when you feel absolutely ready. Inevitably you are not ready, and the ensuing comedy is something so small and perfect and human.
№8: Mario Maker 2 (Switch)
Mario Maker is a really special series. I hope it exists forever. I love it as a gateway to game design, as a temple and community for the artform. Mario Maker absolutely made me a better game designer just by playing. I would play it more but it’s a little TOO fun and satisfying in all the ways my actual work is, and I need to allocate that energy appropriately.
№7: Katana Zero (Switch / Steam)
Come for the amazing art, animation and effects; stay for the surprisingly well-executed story. In general I’ve been moving away from super violent-gory games, but this one left a lasting impression by being just soooo slick and fun and surprising from each moment to moment. There’s incredible attention to detail across every inch of this game and it’s satisfying as hell.
№6: Hypnospace Outlaw (Steam)
A game that lets you browse an entire fictional 90s internet and manages to be thoroughly earnest and personal at every step. It absolutely nails the audiovisual aesthetic, and it’s a beautiful thing to sink into. What makes this game really special is the writing; woven throughout its internet are really genuine, lovable characters, each more weird and wonderful than the last. This game is so damn playful and has so much fun with its core conceits. I don’t expect I’ll ever see another game quite like this one.
№5: Mutazione (Steam / Apple Arcade / PS4)
Pronounced Myoo-TAT-zee-oh-nay, this is a game about a girl learning to be a magical gardener in a cozy small town of mutants. The gardening is pretty simple; you collect seeds as you wander the island and plant beautiful little gardens that make generative music based on the plants you use. What makes it all click for me is the really really strong character writing and design. The game gets very personal very quickly, with a lot of emotional maturity and grace. The blend of storytelling and gardening feels just right; this game feels very special, warm, personal.
№4: Guildings (Apple Arcade)
A game with Earthbound and Homestuck in its DNA, so it basically feels specially made for me. Actually, it feels a lot like something I wish I’d made. It’s a goofy jRPG on iOS with incredible character designs and character writing. What takes this to the next level for me are Moods; every character’s emotional state is a meaningful status that impacts both combat and traversal, and the decisions you make in dialogue and combat can change them. The outcome is that every aspect of this game contributes to the core experience of hanging out with your friends, and every choice you make reinforces your relationships and understanding of them. It’s all cohesive and clicks together oh-so-satisfyingly to make a wonderful little adventure.
№3: A Short Hike (Steam)
This is the game I would most readily recommend to literally anybody, so if that’s what you’re here for, here it is. An island of charming animal people that you can freely explore, collecting feathers which empower you to jump and climb progressively higher and reach farther places. It’s a simple core idea executed astoundingly well, and this short little game is overflowing with funny characters and unique interactions and surprising little gameplay moments to make up a perfect, tidy little afternoon. *Chef’s kiss*
№2: Sayonara Wild Hearts (Switch / PS4 / Apple Arcade)
If A Short Hike is a perfect afternoon, this game is a perfect HOUR of music and visuals and motorcycles, weaving and dancing and singing from end to end. It’s a pop album video game about a broken-hearted superheroine adventuring through a tarot deck of rogues. There’s really nothing that prepared me for the emotional rollercoaster this game put me through; it made me scream, laugh and in the end cry happy tears. A beautiful and exhilarating and euphoric thing.
← Seriously listen to just the goddamn title screen song.
№1: Outer Wilds (Epic Store / XBox / PS4)
Pilot a dinky spaceship through a tiny little solar system of planets, each brimming with secrets and mysteries to uncover. There’s just one catch; after 20 minutes, the sun explodes and you’re put back in time to the start of your adventure again. The entire game is a perfect puzzle-box, carefully crafted over the course of years, with discoveries on each world leading you to new discoveries on other worlds. Over the course of this game’s many hours there are no upgrades, no powerups, no changes; if you know what you’re doing, you can fly straight from the start to the ending in 10 minutes. In fact, everything and anything can be done in any order. The entire game revolves around collecting information, remembering things and applying that knowledge to uncover more secrets. How fucking cool is that. There is dark magic at work here; this game simply shouldn’t exist. And yet here it is, perfect and shining and beautiful. The only concern here is that this game is, by definition, a bit opaque and it can be hard to navigate at first. But, I really, really mean it when I say IT’S WORTH IT.
OK bye
