Why I loved Celeste, God of War, Donkey Kong, and Hollow Knight
Over (roughly) the first half of this year, here are some of the games I enjoyed
I’ve know for a while that I want to write something about the games I played this year. I should clarify that this is a quasi-review of games that I played this year, not games that necessarily came out this year (though nearly all the ones on this list did). What follows is my explanation of some of the games I enjoyed from approximately January to June, which I’ll follow up with a list of the games I played over the second half of the year. While there is a respectable number of contenders, Celeste, God of War, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Hollow Knight were the best.
Celeste
Where to start with Celeste? The quick, snappy action platforming? The beautiful soundtrack, the unexpectedly-deep writing and story-line? This game lives and dies based on its level design and character movement, but the little touches and dedication to excellence throughout are what set it apart as something special.
The game opens as a 2d platformer, following the story of a woman named Madeline who is trying to climb Celeste Mountain. Players quickly learn Madeline’s movement set, and before long are sent into increasingly-challenging levels. The difficulty quickly spikes and never relents, making this a game that’s difficult to recommend for those who are easily frustrated.
If you’re willing to stick around, though, Celeste quickly becomes something special. The platforming is broken up by story sequences, where Madeline and a small cast of supporting characters chronicle her struggles with mental health, her desire to reach the top of the mountain, and a few interesting secrets along the way. I’m sure that some players got tired of the lengthy dialog sections, but I enjoyed every one. As the difficultly level continued to rise, I felt more and more invested in Madeline’s hopes and dreams.
The best way to sum up this game’s appeal is to say that it’s something special. There are plenty of difficult platforming games out there, which includes several with many more hours of content than Celeste can boast. There aren’t any (at least to my knowledge) that combine this action with deep, sympathetic writing, though. Coupled with the gorgeous art style and engrossing soundtrack, this game’s attributes raise it to the top of its genre. Celeste was nominated for one of the top spots at The Game Awards, and it’s a game well deserving of that honor.
God of War
It probably shouldn’t be surprising that a high-profile Sony exclusive is one of the best games of the year. After 2016’s Uncharted 4 and 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn, this reboot of an old franchise had big expectations to meet. From nearly every perspective, God of War proved itself as one of the best games available on the PS4.
The first reason to consider playing God of War is the combat. Players play as Kratos, and fight an assortment of demons, giants, trolls, and other monsters. This in itself may not be much of a sell, but Sony Santa Monica painstakingly mapped out the moves and action to make the act of fighting enemies incredibly satisfying. The controls are quick and responsive and complement the available moves well. In many games, I groan to see an open room full of enemies. In God of War, I always smiled.
To add to the excellence of the combat, the visuals, voice acting, and soundtrack are also fantastic. It’s clear that this game was many years in the making, years that went to good use perfectly every part of the experience. There are also plenty of opportunities to stray off the main path in pursuit of an item or story, and these chances underscore the attention to detail. Nothing here feels half-baked or shoehorned in, and it’s clear that Sony Santa Monica has perfected the formula for their games.
There really isn’t anything that God of War does poorly. The combat is fun, the writing is strong, the characters are interesting, and the music is well above average. Parts of the story are clearly just meant to set up future games, but there’s still a satisfying end to the arc that exists in this title alone. I’m not the first to say that God of War is one of the very best games of the year (arguably THE best), but I can at least echo the praises it has received from others. This game is one of the best reasons to own a PS4.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (which I’ll refer to after this point as Tropical Freeze) is similar to Celeste in many ways. It’s a two-dimensional platformer, boasts a stellar selection of music, and is tightly-crafted from every perspective. There’s little to no writing or story here, but Donkey Kong’s romp through the island is a joyous experience (aside from the steep difficulty).
The single best reason to recommend this game is the level design. Donkey Kong as a character is fun to control — and has enough unique characteristics to always be interesting — but the ways that the designers crafted each level are nothing short of awe-inspiring. Celeste has great levels as well, but many of the levels here focus on different mechanics and ideas in ways that Celeste never does. Every time Donkey Kong pounces on screen, it’s a safe bet that players will experience something new.
Of course, Tropical Freeze is also a few years old. It originally released on the Wii U, and Nintendo breathed new life into it this spring with a Switch port. Since Nintendo always milks customers for everything they can, this game (at $60), is far more expensive than any game of this age should be. These obstacles aside though, it’s a fantastic experience for anyone willing to take the chance.
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is at once a game that follows genre tropes and branches off into its own space at will. It’s a metroidvania, and fits many of the common experiences of this type of game, but also does several things (which I won’t spoil) that are unique to itself. There are hours and hours of content in this $15 package, and I’m not sure that I could uncover every part of it if I tried.
Hollow Knight alternates between exploration, combat, and platforming in its two-dimensional world, challenging players to find everything that they can while fighting off constant swarms of enemies. The game’s world seems small at first, but exploration yields a near-endless stream of new areas to explore. There’s a story as well, for those who want it, though it’s subtle and generally difficult to uncover.
Hollow Knight often confuses me, and there were moments when I wanted to throw my controller out of rage over an especially difficult boss fight. In nearly any other game, that would be enough to disqualify it from my list, but Hollow Knight continues to pull me in through the art style, music, and gameplay. I don’t know which game I played this year has the best overall soundtrack, but there’s one song from Hollow Knight that ranks above everything else I’ve heard.
While this game will undoubtedly frustrate many, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in well-crafted action, gorgeous art styles, or just interesting video game worlds. This game was created by Team Cherry, a small indie studio, and their love for their work is palpable in almost every moment. This is the rare indie game that can stand against the big-studio titles from any angle. Whether I’m lost in a cavern, fighting for my life against bug monsters, or just jumping up mountains, Hollow Knight continues to captivate and amaze me.
Every one of these games is fantastic for different reasons. Whether it’s tightly-crafted action, or exemplary writing, there’s something of tremendous value in each experience. God of War is probably my favorite out of these four, though Celeste and Hollow Knight are certainly close as well. There’s rarely a shortage of good video games to play, but I’d name these as the absolute best ones I played over roughly the first half of this year.
