My Favorite Games of 2019 by /u/TheJudgeIsDancing

I’ve seen some mixed opinion generally on 2019, but for me, last year brought some of the most memorable, compelling experiences that I’ve had in 25 years of gaming.

I’ve gone through phases with video games in my life – I’ve seen posts on this subreddit about gaming burnout or lack of excitement that have resonated – but I found myself more excited in 2019 about specific games, as well as the future of the medium, than I have been in a long time.

So here are my games of the year:

#10. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Fallen Order is derivative and certainly not without flaws (those maps…), but come on, it’s Star Wars. The planet design, lightsaber combat, and epic set pieces combined for a thoroughly enjoyable journey in the Star Wars universe. I saw some rag on the skill tree, but it was just enough to keep me looking forward to the next upgrade and the feeling of progression.

#9. Control

This game conveys a great sense of the accumulation of power. By the end of the story, I was levitating around, hurling benches, bodies, and hunks of stone, so that even though many of the games fights are samey, they didn’t get old. Exploring the Oldest House was a blast, and reminiscent of Prey (2017) or Bioshock. Special shout-outs to Ahti’s voice actor and the Ashtray Maze sequence.

#8. Ape Out

Ape Out is an impressive achievement in player feedback. The visuals and music worked in perfect tandem, bursts of color and drums that made each dead guard a rush. I was frustrated in a couple of sections, betrayed by the limited field of view or my own poor reflexes, but completing each level was supremely satisfying. I can still hear the beat in my head…

#7. Blasphemous

I’ve always been a big fan of the 2D platformer/Metroidvania formula, and I could not put this one down. The hellish and dark Gothic aesthetic, transmitted in beautiful pixel art, was a big win for me, and the combat was simple but brutally effective. A solid entry into the genre that hit me at the right time.

#6. Katana Zero

It’s easy to forget about Katana Zero, as I played it right when it came out last April, but man, what a thrill this game was. The violent little puzzles of each of its screens, the surrealism of the narrative, and an innovative dialogue system that gives you so much more than just options A and B…A short game, but one I’ll be playing again.

#5. Resident Evil 2

RE4 is one of my favorite games of all time, but I had never played RE2. This was the perfect way to experience it. The light and shadows, drip and decay of the police station provide a gorgeous backdrop to a survival horror classic. I love the atmosphere, the inventory/upgrade management, the dread of exploration, all of it. And now we are getting RE3!

#4. Death Stranding

Opinions on Death Stranding have been all over the place, but this felt like a game made for me. Although I found the story simultaneously bloated and sparse (but with a few compelling beats), the gameplay, music, and visual and sound design coalesced into an unforgettable experience. I spent hours just hiking and driving between bunkers, delivering packages and boosting my reputation, a repetition that in many other games would feel like a grind or waste of time. But in Death Stranding, it was a joy to plan for my journey and traverse the environments, contribute to the safe passage of other players, and unlock new rewards and messages from the game’s NPCs. I often didn’t worry about advancing the story, more focused on building my networks of roads and ziplines, enjoying the music and the landscapes. And I think the story did strike some beautiful notes (the performances are mostly excellent), despite the often-clunky writing and fluff. Also, thank you Kojima for introducing me to Low Roar.

#3. Mutazione

Perhaps the least known (but most gifted by me!) game on my list, Mutazione is currently sitting under 100 reviews on Steam. It isn’t the kind of game that grabs headlines – it bills itself “a mutant soap opera” – but Mutazione offers some of the realest characters and human drama I have ever experienced in a game. It’s wonderfully written, both funny and sad, evoking loneliness, longing, the give and take of family, and the bitterness and psychological toll of past events that can’t be left in the past. You can tell these characters are loved by their creators, and each is a joy to talk to; I wanted to walk all around town every day to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. The art, music, and gardening mechanics supplement the writing wonderfully. I think of this as the game equivalent of a great short story, one I think anyone with an interest in narrative games should experience.

#2. Outer Wilds

I had difficulty ordering these last two games, and anyone familiar with them can probably understand why it’s difficult to compare these two vastly different experiences. Outer Wilds worked on every level for me. I am blown away by its technical achievements, its visual achievements, the web of its puzzles and narrative, which works while allowing the player unparalleled freedom. If you have even a passing interest in what lies beyond Earth’s atmosphere, you’ll wonder at the design of each planet in Outer Wilds’ solar system, each distinct, a joy to discover, explore, and navigate, and learn from. I don’t want to spoil any part of the story, because this is a game that rewards the player who goes in knowing as little as possible, but Outer Wilds is a game that offers something against the void of the universe, the inevitable insignificance of our lives on the scale of the infinite. Maybe meaning is closer, smaller, more attainable that we often let ourselves think. Outer Wilds is a game that will have technical and artistic influence in the industry for years to come, and I appreciate it in that way, but even more, I appreciate it as a piece of art that touched me in a deeply personal way.

#1. Disco Elysium

If Mutazione is a great short story, Disco Elysium is a great novel. This is the highest quality writing I have ever enjoyed in gaming, and there is a lot of it. It’s hard to sum this game up. It contains dozens of fascinating characters, an intriguing detective narrative, quotes you’ll want to write down, and an incredibly gratifying backdrop of shifting socio-political forces, national influences, ideological and moral codes, and people simply doing their best to carve out a comfortable life. There is far too much here to capture in a short blurb. Plopped down into the turmoil of this world, the main character is both a completely insane outlier and a perfect fit. The various aspects of his mentality are constantly chattering and debating one another, and each is a skill that can be upgraded to unlock new dialogue options, solutions to puzzles, and routes through the game. There are so many ways to play, so many ways to fail (falling short on skill checks is rarely a dead end, and often hilarious), so many unforgettable places and people and moments. Whenever I tell someone about this game, I always end up rambling, because there is just so much here. Disco Elysium is not a jaunt, or a relaxing way to spend an evening; it demands the player’s investment, attention, and concentration. But if you are in the right frame of mind, it offers wonderful rewards. I could go on, but I’ll leave it there. F%&k does Cuno care??

Honorable Mentions:

Apex Legends – as a former PUBG player, Apex’s slick movement and shooting makes it hard to go back

Cadence of Hyrule – bursting with great music and personality

Druidstone: Secret of the Menhir Forest – polished tactics game with forgettable story but engaging combat

A Short Hike – a tiny (~1 hr) feel-good platforming romp

ISLANDERS – the casual, arcadey city builder I always wanted

My Friend Pedro – a quick blast of high-adrenaline fun in the same vein as SUPERHOT

A Plague Tale: Innocence – incredible atmosphere and tone

Ring Fit Adventure – a video game that offers an effective workout, a welcome surprise

Slay the Spire – this would have made my list, but I had already put 80 hours into the game in early access prior to 2019

Thanks for reading!