Congratulations, despite everything, you made it through the fever dream that was 2020. Despite the strange circumstances surrounding this year, a lot of good happened on my end, like officially joining the Swordchomp crew. I wanted to use this intro to thank the community for embracing my integration into the podcast and encouraging the work that all four of us do here. It’s just the beginning of the road for me, so I hope to bring you more great written content and even more in 2021.
Enough of that, though! Do you know what else happened in 2020? I played some fucking video games. Some good, some bad, some weird, but these were my ten favorites.
10. Demon’s Souls
This one is an interesting case for me. I liked Demon’s Souls a lot on the PS3 back in the day, but by modern standards, it is probably the most difficult of the Souls games to make sense of. Despite that, I still long for the foggy portcullis and misty swamplands, and as faithful remakes go, this one is pretty phenomenal.
The gameplay reminds unchanged; if you played this back in the day, you’d feel right at home. This means it’s missing some of the modern quality of life changes that came to later Souls titles, but familiarity feels right in this case. The visuals are the real standout here. This was one of the first PS5 titles I fired up, and I still marvel at it every time I play. Demon’s Souls sets a high bar for remakes and visual fidelity on the PS5.
9. Ikenfell
It’s no secret that I love turn-based RPGs, but Ikenfell resonated heavily with more than half of us here at Swordchomp, and there’s a good reason for that. Everything it does, it does exceptionally.
From the characters to the combat and soundtrack, Ikenfell is a standout in all categories. It also makes great strides for LGBTQ inclusivity, and the simplistic art is standout even in the sizeable indie scene.
8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
The latest installment in the Animal Crossing series was the perfect storm arriving at the ideal moment. I’ve always loved building my little AC towns, but in a moment, while the world was stuck in quarantine, it became a social life for many. My friends, even those that don’t play games, picked up the Switch for this, and I spent many a Saturday on Zoom calls making cocktails while we explored each other’s islands.
It isn’t perfect; Nintendo still makes online play a bit of a hassle, but it was a giant stride forward for the series, and with each new content drop, I find myself booting it back up.
7. Paper Mario: The Origami King
If we could go back to the beginning of the year, I’d be shocked that this one made my list. I love the first two Paper Mario games, but after that weird misstep after misstep made me wish the series would go back to its roots.
Origami King doesn’t act as a return to form, but it does try something that finally worked for me. The world and writing are just as fun as they’ve always been, but the new combat is what makes the whole package work.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen something quite like Origami King’s turn-based puzzle combat. The battlefield is shaped like a dartboard, and Mario needs to slide enemies forward and side to side to line up attacks before acting. The puzzle nature of it means there is a perfect way to complete each encounter. It’s unique but not overly punishing, and Nintendo is at its best when trying new crazy things.
6. Ghost of Tsushima
Tsushima was open-world comfort food. It was one of the prettiest PS4 games I’d ever played, and the combat, while not revolutionary, was more than serviceable and at its absolute best when engaged in one on one brawls. Ghost of Tsushima tells a by the numbers story of the fall of the samurai and a mostly historically accurate tale of the Mongol invasion of Tsushima’s island.
I doubt it will be remembered as a trail-blazing title, but I loved it and can’t wait for Sucker Punch’s inevitable sequel.
5. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2
The original Pro Skater series is undeniably excellent, and I’ve been trying to fill the skateboard game hole in my heart for a long time. Pro Skater 1 & 2’s remake is the perfect love letter to that series. Both titles feel great to play, and the addition of some abilities like aerial transfers that didn’t come until Pro Skater 3 make it feel even better.
4. Yakuza Like a Dragon
Another high-ranking game on this list is the latest installment in one of my favorite franchises, Yakuza. This might be the seventh mainline entry in the series, but it is an excellent onboarding point for newcomers.
The new protagonist makes for a clean break from any of the history set by Kazuma Kiryu and crew while still keeping more than a few classic characters and references for long-time players. Ichiban Kasuga isn’t the only new addition, though; combat is entirely changed from a beat-em-up action brawler to turn-based RPG combat complete with a job system. The new jobs and combat only make the series’ well-regarded humor weirder than ever.
Wherever Yakuza foes next, I hope it keeps Ichiban around.
3. Spider-man: Miles Morales
In 2018 Spider-man secured the number two spot on my list, so it should come as no surprise I loved Insomniac’s second outing in the Spider-verse. Peter Parker is side-lined here to make way for a heartwarming and entertaining Miles Morales story.
Miles is a fan-favorite character, and he shines here with his own unique personality and fighting and swinging style that sets him apart from his mentor, Peter. The more bite-sized nature of this half-step sequel makes the game feel less bloated with busywork, but NY still looks excellent, and swinging feels even better since you start with almost all of the abilities Peter earns via skill tree in the original game.
The addition of Miles’s extra powers like his Venom strike and active camo also set him apart in both combat encounters and stealth challenges. I hope we see a full-sized sequel with a playable Miles and Peter sooner rather than later.
2. Final Fantasy VII Remake
We knew this was coming. What can I say? FF7 is one of the most influential games of all time, and this remake was everything I could’ve hoped for. The combat feels like a proper interaction on the better parts of Final Fantasy XV’s action-based combat, and the team dared to try something new with the story.
This first installment might only be a small slice of the original story, but it carved out a deeper, more lived-in Midgar and expanded the roles of characters who felt like footnotes in the original. It’ll probably be a bit before part two, but I, for one, can’t wait.
1. Hades
Here we are at number one, the perfect game released in 2020. It is, of course, Hades! Supergiant has done it again with a Greek epic telling the tale of Zagreus, son of Hades. I think we finally have the perfect roguelike game. Each run feels rewarding, with a narrative built around Zag’s attempted escape from the house of Hades to find his mother.
The amazing art design, music, and character performances only enhance the addictive gameplay loop. This is one I still pick up for a few runs now and then and probably will well into 2021.