Your GOTY? Top 5?
What were your favorite games this year? I don't care if they came out in 2020 or you only reached deep into your backlog to try them out.
I'll start with a list of unknown length of my favorite games I played this year.
Sayonara wild hearts:
This game is a wonderful experience you should grab if you get the chance. The game is basically an auto scroller and you need to collect hearts onscreen to increase your score and combo multiplier.
It has some amazing music on each stage some of the songs are dangerously catchy. I would liken the game to an interactive music video.
Spiritfarer:
I'm still working on completing this game, but it has been an emotional journey thus far. You take the role of a spiritfarer as Charon's replacement. He gives you a few pieces of information then leaves you to figure out yourself. You will be given a boat that you will need to upgrade throughout the course of the game. This boat will be a temporary home for spirts you recruit while they come to grips with being dead and eventually find peace with it. You'll build custom houses for the spirts as well as gardens and workshops to acquire new upgrade materials.
This game is very chill, there is no combat at all. You gather and grow resources that you then use to create meals for souls on your boat, or upgrade said boat. You'll find yourself forming a bond with each new character you collect and you might get hit in the feels a few times when certain events transpire.
This game has been on sale for 25% off a few times recently, keep your eyes peeled and snag this when you can you won't be sad you did.
Owlboy:
This is a 2D platformer/puzzler. It has a great art style and story. Your character is an owl creature that cannot fight on his own. You recruit different companions that you carry around the world with you and they provide the offensive power you'll need to get though the dangers of the game. The game isn't too terribly long, you should be able to complete it in a weekend, but it will be a wonderful weekend. This is the type of game where 8 hours pass in the course of what feels like 5 minutes. You won't realize where the time has gone.
A Hat in Time:
This one is a 3d platformer. You find yourself in the shoes of hat kid. She is a space traveler who's ship suffers an accident and magical hourglasses spill out over the nearby planet. You need to recover these from the residents who, as you might expect, aren't too willing to let go of them.
You'll explore 4 different themed worlds, every one is very unique from the next. I personally really liked the first level the best, but the other 3 were well done also.
You will collect different hats over the time spent playing the game, each one will grant you a unique ability when wearing it. These will give you the ability to solve certain puzzles, or make parts of the game easier. This is another that could be finished in a weekend, but its time well spent!
Undertale:
It didn't come out in 2020, but I played it in 2020. I hate myself for waiting, this was such a gem. The combat or non-combat was satisfying, but the highlight was the writing and story. I'm sure you've heard of this game because when it was new everyone was talking about it. This is one hype train I should have actually jumped on. If you were like me and still haven't played this, do yourself a favor and correct that.
NieR: Automata
This is an action rpg with 2d bullethell sections. You are an android named 2B, tasked with eradicating the machines that have taken over Earth. Humans who have retreated to the moon can't come back to the planet until your job is done. This game is the second in the Nier series, the first one being replicant. There are references and characters from the first game, but you don't need to play it to understand what is going on.
This game has, 26 endings I think if I'm remembering correctly. It is a joy to see each one play out. If you are like me when you complete the game you'll end up spending hours digging into the lore and discussions about what happened and why things are the way they are in this universe.
Edit: Added more games
I'll start with a list of unknown length of my favorite games I played this year.
Sayonara wild hearts:
This game is a wonderful experience you should grab if you get the chance. The game is basically an auto scroller and you need to collect hearts onscreen to increase your score and combo multiplier.
It has some amazing music on each stage some of the songs are dangerously catchy. I would liken the game to an interactive music video.
Spiritfarer:
I'm still working on completing this game, but it has been an emotional journey thus far. You take the role of a spiritfarer as Charon's replacement. He gives you a few pieces of information then leaves you to figure out yourself. You will be given a boat that you will need to upgrade throughout the course of the game. This boat will be a temporary home for spirts you recruit while they come to grips with being dead and eventually find peace with it. You'll build custom houses for the spirts as well as gardens and workshops to acquire new upgrade materials.
This game is very chill, there is no combat at all. You gather and grow resources that you then use to create meals for souls on your boat, or upgrade said boat. You'll find yourself forming a bond with each new character you collect and you might get hit in the feels a few times when certain events transpire.
This game has been on sale for 25% off a few times recently, keep your eyes peeled and snag this when you can you won't be sad you did.
Owlboy:
This is a 2D platformer/puzzler. It has a great art style and story. Your character is an owl creature that cannot fight on his own. You recruit different companions that you carry around the world with you and they provide the offensive power you'll need to get though the dangers of the game. The game isn't too terribly long, you should be able to complete it in a weekend, but it will be a wonderful weekend. This is the type of game where 8 hours pass in the course of what feels like 5 minutes. You won't realize where the time has gone.
A Hat in Time:
This one is a 3d platformer. You find yourself in the shoes of hat kid. She is a space traveler who's ship suffers an accident and magical hourglasses spill out over the nearby planet. You need to recover these from the residents who, as you might expect, aren't too willing to let go of them.
You'll explore 4 different themed worlds, every one is very unique from the next. I personally really liked the first level the best, but the other 3 were well done also.
You will collect different hats over the time spent playing the game, each one will grant you a unique ability when wearing it. These will give you the ability to solve certain puzzles, or make parts of the game easier. This is another that could be finished in a weekend, but its time well spent!
Undertale:
It didn't come out in 2020, but I played it in 2020. I hate myself for waiting, this was such a gem. The combat or non-combat was satisfying, but the highlight was the writing and story. I'm sure you've heard of this game because when it was new everyone was talking about it. This is one hype train I should have actually jumped on. If you were like me and still haven't played this, do yourself a favor and correct that.
NieR: Automata
This is an action rpg with 2d bullethell sections. You are an android named 2B, tasked with eradicating the machines that have taken over Earth. Humans who have retreated to the moon can't come back to the planet until your job is done. This game is the second in the Nier series, the first one being replicant. There are references and characters from the first game, but you don't need to play it to understand what is going on.
This game has, 26 endings I think if I'm remembering correctly. It is a joy to see each one play out. If you are like me when you complete the game you'll end up spending hours digging into the lore and discussions about what happened and why things are the way they are in this universe.
Edit: Added more games