Even saying this feels like beating a dead horse, but 2020 was a long and difficult year. Luckily, there were some fantastic video games to enjoy.
It was the year that, largely due to streaming, I started to embrace more variety. Whether as a one-off for the AFTER DARK block or as a full series, I played 30 games I never had before.
When it comes to making a best games of 2020 list, the challenge is that the majority of them didn't actually come out last year, and there are some titles that I’m sure would be on this list that I haven't played yet.
Instead, in no particular order, here are the best games that I played in 2020.
Stories Untold
One of the most memorable games I played in 2020, Stories Untold from No Code presents itself as an anthology of four stories, in the vein of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. It’s a game that defies categorization in that it keeps you on your toes as to what it might throw at you next; the first segment plays as an old-school text adventure on a screen within the game, the experience enhanced by lighting, sound, and ambient effects. In contrast, other sections of the game are more focused on puzzle-solving or even first-person exploration.
Despite the simplicity of the mechanics, the game masterfully creates intrigue and tension. Stories Untold is only three to four hours long, and because of this I don’t want to spoil any particular part of it. I will say that it pulls off a really neat trick where you, the player, might try for a good outcome in a particular situation, only to realize that you have no agency. These events have already happened. All you’re left with is the guilt.
While some of the gameplay and puzzling can be tedious, especially if you’re not familiar with text adventures, Stories Untold is a one-of-a-kind thrill ride that is routinely on sale for less than $3, but even at its normal price of $10.99 is still worth every penny.
Wide Ocean Big Jacket
More like a movie than a game, Wide Ocean Big Jacket is vibrant, witty, and relatable. It has a simple story - teenage Mord and her boyfriend Ben go camping for a weekend with her uncle Brad and his wife, Cloanne - but revels in it, highlighting the small, simple moments in life that build relationships and make memories.
There’s not much gameplay here - walking around, picking up things, looking at things, and occasionally being prompted to do something is the full extent of it - though even within those confines, you can do many of the things you’d do if you actually went camping. Over the course of the game, you go birdwatching, try to muster up the courage to pee in a bush, tell a spooky story around a campfire, go hiking, walk along the beach, and read a trashy romance novel. All the while, it highlights and contrasts the relationship between Mord and Ben, who are young and new to being in love, with that of Brad and Cloanne, who are more experienced, but who have more complex worries.
Wide Ocean Big Jacket only runs about 90 minutes, and while it doesn’t push the envelope of what games can accomplish, I don’t think every game needs to. Incredibly well-written, with strong characters and a unique presentation, it’s relaxing and joyful and pure fun.
Control
If you’ve spoken with me since September 2019, you know how much I adore Remedy’s latest effort. When I played it on stream this past year, the cracks in the foundation were a little more obvious, or maybe I was just less willing to forgive things like inconsistent difficulty or a ridiculous number of collectibles (including the two expansions, there are over 400 pickups to listen to and watch, but mostly read).
Even with these stumbling blocks, the game was still a joy to experience. In large part due to those collectibles, Control has some of the best worldbuilding in recent memory, so many threads to follow, and they all end up in a downright bonkers place. With this being my second playthrough, I also was thrilled to discover all of the foreshadowing and subtle details that I was ignorant of my first time through.
Graphically stunning, dripping with style (the title cards and accompanying sound effect whenever you enter a new area are immensely satisfying), and with unique mechanics contributing to a simple but fun gameplay loop, Control is a game I wish I could play for the first time all over again.
Eliza
Eliza was a late replacement for a game I wanted to stream, but which my computer wasn’t able to run. On reflection, I’m very glad things shook out how they did. Developed by Zachtronics, who are mostly known for their programming games, Eliza is the most timely game on this list, asking modern questions for which there are no simple or definitive answers.
Can artificial intelligence replace human connection? Does big tech have a responsibility to try to make the world a better place? How can we reduce the demand on our mental health professionals? Does access to better care mean giving up our privacy and freedoms? How can we help those who slip through the cracks?
While it does ask big questions, Eliza is grounded by its characters and their relationships to each other. While these people are only made up of a few illustrations, stellar voice acting and writing draw you into their world, with their fears, hopes, and anxieties on full display.
The game also does an interesting thing where it asks you to empathize with characters whom you may not like or agree with, but the opposite is also true. During my playthrough, there was a warm and charismatic character whom I found very relatable, and over the course of my interactions with them, they turned out to be a huge piece of shit.
Visual novels aren’t the most popular genre because a lot of people prefer less reading and more shooting in their video games, but if you give Eliza a chance, you will not be disappointed.
Disco Elysium
Hey, it’s the game this newsletter is named after! I am so tempted to have this section be comprised solely of quotes from Disco Elysium, but I’m not going to do that.
Okay, maybe a handful.
"But you see, a *law*, lawman," he says, squeezing his beer can, "is something people agree upon. And here in Martinaise we agreed that this man had to die."
The young man drops his oversized head in shame. He is truly sorry he couldn't come up with a profitable market strategy.
"She saw something in him when we were just kids, and..." His voice trembles. "...a-and she never lost sight of it. And I thought if the most beautiful being in the world can love him, then there must be something worth holding on to..."
So I should just... just... get a hat and FUCK it, right?! Engage in sexual intercourse with a hat right here in front of you, because you told me so? On the SEA ICE?!
People are beautiful. Statuesque. Parodies and tragedies of themselves. A great democracy of creatures...
I played a lot of really good games in 2020, but I strongly felt, as soon as I finished it, that nothing was going to top Disco Elysium. As those quotes demonstrate, the writing is sublime on a level that few other pieces of media can match. It can be uproariously funny one moment and deadly serious the next, horrifying and touching and heartfelt.
What makes Disco Elysium so distinct from other RPGs is that all of the combat is dialogue, and all of your abilities are the different parts of your psyche. A character with high empathy might be able to comfort or convince others, while a character with low perception might miss important details.
I had gotten a bit frustrated with the game early on because it wasn’t particularly clear how I was supposed to do what it wanted of me, but I was taking the wrong approach. Disco Elysium is a game that rewards you for taking the scenic route, exploring every nook and cranny and talking to everyone you can as thoroughly as you can.
While the actual mechanics of the gameplay are straightforward, they’re presented in such a fresh and exciting way that it’s hard not to get drawn into the story of your character, because it really is your character. With a script of over a million words and frequent passive checks, you’re very unlikely to experience the game like anyone else.
If you don’t mind reading, play Disco Elysium. If you really don’t mind reading, play the game as the thinker archetype, which absolutely bombards you with a ton of extra details and lore to really flesh out the game’s world and characters.
If you do mind reading, wait until March for The Final Cut, a free update that adds new quests, a new area, and full voice acting, and then play Disco Elysium. I’ll be right there with you, experiencing Martinaise all over again.
What were your favourite games of the year? Let me know! You can always find me on Twitch.