We're coming close to the game titles you've all been waiting for. But what would a Game of the Year list be if there weren't runners up? These are titles that were so close to taking the top spot for each of us, but didn't quite make it. We don't know about you, but we are excited to hear what some of you have for runners up this year!
Nick:
Tekken 8
Simply put, this one scratched my fighting game itch in a way nothing has since Soulcalibur VI (which was my GotY back in 2018)
Valerie:
Mika and The Witch's Mountain
I had been looking forward to Mika and The Witch’s Mountain ever since I saw the trailer and announcement on my Steam pages. The cuteness of the characters, the story of how she has to work to get back to the top of the mountain to continue her schooling, and everything else. I have to play this through again as I am an achievement monger, plus I am sure to find something in the areas I didn’t find my way into!
Susan:
Riven
The runner up for game of the year is another that should surprise absolutely no one. Nostalgia is a key factor in this, but the brilliance of the development team makes Riven top tier. While Myst kicked off the puzzle game genre in a big way, Riven kicked us to the curb in terms of difficulty. Like with the previous game, you are dropped into an unknown world by Atrus to save his wife Catherine. As with before, this game doesn't hold your hand. I wildly laughed at streamers trying the game for the first time and saying, "I have NO IDEA what I'm supposed to do." That's the point! Anyways, with Riven, the developers tried to preserve the experience and made a choice to keep the original music in the game as well as the video recordings. The only drawback was how disjointed the live acting was in comparison to the rest of the polished game. I completely understand why they chose this method of preservation, but it did feel jarring for a bit. Nonetheless, while I played the original version of Riven, the updated version is breathtaking and awe-inspiring. There are some subtle changes they made to certain puzzles to make the game a little more forgiving for the newer players, but that doesn't make the puzzles easier per se. And I found that while I remembered and recognized so much of the game, I also realized the challenge presented by a 3D game where the original was a 2D game. Honestly, anything Cyan Worlds does makes my heart sing.
Richard:
BAKERU
This was a game I got really absorbed in. Despite being a game that feels more geared towards a younger audience, BAKERU was an incredibly entertaining action-adventure game that I felt was really, REALLY fun. Couple this with the interesting fun facts you can collect and the sheer variety of stage differences, and BAKERU turned out to be a very fun game.
P.Y.:
Ys X: Nordics
Nihon Falcom's Ys series has always been one to look forward to for me. Having finally gotten the recognition that it deserves, main line console releases over handhelds, Ys X continues to bring us amazing excerpts of Adol's memoirs. Taking place right after his original journey in Ys I&II, X once again shifts the gameplay to fit the narrative. Two characters, solid gameplay and great storytelling is topped off with sailing and naval combat for the first time. Adol. Doesn't. Ship. Wreck. Yet. Because that's the start of Ys IV: Memories of Celceta which chronologically takes place after Ys X: Nordics.
