There are few other games like Kentucky Route Zero. The point-and-click/text-based adventure captures the economic anxieties and the loneliness of America in 2020, but it still manages to be hopeful amongst the tragedy. You don't want to miss this.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is the same game you remember, but with a few small extras that make it all feel more worthwhile.
The Artful Escape is a tender look at creativity and finding your voice coated in outlandish visuals, an electrifying soundtrack, and a ton of lasers.
Immortality is unlike any other game. It's wildly ambitious, gorgeously shot, well acted, and incredibly unique. You might think you understand the straightforward gameplay, which requires you to match clips together to uncover the story of actress Marissa Marcel, but you have no idea what you're getting into and what you'll be at the end.
No simulation or game is an exact copy of what it's trying to emulate, but Stardew Valley, above all, expertly explores the connection that someone can have with their environment, their work and the people around them.
Death Stranding came out in 2019 for the PS4, but the PC port looks to become the definitive version of the game thanks to improvements that make it playable across any type of machine. It's also, oddly enough, more relevant than ever.
Watch Dogs: Legion is a departure from the typical Ubisoft brand, and it's better for it. The play as anybody system just works, there's a lot to do, and it's unabashedly political in a way that feels important in 2020.
Lost in Random is all about randomness, and while that idea doesn't go far enough in some cases, the game is still a great coming-of-age tale with tons of laughs and tension.
Shadow Tactics is a return to form for a genre that hasn't received nearly enough love
Turnip Boy Robs a Bank might have changed genres, but big improvements to combat and a more jam-packed world revitalize the series.
The Banner Saga 2 is a well-crafted, gut-wrenching tale
Aside from some issues with encounter balance and my yearnings for more detail, it's a beautiful, challenging game, content to be ambiguous, rich and confounding in ways that few other RPGs have ever pulled off.
Amnesia: Rebirth is a wildly ambitious horror title that seeks to be standalone and to answer a lot of of questions posed in The Dark Descent. It's gruesome in its style and tragic in its story, and whether the pain will be worth it is up to you.
Last Stop takes a lot of risks, and for the most part, it succeeds. It's a game about interconnectivity in a modern world, but a few flaws keep it from rising to the heights it wants to.
Tyranny's bad guy morality system is a little on the nose, and other aspects of the game sometimes suffer. But the game's dedication to that conceit works, setting a path of bargaining and self-examination. Even amidst self-doubt, I did summon a volcano and destroy a library — and I’d probably do it again.
A House Divided is more of a standalone Walking Dead episode than the first one was, drawing inspirations from the first game without being too reliant and mimicking, while also looking ahead to what's really in store for Clementine. It harkens back to what made the first game so special: the way seemingly small things have huge reverberations. While the first episode served as a loose prelude, the second episode serves as the real introduction. It's full, fleshed-out, and ultimately everything you would want in a Walking Dead episode.
Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals offers a highly personal and unpredictable horror-themed adventure that repeats a lot of the first game’s ideas, and it's still worth tuning into.
Nobody Wants to Die will hold your hand whether you want it to or not, but its deep dialogue trees and unique touches almost manage to elevate it into something special.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is interesting enough but feels a bit empty
Bloodline represents Ubisoft going back to its roots on the Watch Dogs franchise, and your mileage will vary. Either way, it doesn't feel like a Legion DLC.