Red Pages Podcast
Red Pages Podcast Games of the Year 2018
Justin's Picks
2017 was a hard year to follow, but 2018 surprised me with several delightful titles. Of all the releases this year, two games stood above the rest in my esteem - though as always I have awarded some honorable mentions.
Return of the Obra Dinn
Lucas Pope's long-awaited follow-up to Papers, Please is nothing like its predecessor. Return of the Obra Dinn, described as an "Insurance Adventure," puts you in the boots of an inspector trying to determine how everybody aboard the mysterious ghost ship Obra Dinn met their end. This is by far the most compelling mystery game I've ever played. In some ways the game is like solving an enormous sudoku or similar logic puzzle - using Sherlock Holmes-ian deduction and observation, the player is essentially filling in an enormous grid. Outside knowledge of historical events and nautical tradition both help, but all information to uncover the fate of the Obra Dinn is contained within the vignettes that make up the game. This is a masterpiece, and while it absolutely appeals to a niche audience, it's one of best games I've ever played in any genre.
Into the Breach
Podcast listeners will no doubt be aware that turn-based strategy games are a continual favorite of mine. Into the Breach is one of these, with the gimmick that you always know the next move your opponent will take. As a result, it becomes closer to chess than something like X-COM or Fire Emblem - the possibility space is highly constrained, and the game encourages trial and error via a time-travel mechanic that lets you reset turns and carry some progress between play sessions (and a session is only ever about an hour at most.) There's almost no writing to speak of - this is a game that succeeds on the marriage of play mechanics and the unity of the central conceit. It likely won't win over any strategy game skeptics, but for those who are into the genre, you could do worse than going into the breach.
Runners-Up
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- At this point you're either into Smash Bros. or you're not, but Ultimate appears to be the definitive release for this franchise. I'm not sure where they can go from here without feeling as if they're stagnating.
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
- A game clearly aimed more at children than grizzled, jaded adults, this Ni no Kuni II is deeply flawed yet managed to make me overlook issues that would have sunk other games with an overwhelming quantity of joy, sincerity and the masterful visuals and music that distinguished its predecessor.