The Discussion Thread - The 14th Annual Greatest Games Event

[psychicscubadiver]

At last, free time to post again.

25. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
This game is just wonderfully weird, it also cleverly combines two genres I love: puzzles and platformers. You play as Henry Hatsworth, a comically British explorer hunting for the mythical 'Gentleman's Suit' and explore side-scrolling levels on the upper screen of the DS, but enemies that you above become puzzle blocks on the bottom screen. Once your puzzle meter is full you have to swap screens, erasing blocks to destroy enemies before they can return to haunt you and gaining power-ups to assist in your platforming, It's sounds complicated, but in practice it flows smoothly and is one of the most fun and unique uses of the DS's dual screens.

24. Skyrim
This game had plenty of jank that held it back, but the core gameplay loop kept me coming back for more. I play a lot of TTRPG and this game felt like a single-player campaign in that vein. There were tons of plot hooks to pick up or disregard, powers to unlock, monsters to kill/loot, and interesting moral choices to make. I'm told there are other games in this style that I should try and that they may take the shine off Skyrim, but as it is, I enjoyed my first experience with the universe of the Elder Scrolls.

23. Celeste
Celeste is fantastic example of how to infuse the themes of your game into the levels themselves. The mountain is a metaphor for something difficult in Madeline's life, something that is hinted at but never revealed. Which is better to honest, as it makes the struggle more generally relatable. And you will struggle, as I died dozens, even hundreds, of times getting through the levels. But that too is part of the themes as the game tells you not to be discouraged, but to persevere and you will eventually reach the summit. All the themes in the world wouldn't matter if the game wasn't fun to play, but the levels are expertly crafted to teach you new skills then force you to master them in short order. I loved this game, reaching the summit, collecting all strawberries, all cassettes, beating all of the B-side levels, although I drew a line at the C-sides as I am merely a mortal man.

22. Majora's Mask 3D
I didn't like the original release of Majora's Mask as a child. I tried it out at a friend's house and didn't enjoy that my usual style of aimless exploration between major plot points was being constantly interrupted by the 3 day cycle. I came back to it as an adult in 2015 and the game suddenly just clicked for me. I don't know if it's because I have less time to play and thus play with more focused goals in mind or if I just needed to mature before the game's gloomy atmosphere appealed to me. Either way, I was hooked to my 3DS until I had 100%'ed this game.

21. Persona 5
The aesthetic of this game is what first sold me on it. It's sleek and stylish and an actual turn-based RPG in an age where those are rarely done as big releases. I enjoyed the dungeon crawling, battles, and story, but what actually hooked me was surprisingly the social aspects. There is something very fun about trying to maximize your stats with mundane activities while also building relationships and revealing more about the friends and people around you. I have yet to play Royal, but that may replace this version once I do.