Boy was this a year. I played a lot of stuff… for a change, let’s list them from worst to best!

19. Pokemon Cafe Mix

Absolute garbage. It’s worse candy crush, with Pokemon. Not even being free saved this game. 0/10
Platforms: Switch/Phone

18. The Messenger

So, the metroidvania subreddit really loves this game, and I really don’t get it. I found it uninspired and unfun. I thought the level design was bad. And while the mechanic of hitting things to get an extra jump is cool, it didn’t help the fact that I didn’t think the movement flowed particularly well. Having played at least three other games this year in which the movement was smooth and fun, I just think that’s unforgivable. I also felt the humor and writing fell flat. Circa 2000 Josh would have thought this game was hilarious and great, but not 2020 Josh. 2/10
Platforms: All major platforms

17. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

So, Ori and the Blind Forest was one of my all time favorite metroidvanias, if not one of my all time favorite games. That it was mostly platforming and movement based was to its credit I thought. It also was one hell of a story. WotW seems to have taken all the wrong advice from the last 5 years and come out with a lackluster Hollow Knight clone, which is really a shame since I felt the first game was so innovative. I might go back to it again at some point, because I was really looking forward to enjoying this game. 3/10
Platforms: Switch; Xbox; PC

16. Fall Guys

This game is fun if you’ve got a group to play it with, I think. My best friend suggested that it’s a good game to stream. I’m not much for watching people play video games usually, but that sounds about right. I imagine that’s what led to it’s popularity. It’s just ok for me. 4/10
Platforms: PC; PS4; phone

15. Sakura Wars

I saw an ad for this on FB and decided to give it a shot. I like anime, and relaxed JRPGs, AND dating simulators. I found the JRPG too relaxed, I found the dating simulator lackluster where it wasn’t creepy, and none of the characters were particularly interesting to me. You know what WAS interesting to me? Koi-Koi. A rummy style game which I gather you can learn to play on your own, so maybe get a cheaper game that’s only that? 5/10
Platforms: PS4

14. Genshin Impact

This game is free. I don’t know why it’s free. It has no business being free. I understand that people spent a lot of money on this free game though, so I guess their business model worked. I was nominally interested before my daughter got really into it and I decided to try it for myself. I feel the same way about this game as I did about Breath of the Wild, except it has actual quests for you to complete. But I think open world just isn’t my thing. Cool that you can play this on your phone though. 5/10
Platforms: PS4; Switch; PC; Phone

13. Picross (different versions)

I don’t know if this deserves an entry, but I’m putting it in because I spent a significant amount of time on them this year, and I don’t think I’ve said anything about them before. What I can say about Picross is that they’re great brain teasers. If you can pick one up on a handheld or a phone that’s the way to go. Do it on the train or while you’re waiting to fall asleep. Or if the existential dread of the imminent apocalypse has got you down.
Platforms: I dunno. Go find some if this is your bag.

12. Pokemon Battle Trozei

This is a match 3 game on a grid. It was free (I think) for the 3DS a number of years ago. I don’t know if it still is. Having played some Panel De Pon, which is similar in game play, I thought I’d revisit this, and I was glad to have done so. I understood the mechanics better this time around and enjoyed it immensely. 7/10
Platform: 3DS

11. Panel De Pon

While I have encountered this game before, I had never spent any significant time with it. So when it hit the Switch by way of the SNES virtual console I took some time to sit with it. It was worth my time and I had fun. I played a lot of puzzle games this year. If you have a Switch, you should check this out.
Platforms: SNES; Switch

10. Timespinner

This is a pretty solid if kinda boiler-plate metroidvania. Which is to say, I liked it. It leans heavily on Symphony of the Night. I got a “bad” ending and didn’t feel like going 100% so I put it down. Worth the play-through. 7/10

9. Monster Sanctuary

This game is Pokemon mixed with a Metroidvania. I’m enjoying it (not done as of writing), and it’s a solid game, but I don’t know if it’s my favorite Pokemon game. It does cater to my play style as DOTs seem to be extremely powerful. I’d certainly recommend it for anyone who thinks that sounds cool.
Platforms: all major platforms

8. Ghost of Tsushima

This is a AAA game. It follows the formula of a AAA game (do shit: the game – now with 100% more samurai!). I surprised myself by actually enjoying it. I’m pretty garbage at video games, and sometimes (especially for bow and arrow missions) I had to lower the difficulty. Like all modern AAA video games, you’re free to go beat the final boss whenever you get tired of doing the things you’re doing. 7/10
Platforms: PS4

7. Mario+ Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

This game has no right to be anywhere near as good as it is. It’s charming and engaging if a little goofy. It’s a good game on top of that. If you like tactical strategy games, you’ll like this. Play it. 8/10
Platforms: Switch

6. Touhou Spell Bubble

Though I’m sure some people had their eye on this game, it game out of nowhere for me. It showed up one day in my feed, and I thought, “ooh, I’ll check that out”. So I played the demo and I knew this was right up my alley and got the full game. I enjoyed playing though the main quest immensely, and though I didn’t get the Touhou references, I am assured that for fans of the series, it packs plenty of good jokes an nostalgia. My only complaint is that while it supports local multiplayer, I wish there was online support, especially in *gestures wildly at 2020*.
Platforms: Switch

5. Kunai

This game was surprisingly good, with fluid movement, a cute main character, a BUNCH of hats, and fun game play. I had a lot of fun “spider-man-ing” my way through each area. My only complaint is that it was a little bit short. Sometimes I think a short game is good though. Not every game has to clock in at Hollow Knight’s 40-80 hours main game. 8/10

4. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2

Yo, this game is fantastic. I already like both of these games, and together my wife and I clocked over 200 hours in the first game. I’ve been looking forward to this since it got announced. They added a couple new modes (fever mode most importantly) and a few new characters to go with the new story. And YES, the story is fun and goofy and absolutely worth playing through. 10/10
Platforms: all major platforms

3. Carrion

Carrion is a “reverse-horror” game. That is, you play as the monster, wandering around the halls, ripping people apart and munching on them as they scream, all while you turn into a pulsing, writhing mass of tentacles and teeth. With innovative movement, fun powers, interesting puzzles, a KILLER sound design (seriously, give these people an award), a tense and exciting score, and a just plain fun premise, Carrion is a masterpiece. I do wish it had a map, but it’s short and small enough that it’s not that big a deal. Do yourself a favor and Play. This. Game. 10/10
Platforms: Switch, Xbox One, PC

2. Dandara

Dandara has been on my radar for a couple of years and honestly, I don’t know why I waited so long to play it. It’s different enough to be refreshing, but metroidvania enough for me to jump right in. Movement, despite being weird, is really satisfying, and the bosses were quirky and fun. It features a black main character named after the Afro-Brazilian folk hero Dandara dos Palmares. Absolutely play this game. 10/10
Platforms: Switch, PS4, XBox One, PC, Phone

1. Final Fantasy VII: Remake

In my notes it says “AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” but that’s not the most helpful description, so: FFVIIR is the first (third?) of the original game. It’s everything up until you get out of Midgar, which is honestly the part of FFVII I have a lot of nostalgia for. (I don’t feel bad about spoiling this, because I played it for the first time in the 9th grade, and it was old then.) You may know that I’m not huge on AAA games, but everything about this game was fantastic. The game play was fresh and fun. The graphics were beautiful. The writing (yes, they changed and added quite a bit to make this a full game) was excellent. The score was so beautiful it literally had me screaming and crying. I’ll probably buy a PS5 as soon as the next one comes out.
Platform: PS4