Unlike much of the team I imagine, my opinion is this: I thought the year was pretty mediocre in terms of games. Or at least, it was mediocre for my personal taste, which is pretty unpleasant at best. Most of my top picks made it into the calendar itself, but some didn't. One I hadn't even played correctly until after the vote, and the other? The other is a flawed choice, but one I couldn't stop thinking about.
Anyway, I hope you all have a peaceful Christmas and a fantastic New Year. I hope Santa bought you some nice warm socks or a chocolate orange so dense you can play at your local golf club.
blown by the wind
Windblown is an early access roguelike that seemed a little lackluster to me when it was first revealed. Then I tried it and was proven totally, totally wrong. It feels great, it's smart, and you can play it alongside two friends for some frenetic co-op shenanigans. It's a shame no one is really talking about it, so I'm here to rectify that.
As a cute animal (axolot, bat, lizard, hamster, one I've forgotten), you must jump into a large canyon and shoot into a huge swirling tornado. It's in this tornado that a sequence of increasingly difficult stages is conveniently set, ranging from mushroom kingdoms to rat towns to rusty mechs, all atop very large floating chunks of rock. You must fight them and get stronger and stronger as you progress. Die and you'll return to base with some currency, which you can use to permanently improve your stats or unlock cool stuff for future runs.
You've probably heard all this naughtiness before, but I'd say Windblown sets itself apart in a few things. The script is sublime: very agile, very fast and very spam-friendly. We like it. Combat feels punchy and encourages you to swap between your two weapons with generous “press the swap button” windows that allow you to pull off some cool combos that apply bleed or activate special moves. Arms? Good. Power-ups? Solid. Everything has been well thought out, with music that goes far beyond what is necessary.
And honestly, I love the fact that it's cooperative. It's rare that you can play a roguelike like this with a friend and it handles it well. I played with Liam (RPS in peace) and we never got caught up or confused by each other's issues. One thing I will say: looting in co-op is a bit finicky (it's not immediately obvious who can see whose loot it is, for example). This is a minor complaint though, as otherwise Windblown really feels like it's developing into something pretty special.
Shin chan: Shiro and the coal city
Right now I'm listening to “1 hour of relaxing music from Shin chan: Shiro And The Coal Town” on YouTube. It shows Shin Chan, a mischievous boy fishing in a quiet stream, while his dog Shiro wags his tail and scratches the back of his ears. The music is wonderful and vibrant, with a lush, green backdrop – just a slice of the beautiful Akita countryside in northern Japan. I think it really reminds me of the summers I had as a kid and I get nostalgic and emotional. Honestly, it doesn't help me writing this.
However, we must persevere through the excitement, because that is why it is in my selection box in the first place. The machinations of Coal Town aren't exactly for me, as it's a collecting marathon where you wander around a wonderful city and collect bugs and fish, and 99.9% of your quests have to do with collecting even more materials. You do this every day (it's not like Animal Crossing, where time stops when you exit the game) and it can feel like you're ignoring all the beauty in favor of clearing a path to fill your backpack as quickly as possible.
Even though playing said game isn't for me, I think it's a wonderful space to exist in and holds a lovely message (even if Shin Chan is a threat). Akita is presented through beautiful, dreamy vignettes. Rice fields illuminated by the glow of fireflies. The reflection of the stream bubbling beneath a scenic road. The tinkling of the cicadas underlines everything. Throughout history, townspeople lament that young people leave in search of greater opportunities in the city, while they sit in hot baths or chat on winding mountain trails.
The overall theme is that the Japanese countryside is being forgotten and it shouldn't be that way. All marked by the fact that as you collect and gather all those materials, the sick and forgotten city is revitalized and becomes a center of genuine happiness and industry. The game itself is a message to the next generation and, really, to anyone: there are opportunities on the field too. Those are better than the spiritless deals offered by the corpos in the gray cities. Those that can offer a richer life, marked by community and crystal blue skies.