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Koji Igarashi's Top 5 Games of 2019

The director of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night takes us through the games he managed to find time for in a busy 2019.

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Known as IGA to his fans and considered one of the godfathers of the “-vania” genre, Igarashi-san has been designing games since the early '90s. Beginning with his work on Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, a groundbreaking title that’s inspired two generations of game developers since its release in 1997, IGA served as producer and scenario writer for a long series of fan-favorite Castlevania titles.

1. Astral Chain

The action part of the game was done very meticulously. It was especially fun controlling the chained Legion, making the battles really enjoyable.

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2. Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood

Not only are these two games I was deeply involved in, but the launch was also around the same time as Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night in Japan. It felt like it was fated.

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3. Slay the Spire

This is a game I bought on Steam after seeing all the rave reviews. This reminds me of the first time I played Magic: The Gathering in English. The way the deck of cards evolve also gives it that Dominion-like quality, which was very fun to play.

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4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Although I'm not far into the game yet, I really like this type of game and it's one of those titles where I want to sit back and take my time.

Personally, the romance element is a bit abashing, but the character development and seeing their growth in this series has a consistent quality every time.

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5. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

The game I put the most time into playing! It was really special to play a game that is very close to my heart. Also, the reason it's on the list is it illustrates that I have not had the chance to play very many games this year...

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20 Comments

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zorak

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Oh hell yeah, IGA. Love IGA.

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RonnieBarzel

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Normally I'd say picking your own game is akin to wearing your own band T-shirt on stage, but in this case, I'm willing to overlook that for the sheer awesomeness of the games. I mean, Rondo and Symphony are stone-cold legends, and Bloodstained could very end up there as more time passes.

Merry Christmas, IGA! I hope Santa brings you that new whip.

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D_W

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I appreciate two things about him putting his game on the list: 1) that he did it at all, 2) it's at the bottom of the list.

beautiful!

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conmulligan

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Baller

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NoobSauceG7

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Good fucking list!

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DarkbeatDK

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Great list. King choices!

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umryan

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Based IGA-san

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sebmal

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putting your own games on your list is an incredible power move

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madlaughter

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Awesome that they got Iga involved this year. I will cheer for any list with Edelgard on it. Thanks for the list!

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baka_shinji17

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The Whip Man has spoken.

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musubi

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I love that he just puts his own games on his list. Also Astral Chain respect! I dig it!

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emphulio

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I love Bloodstained, interesting to see what the man behind it plays.

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staplegun

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The low-key best part of this list is the implication that he's played Dominion, which anyone even a bit interested in deck builder games should check out.

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AnjinM

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If Iga think Bloodstained is that good, maybe I should try it out. :)

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Smeat

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Very good list Iga.

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unsolvedparadox

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Adding your own game + not putting it at the top, both confident + humble!

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indigozeal

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Iga's a great get.

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Onemanarmyy

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this guy is into whips & chains!

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CBHZ

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Even IGA-San is over the head patting bullshit in modern FE.

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MichiganJack

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Edited By MichiganJack

I'm completely hooked on Bloodstained. Currently working to get Rank 9 Grade 9 for possible shards. It's a complete dream of a game. 10/10 Perfect S Class. Still holding out on that bounty to fight IGA.