My list is going to look a lot different than most on this site. I only have a Switch and a 7-year old MacBook Pro, so I don't get to play a whole lot of things that come out in any given year. I'll often come to things long after people have finished talking about them.
These are the games I played in 2020 that I enjoyed the most. I played them all on the Switch. They're not ranked in order, because I just don't work like that.
This is an absolutely gorgeous piece of work. The pixel art and animation is stunning to behold. There is so much personality in every character, and every action. I was hooked from the first moment until the last battle.
People praise Hades for how it leverages the rogue-like formula to deliver the story, but Children of Morta does it just as well. Each successful, or unsuccessful run, gives you a little more insight into the Bergson family and the world they live in, told through beautifully animated and voiced cutscenes.
It's a true special game, and one I come back to often.
What can I say about this that hasn't been said already? I've always been a fan of this series, and the latest one is just what I needed at the time. It's not perfect, but it doesn't need to be. It just needs to be. I've fallen off of it in the past few months, and I feel guilty every time I think about how I've neglected my villagers. I'll go back some day, and finish up all those projects that I started. Someday.
Yes, it's a ten year old game. It came out for the Switch in 2020, so it counts for my purposes. I played well over 300 hours of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren The Wanderer on the DS. It remains one of my favorite games of all time. The series is one of the purest Rogue experiences you can get on a modern console. That either appeals to you, or it doesn't. If it does, then you're not going to find a finer game to play. There's a tremendous amount of depth in the seemingly simple systems. The more you experiment, the more you learn. I've put over 90 hours into it so far, and I'm still finding out new ways to solve the problems it hands you.
The main story dungeon is only a tiny fraction of what there is on offer. There are dozens of dungeons to conquer, each with unique rules that test your knowledge and creativity.
I can't recommend this highly enough.
I had never heard of this before I saw it in the upcoming releases section of the Switch shop, and now I've spent well over 40 hours exploring the Zee. The writing in this is top-quality. There's a level of craft and detail that makes this sunless world something I wanted to immerse myself in. I needed to know how my crew's stories would play out, what mysteries each of the cities I visited held, and just what the deeper truth was behind everything I encountered.
The Switch port has some issues. I wish that the UI had been overhauled to be more easily navigable by a controller, and that the font was scaled better to the display you're using. Minor complaints aside, this is something unique and fascinating.
Blasphemous is haunting and macabre and beautiful and terrifying. It's oppressive and terrible and stunning. I love it, and I hate it. I got to a point very near the end, and couldn't get past one boss no matter what I did, or how hard I tried. I put it down and haven't gone back to it, but it remains one of the most interesting games I played this year.
The world is fully developed and fascinating to explore. There's so much hidden lore that fleshes out who these people are, and why they are doing what they're doing. I just wish I was good enough to finish it.
A Magic: The Gathering type of card game with a unique twist. Your cards are archetypes, but they also have unique names and can be injured or killed in battle. It really adds a layer to both strategy and tactics. You have a long journey to reach the promised land, and you'll have to make some tough decisions to make it.
I haven't gotten much past the third act, but I keep trying. It's gorgeous and difficult and filled with vibrant colors and stark choices in a dying world.
Who wants some Fire Emblem in their Persona? This game is just about custom-designed for me. I love both of the series, and this strange mashup actually works on a lot of levels. I'm enjoying this goofy story about up-and-coming idols trying to stave off a demon apocalypse using spirits that turn into weapons.
This fills the Persona-sized hole in the Switch's library, and it does an admirable job.
This has earned the praise it's received from everyone. Supergiant has outdone themselves. I've been a fan of theirs for a long time, and they haven't disappointed with Hades. I'm not going to rehash what everyone else has said about it, except to say that it's a masterpiece that's worth everyone's time.
