Subnautica
Available On: PC | macOS | PS4 | Xbox One | HTC Vive
If you’ve been following Pixelrater for a long time, then you know that both Will and I have been in love with Subnautica for a while now. You can read my initial thoughts on an early version of the Xbox Preview build here and listen to Will and I gush about the game here. After playing Subnautica in preview for a couple years and after many many new saves, I am now playing Subnautica after its official 1.0 release on Xbox—and let me tell you—it’s gorgeous on Xbox One X! While the title doesn’t support native 4K, it looks crisp and beautiful in in QHD at 1400p. Also, thanks to the dev team bringing port masters Panic Button on board to finish the Xbox release, the game has never run better and runs really fluidly (pun intended).
If you’re like me and aren’t into brutal survival games (so the opposite of Will) I’m happy to let you know that Subnautica has gameplay options to support every play style ranging from permadeath to creative mode which gives you nothing to monitor and unlocks all blueprints from the start. I personally play in Freedom Mode which is similar to Survival Mode but without the need to maintain food or water levels. At this point I’ve recovered more blueprints than ever before, have built the best underwater base to date, and have freaked myself out at some chillingly dark depths of the ocean. This is easily one of my favorite games and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s very unique!
Hollow Knight
Available On: PC | macOS | PS4 | Xbox One | Switch
Man. Hollow Knight. I’ve been following this game since 2014 when Team Cherry sent me an early alpha build for macOS that admittedly didn’t run well. Fast forward nearly five years later and I’ve fallen in love with this Metroidvania on Switch. Will especially never shuts up about it in our podcast. Hollow Knight may actually be my favorite Metroidvania to date. You play as a little knight armed with a weapon called a nail as you traverse gorgeous hand-drawn areas and uncover the many secrets and hidden paths to as you explore this truly massive game world. You can eventually fast travel to various places you’ve discovered and each area is completely different in both aesthetic and dangers with new creative bug monsters ready to kick your ass.
And kick your ass they will! Hollow Knight can be straight up hard, but stick with it, save often, and upgrade upgrade upgrade! The atmosphere and ambiance are simply beautiful in handheld and docked with rock solid performance that hasn’t been an issue at all. This one is a no-brainer and easily makes my top list of this year.
Ys XIII Lacrimosa of Dana
Available On: PC | PS4 | PS Vita | Switch
Okay, so to be real with you for a second, this one surprised me too. Anyone who knows me like Tristan or Omar will tell you that Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana isn’t my cup of tea because I drink coffee. By that I mean it’s a JRPG which isn’t really my style and it lasts a long time for my standards. I’m all about Indies and action-adventure games that I can finish in a relatively short period of time, and yet, I loved Ys VIII and saw it through to the end. I was looking for an adventure game to scratch that itch after playing Breath of the Wild last year and this looked like it would hit the spot.
As you may have guessed, Ys VIII is the eighth installment in the Ys series that started in 1987 with Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished for NEC PC-8801. The good news is that this is a soft reboot of sorts for the franchise, so you don’t have to play the previous games to understand what’s going on in this one. You start out working on a cruise ship and everything is going swimmingly until you get attacked by a Kraken which destroys the ship, leaving everyone thrown in the ocean until they all seemingly wash ashore on an island with alien creatures. After exploring, you run into and recruit various passengers who come back to your little home base with each one bringing their own set of skills such as a blacksmith or alchemist. The characters are charming and the island is bright and beautiful—even if it is littered with towering and tiny creatures that want to kill you. Eventually, you end up stumbling across the ancient ruins of a society from long ago which leads into some fun past/present timeline crossovers with another character you meet, Dana. To sum it up: I am absolutely smitten with Ys VIII and can guarantee I will start another playthrough of this, just like I did with Breath of the Wild.
God of War
Available Exclusively On: PS4
I’ve played every God of War title with the exception of Ascension because I felt like the franchise was growing long in the tooth. It was a hack-and-slash fest with no emotion or sense of purpose other than “Me Kratos. Me angry. Kill more gods! Bloodlust!” and I’m over that. Then Sony Santa Monica revealed the trailer for a title simply called “God of War” that gave the middle finger to people like Tris and myself who long wrote the franchise off as dead. I sat there watching the trailer and gameplay with my jaw on the floor. This is a wholly new God of War. A wholly new Kratos. He’s a broken man after losing his wife and is doing his best to raise his, Atreus, to fend for himself on his own. He’s trying to mold himself to be a man and not the monster he sees himself as. This entry is stunning to look at and is epic in scale.
Admittedly, I thought the game would be 1.5 to 2x longer than it actually is, but that doesn’t detract from the emotional story I woven throughout and dazzling battles I had. I was pleasantly surprised at just how essential Atreus became, especially after unlocking some weapon upgrades and useful skills in his skill tree—another first for the series. I wasn’t sure how RPG elements would work with a game that was previously all about button mashing combos, but I prefer it as it added depth and made me feel like each piece of armor and weapon had a purpose while also making them all feel unique. If you haven’t played God of War ever, play this God of War and forget the others. They’re in completely different leagues when it comes to story and gameplay. Let’s just say, it’s so good that the PS4 exclusive reboot is the only God of War title I’ve ever wanted to play through again.
ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission
Available Exclusively On: PSVR
Between Switch and my new infatuation with my Xbox (which you can hear me talk about here) I haven’t really played much PlayStation VR. Titles like Ark Park were hugely disappointing and Moss was whimsical but didn’t quite woo me. One of my favorite titles I’ve played since I got Sony’s headset was a single level from Astro Bot that came with PlayStation VR Worlds. It’s basically Sony’s answer to Mario in VR and is something I wanted to be fully realized as a standalone title since last PSVR launched. Now, two years later, here it is. I have to give it to SIE Japan Studio, as they created what is easily one of my top three VR games to date. Astro Bot Rescue Mission is bright and cheery with lots of color and charm throughout. You’ll discover a lot of clever level design and memorable boss battles packed into one of the most immersive VR games to date as you’ll find yoruself lookign behind, below, above, and all around you in order to ensure you have every coin and rescue every adorable little robot. I don’t know what else to say other than that you could straight up insert Mario here and it has the polish to be a Nintendo game in VR. If you have a PSVR go play the demo level and then purchase the full game if you love it.
