25. Splatoon 2
Having missed out on the first one, I wasn't entirely sure what I was in for when I picked up Splatoon 2 at midnight on the night of its release. I just knew that it looked awesome and that people whose opinions I trusted were very pumped about it, so I was all in.
You play as an Inkling, a human-squid hybrid that lives in a metropolis and flings around paint for both fun and sustenance.
Standard matches are 4 on 4 and last a perfect duration of three minutes, making it really easy to squeeze in a couple of matches when you just have a short while to play, which is wonderful! You can choose from an impressive artillery of paint-flinging, -rolling, and -shooting devices, enabling you to compliment your preferred play style. (I'm a big fan of the high-volume, low-range Sploosh-o-Matic myself.)
You can also pick up tons of stylish gear, which can grant you special offensive and defensive perks. Over time, you can farm these abilities to eventually build out gear in a way that perfectly suits you.
There are also some ridiculously fun ranked play modes, including one called Clam Blitz, where you must zip around the map collecting golden clams and then tossing them into a basket on your enemy's base.
The Salmon Run mode also adds a grittier version of gameplay, in which you work with three other Inklings to fend off some monstrous sea creatures that are trying to attack your oil rig.
This is an online multiplayer that's ridiculously fun and accessible, and I hope it remains active for many years.
24. Firewatch
This is one of two games on my list that I would say transcends the label of "video game"; Firewatch is very much an experience.
You assume the role of a man who takes a job in the summer of 1989 as a ranger in the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. A year earlier, wildfires broke out in the park, so his main duty is to keep watch both from his fire tower and on foot patrol to prevent any fire danger.
This is not a simulation or management game, however; this is a story about grief, loneliness, and human connections. The less said about the story the better, but Henry has had some difficult life circumstances before his stint in the park, and they affect how he responds to the various situations he encounters as a ranger.
As is the case with much real-life forestry, Henry's sole means of communication is his two-way radio, through which he speaks to his supervisor, Delilah.
The gameplay is almost entirely exploration. You use a map and compass to follow trails and find landmarks and, through all of this, a story slowly builds around you.
The artwork in this game is stunning. It may, in fact, be my favorite art in any game I've ever played. It's loosely based on the style of the posters made by the Works Projects Administration in the 1940s to promote our growing national parks system, but with an '80s gloss.
Despite its heavy subject matter, this game was an emotionally calming experience for me. I loved coming home after a stressful day and exploring the lush woods.
23. The Talos Principle
I think you'd be hard pressed to find any gamer who would disagree that Portal is one of the most important games ever made, and that many games since its release have borrowed various elements from it in reductive ways.
The Talos Principle features a silent protagonist solving puzzles with a relatively small toolkit while an unseen omniscient overlord makes comments about their progress. I think that's where the Portal comparisons have to end, though, as this game has a wildly different tone and ultimate purpose.
You are in control of a robot in an environment that is without humans, but that undoubtedly has access to human history and knowledge. You must navigate a series of puzzles, using signal jamming and clever maneuvering to avoid mines, turrets, and other destructive hazards. The goal of each stage is to collect a tetris-piece-esque shape called a sigil. Collect enough sigils and you can move to the next area.
The game is absolutely gorgeous. The environments and futuristic-yet-foreign technology all feel very real.
The game's overarching themes of free will and morality honestly didn't do much for me, but I loved this game nonetheless and recommend it without qualification.
22. 2048
I love love love puzzle games, and 2048 was one of the freshest ideas brought to the puzzle game scene in years.
It's a wicked simple concept: Whichever direction you swipe, all the tiles on your screen slide that way as far as they can. If they run into another tile of the same value, they combine into one tile with double that value. As each move is made, a new 2 tile is placed randomly on the board.
Your goal: Reach the 2048 tile. It's much harder than it sounds.
This game is wickedly addictive and so brilliant in its simplicity. And, it's free, so go download it right now!
21. Party Hard
An incredibly original stealth action game where you play as a masked killer whose sole motivation for killing is that he wants to get some sleep, and parties near to him are too loud.
Each level is a new party setting. You have to carry out your murders in a frat house, a club, the forest, and even a rooftop.
If anyone sees you kill someone else, your cover is blown, and they'll run to a phone to call the police, who will arrive on scene and pursue you. If you're caught, the game is over. If you can evade (or even harder, kill) the cop chasing you, your spree can continue, because apparently everyone at the party has consumed enough Tito's and Sprite to have the memory of a goldfish.
This is a gory, white-knuckle, difficult game, but the kind that you want to hop right back into when you die and try again. Not for the faint of heart in any sense.
