Celeste: I didn't think too much about this game going into it. I mostly just got it since it was the same developers and similar mechanics to Towerfall so I figured it would be a fun distraction. Turns out the game is completely amazing. I usually jokingly say that it's a platformer with difficulty similar to Super Meat Boy, except that it's actually enjoyable to look at and to listen to
For a game built on being one of those tough platforming types, it also surprisingly has an interesting story to it that touches on themes you don't see too often in games. The game also tries it's best to prevent frustration with it's generous checkpoints and overall non cheap feeling level design. I rarely felt angry throughout my 45 hour, 6000+ death experience (There are a few post game collectables that involve beating levels without dying that can get bothersome. I only ever got around 5 of them before giving up on it haha) Easily GotY for me and I was glad to see it win Best Indie Game and Best Impact at the Game Awards.
Octopath Traveler: I had my eye on this game ever since it first got announced with it's hybrid art style of pixel art and 3D environments, coupled with the fact that it was made by the same people that did the Bravely Default series. While I wish it incorporated more diversity in jobs and better story, the battle system was very fun and had a great ost. Game kinda dragged in the middle a bit and felt a little easy overall but the final boss was one of the most satisfying bosses I've experienced in years. It wrapped together all of the stories together and ended with a really challenging boss that had a bunch of interesting mechanics to it. It really felt like you needed to have an intimate understanding of the battle system to overcome it.
Quick shout out to Xenoblade 2 as it came out very late last year. I wouldn't put it quite up there with the first game but it was a very solid JRPG that kept me busy until Octopath came out
Though I never played them, I did get to watch my roommates play a good chunk of God of War, Red Dead 2, and Spider Man. God of War had me worried at first when they revealed it. It looked like they were needlessly converting the game into an open world. It's good to see that the game put my fears to rest and turned out to be great. Both Red Dead and Spider Man looked decent as well but I tend to not enjoy open world games as much as the story still forces a linear progression and you end up playing a game of connect the dots going from point A to B to C.
I actually won't put in Smash due to it's recent release, even if I have already put in 50+ hours into the game haha. Maybe I'll throw it into the 2019 list next year
