9. Dust: An Elysian Tail
If ever there was truth to the idea of a work being more than the sum of it's parts, you could find that in Dust: An Elysian Tail. Although, truth be told, the individual parts that comprise Dust are just as impressive as the collective whole. Even more so when you realize that each of those individual parts were mainly designed by one person.
The first game from Humble Hearts studio, which is in fact just first-time developer Dean Dodrill, Dust sets out to acomplish several goals, and achieves them all masterfully. At it's core, the game is a hack-and-slash adventure in the style of Vanillaware's output, but that's far from all. Dust is basically everything Dean likes about video games all rolled up into one- there's a Metroidvania element, rpg mechanics, a combo system, a crafting system... I could go on.
Story-wise, Dust plays with the biggest trope used in both anime and rpg's- the mysterious hero with amnesia- but does so without it feeling tired and stale. This is mostly done through the pure charm of the storytelling and character designs- the world of Dust, despite it's sometimes-heavy subject matter, is a warm one... a place you enjoy inhabiting.
The combat and exploration all feel buttery-smooth, fun, and enjoyable. The combo system keeps the numerous battles from ever growing boring or repetitive, and there's just enough collectables, upgrades, and side-quests to keep you curious and uncovering different parts of the map.
In a time when over-the-top violence seems to dominate the medium, a select few games are reminding us that a game doesn't need blood by the bucket to be enjoyable. Dust: An Elysian Tail is one of them, and it's one of the best of the year.
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