A pandemic year in video games

It’s an understatement to say the last year was unprecedented for those of us who didn’t live during the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic.

With so many activities canceled or postponed a year to limit COVID-19’s spread, a lot of the regular avenues for entertainment were unavailable for much of the year. Some people binge watched new and favorite television programs on their favorite streaming apps while others took to enjoying activities they could do while socially distancing.

For me, I ended up playing video games. It’s my go-to source of entertainment as I don’t enjoy watching films or most television shows. This was especially true during the early stages of the pandemic as so many different activities were canceled and businesses temporarily closed, there wasn’t too much to do.

What follows is a list of my favorite games from 2020. They’re not in any particular order, just a few titles I’d recommend for someone looking to pass a few minutes or a few hours.

Spelunky 2

Rated T. Available for PS4, PS5, PC via Steam; will be on Nintendo Switch in summer 2021

The original “Spelunky,” which was released commercially eight years ago, is probably the closest thing to perfect video game I can think of.

Players guide an explorer as they navigate their way deeper into a cursed cavern filled with deadly traps. One false move and that’s it, you start over at the beginning without any of the items and money you found during your previous attempt while navigating a completely new level layout. One part Super Mario, one part Indiana Jones, it was simple and despite a very high difficulty curve, never felt unfair. The game’s sequel released in September and built on what made the original so enjoyable while creating a larger and more complex system of areas to explore.

Along with new areas to explore, there are also a much larger number of secrets to uncover as well, rewarding players who get creative with how they play. This ranges from locating a vampire hunter to aid in a later battle to carrying an eggplant through most of the early areas.

Over the past few months, I’ve found myself coming back to the game a lot, enjoying smaller challenges I set for myself as I try to make it as far as I can. “Try” being the operative word as I’ve only cleared the game four times out of about 1,100 plays. (In my defense, a lot of those tries didn’t clock more than a minute because things can go very wrong, very fast.)

Overall, I think the first “Spelunky” is a better game because the second loses something in becoming a larger experience. However, there’s a lot to unravel in “Spelunky 2” and it’s incredibly rewarding to those who are dedicated enough to learn its intricacies and enjoy a good challenge.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Rated T. Available for PS4

I was in middle school when “Final Fantasy 7” was released on the original Sony Playstation. At the time, it was a mind-blowing advancement from what I was accustomed to on the Super Nintendo.

Aside from what was then cutting-edge visuals, the game told a mature story of loss and redemption framed around a battle to stop a corporation from using the planet’s life energy as a source of electricity and profit. Through the years, there’s always been fan interest in a remake, especially after a cinematic recreating the game’s opening scenes was created to showcase the Playstation 3 graphical capabilities more than a decade ago.

A proper remake was announced in 2015 and released in April.

It didn’t fail to impress.

“Final Fantasy 7 Remake” focuses on the original game’s early chapters set in the futuristic city of Midgar and the sprawling slums beneath the city, fleshing out the multitude of characters and the world they live in. The characters are fully voice acted as well, with most of the voice actors involved giving performances that surpass the B-movie quality that seems commonplace for most video games. Aside from the visuals, exploration and fighting have been modernized as well, as fights are now a much more free-flowing affair than the original’s turn-based combat.

For me, playing through it was an experience that, at points, had me feeling like my 14-year-old self when I played the original in 1997.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Rated E. Available for Nintendo Switch

I haven’t played “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” since this summer and it’s still my most-played game this year according to statistics kept on my Switch. I’m not sure if I should be embarrassed about that or not.

I have a hard time calling any of the Animal Crossing games video games. They’ve always felt more like digital gardens as their main goals were for players to collect furniture to display in their little homes while catching bugs and fish to both donate to the local museum and ultimately pay off home loans they’re saddled with each time they improve their home.

This was especially true in later releases where the goal was to focus on beautifying the town they’re living in.

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” was released in March, at a time when the coronavirus pandemic had just started impacting businesses and services throughout the state. It takes people to a deserted island with a small group to start a new life on the island. This eventually results in bringing a general store, clothing shop, museum and other staples of civilization to the island. As the island grows, players gain the ability to shape it into whatever they can dream up, gaining the ability to terra form the land to almost any configuration they want. Through the year, Nintendo has provided constant updates to the game to coincide with holidays and seasonal changes, which has helped keep interest in the game going. Pair this with the ability for people to travel to other players’ islands and it becomes easy to see why this game exploded in popularity this year.

This one is best played with a philosophy of not trying to beat or win the game, but to use it as a canvas to create your own perfect little village.

Among Us

Rated E10+. available for PC via Steam, iOS devices via the Apple App Store, Android devices via the Google Play Store, Nintendo Switch; will be on Playstation and Xbox consoles in 2021.

“Among Us” breaks the released in 2020 requirement as it came out in 2018, however the game didn’t become a well-known title until this year, likely due to the pandemic.

Players guide little bean-shaped spacemen around and complete tasks to win the game, but there are a few imposters in the group tasked with killing the other players and sabotaging their efforts to finish all the tasks. Players can convene meetings where they discuss who they suspect are the impostors and vote to eject those suspects from the group. If the players correctly deduce the impostors and remove them, they also win the game.

I think YouTube and Twitch were the big reasons for the game becoming a sleeper hit. Streamers recorded themselves playing with friends and other streamers pushed the game as a fun and simple means of playing a game with friends. It also helps that the game is free (supported with ads) on mobile phones and tablets and the cost to remove ads is only $2.99. (The Nintendo Switch version does not have a free-to-play option and costs $5.)

The game has proven to be a great value for what it is -- a fun chance to work with friends and family to work together and work out who the impostors are among us.