12 2016 Video Game Gems You Totally Missed
It wasn't all about Overwatch and Uncharted 4, y'know...
You can't say '2016' without 'one of the worst years ever', and whilst that applied to everything from dying Coral Reefs to grammatically-challenged President-elects, the games industry was absolutely booming.
Everything from Firewatch to Uncharted 4 was a delight, and even the first-person shooter genre received a much-needed injection of innovation with the likes of Overwatch, DOOM and Superhot all bringing scores of fresh mechanics to the table. Indeed, there were more high quality titles in 2016 than the past two years combined, yet with so much buzz centring around the triple-A scene, what of those destined to be critical darlings, or games you stumble upon once the sales kicked in?
Gaming as a medium is bigger than ever, and yes, that's unanimously A Good Thing, it does mean we're left with tons of titles you should seek out that might have otherwise passed you by.
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12. Hyper Light Drifter
Born from developer Alex Preston's own personal struggles with a congenital heart condition, Hyper Light Drifter is his attempt to weave a fantasy tale around what it means to go through life with the struggles forever being 'near death' can bring.
Gameplay is a mix of top-down hack n' slash combat crossed with ability unlocks and the occasional Metroidvania-style environmental progression, but mainly you're playing as the mostly unknown, Drifter. Forever battling demons and encroaching forces in a neon-covered apocalypse with various energy sword attacks and blaster bolts, the genuinely affecting moments see the Drifter occasionally clutch his chest and catch his breath, or allow you to sit for a second and take in the surrounding scenery.
Whilst Preston's own life experiences are ever-present once you know about them, Hyper Light Drifter is still an immaculate old-school action RPG.