7. Grow Home
Third-person platforming should hopefully make a big return in 2016 thanks to both Ratchet & Clank and Yooka-Laylee, but something you can grab right now to get your free-form exploration fix is Ubisoft's cutesy gem, Grow Home. Playing as the forever-stumbling BUD, you're simply tasked with making it back up the increasingly large plant in front of you, all the way back up to the ship you first came from. Whilst that alone wouldn't sell such a primitive-looking game, the climbing mechanics give
Assassin's Creed a run for its money, being you control BUD's hands independently, latching onto parts of the world geometry to tactfully clamber up at your own pace. Once you get the hang of it you'll be flying, and that's before you unlock things like a jetpack or discover you can float around between branches on a leaf or flower. Third-person platformers always managed to exude pure glee when you're going from place to place, and Grow Home's basic yet rewarding formula let BUD make debut in style.