I hesitated with including Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice on this list as my time spent with it often resulted in a feeling of primal rage as I cursed the name of FromSoftware. Thoughtful dungeons, hidden treasures, and a liberating sense of progressive exploration that is still nearly unrivalled in the series. However, the greatest strength of playing through Link’s Awakening remains what has been left intact. The gameplay feels as smooth as ever with the expanded button-mapping being the single greatest improvement over the original. I once again fell in love with the island’s inhabitants while the airy soundtrack and eclectic enemy collection entranced me in the game’s dreamy atmosphere. Koholint Island brims with colour and discoveries as its compact layout allows Nintendo to inject personality into every detail. I had completed the Game Boy Color version, yet I was still enchanted all over again by how modern and alive this remake felt. Whether you played the original or not, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on Switch stands as a testament to timeless game design and endearing charm. Bloodstained grabbed me with its cheesy dialogue and haunting music and showed me that not all crowdfunded games from industry legends need to be complete abominations. The train level will be imprinted in my memory for some time and may be my overall favourite section of a game in 2019, and the boss fights were equal parts exhilarating and challenging. The mix of RPG elements, combat systems, side-quests, and exploration remain as addicting as ever, and yet I still found plenty of surprises lurking in Bloodstained’s level and monster designs. Roaming around Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night brings with it the same sense of mystery and discovery that defined Igarashi’s contributions to the Castlevania series, and my nights would sail by as I lost myself in the atmospheric halls of Gebel’s castle. Koji Igarashi cements his position as godfather of the metroidvania with this love letter to his previous works - one that revels in its influences while still breaking new ground. There’s something so comforting about this game focused on demonic forces and sacrificial rituals. And even if the 2019 bunch couldn’t quite match the myriad of modern classics released in the preceding two years, these five games made my time spent alone in front of a screen some of my most enjoyable moments of the year. It was a year where console generations began to wane, the Switch went from strength to strength (even after its weight loss), and great single-player games refused to die.
With 2019 now placed firmly in the rear-view mirror, now is as good a time as any to take a moment to reflect and look back at some of the best solo experiences that gaming had to offer in the final 365 days of the 2010s.