While we’re progressing through the year, let’s look back at the best of the best so far and figure out which games will be in the discussion for Game of the Year 2018 later this year. Here are 2018’s Game of the Year Contenders. It was a hard choice with how many 2018 GotY contenders there are, but we’ve narrowed it down to these.
2018 Game of the Year Contenders
Celeste by Matt Makes Games
Celeste kicked off this year right, instantly becoming the indie favorite to win Game of the Year awards this year. While it certainly wasn’t a stretch to expect a game from the creator of Towerfall, a superb combat/party game, to be really really good, Celeste even exceeded those lofty expectations.
Celeste succeeds on two very important fronts. First and foremost, it’s one of the best platformers to come out in recent memory. It has airtight controls which are needed to clear all eight of its increasingly challenging chapters. Celeste can be brutally difficult at first, and every stage presents a new challenge that you haven’t seen before, but thankfully respawns are instant. When you die, you know exactly why, and the game doesn’t force you to wait through a loading screen to try again. You can jump right back to where you messed up and give it “one more try.”
Also, Celeste features a story that is simple in comparison to the other games on this list, but it hits you right in the feels as it deals with mental health and anxiety issues that effect millions of people. You’re not saving the world or anything, it’s just about a girl trying to prove to herself that she can do something in spite of inner demons that try to drag her down.
Celeste’s story is relatable and effective, and features top notch platforming gameplay. That combination is going to be formidable, making it a shoe-in as a 2018 Game of the Year contender.
Check out our review for the game over here.
