Best Video Game Sequels of 2019

It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Today, we’re looking back at the best sequels of 2019. Voted on by our editors, these were the best games that succeeded at going above and beyond to deliver a sequel worthy of your time.

Let’s start with some honorable mentions, followed by our two runners-up, and of course, our overall winner for 2019.

Best Sequels of 2019

Honorable Mention: Pokemon Sword and Shield

Reviews Editor Zhiqing Wan: Pokemon Sword & Shield were among the most highly anticipated video game releases of 2019, and it’s easy to see why. These were the two latest entries in Game Freak’s popular monster-catching franchise, and they would mark the series’ debut on the Nintendo Switch.

They’re not without their problems –the absence of a National Dex certainly stings– but they do give us a brief idea of what the series is capable of on the new platform. The Wild Areas truly feel dangerous and exciting, with high-level Pokemon you can encounter along the way, and multiplayer raids that you can take part in.

What’s most impressive about the game, though, is the way Gym battles have been evolved into even more of a spectacle. The crowd roars as you Dynamax your Pokemon, and the music soars as you approach the final stages of the battle.

The towns and cities look beautiful in Sword & Shield, and while the narrative structure certainly left a lot to be desired this time around, we’re still optimistic about the series’ continuation on the Switch.

Best Sequels of 2019

Honorable Mention: Devil May Cry 5

Senior Editor Hayes Madsen: Devil May Cry helped invent the character action genre, but after a decade since Devil May Cry 4, the question was if the fifth game could evolve the series properly. Well, luckily, the answer was a resounding yes. 

Taking place after the events of Devil May Cry 2, DMC 5 has you playing as three separate protagonists; Nero the hero from the previous game, series poster boy Dante, and a newcomer named V. 

Each of these characters have an entirely unique playstyle with Nero focused on chaining combos with his unique Devil Breaker arms, Dante using multiple weapons, and V attacking with his demon familiar.

DMC 5 is built on the same engine Capcom used for the Resident Evil 2 remake, and it’s utterly gorgeous. Despite the frenetic action on-screen, the game runs without a hitch, and Capcom has put great care into detailing combat animations to make every feel fluid and realistic. 

For longtime Devil May Cry fans, there are some seriously fun story development and nods, and the climactic final boss battle is truly something to behold. DMC 5 didn’t just improve on what the series did before, it doubled-down on everything unique about Devil May Cry, making for the very best sequel in the series.

Best Sequels of 2019

Honorable Mention: Borderlands 3

Editor-in-Chief Ed McGlone: Sometimes more of the same is perfectly fine. That’s the case here with Borderlands 3.

While most of the games on this list dared to deliver something unique and fresh, Gearbox determined that the best course of action for Borderlands 3 was to give players more of what they loved about the last game with a current-gen shine.

That might sound like a knock on the game, but it’s really not. It’s been a long time since the last Borderlands game and you don’t always have to shake everything up just because its a sequel and people expect you to. Vanilla Destiny 2 says hello in that department.

The heart and soul of the franchise, its co-op FPS-RPG gameplay and its irreverent humor is all there. Gearbox upped the ante with more cooperative features, more insane guns and abilities, and improved graphics and framerates; and personally as a long time fan myself, that’s all I really wanted.

Best Sequels of 2019

Second Runner-Up: Luigi’s Mansion 3

Features Editor Greysun Morales: Luigi has always been left out of the spotlight when you compare him to his older brother, Mario. But with Luigi’s Mansion 3, our timid boy is back in action and this long-awaited sequel delivers on the fun and is a highly enjoyable experience and is exactly what a Nintendo game should be –pure delight.

Exploring all of the floors of the haunted hotel was probably my favorite part of the game. Searching every little nook and cranny for collectibles, cash, and other secrets with the Poltergust feels so satisfying and even though the ghosts fights are a bit on the easy side, the bosses are filled with personality and bring exciting gameplay mechanics to the table.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a quirky little game and there’s honestly nothing else like it on the Switch. It expands upon its predecessors by introducing Gooigi, several new abilities, and a huge new locale.

It’s definitely the best version of Luigi’s Mansion thus far which makes it one of the best sequels of 2019.

Best Sequels of 2019

First Runner-Up: Gears 5

Guides Editor Chris Jecks: I’ve been a fan of the Gears series ever since my feeble teenage arms could wield a chainsaw bayonet and I watched as it ripped through the flesh of a Locust. Six Gears games later, and we may well have just seen the resurgence of the series in the best way possible.

Up until Gears 5, the series had very much stayed the same. Its campaign was made up of a series of narrow, grey hallways filled with plenty of waist-height cover, and some enemies to shoot. Clear the hallway, run about a bit, and onto the next one.

Its multiplayer felt unbalanced with the poster boy weapon the Lancer cast aside for the overpowered Gnasher Shotgun. Well… everything was cast aside for the Gnasher. With Gears 5, though, The Coalition has got to work on putting its own mark on the series.

The campaign feels far more fleshed-out, with Gears 5 taking the half-step into an open-world design, with a couple of sandbox areas filled with side missions and unique Relic Weapons that’ll bolster your arsenal. The story’s engaging, the characters that make up Bravo Squad are just as likable as the iconic Delta Squad that still make the occasional cameo, and the gameplay is as tight as ever.

Heck, the campaign even threw a massive curveball with THAT decision towards the end of the game. On top of the campaign, we got a rebalanced and redesigned PvP multiplayer mode, a Horde mode that retains all the best bits of Gears 4’s refresh, and a new Escape mode that provides creatives an opportunity to flex their muscles with the map creator, and groups of friends a means of playing a PvE experience without it taking up their entire evening.

Gears 5 has got me more excited about the series than I have been since I wrapped Gears 2. If a resurgence of excitement isn’t the sign of a good sequel, I don’t know what is.

Best Sequel of 2019

Winner: Kingdom Hearts 3

Senior Editor Hayes Madsen: Expectations were sky-high for Kingdom Hearts 3, after nearly a decade of waiting and building the story bit by bit with smaller spinoffs.

But even with those expectations, Kingdom Hearts 3 managed to be one of the most engaging, and even cathartic, sequels of the year. Kingdom Hearts 3 is truly where the story of the last few games starts to come together, as Sora, Riku, and company journey to save Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.

Story is where the heart of Kingdom Hearts 3 lies, and while many of the Disney world segments don’t do a ton to advance the main story, the last act of the game is an absolutely stunning showcase of emotion and spectacle. 

On the combat side of things, Kingdom Hearts 3 makes some big improvements by combining aspects from across the series. A new Keyblade Forms system lets each of Sora’s Keyblades transform into new weapons during combat, while Attraction Flow lets the party summon colorful Disney park rides into battle. 

The difficulty was one of the main issues with the game on release, with things simply being too easy, but a free update with Critical Mode has since fixed that problem entirely. Each world in the game feels incredibly unique, and featuring the beloved Pixar properties of Toy Story and Monsters Inc. works so well. 

Kingdom Hearts 3 may not have answered every question out there, but it’s still an emotionally satisfying conclusion to the story arc we’ve been on for nearly two decades.