Even though the support for the game has waned in success, at launch, Diablo IV was one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. After all, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be so happy doing so much looting, as series like Borderlands and Destiny have proved fun in the moment and little beyond that. But, the sheer darkness and bleakness of the world of Diablo put its hooks in the emo in me, and won me over instantly.

The variety of gameplay allowed for a traipse across hell that I didn’t expect would be so much fun, and even though I slaved over the final boss, toppling it was one of my grandest gaming achievements of the year. I might be biased after interviewing the game’s team and the voice actor for the Sorcerer character, but even so, I don’t play long games - except, apparently, Diablo IV. Here’s hoping we’re not waiting another ten years for a sequel.

My experience with Boltgun is one of my favourites to have across media - to pick it out almost at random, sink the full price into it, and dedicate my whole life to it until it’s seen off. I’m so lucky that Boltgun is exactly what I hoped it’d be - a beginner-friendly arrival in the Warhammer world, dripping in the charm of boomer-shooters of yesteryear, and above all else, sheer violence manifest.

Racing through these levels blasting monsters into chunks was the mind-numbing nonsense I was craving, and with a dedicated taunt button that made my character bark bizarre pro-empire nonsense only added to the fun I had. Switch your brain off and switch on Boltgun, and you’ll satiate your secret bloodlust in moments.

I’ve spent the last few years at GGRecon warming to horror games (even if I’m still a massive wetty - I can only play Amnesia: The Bunker right now in five-minute chunks before losing my nerve), and a huge part of this is thanks to how quickly I fell head-over-heels in love with the Resident Evil series.

I’d played every remake and let Resi 7 & 8 sit comfortably sit in lists of my favourite games before ever touching the iconic Resident Evil 4, and without having completed the original game, I can say that the experience I had with its remake was exactly what I wanted from it. I know too many players have moaned about looking after Ashley Graham (bless her), but I didn’t see it - it must be an updated thing, but taking care of this useless whiner was too much fun, and picking heads off of baddies has barely felt so good in a Resi game, at least in my experience. Resident Evil 2 remains my favourite of the remakes, but god damn, Resi 4 still impresses at every turn and maintains an atmosphere that stays impenetrable. Roll on Code Veronica.

I’ve spilled how much I love Alan Wake II so many times at this point, and yet, I’m not really tired of it. I knew almost for certain that Remedy would turn out another belter, but by changing up its genres, dedicating harder than ever to its darkness and never forgetting to inject silly excitement, they’ve turned out what may be their masterpiece. I’m nervous to say that with Control II coming up, but this might be their magnum opus.

The story of Alan Wake has never been stronger, and with Saga Anderson’s addition, the series has never felt so varied and yet so cohesive. Alan Wake II is the best-told story of the year in any medium, and I simply haven’t stopped thinking about it since it came out. Sam Lake is, and I know how it looks to say this about another auteur-adjacent white dude, a fucking genius.

Try to act surprised!

A lot like Solar Ash, a game that shot out of the dark and blew me away, Jeppe Carlsen’s first directorial effort is a sign of breathtaking, industry-shattering things to come. The way that the ultimately complicated puzzle potential here is dissolved into simplicity is perhaps one of the boldest feats in gaming this year, and while the sound design and droning music sets an otherworldly atmosphere that you come to accept you’ll never truly understand, it makes COCOON feel like an experience you were never supposed to have - and yet, here you are.

The puzzles are tough but fair, the sense of adventure runs through the roof, and in terms of bizarro design, you’re unlikely to set eyes on a game more unique than COCOON this year. A short blast of brilliance that even after six and a half years of development feels like something worth the wait.