PixlBit

Hey there, guys. It's that time of year again. I have really dropped the ball this year on blogging because I've been so busy, but I promise I will be more prolific next year (I'm already planning on participating in BAD 2020). So, as I do every year, I'll briefly mention the games I was able to beat this year. As many of you know, I'm a huge Nintendo fan, so these are all Nintendo games (or on Nintendo consoles), and some of them are even retro games (I'm fervently collecting SNES carts). In 2019, I was able to beat 18 games! 

Warioware Gold (3DS)

This was a great collection of past Warioware mircogames, combining button pressing, twisting, and touching. It was a lot of fun! Plus there's a story mode with full-on voice acting, and it's like watching a cartoon (at times it can be pretty hilarious too). Overall, a fun game. RIP 3DS. 

Star Fox (SNES Classic Edition)

I had only ever played this game on an emulator on my computer, and it just doesn't work with keyboard controls. So I was very happy to play this when I got my SNES Classic (which is awesome btw). Yes, this game looks dated, but it still plays fine, and it's cool to imagine how revolutionary this game was back in 1993. 

Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch)

This is probably the easiest game I beat this year, but there's nothing wrong with that. I was blown away by how creative this game was in terms of design and appearance. The craft aesthetic is so adorable, the levels are done well, and the boss fights are fun. This is a very relaxing game, although I think Woolly World is better overall. 

Star Fox 2 (SNES Classic Edition)

After beating the first game, I jumped right into the sequel. If you recall, SF2 was cancelled back in 1995, even though the game was finished. I think if it had been released, it would have impressed everyone. The RTS elements are neat, although there are no on-rails levels like the first game, and Star Wolf makes its first appearance. Not a bad game, although it can get pretty choppy at times, but you can't be too hard on such an old game that was trying to be forward-thinking. 

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

I have finally finished one of the greatest games of all time! Back in the day I tried to beat this on the GBA, but never finished for some reason. Wow, this game is incredible! The overworld, the characters, the dungeons, the bosses, the music--all of it is so memorable. For me, this doesn't quite top Ocarina of Time (that was the first Zelda game I beat, and I was overwhelmed with how incredible it was), but it was still a great experience. 

Kirby's Dream Course (SNES Classic Edition)

So I just thought I'd try this one out, and I was hooked! The mechanics are brilliant, and the level layouts are really fun. Once you get the hang of it, you will shock yourself at how easily you can conquer a seemingly impossible level. I wasn't expecting to beat this game, so I'm really happy it's on this list. 

Cuphead (Switch)

Also, I didn't expect to beat this one! Cuphead is a brutal game, but wow, it does such an amazing job with that art style (old cartoons) that you want to keep going in order to see all the bosses. Believe me, I died countless times, but I kept trying because I was determined to see this one through. Cuphead is one of the most inventive and fun modern games I've played in a while. 

Castlevania Bloodlines (Switch)

I was able to play this through the Castlevania Anniversary Collection on Switch. Bloodlines is the sole Genesis Castlevania game, and it's good! You can tell that they really pushed the Genesis hardware with the graphics and sound. Gameplay is solid. You can play with two different protagonists. Bosses can be super hard, cheap at times, but that's the way these games were. Also, the music is exceptional. Great game. 

Kid Dracula (Switch)

Another one I beat from the Castlevania Anniversary Collection. This game was actually never released outside of Japan, so I was curious to see if it was any good. The answer is yes, it's good, although it's quite different from your typical Castlevania game. It's actually much easier than a Castlevania game, and it has a whole bunch of cool references to other games (some of which I probably didn't know about). 

Operation C (Switch)

This one is from the Contra Anniversary Collection. Operation C was released on the Game Boy back in the day, so it's basically a scaled down version of Contra for NES. It's good despite the fact that your character takes up one fourth of the screen. Konami somehow made it work, and I really enjoyed this one. Also, the music is excellent, as usual. 

Cadence of Hyrule (Switch)

This rhythm game is actually one of my favorite games of the year. It puts the world of Zelda into the mold of Crypt of the NecroDancer, which is a rhythm action game. And it works! At first I didn't think I could do it, but then I put the game into "fixed beat mode," which made the whole thing much easier. Exploring different areas and fighting bosses were really fun, and the attention to detail was really great. There are a lot of great remixed Zelda tunes here as well. 

Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch)

I loved the first Mario Maker, so of course I was excited to get the sequel. Mario Maker 2 is also very good, adding a lot of cool features. The best addition was probably the Story Mode, which I really enjoyed. It's amazing the levels that people will make, but it's also fun to make your own. Also, Nintendo recently added some DLC: a fully functional Link that can use bombs, arrows, his shield, and the downward sword strike. Hopefully we'll see some more DLC soon. 

Illusion of Gaia (SNES)

This is an action RPG developed by Quintet for SNES. Excellent game. Good story, interesting characters, solid level design, cool bosses, and a great ending. A great feature is the ability to transform into a knight, and later in the game, into a shadow creature. You can read my full review for this one here. 

River City Girls (Switch)

I love beat 'em ups, so I was really interested when I heard about this game, developed in part by WayForward. It's a fun game set in the world of River City Ransom. Two girls have to fight their way to finding their boyfriends. The dialogue and cut scenes throughout is really good, and the gameplay is fun with plenty of moves to unlock and things to buy. If you like beat 'em ups, you will certainly enjoy this one. 

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch)

I was really happy to get this because LA is another Zelda game that I had not finished. This is an excellent remake! I love the art style, and everything here is so true to the original. The music is superb and beautiful, and the dungeons and bosses are really solid. It's also a fairly easy game, although some of the puzzles can be challenging. Perhaps the weakest part is the new chamber dungeon, which allows you to mix and match dungeon rooms to make your own dungeon. This is clearly Nintendo's attempt at a "dungeon maker," but it's not very good. Hopefully we will see a true dungeon maker sometime in the near future. 

Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch)

This is easily one of my favorite games of the year, and imo the best of the LM series so far. This game combines the best parts of the first two games to create something fresh and interesting. Each floor of the haunted hotel is a new level, and there's quite a few. Some floors are full levels while others are just bosses, but many of these floors are really memorable. The puzzles in this game can be tricky, but you can usually figure it out after awhile. The bosses are great, and this is also one of the best looking games on Switch. I fully recommend this one! 

Deltarune Chapter 1 (Switch)

This was released early in the year, and I completely forgot about it. This is the spiritual successor to Undertale. I picked it up because it's free, and was very impressed. It went on much longer than I expected. Like Undertale, Deltarune has excellent characters and dialogue, often being hilarious or hitting you in the feels. The combat is a little different from Undertale's, but I really liked it. And of course, the music is really good. Let me tell ya, Toby Fox is an amazing person, I don't know how he does it. Looking forward to Chapter 2! 

Astral Chain (Switch) 

The last game I beat this year was Platinum's Astral Chain, another one of my favorite games of the year. The story is bonkers, but I guess that's typical with Platinum games, and the combat is very good. The game switches between combat-heavy sections and investigation sections, keeping it from becoming monotonous. The game is also longer than you would expect, but it never drags. Plus, for completionists, there are lots of items to find and plenty of objectives to complete. Overall, loved this one. 

But wait, there's more! 

Games I Wanted to Beat this Year

Don't you hate it when you get really close to beating a game (and you want to beat it), but for some reason, you're not able to? That's the worst! There are three games in particular that I really wanted to beat this year, but was unable to: 

Secret of Mana (SNES Classic Edition)

I played this game as a kid, but I never beat it, so I was really hoping to finish it. Let me say, this game is good, but not great. It has some bugs and glitches (like bad hit detection) and you end up fighting the same bosses several times to pad out the game. But I persevered to the end, only to get stuck at the boss of the game. Due to the game's small inventory, I didn't have the items that I needed for the final boss, and so I couldn't beat him. Talk about frustrating! 

Banjo-Kazooie (N64)

Overall, BK is an excellent game. But I had the same problem here as with Secret of Mana. The final boss is ridiculous! There are a total of 5 phases for this fight, and you have to keep stock of too many collectibles. The hardest part is the last phase, which I could not finish despite my many attempts. Honestly, final bosses should be tough, but not ridiculously tough. ARGH! 

Trials of Mana (Switch) 

I actually think that Trials is better than its predecessor. It has multiple main characters (six in total), a day/night system, and fixes some issues from the first game. However, it gets very hard near the end, in which you have to track down the 8 benevodons and defeat them. These bosses are brutal, and so I wasn't able to beat the game. Yeah, I didn't even make it to the final boss this time. But I'm glad I got to play this one, great game.