Between the massive influx of new titles launching on Steam and emerging sites like itch.io every day and the tendency for high-profile AAA releases to overshadow smaller projects, it’s getting harder to keep track of all the awesome games that come out every year.
We decided to round-up some of our favorite hidden gems from this year. Despite flying under the radar for many, these games are beautiful, clever, and deserve a closer look.
Here are 13 of the most awesome games no one talked about in 2016.
Even the Ocean, a sci-fi action platformer from the creators of the Zelda-like adventure Anodyne, is all about balance — between the Light and Dark energy that fuel its world, but also the other contrasting forces that influence every facet of our lives. Nature and industry. Wealth and poverty. The side-scrolling platformer has become one dominated by the need to provide the most challenging experience imaginable. In place of demanding difficulty, Even the Ocean instead provides a thought-provoking story with varied mechanics (like its interesting spin on an HP bar) that run gracefully parallel to its message. —Chloi Rad
Headlander is one the best Metroidvanias in years, and it further cements the fact that Double Fine is a singular voice in video games. The '70s-inspired sci-fi vibe provides a wonderful atmosphere and tone, all of which is only heightened by a fantastic soundtrack. The puzzles are smart, the writing is funny, and the world is brimming with energy and character. —Marty Sliva
Kentucky Route Zero: Act IV builds on the excellent foundation established by previous installments of this episodic adventure and advances the odyssey in grand style. The magical realistic take on America's hill country gives way somewhat in Act IV to a Mark Twain-influenced river cruise; a subtle shift in setting that serves the story and characters well. The implications of previous story moments really start to land in Act IV, building toward an unpredictable climax, but like so much of Kentucky Route Zero, it's as much about the journey as the destination. —Jared Petty
There’s really nothing like efficiency. Mini Metro’s clean, stylish interface encourages me over and over again to make the trains run on time, and there’s a deeper amount of strategy to growing a sprawling metro system than meets the eye. I wasn’t just hypnotized by the rhythmic movement of trains from station to station, I was completely absorbed in making them perfect — so much so that I got on the wrong train in real life while playing. —Kallie Plagge
Overcooked’s chaotic kitchen multiplayer is the kind of pick-up-and-play, on-the-couch-style gameplay I miss from childhood. Rushing to complete a dish in an obstacle course of a kitchen while yelling with (and at) my friends next to me is simple, giggly fun that I can bring home to my family for the holidays, but there’s also some heated competition in the office that takes it from a fun game to one I keep coming back to. —Kallie Plagge
Picross 3D: Round 2 builds on the solid foundation of the first 3D Picross game with hundreds more challenging, though occasionally maddening, puzzles to solve. Adding complexity with a new color-based block system, Round 2 isn't afraid to throw you in the deep end, but learning to swim by its rules results in one of the most rewarding puzzle experiences of the year. —Jonathon Dornbush
Pony Island is a refreshingly original, unpredictable, and genuinely funny take on the adventure genre. Blending action, puzzles, and interactive storytelling in interesting ways, it's an immanently approachable, creative, and fun experience that deserves your attention. —Jared Petty
Computer hacking is comically misrepresented in pop culture. If you’ve ever seen the “hacking” sequence in NCIS, then you know what I mean: colorful technojargon and rapidfire typing in a million different browser windows looks and sounds flashy, but isn’t anywhere close to reality. Quadrilateral Cowboy’s manual, albeit simplified scripting is a breath of fresh air that, paired up with its host of fun gadgets and retrofuturistic style, makes for an extremely engaging and satisfying puzzle game unlike any we’ve played this year. —Chloi Rad
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