Games of the Year 2013

Terraria looks like a 2D, lesser version of Minecraft.

Terraria looks like a 2D, lesser version of Minecraft. However, this is a game every bit as complex and creative as the better-known block-building game.

TowerFall Ascension is a running, jumping and archery game where each player selects a pixelated knight and fights to eliminate opponents by shooting them with arrows or jumping on their heads.

TowerFall Ascension is a running, jumping and archery game where each player selects a pixelated knight and fights to eliminate opponents by shooting them with arrows or jumping on their heads. Play is about quick reactions and second-guessing what your human or computer opponents will do.

Don't Starve is an open-world survival game where it’s the environment and enemies, rather than other players, that you have to work with.

Don't Starve is an open-world survival game where it’s the environment and enemies, rather than other players, that you have to work with. You need to find and develop food, weapons and shelter to survive.

Proteus is a narrative adventure game which takes you to a pixelated island.

Proteus is a narrative adventure game which takes you to a pixelated island. As you explore you discover that your presence changes the seasons and time of day.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is an adventure game in the Zelda series.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is an adventure game in the Zelda series. This one is set on a group of islands in a vast sea and follows Link as he attempts to save his sister from the sorcerer Ganon.

Tearaway Unfolded is an adventure game where you explore a folklore-filled fantasy world that's made entirely of paper.

Tearaway Unfolded is an adventure game where you explore a folklore-filled fantasy world that's made entirely of paper. You play by moving around the world, running, jumping and collecting items to unlock doors and fight enemies.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is an action-adventure game in the Zelda series.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is an action-adventure game in the Zelda series. It's the seventeenth game and spiritual successor to the 1991 game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Ibb and Obb is a puzzle game where you run, jump, land on enemies and solve momentum puzzles.

Ibb and Obb is a puzzle game where you run, jump, land on enemies and solve momentum puzzles. The novelty is that it's a game designed for cooperation.

Thomas Was Alone is a jumping and puzzle-solving platform game where you control different-coloured rectangles.

Thomas Was Alone is a jumping and puzzle-solving platform game where you control different-coloured rectangles. It sounds boring and derivative but each of the distinctly coloured shapes comes to life in the game as a character embroiled in this escape story about friendship, curiosity and sacrifice.

Luigi's Mansion 2, or Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon in the US, is an adventure game about investigating five haunted houses in a community overrun by ghosts.

Luigi's Mansion 2, or Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon in the US, is an adventure game about investigating five haunted houses in a community overrun by ghosts. As Luigi, you use your flashlight and ghost trap in the mansions, capturing ghosts and collecting fragments of the Dark Moon.

Device 6 is a narrative puzzle where you piece together a mystery through unusual interactions with your device.

Device 6 is a narrative puzzle where you piece together a mystery through unusual interactions with your device. As the story unfolds, you rotate your screen, hold it up to a mirror to read backwards text, and generally search for clues in unusual ways.

Gone Home places you in the role of Katie, returning from overseas to her family home.

Gone Home places you in the role of Katie, returning from overseas to her family home. But the house is deserted and by exploring the rooms you piece together what happened to her sister, Sam.

Bioshock Infinite is an adventure shooting game.

Bioshock Infinite is an adventure shooting game. Although the story is unconnected to the previous games in the series, it raises similar themes of dictatorship communities and alternative to capitalistic society.

868-HACK is a puzzle game where you hack a computer program to collect as much data as you can.

868-HACK is a puzzle game where you hack a computer program to collect as much data as you can. It's a unique puzzle as collecting data triggers more enemies to appear so you walk a delicate balance between collecting as much as possible, but not so much that you get overwhelmed by enemies.

Ridiculous Fishing is a fishing and shooting game.

Ridiculous Fishing is a fishing and shooting game. Unlike any other fishing game, this isn't a sedate wait for the fish to bite.

Year Walk is a horror narrative traversal game where you partake in the ancient Nordic tradition of Year Walking to see glimpses of the future.

Year Walk is a horror narrative traversal game where you partake in the ancient Nordic tradition of Year Walking to see glimpses of the future. As you travel the snowy landscapes by moonlight, you see creatures and characters from Swedish mythology and must solve puzzles to progress.

Geometry Dash is a running, jumping game.

Geometry Dash is a running, jumping game. It features over 20 stages where you play as a customisable small cube, which you use to dodge 2D obstacles to the rhythm of electronic music using a single button to control the cube.

Pikmin 3 is part of a series of puzzle games where you direct hordes of titular plant-like creatures to navigate garden locations.

Pikmin 3 is part of a series of puzzle games where you direct hordes of titular plant-like creatures to navigate garden locations. Different coloured Pikmins have different abilities so the challenge is to get enough of the right ones to destroy obstacles, avoid hazards and fight fauna.

The Last Of Us is an action-adventure where You play a father, Joel, whose daughter was killed during the early stages of a deadly fungal outbreak.

The Last Of Us is an action-adventure where You play a father, Joel, whose daughter was killed during the early stages of a deadly fungal outbreak. It’s now 20 years later, and he has clearly suffered from the loss.

Mario Party is an interactive board game.

Mario Party is an interactive board game. Players roll dice to move around a board and then compete in different mini-games to earn the chance to throw again or earn points.

Beyond: Two Souls is from the same developer as Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain.

Beyond: Two Souls is from the same developer as Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain. Although not a series, they follow a similar style and approach.

Knack is a platform action series where you control a shape-shifting robot called Knack.

Knack is a platform action series where you control a shape-shifting robot called Knack. Through beautiful arcade-style battles and worlds, you collect Relics that enable you to grow bigger and gain more powers.

Super Mario 3D World (known as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury on the Switch) is a platform game you can play with up to 4-players in the same place.

Super Mario 3D World (known as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury on the Switch) is a platform game you can play with up to 4-players in the same place. While all Mario games are good for families, this cooperative and competitive play makes it great for families and friends to play together.

A Dark Room is an adventure where you try and survive in the wild.

A Dark Room is an adventure where you try and survive in the wild. The world is depicted with just text but leads you into a dense narrative with intriguing visitors and a steadily expanding world.

Papers, Please is a narrative puzzle game where you play the role of a border-crossing immigration officer in the fictional dystopian Eastern Bloc-like country of Arstotzka.

Papers, Please is a narrative puzzle game where you play the role of a border-crossing immigration officer in the fictional dystopian Eastern Bloc-like country of Arstotzka. You review each immigrant’s and returning citizen’s passports and paperwork according to an increasing list of changing rules stemming from a volatile political landscape.

Rayman Origins is a platform game where you run, jump, swing and attack your way through fantasy cartoon levels.

Rayman Origins is a platform game where you run, jump, swing and attack your way through fantasy cartoon levels. It stands out because of the strong characters and variety of different enemies ranging in difficulty.

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag is an action-adventure game set in a fictional telling of real-world events around the 18^th Century Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy.

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag is an action-adventure game set in a fictional telling of real-world events around the 18^th Century Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. You run, jump, climb, explore and fight as a notorious Welsh pirate Edward Kenway.

Limbo is a narrative traversal game where you control a small boy as he runs, jumps and climbs through a dark, silhouetted forest that clanks and hums with foreboding.

Limbo is a narrative traversal game where you control a small boy as he runs, jumps and climbs through a dark, silhouetted forest that clanks and hums with foreboding. As the age rating suggests, he is killed in all manner of gruesome ways.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an action-adventure game where you simultaneously control two brothers on a quest to save their ill father.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an action-adventure game where you simultaneously control two brothers on a quest to save their ill father. In single-player you control each brother with one of the controller sticks, or in co-op with a friend you each control one of the brothers.

Wii Party U is a collection of games to play with families in the same room.

Wii Party U is a collection of games to play with families in the same room. Different modes suit different groups and ages but are all light-hearted fun and make use of the Wii U Gamepad in creative ways.

Disney Infinity is an action game with themed adventures around iconic Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters.

Disney Infinity is an action game with themed adventures around iconic Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters. Players unlock content in the game with physical figurines and PlaySet pieces placed onto a Base peripheral plugged into the console or PC.

Flashback is a running and jumping game with a strong narrative.

Clash of Clans is a cartoony strategy war game played on smartphones and tablets.

Clash of Clans is a cartoony strategy war game played on smartphones and tablets. Set in a fantasy world, you take charge of a village and must build defences against attacks from other players.

Arma 3 is a realistic military simulator.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a running, jumping and bashing game where you play Donkey Kong and other characters trying to reclaim their island from the Tiki Tak Tribe.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a running, jumping and bashing game where you play Donkey Kong and other characters trying to reclaim their island from the Tiki Tak Tribe. It's a return to the side-on platforming of the classic Donkey Kong 64 in 1999.

Samsara Room is an abstract point-and-click puzzle-horror game.

Samsara Room is an abstract point-and-click puzzle-horror game. By solving the puzzles hidden throughout the room, you uncover an uneasy story about judgement and atonement told through the things you find.