In this unnaturally long year, I found myself seeking out games whose worlds were filled with quiet, relaxing, magic. It’s the kind of magic that, rather than bombarding you with rules and consequences, slowly envelopes you until the barrier between it and what might be considered normal has dissolved entirely. These games helped me forget what was happening around the world for a while, transporting me instead to places where the wonderfully bizarre is commonplace.
Lottie’s games of 2020Coffee TalkDépanneur NocturneRökiSpiritfarerStory of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
In Spiritfarer I found the magic of discovery; nearly every island has something you need hidden away somewhere on its shores and I started keeping notes on which lands I hadn’t been able to fully explore, so that I wouldn’t forget to revisit them. Even the sea has its own secrets – I love sailing through the patches of endless night, because the music and change in atmosphere create the idea that, for a short while, you’re gazing upon the true nature of this world. My favourite part of Spiritfarer, however, was, in a year where I’ve spent six months in the same room, it made me feel helpful. You’re not just ferrying the dead, you’re healing their wounds, soothing their demons and finding the perfect way to help their souls finally rest.
Dépanneur Nocturne is very much about the magic of kindness – you walk through the rain to fulfil the simple act of buying a gift for the one you love, only to find yourself within a shop where the ordinary and the odd live in harmony. Magic threads itself not only through the items on sale, but through the shop’s owner and the very building itself. I won’t spoil it for you, but, if you decide to insist upon using the toilet, you’ll discover the shop is a lot deeper than you think.
Coffee Talk , on the other hand, takes you to a world where magic is the ordinary – you live alongside it, observing it’s coming and goings through your regular customers. The game’s storyline is less overarching and more short story anthology; you never take a direct role in the lives of the characters you meet, choosing instead to nudge them in the right direction either by offering the right advice or simply providing them beverage comfort.