There’s typically a dearth of video game releases after the holiday season comes to an end. As depressing as that may sound, it actually makes for a good opportunity to catch up on all the games that fell through the cracks in the months before. We didn’t have such a luxury this time around, though, as the Video Game Gods decided to provide us with a mountain of awesome video games.
There’s frequently a dearth of video game releases after the holiday season comes to an end. As depressing as that may sound, it actually makes for a good opportunity to catch up on all the games that fell through the cracks in the months before. We didn’t have such a luxury this time around, though, as the Video Game Gods decided to provide us with a mountain of awesome video games.
On the one hand, how dare they bombard us with such an absurd amount of games. On the other, it was pretty awesome of them to give so much to us plebeians. As you can tell, I’m really conflicted about all this. But that doesn’t mean you have to be! In fact, you should probably just ignore me and focus instead on our games of the month list for February. It’s overflowing with excellence.
PC/Mac Games of the Month
Bit Trip Presents…Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (Winner)
Runner2 takes all that is awesome about the endless runner genre (and platformers in general) and combines it with all that is awesome about rhythm games. It then proceeds to take this mass of awesome and buff it up it with gorgeous, vibrant visuals. It’s happiness in video game form, and it’s also home to some of the best unlockable characters the medium has ever seen (Unkle Dill, anyone?).
Enchantia: Wrath of the Phoenix Queen (Runner Up)
Going the high fantasy route with a game is something of a gamble, but Enchantia: Wrath of the Phoenix Queen pulls it off with ease. This is largely attributable to its solid writing and gorgeous visuals, but the puzzle design and mini-games deserve credit as well. Who knew putting an end to the evil deeds of a demented queen could be this fun?
Mobile Games of the Month
Year Walk (Winner)
If someone ever tries to tell you the horror genre doesn’t work on mobile, point them in the direction of Year Walk. It puts players in the shoes of a character on a vision quest through the Swedish wilderness, and it just so happens that quest is armed to the teeth with genuinely frightening moments. As noted in our review, to go into too much detail would be a disservice to the game. Just play it.
Hackycat (Runner Up)
Cat lover or not, you’re going to have a blast with Hackycat. It’s a game about – no surprise here – kicking cats into the air and preventing them from ever reaching the ground. It’s a simple concept, but one that works incredibly well thanks to the game’s excellent control scheme and colorful visuals. You can also play as a werewolf in a headband, so it’s probably game of the year.
Social & Online Games of the Month
Leap Day (Winner)
Don’t let the fact that it’s in beta fool you: Leap Day is one great game. At its core, it’s a game about laying down tracks and leading adorable “Flans” to locations with resources like wood, fruit, and stone. But that only really scratches the surface, and there’s a surprising amount of depth to this cooperative multiplayer game.
Hidden Agenda (Runner Up)
PopCap’s first social hidden object game is quite a doozy, boasting well-crafted object hunts and all the personality you’d expect from the people who brought us Plants vs. Zombies. It probably won’t make believers out of those who don’t care for the genre, but it’s everything a fan could ever want.
