Tech: My top games of 2019

As Shangrila Towers passes into the futuristic year 2020, I'm recapping my top picks from 2019. Note that these titles weren't necessarily released in the past year, but they're what I happened to enjoy in 2019 - you might like them too...




Dungeon of the Endless - Amplitude Studios is best known for their big 4X titles ("Endless Space," "Endless Legend"), but they also made this neat roguelike tower defense game. In "Dungeon of the Endless," your characters are marooned on a strange planet after their prison spaceship crashes. Your objective is to tote your ship's power crystal through a dungeon teeming with enemies, using automated turrets, traps, and other defensive structures to stave them off. The more you explore the dungeon, the more enemies spawn, culminating in absolutely hectic races for the exit. Rating: 85/100

Ironcast - Like "Puzzle Quest," this crowdfunded game combines the tile matching mechanics of "Bejeweled" with light RPG elements. But instead of ogres and swords, "Ironcast" has steampunk mechs and cannons, with you stringing together nodes on a grid to power your mech's systems, repair damage, and attack the enemy in a turn-based shootout a la "FTL." The strategy comes in balancing all these competing needs - it's addictive at first, but does eventually become a grind due to a lack of depth. Rating: 80/100

Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Speaking of grinding, the latest "Fire Emblem" game raises the series's signature permadeath stakes even higher by charging you with the tutelage of an entire class of students in the arts of war. Each student has his or her own backstory, fully-voiced dialogue, and relationships with other students, and they all grow as soldiers along lines you specify. Want to make that mousy, introverted waifu into a hardened killing machine on the battlefield? With enough random fights and stat boosting, you can. Rating: 90/100

Vagante - This is basically a fantasy hack-and-slash RPG version of Spelunky, though the controls aren't quite as tight and there's a little more RNG-screw (your character's survivability depends greatly on the equipment you find in the dungeon). On the plus side, there are several playable classes to choose from, each with unique skills and abilities that ease the tedium inherent in replaying a roguelike. Rating: 85/100



The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch remake) - I never finished Link's Awakening back in the day, mostly due to an inscrutable interface quirk involving the statute in the middle of Mabe Village (hint - when you have the strength, press up on it instead of trying to lift it like you do with every other object in the game). Twenty years later, I got stuck in the exact same portion of this beautiful 3D remake. It's an artfully crafted, engrossing version of a classic game, but one that shares all the faults of its source.  Rating: 88/100