Theodor Recommends Top 5 Must-Play Games
One thing is certain, we shall meet again. And, indeed we will.
05. SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
Few experiences in video games confront you with such intimidating grandeur as Fumito Ueda's 2005 work, "Shadow of the Colossus". Through a minimalist approach to a story we can describe as a fairy tale, every moment in "Shadow of the Colossus", whether we're talking about the battles with the colossi, climbing a ruin, or galloping across the desolate plains that seem to stretch endlessly, develops an overwhelming sense of inferiority in increasingly complex ways. For the PlayStation 2 era, it was a remarkable introspective journey, and the influence of "Shadow of the Colossus" is still felt almost 20 years after its release.
04. THE LAST OF US PART I & II
The "The Last of Us" duology has a unique quality in the video game landscape. It simultaneously managed to unite all gamers under the same banner, but also to divide them like a civil war. However, the proposition made by this story is deeper than it seems. Each of the two parts of "The Last of Us" tells a story about how the Self perceives suffering when suffering is linked to the Other, concluding with a Cornelian dilemma that confronts both protagonists and players with the inhuman weight of morality's infinite spectrum. All to make you understand how only by accepting the Other can you face the grotesque monsters born of suffering. "The Last of Us" puts you in direct dialogue with what you feel and believe towards the person next to you and is a testament to the video game medium's ability to transcend any barrier and put you face to face... with yourself.
03. BLOODBORNE
FromSoftware's projects have in recent years become synonymous with a level of quality comparable only to the greatest cultural renaissances in history. The "Dark Souls" trilogy, "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice", "Elden Ring", "Demon's Souls", "Armored Core", even somewhat more subdued but equally ambitious projects like "Déraciné", all absolutely irreproachable. But "Bloodborne" emanates something unique from every direction, something primal, raw, that gets under your skin and makes your blood boil, exactly the kind of chilling feeling invoked by H.P. Lovecraft's writings. Every aspect of "Bloodborne" is perfectly crafted to highlight the proposed aesthetic, from the music to the story to the creature design. Even the combat system symbolically reflects the hunt, slyly pushing you to become increasingly aggressive, just like the bloodthirsty beasts in the story.
02. GOD OF WAR (2018)
The "God of War" rebootquel from 2018 did more than just revitalise a franchise that had become rooted in an aesthetic it itself proposed. The greatest quality of Kratos' journey in Scandinavia is a systemic one, as after "God of War", a significant leaning towards a series of established cinematic techniques could be observed in video games, perhaps even more so than Naughty Dog proposed with the "Uncharted" series. And, obviously, I cannot fail to mention the dramaturgical aspect of "God of War", where creator Cory Barlog demonstrates a profound understanding of both the character of Kratos and, especially, of the Scandinavian myths, reconstructed in such a way that the presence of the central element in the stories is not as obvious as it is in the writings.
01. GOTHIC II
"Finally! I've been trying to bring you here for days!" Xardas tells you in the first moment of "Gothic II", the classic RPG from 2002 by Piranha Bytes. What follows is a series of reactions that "Gothic II" provokes in the player:
"Where do I go?"
"How do I draw my club?"
"How do I attack?"
"Where do I go?"
"Did I just die?"
"Where do I go?"
"scream"
"Oh, I shouldn't have killed him..."
"Did I save in six different slots? Good, now to make a copy of the save file."
"Wow."
Anyone who has played "Gothic II" has said at least one of these phrases, whether it happened 20 years ago, now on Nintendo Switch, or year after year to tickle nostalgia. The primordial RPG experience that lets you carve your own adventure, "Gothic II" taught an entire generation of players what causality means. And the circle symbolically closes with the promise that: "One thing is certain, we shall meet again". And, indeed we will.
What would be your Top 5?
