Latter half of my 2020 playing:
Hades 
A fun, breezy dungeon crawler that draws depth from its combat modifiers that are randomized with each run. Very rarely did I ever feel like I got screwed by the RNG and that was why I failed a run. The combat on the base difficulty is very forgiving, most enemies are quite slow and don't dole out much damage. There are plenty of modifiers to play with once you finish your first run which can spice things up for sure. What's most surprising to me is how the story and character work is handled. With each new run you experience new bits of story or background. I've yet to hear a single repeated line or anecdote throughout my playtime. The music is pretty good, kind of samey for my taste. The art is gorgeous and the voicework is top class.
Just when I thought I was finished, the character work, weapons, and progression keep pulling me back in. It's genuinely astounding how much dialogue is tucked behind not only the boon system, but the gift giving as well. I can't believe I'm still unearthing new content after so many hours of playtime. Not only that, but the characters even react to the pact of punishments which is just fantastic. The amount of thought of put into every facet of this is just admirable. My GOTY for sure.
Nioh 
liked it
Nioh is a dungeon crawler with a deep combat system and Diablo-style loot. The combat is very punishing. In terms of surviavbility, it feels like playing Twink Souls (1 to 2 hits and you're dead). I didn't bother/care for the loot system, so I'm sure I missed out on good loot b/c I didn't repeat a single level with that intention. I played every fresh new level that presented itself, and I think that's what made my path particularly more difficult. Anyway, I really enjoyed fighting the humanoids, but some of the larger enemies were a pain b/c of their erratic moves and some hitbox complaints (but that typically comes with this type of game anyway). A particular gripe goes toward large enemies who summon projectiles, but whose character model is so large they can often obfuscate the actual projectiles, sometimes then even go through them to get you if you are in the flank. In the end, I'm glad I picked this up. When you're playing successfully, the combat feels awesome. I never did do much of parrying, again since 1 hit would pretty much be enough to put me at death's door. I had a blast beating some of the humanoid bosses, some of the more monstrous variety were just painful, but still leave me feeling satisfied that I bested them. In sum, a definitely mixed experience with some good highs, and very common lows.
Gears Tactics 
A solid tactics game in the vein of Firaxis' X-Com titles, with some notable differences and drawbacks. There is no tech three, no home base where you will manage supplies. Itemization are very unintresting "+2% damage" variety. There is a 3 "move" system where you can shoot, move, or use special abilities (buffs, nades, save AP for next turn). Map variety was pretty lacking, which became more pronounced here b/c it stretches its campaign over a long series of side missions. All in all, a solid, lite X-Com. I did have some issues with the visual effects: sometimes the scene can get so crowded with red, it's hard to tell where overwatch ends, and an AOE begins.
Wasteland 3 
Wasteland 3 is a great iterative sequel to W2. The writing and general consistency of tone is smoother this time around. I still have a lot of fun with the progression, acquisition of loot, and exploration. One big setback is that you are no longer able to manually use skills during exploration. One of my favorite bits of W2 was this point-n-click adventure game feel that the exploration had. I loved that you could TRY to use skills in exploration to solve quests, it granted the game a greater sense of mystery that rewarded the player's curiosity. This time around skill usage is much more automated and much less surprising. That said, I am glad they removed the skill usage cooldown, here it's a pass/fail animation that doesn't take nearly as long. Frankly I see myself going for a 2nd playthrough b/c the whole experience feels smoother, more expedited, and as mentioned before, much more consistent than W2 which felt like a game of 2 halves.
Spiritfarer dropped it due to shit progression
A cozy game with gorgeous art and music. It's a management where you fare spirits who are ready for their final end. Each companion has a quest that is locked behind a progression system. It's this that eventually wore me down and made me drop the game, it's a shame b/c it really has a lot going for it. The art reminded me of Okami/Banner saga, the music was ambient, beautiful. I decided to stop playing b/c I knew that the progression would only continute to sour my experience.
Nier Automata more than the sum of its parts
It's interesting to see a Platinum game where the combat is in service to the story. Not having played the original, Nier: Automata lived up to my expectations of a tale of existential androids. The animation behind the combat and movement is excellent, but you quickly learn that the real focus is on the character work and the narrative (i.e. all weapon types have the same attack pattern). While all sidequests are functionally fetch quests, they each reveal a little more about the world and the conflict at hand. I was more than happy to complete them whenever they popped up. The voice acting is excellent, the script is to the point and never did I sense any melodramatic cheese. In terms of complaints: b/c the game uses a leveling system, the combat can feel a bit superfluous and eventually redundant. I liked the idea of showing the story through different perspectives as you reach different endings. The finale was satisfying and hopeful.
Creaks
Creaks is Amanita design's stab at a puzzle/platformer, much like Playdead's games Limbo and Inside. It starts off very much like Silent Hill 4/Alice in Wonderland. You discover a hole in your wall that leads to this huge structure. As you descend, you come to meet a small crew of characters that need your help with a problem. Puzzles are presented in linear fashion, with every ten or so introducing a new enemy or puzzle mechanic. I was never truly stumped, but there were one or two puzzles that I had to take a break and come back to. It amazes me how well of a job Amanita does to develop its characters through animations and noises alone. If I had to levy one criticism against the game, it would be that there are a few puzzles that rely on player timing that can lead to some buggy results (not running back in time might cause a visual glitch, which may give some the false idea that their idea is wrong, but really they just need to execute it faster). Really though, I find it very hard to find much to complain bout. The game has a great pace, introduces new ideas consistently, and is always a sheer joy to look at. Christ, I haven't even mentioned the sound.
Impeccable sound work and a fantastic score that adapts to your progress in each puzzle.
Another Metroid 2 Remake
An excellent 2D Metroid. Sure, the combat doesn't feel as puzzle-like as it does in the excellent Prime series, but the exploration here and general pacing is fantastic. You know when you're nearly done done with one zone area, the game consistently surprises you with how it throws its bosses at you. Great stuff indeed! Bosses aside from the Metroid were particularly great, also loved how the in-game teleporting is handled. And a fantastic ending to boot with the baby metroid <3 !
Emulation Catchup:
Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door
I was pretty disappointed by how much I disliked much of the design of the game. I don't think the Hub design did it any favors either. The combat was boring, the backtracking was tedious, the dialogue wore out its welcome (I blame my ocd for having to read each NPC's unique quip. I wonder how the original holds up if I replayed it. I have pretty warm memories of it, but this, no thank you.
A Link Between Worlds
It felt like a fresh take on 2D Zelda, very much a spiritual sequel to Link of the Past. I enjoyed the freedom of tackling the dungeons at my own pace, great focus on puzzles and exploration. Not a fan of the item "renting" system, as it made the rewards for said exploration very underwhelming.
