Red Dead
Redemption 2 $60How can we deny the majesty
of one of the best-selling and
most cinematic free-roaming
games ever made? Although
we wanted to reach through
the screen to choke Dutch
(and Ar thur for lis tening to
Dutch), we still got teary eyed
at both endings. And when
the story triggers an emo-
tional response, it means the
developers did something
right. Challenging hunting
side-missions, animal-skin
outfits, poker and blackjack,
horse-taming, quick-draw
shoot-outs, running your
own ranch, alienating entire
towns—Red Dead Redemption
2 has everything we want in an
action-adventure game.Merchant of the Skies $15Merchant of the Skies offers a world that mixes roguelike elements,
map exploration, and beautiful pixel art as you visit a place of light-
ning worship to recharge your ship and serenade a giant carrot in a
top hat, among other things. What we love about Merchant is how
it walks a fine line: It’s a crunchy resource game for spreadsheet
lovers, but it’s also a lively, quick-travel and exploration game set in
a fascinating environment.Dicey Dungeons $15Yahtzee meets deckbuilding in
this funny, grim, and fiendishly
difficult game from Chipzel, Mar-
lowe Dobbe, and Terry Cavanagh
(the developer behind Super
Hexagon and VVVVVV). They’ve
created a rich, replayable game
with six characters and dozens
of challenge modes in total, all
narrated by an evil game-show
hostess. “[This] is the best game
I’ve ever worked on,” Cavanagh
says. We agree.Hardspace:
Shipbreaker $25We rarely see what happens
when massive sci-fi vessels are
past their prime. In Hardspace:
Shipbreaker, you’re a “breaker”
who recycles decommissioned
starships. Each one you encoun-
ter has a different layout. To
avoid decompressive explosions,
detonating fuel, and volatile
reactors, you must approach
with care. As we were challenged
with bigger, more massive
ships with each job, we began
to appreciate taking gargantuan
tasks and literally breaking them
down into bite-sized pieces. It’s
a certain zen that comes from
tearing a multi-thousand-ton
hulk down to nothing.GAME & TOY AWARDSSigns of the
Sojourner $20
This stylish and deep deckbuild-
ing game challenges you to play
through conversations. Most
similar games have combat, but
in Signs, the sparring is verbal;
we love the way even small mis-
matches and victories affect
how the game ends. You’ll need
to match card symbols with
your acquaintances, all while
you travel around a dusty, near-
apocalyptic world as a mer-
chandise buyer. Signs aims “to
capture both the feeling of leav-
ing home and returning changed
by our experiences,” says devel-
oper Dyala Kattan-Wright.
62 November/December 2020
COURTESYROCKSTARGAMES^ (RED);COURTESYECHONIGHT^ GAMES(SIGNS);COURTESYBLACKBIRDENTERTAINMENT(HARDSPACE);^ COURTESY^ COLDWILDGAMES^ (MERCHANT);^ COURTESY^ DISTRACTIONWARE(DICEY)