PC Gamer UK 01.2021 @InternationalPress75

ROBIN
VALENTINE

Fitting gaming into
my schedule looks
tough in 2021. Where
are you supposed to
find the time around
all the staring at the
walls and internal
panicking you have to
get done these days?

DEEP ROCK GALACTIC

deeprockgalactic.com

I think this is one of the most

engrossing and layered co-op

games to come out in years

• basically Left 4 Dead meets
  No Man’s Sky. The procedurally
  generated levels are a constant test
  of your ability to adapt and improvise,
  and they never seem to stop finding
  ways to surprise me.

WHAT’S YOURS IS MINE

DARKEST DUNGEON

darkestdungeon.com

Five years on from its original

launch, I still love going back to

this bleak dungeon crawler. I just

never get tired of its atmosphere

• the grim narrator’s endless
  pessimistic commentary on your
  doomed excursions makes me
  smile every time. Lovecraftian horror
  done right, for once.

TRAVELLING LIGHT

CRUSADER KINGS III

crusaderkings.com/en

After hundreds of hours in the

second game, I was actually

worried this sequel wouldn’t feel

different and fresh enough to draw

me in. I couldn’t have been more

wrong – it’s full of subtle changes

that rejuvenate the formula. I’m

hooked on the medieval Jerry

Springer simulator all over again.

BATTLE ROYAL

HADES

supergiantgames.com/games/hades

For years I’d been evangelising the

Early Access version of this to not

much success, so it was surreal

seeing it blow up so much once it hit

1.0. I’m just glad it finally got its

proper time in the spotlight. A

Roguelike this clever, beautiful, and

compelling sets a new high bar for

the entire genre.

FROM HELL

REMNANT: FROM THE ASHES

gunfiregames.com

This is a great example of a

game that’s much more than

just the sum of its parts. Almost

everything in it is essentially cribbed

from other games – Dark Souls and

Destiny especially – but it all comes

together into a thrilling, ambitious

co-op experience across a bizarre

world I loved puzzling over.

BITS AND PIECES

TABLETOP SIMULATOR

tabletopsimulator.com

I’ve relatively recently gotten into

board games in a big way, but my

timing couldn’t be worse – suddenly I

can’t meet up to play with people.

Tabletop Simulator’s been a fantastic

solution. I especially recommend the

official (and free) Unmatched module

for exciting duels between the likes of

Bigfoot and King Arthur.

BOARD AND ALONE

D&D BEYOND

dndbeyond.com

Alright, so it’s not strictly a PC

game, but this website’s virtual

character sheets have been a

godsend for lockdown-era remote

Dungeons & Dragons. It handles

rolls, works out all your modifiers

and effects for you, provides rules

references, and lets you track

things like XP and HP with ease.

ROLL WITH IT

SPIRITFARER

thunderlotusgames.com/spiritfarer

This indie adventure takes such a

sweet and beautiful approach to its

remarkably heavy topics, complete

with big hugs and emotional

heart-to-hearts. It’s a bit overlong

to be sure, but at the same time I

love that it feels more substantial

and involved than you’d ever expect

from this style of game.

GHOST HOST

MUST

PLAY

A PERSONAL LIST

OF THE BEST

GAMES YOU CAN

PLAY RIGHT NOW

by Robin Valentine

EXTRA LIFE

NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I MOD SPOTLIGHT I DIARY I HOW TO I WHY I LOVE I REINSTALL I MUST PLAY