PC Gamer Annual - UK (2022)

35

KENTUCKY

ROUTE ZERO

RELEASED 2013 | LAST POSITION 13

Rachel: There have been some amazing

story-led games released in the last year,

which means that our old friend Kentucky

Route Zero has dropped a considerable

way. Its highway adventure is still the most

evocative and aetherial story on this list,

full of magical-realist tales of rural America

and its struggles. I’ll never forget listening

to a chorus of ghostly voices inside a

mineshaft belonging to those who had lost

their lives in a rockslide. It’s both haunting

and beautiful.

36

RETURN OF THE

OBRA DINN

RELEASED 2018 | LAST POSITION 23

Rachel: Although it’s fallen a little on

our list, Return of the Obra Dinn is still

one of the best detective games on PC.

Apart from Paradise Killer, another

fantastic detective game that you will

have passed to get here, no other game

makes you work harder for answers

and celebrates your victories than Obra

Dinn does. The ghostly tale it spins of

the disappearance of a single ship and

its crew will chill you to the bone. It still

gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Phil: Possibly the most perfectly paced

puzzle game around. As you explore, you’ll

naturally stumble into hints that can

recontextualise your thinking and send you

down a rabbit hole of new revelations.

Rich: I could honestly argue for this being

number one, it’s simply stunning. Play it!

The Top 100

FE ATURE

NIER: AUTOMATA

RELEASED 2017 | LAST POSITION New

37

Mollie: I don’t even know how to put into

words what Nier: Automata is and why

it’s so special, but I wish I could wipe my

brain and experience it again for the first

time. A flawless soundtrack, satisfying

combat and heart-wrenching story

permeate every second. It hasn’t always

run the best on PC, but a brand-new fix

makes this the perfect time to dive in.

Steven: I finally beat Automata for the

first time this year and damn, I’m so

glad I did. There’s just nothing like it.

And while I’d love for us to also make

room for Nier: Replicant, its prequel,

on this list, I’d encourage anyone who

loved Automata to go back and play

it. It’s arguably an even more emotionally

compromising game.