We return to the consoles for my #9 pick — a game so strange and unassuming that I’m sure no one reading this has even played it.
#9 — Super Daryl Deluxe
What happens when you take an action adventure game and mix it with Napoleon Dynamite and absurdity? You get Super Daryl Deluxe.
The game has a beautiful aesthetic that looks like 90’s sketch art. As the silent hero Daryl, your mission is to win over friends while figuring out why your school is a portal to multiple dimensions. This is one of those games that the only normal element of it is how abnormal it is.
This is one of those rare games that I had no idea what was going to happen, and that pushed me to keep playing through this wacky game.
You’re free to customize Daryl based on different attacks and support abilities along with a variety of gear. The game reminds me of Earthbound in a way with how crazy things get.
What keeps the game from scoring higher is that the gameplay does become repetitive, and there were numerous UI and quality of life issues that became annoying over the play. The developers adhered to old school rules by not having any auto-saving for instance. There really isn’t much else to say about this game without spoiling just how crazy it gets in terms of environmental and enemy design.
Having replayed some of the game on stream, I was shocked to find that so few people played this over 2018. This is the first game from the studio and there is a lot of creativity on display here.
Next at #8, we turn to another game with a different aesthetic to match its gameplay
