Games of the Year

RPGFan Games of the Year 2020: Best New IP

RPGFan Games of the Year 2020 banner: Best New IP: Hades

Winner: Hades

The best new intellectual property of 2020 is, ironically, steeped in one of the oldest collections of folklore to survive antiquity. Hades‘ charming characters, tightly designed action, and faithful—even gleeful—interpretation of Greek myth captivated existing lovers of roguelikes and even made some roguelike-disdainers into new fans (including yours truly). The residents of the underworld and Olympus alike are brilliantly likable, and the context of Zagreus dying over and over in his repeated attempts to escape, only to return home every time (because that’s what happens when you die in Greek Myth) is a perfect match of world and genre. Hades‘ future is uncertain, as Supergiant Games typically doesn’t dabble in sequels or post-release content, but that might change with the enthusiastic reception Hades continues to receive and the endless potential of its new story in an old setting.

by Michael Sollosi


Runner-Up: 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Vanillaware never rests on their laurels. While most development teams find a niche and stick to it, the only real unifying factors for Vanillaware’s works are a gorgeous audiovisual package and an impressive standard of quality. With 13 Sentinels, however, they went a step further. Not satisfied to execute a perfect example of an existing genre, they pushed genre boundaries, including elements of visual novels, adventure games, and strategy games all wrapped up in the kind of heady themes you’d usually find in some of the most respected and beloved stories of all time. In making something so unique, it’s hard not to hope for a sequel, though Vanillaware’s track record implies they’ll leap to perfecting yet another new genre from here. No matter what they do next, it’s good for everyone that Vanillaware is out there making unique works and pushing the medium forward.

by Wes Iliff


Readers’ Choice: Best New IP

Winner: 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Runner-Up: Hades

Michael Sollosi

Michael Sollosi

Sollosi joined RPGFan in 2014 as part of the music section but switched lanes to podcasting a year later, eventually becoming showrunner of the Retro Encounter podcast. Outside of RPGFan, Sollosi works in a government engineering office, enjoys visiting local parks and petting local dogs, and dreams of a second Ys vs Trails fighting game.