Our Game of the Year awards get more difficult to pick every year. With approximately 38% of all Steam games released this year alone, playing them all is impossible, but we do our best to review a cross-section of releases we think will both appeal to our audience and represent the majority of quickly multiplying corners throughout all genres in PC gaming. Last year, we cut off the list at scores above 80%, but because there were so many games that made the cut, we’ve upped our standards to 84%. These games were reviewed by many different people with varying perspectives, but all according to our reviews policy. As such, try not to sweat it when scores don’t correlate across the board. And if a favorite game is missing, swing by our reviews page to find it or let us know in the comments. 

Dishonored 2

Release date: Nov 11, 2016 ▪ Developer: Arkane ▪ Our review (93%)

Despite some technical troubles—which are steadily being patched out—Dishonored 2 is one of our favorite games of the year. It's no secret that we're big fans of systems-driven games at PC Gamer, and we've celebrated Metal Gear Solid 5 and the new Hitman thoroughly for that reason. Dishonored 2 is another for the list, even better than its predecessor and one of the best stealth/action games we've played.

Football Manager 2017

Release date: Nov 3, 2016 ▪ Developer: Sports Interactive ▪ Our review (85%)If you’ve ever played Football Manager, then you already know what to expect in the latest version. It’s a refinement that makes important information easier to access so you spend more time living the stories of your teams instead of processing dense screens of statistics, but it doesn’t entirely upend the formula. Why would it? Football Manager 2017 is the best entry in a well established series, so far unparalleled. If you want to manage some football, Football Manager 2017 is the way to go. 

Hitman: The Complete First Season

Release date: Many ▪ Developer: IO Interactive ▪ Our review (84%)

We were all a little surprised when we found out the new Hitman would be episodic, but as Phil says in his review of the full first season, pulling back on Absolution's story focus was a boon. While there's still a story, what's at the heart of new Hitman is "a standalone series of sandbox murder playgrounds," as Phil put it. Blood Money fans should be pleased.

Titanfall 2

Release date: Oct 28, 2016 ▪ Developer: Respawn ▪ Our review (91%) 

With the addition of a single-player campaign and no season pass to divide the community, Titanfall 2 sheds two common complaints about the original—and also does what it does fantastically. "If this were a game from the late nineties or early noughties, we'd likely look back at the mission 'Effect and Cause' as one of the greats of the genre," wrote Chris in his review. The multiplayer is better than before as well, but there's one worry—Titanfall 2's population could suffer from its proximity to Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Let's hope it doesn't.

Battlefield 1

Release date: Oct 21, 2016 ▪ Developer: DICE ▪ Our review (89%) 

The leap back in time to WWI had good results, as Battlefield 1's focus on infantry combat pairs well with more meaningful planes and tanks, and its finicky guns slow things down a little, giving us more time to move and more pride in our good shots. The campaign is enjoyable too, which hasn't quite been the case in a Battlefield game for some time.

Civilization 6

Release date: Oct 21, 2016 ▪ Developer: Firaxis ▪ Our review (93%)

There's of course room for improvement, but Civilization 6 is nevertheless the "ultimate digital board game," as we put it in our review. It's the most  transformative version of Civ so far, changing the rules of city-management and tweaking just about everything else. And Civ 6 will only get better with expansions and user-made additions—even though the mod tools aren't out yet, the modders are already at work.

Sunless Sea: Zubmariner

Release date: Oct 11, 2016 ▪ Developer: Failbetter Games ▪ Our review (90%)In any Lovecraftian narrative, the descent always gives way to more unspeakable madness and horror, which is exactly what Zubmariner accomplishes. As an expansion to the oceanic exploration text adventuring of Sunless Sea, it sends the player beneath the waves and on the path to unraveling the mysteries of the flooded world. As scary as it is, there’s nothing spooky about more of an already excellent thing.

Forza Horizon 3

Release date: Sep 27, 2016 ▪ Developer:  Playground Games  ▪ Our review (92%)

One of the best racing games on PC, with a huge open world Australian playground (that's also full of irritating personalities) and over 350 gorgeous cars. As it's published by Microsoft Studios, Forza Horizon 3 is only available on the Windows Store—but at least Chris managed a smooth 60 fps, and didn't have many technical issues despite the Universal Windows Platform's rocky start.

World of Warcraft: Legion

Release date: Aug 30, 2016 ▪ Developer:  Blizzard  ▪ Our review (90%) 

Legion had a lot of work to do after the disappointing Warlords of Draenor, but even before all its pieces are in place, it succeeds. The quest writing, new order halls, and improved class identity are all high points. "For the first time, I don't just feel like I'm playing a druid—I am a druid," wrote Steven in his review.

N++

Release date: Aug 25, 2016 ▪ Developer: Metanet Software ▪ Our review (92%)

A refined action platformer with tricky, floaty jumps, 1,125 levels and a level editor—so there's no risk of being left wanting. Shaun has played over 300 hours of the original PS4 version, and put another 20 into this new PC release. "In some ways N++ feels like the end of the action platformer, like an exhaustive final document, a catalogue of its emotional highs and lows," he wrote in his review. It's safe to say he liked it a bit.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Release date: Aug 23, 2016 ▪ Developer: Eidos Montreal ▪ Our review (88%)

Andy wasn't super impressed by the story, but Mankind Divided's detailed vision of a future Prague, new augmentations, and level design earned it high marks. "Everywhere you look there are sentry turrets, security bots, criss-crossed laser tripwires, and patrolling guards," Andy wrote. "Getting inside, stealing the particular item you’re looking for, and escaping unseen was hugely satisfying."

F1 2016

Release date: Aug 18, 2016 ▪ Developer:  Codemasters ▪ Our review (87%) 

After last year's disappointment F1 2016 deserved some skepticism, but Codemasters came through—F1 2016 is "the most well-featured, authentic recreation of Formula One ever created, and it’s a genuinely good PC port," wrote reviewer Sam White. Better physics, better AI, and new details hoist it above the series' previous missteps.

Overcooked

Release date: Aug 3, 2016 ▪ Developer: Ghost Town Games ▪ Our review (86%)If you need to test your friendships, Overcooked is the game for you. A top down co-op cooking game, Overcooked places up to four players in crazy kitchens and throws an endless series of dishes their way. Getting a high score requires close, coordinated teamwork, but the moment communication breaks down, things can get messy. Tom calls it, “the perfect balance of chaos that can be conquered with skill,” and “hands down one of the best couch party games ever made.” Overcooked is a guaranteed recipe for fun. And disaster. And absolute despair. If you have the company, don’t miss it. 

Abzu

Release date: Aug 2, 2016 ▪ Developer: Giant Squid ▪ Our review (88%)James calls Abzu “an expertly directed psychedelic marine tour without a single UI or text prompt telling you where to go or what to do, purely driven by curiosity.” You control a diver and explore big, colorful underwater scenes, interacting with a wide assortment of sea life while unraveling a quiet story with an environmental message. Accompanied by an inspiring score from Austin Wintory, Abzu is an easy emotional journey to recommend.

Starbound

Release date: Jul 22, 2016 ▪ Developer: Chucklefish ▪ Our review (84%)According to Chris, Starbound is the charming and deep space exploration sandbox we were promised during its prolonged Early Access phase. It’s not perfect, lacking in combat systems and it’s still pretty cryptic, but “Starbound is otherwise a great pleasure, full of verve and laden with seemingly endless diversions and self-directed projects that you can lose yourself in for hours or days at a time.”

Lovely Planet Arcade

Release date: Jul 22, 2016 ▪ Developer: Quicktequila ▪ Our review (84%)

The follow-up to the great Lovely Planet, Lovely Planet Arcade strips the Y-axis from its precision, small-level shooting, meaning you can't look up and down. It's very different from its predecessor, but the essence of what makes it fun is still there: "the thrill of executing prescriptive shooting challenges with nearly zero room for error," as James put it in his review. 

Furi

Release date: Jul 5, 2016 ▪ Developer: The Game Bakers ▪ Our review (86%)

Furi has "a ludicrous premise, strenuous combat, loud neon synth jams, and saturated color palette"—but also restraint, says James. A series of bullet-hell hack n' slash boss fights train you in simple combat techniques:  slash, parry, shoot, and dash. Some bugs and difficulty spikes held it back a little, but Furi is still one of our favorite surprise hits of the year.

Hearts of Iron 4

Release date: June 6, 2016 ▪ Developer: Paradox ▪ Our review (88%)

You’ll find some cracks in the simulation, but how could there not be a few holes in such a sweeping, complicated scenario? Hearts of Iron 4 is “a beautiful, thrilling wargame” that presents the entire globe as it was at the outbreak of World War 2—and everything that happens from there is up to you and the AI.

“The AI may not always be sensible, and maybe combat doesn't always seem quite historically accurate,” wrote Rob in our review, “but then, you might be playing a version of World War 2 where Italy broke away from Germany to create a new Roman Empire with Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union was plunged into civil war and Stalin was deposed by 1942.” 

Overwatch

Release date: May 24, 2016 ▪ Developer: Blizzard ▪ Our review (88%)

A great team shooter that emphasizes positioning, teamwork and tactics over agility and marksmanship, but still leaves room for players to grow in the latter department. There are still character tweaks to be made to ensure they’re continuously viable and fun and all create interesting dynamics, but it’s the sort of game you could tweak forever. Overwatch can't replace Team Fortress 2 for us, but it’s certainly recaptured the experience of getting a bunch of friends together for night-long sessions of the current top shooter. Competitive mode is out now, and we’re keen to earn some golden guns.

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

Release date: May 31, 2016 ▪ Developer: CD Projekt RED ▪ Our review (94%)

With Geralt's journey into the sun-drenched vintner lands of Toussaint, CD Projekt RED capstones an RPG masterpiece, defining a standard for interactive storytelling. The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine expansion follows Hearts of Stone in adding new gear and combat abilities as well as stitching together small yet eventful scenarios into a greater web of intrigue. The wonderfully paced narrative of an ostensibly routine whodunit set in Toussaint's fairytale countryside reflects what makes The Witcher games so great: a politically divided world, superb dialogue, and distinctly memorable characters. 

Total War: Warhammer

Release date: May 24, 2016 ▪ Developer: Creative Assembly ▪ Our review (86%)

The Total War series and the Warhammer franchise share a love for massive armies crashing into each other on an epic battlefield, but the latter also includes wizards with fire for hair and smelly sentient fungus. That results in more distinctly characterized armies in Total War: Warhammer emphasized by the Warhammer universe’s magic spells and flying units—all added strategy layered on the Total War pedigree of positional and tactical superiority.

Duskers

Release date: May 18, 2016 ▪ Developer: Misfits Attic ▪ Our review (86%)

Piloting drones through abstract maps of derelict spaceships might not sound tense, but Duskers can be nightmarish. “Frantically typing commands into the console when things suddenly go sideways makes me feel like I’m really huddled in a darkened dropship, alone, desperately trying to save my drones and by extension myself,” said Chris Livingston in his review. Watch out for aliens.

Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster

Release date: May 12, 2016 ▪ Developer: Square Enix ▪ Our review (85%)In the last few years, Square Enix started plugging the gaps missing in the Final Fantasy series availability on PC, with varying degrees of commitment. Not every port has been stellar, but X and X-2 HD both function pretty well, albeit not particularly well with a mouse and keyboard. They’re among the more divisive entries in the series and haven’t aged perfectly, but looking back, Sam still thinks, “Spira is a wonderful world that’s well worth exploring, and X and X-2’s different approaches to combat systems are both deep and exciting.”

Doom

Release date: May 12, 2016 ▪ Developer: id Software ▪ Our review (88%)

Doom's reverence of a primordial aspect of FPS design—killing—borders on comical exaggeration with its fountains of demon blood and a main character who communicates by punching things. That fittingly fuels fast and fun combat indulging the nostalgia of id's run-and-gun lineage without smothering its metal brutality. Doom's first major update since launch adds a Photo mode for screenshots and ups the classic feel with an optional center-aligned weapon model. 

Offworld Trading Company

Release date: Apr 28, 2016 ▪ Developer: Mohawk Games ▪ Our review (88%)Imagine an intro to marketing class, streamlined and condensed into a sweet, chewy bubblegum format—and set on Mars. That’s Offworld Trading Company, a strategy and management sim where you take control of a business dedicated to supplying new human colonies. Matt praises the unknowable depth and feedback in his review, stating ‘There’s a simple, tactile joy of seeing every a nudge of the finger explode into a flourish of numbers, but a deep and lasting satisfaction from knowing every profit was carefully engineered.”

Duelyst

Release date: April 27, 2016 ▪ Developer: Counterplay ▪ Our review (84%)

Hearthstone blazed a path by making digital card games popular on PC, and many competitors have followed in the years since. But none of them have broken so far away from the pack as Duelyst. It’s a tactics game and a CCG mixed into one, wrapped up with some of the best pixel art animations and character design of any game all year. It’s easy to pick up, but the addition of movement to largely traditional card game mechanics give it an amazing amount of depth that has kept it as one of our favorite card games all year. 

The Banner Saga 2

Release date: April 19, 2016 ▪ Developer: Stoic ▪ Our review (86%)

We loved the original, and the sequel is even better. The Banner Saga 2 is a weighty tale of survival, and a brutal strategy challenge. Some interface issues carry over from the first game, but as our reviewer put it: “Yes, there’s still room for improvement, but this is a smart, worthy sequel: denser, richer, more complex and yet more intimate. Even if you’ll feel in dire need of a stiff drink once this second act draws to its devastating close.”

Dark Souls 3

Release date: April 11, 2016 ▪ Developer: FromSoftware ▪ Our review (94%)

James calls Dark Souls 3 “the most focused, potent game in the series” in his review. It has diverse and numerous enemies, masterful combat and world design, and a dense, mysterious story to every inch of stone. Most importantly, it’s not good simply because it’s hard. 

Chronos

Release date: Mar 28, 2016 ▪ Developer: Gunfire Games ▪ Our review (84%)VR is still lacking a deep, directed experience that begs to be played in the steadily growing medium, but Chronos might be the closest we’ll get for a while. It’s a full blown action adventure, taking cues from The Legend of Zelda and Dark Souls with punishing 3rd person sword-and-board combat and winding monolithic level design. It also makes clever use of VR in ways that can’t be replicated on a monitor, but they’re best experienced firsthand. Wes is dying for more, saying, “It’s a rare thing for me to be halfway through a game and already excited to play a sequel.” Let’s hope Oculus moves enough headsets to make it happen.

Samorost 3

Release date: March 24, 2016 ▪ Developer: Amanita Design ▪ Our review (87%)

The greatest work so far from Czech indie studio Amanita Design. It’s a point-and-click adventure, but puzzles aren’t as important here as imagery, metaphor, and surreal weirdness. “They're also so surreal that when I did something right, it was sometimes impossible to tell exactly what I did, or why it was right,” said Andy Chalk in our review. “I crept up behind a glowing, golden gazelle, leapt upon its back, and went for a wild ride along the side of a mountain.” 

Out of the Park Baseball 17

Release date: Mar 22, 2016 ▪ Developer: Out of the Park Developments ▪ Our review (89%)There’s no baseball management sim that comes close to the batting average of Out of the Park Baseball, and while it may not feel like a complete reinvention of the series, it’s still the best in the business. In our review, Ben says, “A wealth of up-to-date licences and attribute ratings make OOTP 17 an essential purchase for the devoted player, while newcomers will swiftly grasp, and love, its relentless brilliance.” 

Day of the Tentacle Remastered

Release date: March 21, 2016 ▪ Developer: Double Fine  ▪ Our review (87%)

Day of the Tentacle is great. Day of the Tentacle Remastered is that great game, remastered, and is also great. It holds up over 20 years later, and the modernization gives us an appealing opportunity to take another trip through time. “You can still play your old copy in DOSBox or ScummVM, of course,” noted Andy in our review, “but if you want a more streamlined, modern experience, with some fascinating insight into how the game was made, the remaster is worth investing in.” 

Superhot

Release date: Feb 25, 2016 ▪ Developer: Superhot Team ▪ Our review (84%)

Time moves when you move in Superhot, a shooter distilling its mechanics into a polygonal portrayal of bullet-time. It doesn't take long to complete, but clearing a level without dying in a single hit is a challenging demand of mental forethought echoing the zen-like state of FPS professionals. A VR version of Superhot for the Oculus Rift is in the works, so you can make those Matrix moves in your living room without looking too ridiculous (or maybe not).

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Release date: Feb 18, 2016 ▪ Developer: Spike Chunsoft ▪ Our review (86%)

As a visual novel, Danganronpa's length is matched only by the ridiculousness of its premise. That 15 of Japan's most gifted students could get trapped into playing a murderous game of "Guess Who?" by a mechanical bear is certainly a very anime concept. But through that goofy setup, Danganronpa takes a dark turn and displays a real gift for taking absurd characters and making them endearing—which makes it all the more gut-wrenching when they inevitably die. There's a reason that in our review, Andy said, "the story is so compelling that I barely noticed that all I was doing was clicking through lines of dialogue." 

Firewatch

Release date: Feb 9, 2016 ▪ Developer: Campo Santo ▪ Our review (85%)

Great dialogue, excellent voice performances, a minimal soundtrack, and some beautiful visuals brought real life to this first-person adventure game. Set in Wyoming, you play the glum and haunted Henry who is spending a secluded summer as a firewatchman. While the conclusion of the story doesn’t live up to the compelling setup, the believable relationship between Henry and Delilah, another park ranger, more than make up for it.

XCOM 2

Release date: Feb 4, 2016 ▪ Developer: Firaxis ▪ Our review (94%)

Sid Meier once described a game as a "series of interesting decisions." And in our review, Tom said that "XCOM 2 is the purest expression of that ethos that Firaxis has yet produced." From the moment you first take up arms against your alien oppressors, XCOM 2 hits you with a relentless barrage of choices so jaw-clenchingly difficult you're going to need a cigarette after each one. The lives you sacrifice for the greater good will be etched in your mind, and the temptation to reload an old save will be overwhelming. If you can resist and embrace consequence, XCOM 2 will transform you into a grizzled commander through the fires of conflict.

The Witness

Release date: Jan 26, 2016 ▪ Developer: Thekla, Inc. ▪ Our review (89%)

The Witness is brilliant in its simplicity. It speaks in a language without words, but uses shape and form to impart philosophical ideas that will change the way you see its world. Repetition is a stern yet fair teacher, and engaging with that silent discourse as a student begins to unravel the relationship entirely. But The Witness can also feel frustratingly vague. As Edwin said in our review, "what it ultimately seeks to offer is a vantage point, a perspective on life's mysteries, rather than answers." But even if you don't like the answer, The Witness proves questions are worth asking.

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Release date: Jan 20, 2016 ▪ Developer: Blackbird ▪ Our review (90%)

To take Homeworld and put it on the ground seems “almost sacrilegious,” wrote Rob Zacny in our review. But it works. “It's not only a terrific RTS that sets itself apart from the rest of the genre's recent games,” he said, “but it's also an excellent Homeworld game that reinvents the series while also recapturing its magic.” Deserts of Kharak is both approachable—less about production, more about tactics—and another example of all the life still flowing through the RTS genre.

Darkest Dungeon

Release date: Jan 19, 2016 ▪ Developer: Red Hook Studios ▪ Our review (88%)

Darkest Dungeon is cruel, probably too cruel. It's a dungeon crawler that doesn't deal in stats and loot alone but also trades on the mental well-being of the heroes you send into its festering crypts. But these heroes don't return stronger for their troubles; they come back battered and broken, a liability you're much better off dismissing. Beneath all that doom and gloom is an innovative take on turn-based RPGs that weaves the positioning of party members with an unconventional class system, that inspires experimentation despite the constant dread of what will happen if you fail.

The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human

Release date: Jan 19, 2016 ▪ Developer: YCJY ▪ Our review (90%)

Our reviewer loved how Aquatic Adventure “fast-forwards through the Metroidvania template, stripping it down to its most essential parts: exploration, atmosphere, and player growth”. It’s an underwater take on the classic genre, where you putter around gorgeous pixel-art environments, collecting upgrades, taking out challenging bosses, and try to decipher how earth’s oceanic apocalypse came about. You also get to swim out of a giant sea worm’s ass, a necessary experience. 

Pony Island

Release date: Jan 4, 2016 ▪ Developer: Daniel Mullins ▪ Our review (91%)

Pony Island is so dependent on its little self-referential gimmicks that it’s hard to explain without giving it all away. In a sense, and because there’s a pun to be made, that makes it a one-trick pony, but it does a great trick. One of its pranks near the end of the game is so devious we won’t likely forget it soon. If you like Undertale or The Stanley Parable, you’ll probably enjoy Pony Island. 

Videogame music has its classics, and they’re usually easy to pinpoint as they trickle out every few months, and previously, every few years—but now, we can hardly keep up. To help sift through all the (lovely) noise, we put together a collection of our favorite soundtracks of the year. If you don’t see your favorite here, share it with us in the comments and let us know why it stands out. If you like the music, be sure to let the artist know—maybe buy a few records on vinyl, invite some friends over, sip some fancy wine and let a track like “Yellow Furry Mushroom Tune” take you where it will.

Thumper

Brian GibsonListen hereThumper’s music isn’t comforting, it’s not easy to bob your head to, it doesn’t have delicious hooks that’ll pop up in your mind hours later for easy listening. It’s music designed to suffocate and overwhelm, composed around the violent, rhythmic game design, not as separate thematic entity. Completely intertwined with how Thumper plays and feels, it’s easily one of the best soundtracks this side of the fourth dimension. —James

No Man's Sky

65daysofstaticListen hereSay what you will about how No Man’s Sky plays, but from a purely aesthetic point of view, it’s a vast, gorgeous collection of sci-fi paperback book covers. 65daysofstatic’s soundtrack works as a musical stand-in for the wonder one feels ripping through the pages. It’s not a huge departure from their usual sound—distorted guitars, swinging dynamics, crisp percussion, and eerie electronics samples—but it’s all a perfect fit, like they were composing a soundtrack for space exploration this entire time. —James

Owlboy

Jonathan GreerListen hereAbove the jovial plucking of strings, another set sways in and out of a sad, mysterious melody. It feels like there’s a history to Strato, one that betrays the colorful pixel art and buoyant floating fantasy setting. Owlboy is spilling over with gorgeous, playful, and energetic musical motifs for every character and setting that would make classic Disney movies turn their head and stare. —James

Slayer Shock

Dave PittmanListen here‘Thirst’, appropriately enough, reminds of walking around after a few too many drinks. Like the rest of the soundtrack, it places a twangy bass front and center, and it walks around each sparse song, in and out of corners, scurrying across darkened dirt roads, all the while barely keeping itself together. It might be short, but Pittman’s score is a potent dose of whimsy and danger, one that can sustain as much supernatural sleuthing as you’re capable of. —James

Abzû

Austin WintoryListen hereAs lovely a venture as Abzû is, without Austin Wintory’s reverberating, mysterious, and invigorating score, its best moments would fall entirely flat. The psychedelic underwater visuals and music split the work of directing the player, emotionally and physically, through Abzû’s inspirational aquatic set pieces. You’ll never look at a shark without humming its motif again. Unless it’s about to eat you. Stay safe out there. —James

Okhlos

A Shell in the PitListen hereA good selection of the best game music of the last few years has all come from A Shell in the Pit, serving up lovely soundtracks for the likes of Duelyst, Rogue Legacy, Parkitect, and more. Okhlos’ tunes are another notch in the belt, an intense, fluid combination of modern chiptune headbangers and classic instrumentation. It’s the rare soundtrack that makes me want to sit around all day to play games and dance until I pass out. —James

Furi

Carpenter Brut, Danger, The Toxic Avenger, Lorn, Scattle, Waveshaper, Kn1ght Listen hereFeaturing host of talented electronic artists, Furi’s soundtrack sounds like John Carpenter reimagined for the dancefloor. It’s an energetic and indulgent synthesizer parade that stays glassy and mysterious through every Roxbury headbob. —James

Doom

Mick GordonListen hereDoom’s music is beaming with the same charm and energy as its brutal combat, both a tongue-in-cheek yet tasteful overexertion. The guitar has enough feedback to keep a family full for months and the double bass drum pedals might register as an earthquake in certain regions. This is some greasy, chewy metal with industrial influences. The main title incorporates the 1993 theme from Doom’s E1M1, while “Flesh and Metal” pulls riffs from Chris Vrenna’s Doom 3 theme. Listen to “BFG Division.” Turn it up loud enough to get grounded. —James 

Samorost 3

Tomáš DvořákListen here The best of the year, for me. Captivating and unpredictable, one moment Tomáš Dvořák’s music fills the room like a dramatic film score, then pivots to being grounded, Bohemian, and playful. These songs match and elevate the spirit of Samorost 3, but they stand alone surprisingly well. “This is the first time that an album has inspired me to play a video game,” a Bandcamp review admits. Start with “Prenatal Hunters.” —Evan

Hyper Light Drifter

DisasterpeaceListen here Disasterpeace (Fez, It Follows) uses lo-fi digital audio to evoke history, mood, and place with surprising effect. Imagine unearthing a centuries old chiptune soundtrack, the analog decay turning otherwise clean digital frequencies into tired, weather worn instrumentation. Like the whole of Hyper Light Drifter, the music feels like an artifact from a distant future’s past. —James 

Oxenfree

SCNTFCListen here SCNTFC’s Oxenfree OST is a dense collection of electronic music with a dark edge, like it’s being played through an analog boombox that’s been dropped a few times too many. Smooth synthetic tones give way to warbled distortion that, no matter how bright the melody, feel aged and mysterious. Boards of Canada definitely come to mind. Start with “Cold Comfort.” —James  

Dark Souls 3

Motoi Sakuraba(OST included with game purchase)It takes 10 seconds to understand what kind of place Firelink Shrine is, all thanks to its theme. Before you talk to anyone or explore its space, the strings tell a sad story, wavering in and out of silence while the soft, somber vocals of a lone woman leave a quiet trace of hope. It’s an interpretive characterization of the world and its inhabitants rarely executed in games with such precision. —James  

The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human

Karl FlodinListen here Aquatic Adventure’s soundtrack layers chiptune minimalism with some atmospheric underwater distortion to give each song a clear identity with a strong melody or theme. I can hear a tune and immediately recall the location or boss fight it’s tied to. Start near the surface with “Seaweed Forest” before diving deep into “The Heart of the City.” —James  

The Banner Saga 2

Austin WintoryListen here With The Banner Saga 2, Austin Wintory (Journey, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate) scores his first sequel. His pieces swell and climax, but don’t give way to a massive orchestral crescendo. Instead, they stay sparse, even as bright brass instrumentation takes the lead, backing instruments fall out. The world is breaking apart, it’s cold, everyone is dying, and all the pride and hope in the world can hardly make a dent. —James  

Brigador

Makeup and Vanity SetListen here Synthesizers operated by ski mask-wearing cyberpunks. It’s terrific to see the talent of Makeup and Vanity Set lended to this independent game, and their sound is a perfect fit. The second track, “There Is No Law Here,” says it all. If you really enjoyed the movie Drive, get in here. —Evan 

Poly Bridge

Adrian TalensListen here Soothing and mellow acoustic guitar is the perfect match for building rickety, collapsing bridges. When you send busloads of tiny passengers plunging into a river amidst splintering wood and steel beams, you'll barely even care because the music is just so damn relaxing. You can buy the Poly Bridge soundtrack as DLC on Steam (it also comes with the Deluxe Edition of the game, which just left early access in July). The composer even invites you to learn to play songs from the soundtrack yourself. —Chris L  

Lothric is our favourite game setting of the year. GOTY gongs are chosen by PC Gamer staff through voting and debate. We'll be posting an award a day leading to Christmas, along with personal picks from the PCG team. Keep up with all the awards so far here.   

Andy Kelly: No one makes evocative fantasy worlds quite like From Software, and Lothric is one of its most haunting, beautiful creations yet. It's a bleak, broken place, like a faded memory of an idyllic fairytale world. Lothric Castle, which looms impressively in the distance, gives you a fleeting glimpse of the beauty and grandeur this world once had before it was overrun by demons, dragons, and the undead. From are also masters at telling stories through the worlds they build, and Lothric is rich with an arcane history that's revealed through its statues, architecture, and shrines. The evil-tainted Cathedral of the Deep, with its sinister sculptures of weeping women, is a highlight, and every step you take into it is more intimidating than the last. And the unforgettable introduction to the eerie, desolate Irithyll of the Boreal Valley is one of the best moments in the Souls series.

James Davenport: Irithyll’s introduction is unforgettable. One of the most gorgeous vistas in games, peaceful and shimmering under a soft moon. Then a giant ratdog chases you across a bridge. But if you survive, ghosts walk the streets, elegant warriors and witches from a bygone era lash out, and as you venture further into the city, the architecture begins to feel familiar. It should. Dark Souls has always done this, foregoing generic environmental design in favor of building out the history of entire civilizations in how a building looks and the posture and dress of statuary. Where most games fill out their world with light set decoration, it’s rare to encounter anything in Dark Souls 3’s world that doesn’t carry meaning.

Tim Clark: I finally popped my Souls cherry this year. Having spent a ridiculous amount of time reading about the games, I was already fascinated by From Software’s esoteric approach to world building, and diving into Dark Souls 3 didn’t disappoint. As James noted around release, all the talk of how hard the series is actually does it a disservice, but one welcome side-effect of the harshness is that it opens up your synapses to the decrepit beauty of the environments. If you’re expecting death by spectacular evisceration around every corner, then you inevitably start paying closer attention to what those corners look like. Lothric is a world that feels left behind. It’s the fantasy equivalent of a seaside tourist town out of season—faded grandeur, now abandoned by all but the mad and the bad. I don’t pretend to understand the lore and its implications, but you absorb the Dark Souls vibe by osmosis regardless. It was definitely the setting I most enjoyed inhabiting this year. If enjoyed is really the right word.

Wes Fenlon: We know what Dark Souls looks like now, after three games. There will be a sprawling city of the undead, an incredible, towering castle, a swamp of puke and pus. These are familiar sights, and Dark Souls 3 isn't as varied as its predecessor Dark Souls 2. But it feels so much more like a cohesive vision, and much of its familiarity is actually intentional, imbued with meaning connected back to the vague history of this place fans know from playing Dark Souls 1. There's an intentional cycle at play here, blurring sights new and old. You can almost feel the creator of this world saying this is the last time I will return to this place, with all the weight and passion that entails. There's some melancholy, but mostly a team liberated from the confines of old technology making a world as exactly as majestic—and disturbing and disgusting—as they've always wanted it to be.

For more Dark Souls 3 coverage, here's our review, and here are the reasons why this game pulled Andy Kelly into the series properly for the first time.

Dark Souls 3 recently pulled me back in for a second playthrough, within which I've now sunk 30 hours and have just reached the final showdown with the Soul of Cinder. I've not fought optional bosses Champion Gundyr, the Nameless King, the Ancient Wyvern, and I've not visited Ariandel. Oh, and the less said about my death tally the better. 

In time for Christmas, Dark Souls speedrunner Qtt Six has however managed all of the above in an All Bosses (Ashes of Ariandel) world record-breaking time of 1.09.35. In short: it's taken me 1800+ minutes to achieve a fraction of what Qtt Six has in less than 70 minutes. 

Okay, it's probably unfair to mention us both in the same breath so here's the run in full: 

Impressive, eh? Besides immense skill, a combination of quitting out, favourable RNG boss fighting, and the use of the Vilhelm Skip and Crow Quills Glitch within the Ariandel DLC make this possible—a feat which has shaved close to an entire second off the previous record. 

This handy timeline of Dark Souls 3 speedruns—which also includes data for DS, DS 2 and Scholar of the First Sin, and Bloodborne—shows how far speedrunning has come since its April release. For more Dark Souls 3-related reading, here's James' review of the base game, Shaun's verdict on the DLC, and a collection of the series' best/most hideous enemies.   

The Dark Souls series features every monster and tragic knight under the sun. And the moon. And the dark moon. They’re all there, from undead attack dogs to unspeakable horrors even Lovecraft would wince at. 

The most successful of the bunch are designed to tell a story, make us uncomfortable, test our combat skills in interesting ways, or are there to purely mess with our habits. With the trilogy nearly capped (still waiting on that final DLC expansion) we decided to take a stab at sifting through every creature in the Dark Souls series to highlight the best and discuss what makes them so memorable. 

Crow Demons 

Appears in: Dark Souls 

The Painted World of Ariamis is enough of an odd surprise to make everything it’s hiding inherently interesting, but the Crow Demons stand apart from the exploding undead and Priscilla's invisible boss encounter. They’re a gaunt monster, assembled from the torso and legs of a typical undead with the warped wings and head of a crow. In the fiction, they’re said to be servants of Velka, the Goddess of Sin. She’s described as a rogue god and some fans theorize she might be the Furtive Pygmy, which—let’s not go on a lore dive. Just know that these monsters apparently twisted their own limbs as a sign of devotion to Velka, and their place in the Painted World, and possible connection to one of the most important characters in the Dark Souls lore makes them feel like significant characters rather than your monster of the week.

Mushroom People

Appears in: Dark Souls

Listen, it’s a huge mushroom person. Imagine someone murdered a Pixar character then reanimated them with the devil’s magic and this is what you get. They hit extremely hard and take quite a bit to go down despite their soft, huggable appearance. First found in the Darkroot Garden, these sad mushroom frenemies imply a forest utopia long gone, where even nature’s cutest creatures are forced to get aggressive. 

Crystal Lizard 

Appears in: Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls’ carrot on a stick, the Crystal Lizard is a concise example of habit conditioning to screw with player expectations. First of all, it’s shiny, emits a twinkling sound, and rewards you with valuable upgrade materials. But they skitter away quickly, and later on, often lead you directly into dangerous enemy mobs or off cliffsides. From knows we’re tempted to pick up coins in a busy street, and they use our base desires against us with grace.

Mimics

Appears in: Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3 

It would be a huge mistake to not include one of Dark Souls’ most iconic enemies across every game, the Mimic. As an enemy, it’s successful because it subverts how we’ve been trained to open every chest in all games without hesitation. They’re a signal for reward, which we’ve no doubt earned. Playing games is hard work. But the first time a Mimic chews your top half off, Dark Souls gets its thesis across quickly. No place is safe. It’s a sly joke that never gets old, greed and desire endowed with a huge tongue and sharp teeth. 

Undead Aberration 

Appears in: Dark Souls 2

These suckers don’t only look nasty, but you encounter them mostly by surprise hiding just below the surface of shallow waters in the dark, cavernous space of Sinner’s Rise. They’re also a good example of a malformed enemy that isn’t impossible to read—I’m looking at you Pus of Man. From does good body horror, but sometimes it means the enemy attacks won’t telegraph clearly. With lumbering sweeping motions, the Undead Aberration only feels unfair the first few times they surprise you. From there, it’s (mostly) a fair fight. 

Mounted Overseer 

Appears in: Dark Souls 2

Honestly, I just love the way these massive piggyback-men look. In the poisonous industrial hellscape of the Harvest Valley, they’re a lovely bit of set dressing. An enslaved, tortured giant carrying around a man wearing a creepy mask says a lot about the history and culture of Harvest Valley, even if it’s not explicit. I get the impression the land was stripped of its resources, and the ruling class used the wealth and power from their efforts to forcefully enlist the help of others. It’s a sad story, and not a particularly novel one, but rendered in From’s dark, detailed artstyle, the Mounted Overseer carries more weight than expected. 

Ogre 

Appears in: Dark Souls 2 

You can take on an Ogre in the first minute of Dark Souls 2. Just take a left in that first clearing, and the big oaf will be there, ready to trip and roll over you if you’re willing. While the ogre isn’t a particularly noteworthy enemy in its design, the fact that a powerful mid-game enemy is available to fight from the get-go sets a precedent for the rest of the game. You’re going to hit some difficulty walls, and the only thing in the way is your skill. It’s possible to ignore that ogre completely, to come back when you’ve leveled enough. But persistent players will stick around, willing to chip away at its health just to sate their curiosity. 

Ice Stallion 

Appears in: Dark Souls 2

If you know me, I’m a big fan of horses, and if a horse is made of ice then they’re guaranteed to be extremely cool. Ice Stallions look awesome, but they’re a god damn nuisance. Just like real horses. Found in the Frigid Outskirts, they’re tough enough to fight one-on-one. But in a blizzard and two or three at a time? Rough. It’s their difficulty that makes them endearing though, and learning to navigate their attacks and locations throughout the snowy maze becomes second nature soon enough. That small stretch is defined by the clear arc between meeting the Ice Stallions for the first time and feeling immeasurably unprepared to clearing the area with ease with enough iteration and patience. Break the horses, don’t let the horses break you. 

Jailers 

Appears in: Dark Souls 3

The Irithyll Dungeon is already pretty creepy, what with its low green glow and walking maggot corpses, but the Jailers and their surprise health-drain ability are the highlight—or lowlight, if we’re sticking with the dreary mood here. Step in their sightline and your health bar will shrink without warning. It’s a cryptic mechanical one-off in a game with otherwise clear rules and the health shrinkage will make you wonder whether you’ve been in the pool or not, but you’ll never find out. They’re wielding a hot branding iron with the same peace symbol found in the Crucifixion Woods, and wearing clothes that betray their status as prison guards. Loose robes flow to the floor and trail behind them, and a plain metallic mask covers their face. Not cool (very cool). 

Deep Accursed 

Appears in: Dark Souls 3

I love the Deep Accursed, even if they only appear twice in all of Dark Souls 3. They’re a mess of huge lanky arms with multiple joints, hair, and bones that don’t have an obvious origin within the Dark Souls lore. They’re of the ‘deep’ at least, which is a strange, dark realm Aldrich is fascinated with, but we don’t get too much detail on what it is and what lives there, besides this monstrosity. It’s big, quick, and can do curse damage, so they’re not easy to take on (unless you cheese them through a door), but once they’re dead they’re dead. They’re difficult and creepy, sure, but they’re most interesting as an indication of what the next Dark Souls DLC, or perhaps the next entry in the series—which we may or may not get—will look like. If they cycle of renewal ends and the deep seizes power, what will the universe of Dark Souls look like? There will be limbs, that much we know. 

Lycanthrope 

Appears in: Dark Souls 3

Encountering your first Lycanthrope in an otherwise placid, lazy swamp can be a pretty startling experience. Their appearance betrays their agility—despite being literally crucified on a peace-sign-looking cross in the, well, Crucifixion Woods, they’re able to sprint, leap, and slash faster than any enemy in the game so far. They’re tortured and transformed, no longer quite human, and their aggressive animalistic nature makes them one of the most intimidating enemies in the series. Protip: save yourself some trouble and leave that one locked up in the Irithyll Dungeon. 

Cathedral Knight 

Appears in: Dark Souls 3

My favorite Dark Souls enemies to fight are always humanoids, especially knights. We’re on fairly even footing, meaning they’re not a tangle of limbs and teeth I have to decipher. I can expect some swings, sidesteps, and a few flourishes, but nothing too far removed from what I’m capable of. Cathedral Knights embody this, but with a bulkier stature any single mistake can doom you, especially if they’ve buffed their weapons. I think my favorite encounter is in the rafters of the Cathedral of the Deep, where there’s almost no space to properly dodge their attacks or flank without falling to your death. It recontextualizes a threat you might have already mastered by setting the encounter on a tightrope of sorts. It’s endearing bullshit.

Corvian Knight

Appears in: Dark Souls 3

The Corvians are the highlight of a pretty bland DLC expansion, but their small pocket in a snowy expanse tells a bigger story than some entire areas in the main game. As Forlorn, they’re a sad people relocated from the dilapidating ‘real’ world and into the smaller, colder rotting realm of Ariandel. The Corvian Knights have forsaken their old gods to serve Friede who presides over the painted realm, and in doing so, have betrayed their people. They’ll tear through their own kind thanks to the newfound strength and ornate armors from Friede, which makes them a faster and more vicious threat than most. They’re a fun, desperate fight each time.

A new update has been released for Dark Souls 3 which fixes a long list of bugs, many of which apply to recently released Ashes of Ariandel DLC. You can read the exhaustive patch notes here, which includes a fix for an exploit where players could fall from any height by repeatedly performing the Crow Quills skill with the Silvercat Ring equipped.

And if you've yet to play Dark Souls 3, which we awarded an impressive 94% in our review, there's currently a decent 35% off deal on Steam, reducing the game from £39.99 / $59.99 to £25.99 / $38.99. And if you want Ashes of Ariandel you can pick up the Deluxe Edition for £41.98, down from £59.98.

For more cheap games this weekend, check out our round-up of the best Black Friday games deals.

Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.

Which Souls shines most brightly in the darkness? This month we're giving our verdicts on some of PC gaming's most beloved series, including Fallout and Mass Effect. Now we tackle From Software's unlikely PC success story.

Dark Souls is the most important action-RPG since Diablo. Its success essentially created the gaming zeitgeist of the 2010s, proving that million of players want challenging, intricate, technical, even obtuse games. That rough edges can be selling points, not problems to be focus tested away. That patience and precision actually work really well paired with the absurd interactions of online multiplayer, when you're smart about how you put them together.

And the Dark Souls series has done more than inspire dozens of games to follow its design, though that's been enough to reshape RPGs and action games since 2011. More importantly to the PC, the Dark Souls series has blazed a trail for Japanese game developers on our platform. Without Dark Souls doing it first, it's hard to imagine PC ports like Valkyria Chronicles and Deadly Premonition ever making it to PC.

The Dark Souls games are similar enough, and beloved enough, that ranking them means picking apart their most minute details, scrutinizing where they overlap and where they diverge. The worst of them is still one of the boldest action games of the decade. But which is the best? In ascending darkness, from worst to best...

Dark Souls 2

More souls for the sake of moreDeveloped: From Software | Published: Bandai Namco2014

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. With Dark Souls, From Software channeled a very particular taste for design director Hidetaka Miyazaki's into something remarkable. How do you replicate that in a sequel, when the director is off working on another project? Follow the sequel formula to the letter: more of the same, but just a little different.

Dark Souls 2 is a massive game, sprawling across a wider variety of twisted fantasy landscapes. There are dozens more weapons than in the first, some old and some new. Some areas are crowded with more and better-armed mobs of enemies, placed with just a bit more eagerness to ambush. The concept of hollowing is now more complex, chipping away at your lifebar with each death, and the binary risk/reward for being human no longer applies: you can still be invaded while hollow, but can't summon other players to aid you. Dying sets you back to a bonfire and means you have to progress through the same enemies again, but kill them enough times and they disappear, leaving the area empty without the use of a certain item.

Dark Souls 2 is filled with many other small changes, like summoning having a time limit and online play being tied to "soul memory," an uncontrollable stat based on every enemy soul accrued throughout the game. Its many areas are strung together more linearly with little thematic connection and even less interlinking, offering up forgettable bosses as often as remarkable ones.

By the end, it feels like a game built to offer more of everything, bloating in the process, with returning elements tweaked for the sake of being different. And in striving for that distinction, Dark Souls 2 often misses the minutia of what made the first game such a delicately magical combination of ideas.

Dark Souls 2 looks and plays like a hollowed version of Dark Souls: much the same in the obvious ways, but without the fire of humanity burning within it.

Dark Souls 3

The art of the duelDeveloped: From Software | Published: Bandai Namco2016

Dark Souls 3 reverses nearly every change made by Dark Souls 2 to deliver a game that is as direct a sequel, narratively and thematically and mechanically, as director Miyazaki will likely ever make. It also bears the influence of his PS4 exclusive Bloodborne, ramping up the slow pacing of Dark Souls with faster movement and more fluid animations for both players and enemies. The result is a game that still requires caution and patience, but weapons feel more satisfying to swing and enemies are all the more terrifying as they dash towards you with blades drawn.

Where Dark Souls felt fiercely, defiantly original and Dark Souls 2 felt scatterbrained in its attempts to cover new ground, Dark Souls 3 pays homage to the first again and again. At times this feels disappointing, retreading environments and enemies that feel familiar, but this theme of recursion is embedded deeply in the game. Lore is doled out in item descriptions and environmental storytelling and vague NPC dialogue, making it easy to miss. But when you grasp the history of this place and the purpose of your journey, understanding the ties to Dark Souls' Lordran imbues the last hours of Dark Souls 3 with the greatest sense of majesty and meaning, of coming together, in the entire series.

Dark Souls 3 benefits greatly from newer console hardware, adding depth and beauty and scale to its familiar castles and undead settlements and hellish underground worlds. It's the most grotesque and grandiose, with more processing power to fit more enemies into the world without performance drops. And it's certainly the most player-friendly, amply doling out bonfires to warp between and return to. Again, like in Dark Souls 2, a tiny bit of the magic is lost, here. The world is intricate and hides so many secrets, optional areas big and small, but you'll spend less time discovering honeycomb links between new and old.

It feels right for Dark Souls 3 to sit in the middle. It corrects mistakes and missteps and is absolutely the most fun of the three to play. It runs like a dream at 60 frames per second. Duels with knights are tense and exhilarating, mobs are balanced to be overwhelming but rarely unfair, bosses are breathtaking and creative. Changes to the weapon upgrade system and equip weight encourage more experimentation with builds, and the world is so gorgeous it compels exploration. Its NPC storylines are fascinating, though near impossible to follow without a guide. An action game everyone should play.

It's just no Dark Souls.

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition

The true heir to Super MetroidDeveloped: From Software | Published: Bandai Namco2012 (on PC)

I find it hard to convey exactly what it is that I think makes Dark Souls such a singular game, but this is the idea I keep coming back to: it's the imperfections that make it. Dark Souls 3 is a fantastic game with far fewer rough patches it streamlines playing online, traversing the world, equipping armor. It is a less frustrating game, which should make for a better game. And yet the difficulties of Dark Souls' frustrations lead to greater triumphs, greater discoveries, and greater mastery that a more polished game will never quite be able to recapture.

When players talk about the Souls games, they too often focus on the difficulty, that being hard is what makes them good. I think that's missing the point. Yes, difficulty is part of what makes them the best action-RPGs of the decade, but it's specifically the way the Souls games are difficult that makes them so bold and refreshing. It's why Dark Souls hit the gaming world like a bomb in 2011, and while the sequels follow its philosophy they never manage it with quite the same style. In Dark Souls, the undead soldiers roaming the remains of their civilization are not your true enemies. The mighty Black Knights guarding their towers are not your true enemies. The demons waiting in the darkness of Sen's Fortress are not your true enemies.

Dark Souls is the true enemy. The entirety of Dark Souls AI, invading players, geometry, frames animation, attack patterns, bugs, draw distance, controls, even flavor text is an enemy to be studied, understood, and defeated.

The difficulty of Dark Souls beckons players to overcome it in any way possible, and so we do, in so many creative ways. Ways that would often be off-limits in other games. Someone would've programmed a dragon's tail not to take damage, because you aren't meant to hide under a bridge and shoot it with 100 arrows from afar, collecting one of the game's best weapons with little effort. A designer would've warned you that attacking NPCs removes them from your game world forever, or made them invincible. A writer would've spelled out the importance of humanity and boss souls, so you don't mistakenly waste them.

Dark Souls does none of these things. It frustrates. It obscures. It leaves you to figure out your own solutions and demands patience and skill while overcoming them. And it gives you such a surge of satisfaction for overcoming those obstacles, either hard-earned or illicit. Sometimes a victory feels like you've outsmarted the designers. Outsmarted the game itself, cheating it of its dominance. But this is allowed, even encouraged, to beat Dark Souls by any possible means.

In a game without such a strong vision and fascinating world to discover, step by tender step, the places where Dark Souls prods and annoys and leaves things unfair or imperfect would make for a lesser game. They would detract from the experience of playing it. And for the first few hours of play in Dark Souls, they do. But that moment when it clicks when you understand the freedom you have to claw your way over obstacles in so many different ways it's suddenly very, very hard to stop playing. What a game.

The winners of the 2016 Golden Joystick Awards have been revealed, with the coveted Ultimate Game of the Year title going to the grossly incandescent Dark Souls 3. Elsewhere, Overwatch took home the most awards of the evening, including Best Original Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Competitive Game of the Year, Best Gaming Moment, and PC Game of the Year.

Geralt emerged from his bath long enough to claim a bunch of awards for The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine and, hey, an expansion pack winning so many awards is an exceptional thing. Wild Hunt was last year's Ultimate Game of the Year, while Blood and Wine bagged three awards this year, for Best Storytelling, Best Visual Design, and Best Gaming Performance (recognising the fine work of Geralt's voice actor, Doug Cockle). But there's another award heading home with developer CD Projekt RED tonight: one for Studio of the Year.

Fallout 4 won Best Audio, while Sean 'Day[9]' Plott was crowned Gaming Personality of the Year. Firewatch took home the Indie award, Titanfall 2 bagged Critics Choice, and Stardew Valley's Eric Barone claimed the Breakthrough title. There are more, so many more awards to list, but it might be easier if I use bullet points:

• Best Original Game in association with The Sun - Overwatch
• Best Storytelling - The Witcher 3:Blood and Wine
• Best Visual Design - The Witcher 3:Blood and Wine
• Best Audio in association with DTS - Fallout 4
• Best Indie Game in association with Kotaku UK - Firewatch
• Gaming Personality of the Year in association with Guiness World Records - Sean Plott (Day[9])
• Best Multiplayer Game in association with PC Gamer Weekender - Overwatch
• Competitive Play of the Year in association with PC Gamer Pro - Coldzera's jumping AWP quad kill at MLG Columbus
• Best Gaming Moment in association with Absolute Radio - Play of the game in Overwatch
• YouTube - Upcoming Personality of the Year - Jesse Cox
• Studio of the Year in association with Edge - CD Projekt Red
• Innovation of the Year - Pokémon GO
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Eiji Aonuma
• Best Gaming Platform - Steam
• Best Gaming Performance - Doug Cockle
• Competitive Game of the Year in association with PC Gamer Pro - Overwatch
• Nintendo Game of the Year in association with Gamesmaster - The Legend of Zelda:Twilight Princess HD
• Playstation Game of the Year in association with OPM - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
• Xbox Game of the Year in association with OXM - Rise of the Tomb Raider
• PC Game of the Year in association with PC Gamer - Overwatch
• Handheld/Mobile Game of the Year in association with Digital Spy - Pokémon GO
• Breakthrough Award - Eric Barone - Stardew Valley
• Hall of Fame - Lara Croft
• Critics Choice Award - Titanfall 2
• Most Wanted Game in association with Green Man Gaming - Mass Effect Andromeda
• Ultimate Game of the Year in association with GamesRadar+ - Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls 3 s Ashes of Ariandel DLC is an affront to bird-kind. It ties their wings behind their back and kicks them down a rocky hill. It plucks out their feathers and soaks them in a vat of vinegar until they re pallid and dripping with mucus. They re so grotesque and twisted they make Edgar Allan Poe an uplifting read, what with their hunched, bony backs and glass legs and the mangled tumor trailing behind them sprouting long coarse hairs. Their eyes bulge like two distended water balloons filled with dirty dishwater, and I don t know what they smell like, but I bet it s piss and sweat and mold and I don t like it, make it stop.

There s a new bird creature introduced in Ashes of Ariandel, and it s the most disgusting enemy in all of Dark Souls 3. But they re not just a cheap prop for Dark Souls notoriously oppressive world the Corvians, our lovely mutated crow people, serve to characterize the icy realm of Ariandel and represent the best of Dark Souls storytelling. When the environment and creatures within clearly relate to one another, a small, but potent narrative thread emerges that both lore experts and the totally oblvious can latch onto.

Be warned: spoilers for the DLC from here on out.

Bird bath

After worming my way down Ashes of Ariandel s frozen canyon, a rocky passage opens up to a troubling scene. What appears to be a dozen or so malformed, fetal birds lie motionless in a pool of pale red muck. I move closer and a few spring to life and crawl towards me, clawing at the ground, dragging their mangled torsos behind them. Their eyes are glazed over in milky white to suggest blindness and a few of the bigger ones stop on occasion to vomit up a mist of poisonous acid. There is no Pepto Bismol in this world.

It seems they re lashing out instinctively, without much clue as to who I am or what I look like. I don t blame them, reduced to their defenseless state. But because it s Dark Souls, I expect a twist, some kind of unexpected attack pattern or environmental trap, so I kill every single one. Nothing happens. They don t pose any threat in the end, and I turn the pool of pathetic bird people into a pool of dead pathetic bird people. Was I in the wrong or did I save them from a terrible existence? I try to live with the latter.

What exactly are these messed up embryonic birds? In a Design Works interview featuring game director Hidetaka Miyazaki and artist Daisuke Satake, Satake describes the Corvians as they first appear in the original Dark Souls Painted World of Ariamis as humans who wanted to fly so badly that they sprouted wings, but rather than their skeletons evolving over time, they instead twisted their limbs into unnatural positions, forcing their bodies into a bird-like shape. Miyazaki colors their motives further, stating, They were originally designed as worshippers of the Goddess Velka whose bodies were warped by their devotion.

Maybe they were too devoted, and in disfiguring themselves so violently, they lost the humanity that drove their devotion in the first place. Either way, they are Forlorn, captive to Painted World of Ariandel, a clearly disfigured realm overtaken by rot as the mad, skeletal Corvian that greets the player on arriving in the DLC describes it. He appears drunk on the stuff, content with lying in his sweetly rotting bed for all time. Whatever rot is, it s turning the locals slovenly and contributing to the slow decay of Ariandel.

I continue under an arch and into the Corvian Village where I meet my first Corvian Knight, one of the most aggressive enemies in Dark Souls 3. After a vicious battle, I find the Crow Talons and Crow Quills weapons, and part of each item description reads, In their infatuation with Sister Friede, the Corvian Knights swore to protect the painting from fire, and to this end, took to the execution of their own brethren. It s implied the Corvian Knights betrayed their original cause, drawn in by the teachings of Sister Friede, whose name suggests religious affiliation. Maybe they were tired of suffering, and gave up their original devotions to Velka in the hopes that Friede could save them. Either way, it s clear the limber Knights derive their strength from her, and the fire the vanilla Corvians are searching for is a threat to their new way of life, so they re slaughtering them.

A lone Crow Bro hanging out in one of the village houses speaks for the weakling Corvians cause. After finding out who you are, he gets excited. Make the tales true, and burn this world away. He continues, I m so terribly frightened, of timidly rotting away ... Like those fools on the outside. He doesn t want to exist among fools oblivious to the problems of the world and feels it s better off wiped clean, himself included. It s a utilitarian approach to ending their suffering: destroying everything for the greater good.

Fair enough. The world is clearly rotting around them, but the Corvian Knights would rather live in a dying world than not at all, driven by selfish impulse. As for the weakling Corvians, their knowledge is power, sure, it s just the power to see things as they really are. In Ariandel s case, they see shit.

After our chat, I step outside to a stream of passive Corvians trudging up the hill. They re headed towards a library, likely in pursuit of knowledge about the fire. Whatever they re looking for, it s well protected. Another Corvian Knight shows up and starts attacking the others. It s a quiet moral moment I m too scared to interfere with. I hope some of the smaller Corvians fight back and do some damage for me, but they all die in no time. I feel like I m watching myself in the bird pool from earlier, killing Corvians just because.

In truth, they re a harmless creature that deliberately sidesteps the myth of Dark Souls difficulty to put the player on edge and encourage them to look at the world in a new light. Three entire Dark Souls games taught me that most environments are more threatening than they appear, but besides a few Corvian knights, the village is a breeze. The training wheels are off for a few minutes and the first thing I do is murder an entire cluster of harmless blob crows looking for salvation.

And then when I could save them, I opted to run away and let the AI do the work. What was my reward? The painful truth and a heaping of guilt. The Corvians are innocent, trapped in a slowly rotting purgatory where every now and then some jerk like me rolls in and kills them without a second thought. I d want the world to burn too.

I may have a chance to redeem myself though. After defeating the boss and kicking off the events that will presumably burn this world to the ground, we find our chatty Crow Bro standing outside, staring up at the chapel where the fire is kept. It s a hopeful twist to a sad story, that these forlorn worshippers of a destitute god at least get relief after so much misery. That s the plan, at least. We ll know for sure when Dark Souls 3 s final DLC expansion releases sometime next year. In the meantime, hug a bird.

One of the best things about new Dark Souls adventures is seeing how the more masochistic players in the community approach it. And that holds true for Dark Souls 3's recent Ashes of Ariandel DLC: someone has already beaten its boss with his bare fists (be warned, massive spoilers follow under this image).

While we wait for someone to beat Sister Friede using a Guitar Hero controller, this will have to suffice. Not only is TolomeoR thwacking away at the boss with nary a weapon in sight, he's also doing it on New Game+ 7. Now that might actually have its benefits: as TolomeoR points out on reddit, fists actually scale well with strength and dexterity, and if you've got your levels in the right places, you can actually do quite a bit of damage with knuckles.

It's still a marathon effort though, because Sister Friede is among the hardest bosses in the series so far. When I reviewed the DLC earlier this week, it took me well over half a day to beat her, and, admittedly, I eventually resorted to summoning a friend.