On the eve of Christmas and New Year’s holidays, Apple summed up the results of the year. She published a list of games that she considers the best in the outgoing 2019.
This time, Apple has allocated only one best product for each of its existing platforms.
Game of the Year for iPhone
This award went to the meditative adventure Sky: Children of the Light by the American thatgamecompany. This is the studio’s fourth game after the sensational Journey in 2012. And, as noted in the British press, the game can be perceived as a continuation of the former PlayStation exclusive. In the novelty, the player, as before, wanders through huge pacifying locations to calm electronic music.
Game of the Year for iPad
Developed on the GameMaker engine, the isometric action Hyper Light Drifter platform considered the best choices for tablets this year. The game itself on iOS came out with a strong delay. Its PC version appeared back in March 2016 and also made a lot of noise. Partly due to the unique style, partly due to the history of development (its lead designer has been ill since childhood and when creating games he wanted to convey through gameplay what he feels all his life), partly due to the high quality of the product itself.
Game of the Year for Mac
GRIS from SpanishNomada Studio is recognized as the best game for Macintosh-based desktop devices. The multiplatform platformer is distinguished by an exceptional picture. The game is similar to an art-house cartoon drawn in pencil and gouache of the late 80s. This schedule was noted by a dozen publications and the jury of competitions. For example, GRIS received the Best Visual Art award last year from the GDC Awards jury.
Game of the Year for Apple TV
The Apple TV set-top box also received its best game. She became Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap of FrenchLizardcube. The game is a remaster of the eponymous platformer project of 1986. The novelty is very beautiful. It also resembles a two-dimensional cartoon. But there is a nuance — the gameplay of the game itself has become very outdated for 30 years, which was noticeable even after the release of the remaster for PC in 2017.
Game of the Year for Apple Arcade
At the subscription service, Sayonara Wild Hearts, the music runner of the Swedish team Simogo, was recognized as the best game. The latter became famous for non-standard Apple exclusives (including Year Walk and Device 6). New — since the release of Apple Arcade — the title title of the service. It lacks the pretentiousness of the studio’s previous games: it is much more understandable and very dynamic.
The main gaming trend of 2019
Separately, Apple told what trend it considers the main one on the platform. In her opinion, the central phenomenon of 2019 was the expansion of large gaming brands into the mobile market in the form of original products made with mobile in mind. Apple highlighted the following releases: Mario Kart Tour (Nintendo), Minecraft Earth (Mojang), Pokémon Masters (DeNA), Assassin’s Creed Rebellion (Ubisoft), Gears POP! (Microsoft), The Elder Scrolls: Blades (Bethesda) and Call of Duty: Mobile (Activision Publishing).
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Note: there is not a single iOS exclusive in the selection of games of the year. Even Sky: Children of the Light and Sayonara Wild Hearts are multiplatform games.