RPGamer 2019 Awards – Most Overlooked

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Virgo Versus the Zodiac is certainly one of last year’s hidden gems. It deserved far more attention than it has received, perhaps due to hitting in the quieter December period. RPGamer managed to get a review out for launch, and some others have joined in sharing love for the game, so it seems word has gotten out to at least some of the RPG fans out there, but nowhere near as much as it really should have.

Moonana’s title offers a great dichotomy between looking back and moving forward. This comes up in both the narrative — while Virgo looks to return to the Golden Age, most others are happy with the new way of things — as well as the rest of the game as it looks to combine nostalgic feelings with plenty of fresh ideas. Quality effort shows in multiple areas of the game, such as its excellent writing and top-quality soundtrack that remains a pleasure to listen to throughout. Hopefully, Virgo is able to attract more fans this year.

 

 

The first Cat Quest game was a delightful action RPG for both cat lovers and RPG fans. The developers gave us a sequel announcement and in September, Cat Quest II: The Lupus Empire graced our doorsteps like a cute stray kitten begging to be loved. Like its predecessor, Cat Quest II boasts simple yet enjoyable combat that can be magic or melee-focused. This time around, players are given a canine companion that either forms part of co-op gameplay or is controlled by the AI. Players can expect a cardboard box full of adorable graphics, and more cat and dog puns than you can shake a rawhide chew at. This game is a short yet satisfying adventure that is worth looking into if you need to put a smile on your face.

Card-based RPGs are often thought of as niche titles in an already niche genre. Image & Form’s SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech is an excellent example of an amazing title many might have passed over due to its deck-building RPG nature. SteamWorld Quest does pretty much everything right, from beautiful graphics and sounds to hilarious dialogue used to tell a serious story about steampunk robots that experience true growth throughout their personal story arcs. It does all this while wrapping itself up in under twenty hours and not overstaying its welcome. Building a customisable deck of cards is an easily-managed task that leads to small decks of eight cards per character being used to fight in turn-based combat. There’s virtually no learning curve for anyone who’s played an RPG before and — broken into small storybook-like chapters — the game is designed for those without large blocks of time to devote to gaming, but who like to feel like they’ve made progress in each sitting.

 

by Alex Fuller, Kelley Ryan, and Matt Masem