The year 2019 may not have seen single-player games as popular as Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or God of War, but we had our share of original and catchy adventures have emerged over the months. There's a lot of diversity in this selection of the best single-player adventures of the year.
A Plague Tale: Innocence
PC, Xbox One, PS4
Asobo Studios managed to make a lasting impression at the beginning of the year with its beautiful Dark Fantasy tale: an undeniable artistic success and a dozen hours well worth living through. Thanks to its fine writing and accessible gameplay focusing on small environmental puzzles rather than real infiltration phases, A Plague: Tale of Innocence is an immersive title, quite touching and particularly engaging.
Outer Wilds
PC, Xbox One
Outer Wilds offers a wildly original concept, masterfully executed by the young Mobius studio. Balanced in a solar system that "reboots" every 20 minutes, the player will have to discover the workings of each of its planets, while investigating the origins of the universe. A unique adventure, Outer Wilds offers a gameplay with a particularly exhilarating freedom: during each time loop, each aspiring astronaut will be able to discover OW the way he or she wants, with planets that can be explored from top to bottom at any time.
Control
PC, Xbox One, PS4
Remedy's return to business, in a paranormal adventure that should leave no one indifferent. First of all because the game's strong artistic approach will make you visit rooms that will deconstruct in front of you, leaving room for arenas that are visually quite crazy. Combine this with a plot that clearly plays the mystery card and a hero with amazing powers, and you get an adventure that's certainly quite classic in its flow, but particularly effective.
Death Stranding
PS4, PC (summer 2020)
Here's a game that caused a lot of ink to flow when it was released: particularly loved or hated, depending on your player profile, Death Stranding is a unique experience. Carried by a 5-star cast, Hideo Kojima's latest title offers players the chance to play as a delivery man in a post-apocalyptic universe. The game's theme, "connection", is explored in every possible way, whether through its storyline or its multiplayer mechanics.
Luigi's Mansion 3
Switch
Luigi's Mansion 3 is most likely the best Nintendo Switch game released this year. In this new adventure the brother of the world's most famous plumber will once again have to play the exorcist: his family and friends have been kidnapped by King Boo and only Luigi will be able to get them out of this disastrous situation. With the help of his Ectoblast and his brand new companion Gooigi, this eternal coward will have to solve many puzzles and fight many ectoplasms in a hotel with different floors as original as they are fun to explore. The gameplay is well developed and the game is a true visual delight. A real gem to be tested, alone or with 2 players.