With the end of the year only a few days away, you’ve likely had a chance to read several “best of” lists for 2015 from various outlets — this one included! But just what experiences stuck with game developers the most? PlayStation asked several of its first and third-party studios’ employees to share their favorite ‘gaming moments’ of the year, and a few games appear to be standout favorites.
Some mild spoilers for a few of this year’s biggest games to follow!
Bloodborne is a phenomenal action-RPG, and its horror-inspired environments are nothing short of breathtaking, so it’s not a huge surprise that the game stood out in the minds of so many PlayStation developers. Supermassive Games’ Simon Harris, who is working on his own horror game, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, most remembers the infuriatingly difficult fight with Father Gascoigne. Only the game’s second boss (or first, as you can technically skip ahead), the fight matches you up against a hunter with full mastery of his abilities and a ridiculously annoying ranged attack. Oh, and he turns into a freaking werewolf creature once he’s lost enough health.
Housemarque programmer Pekka Kujansuu also picked a Bloodborne moment as his favorite of the year, saying that “defeating the last boss in Bloodborne on my first try was an amazing moment of triumph in such a difficult game.” It looks like there’s a liar on this list.
The much easier–though equally dark–Life is Strange was also a favorite among PlayStation developers. Media Molecule’s Rex Crowle emphasized the game’s (semi) permanent consequences, including accidentally causing a certain character’s death, as his standout moment. I have to agree wholeheartedly: after reaching this point in the game, I had to take a mental break.
Housemarque’s Aki Raula also picked Life is Strange, calling its choices so powerful that they had an impact on him “days after” he finished playing. The best, or worst, part is that, like with Telltale’s adventure games, you can see what percentage of players chose the same options that you did to determine if you’re a terrible person.
What was your favorite gaming moment of the year? I’ll have to pick defeating Bloodborne‘s Shadow of Yharnam boss after days of frustration, with the conclusion of Ori and the Blind Forest just behind.