Canadians, with their glowing hearts, have been able to create many fantastic video games for the world to play. From major franchises like Assassin’s Creed to the indies such as Guacamelee, the country is filled with game making talent. Here are five great Canadian games to play for Canada Day on July 1st.
1) Guacamelee
From Toronto comes Guacamelee, by DrinkBox Studios. This Metroidvania was able to break through the mold with its unique art style, funny dialogue, and excellent luchador combat. When I first played it on PS3 and Vita, the game looked stunning with its colorful art style. The assets in the game are created with such personality and runs with the Mexican theme perfectly. The combat system is fun with its combo based mechanics, and the abilities that the main character Juan uses feel great to control. These abilities can also be used outside of combat for platforming puzzles, and the rate at which you unlock them is well paced. In result, the game doesn’t feel repetitive and grips the player.
2) Life Goes On
Hailing from Edmonton, Infinite Monkeys created a fantastic puzzle platformer with a unique twist; the knights you control have to die for the player to move on. The mechanic is that you have to use the knights’ bodies as platforms or weights to complete puzzles. While morbid, Life Goes On truly make you change your way of thinking when it comes to how to approach a puzzle platformer, by intentionally killing the characters you control. Add this to a charming art style and a splash of humor and Life Goes On is a stellar puzzle platformer. If you haven’t tried it out yet, find it on Steam. Life Goes On: Done to Death releases on PS4 later this year with a new world to play. You will also face the knights you have killed, as they come back to life, attack you, and fall into traps by themselves in this new update.
3) Dragon Age: Inquisition
Also from Edmonton is BioWare, the developers of Dragon Age: Inquisition. The game features the Inquisitor, a man or a woman who has the power to close a rift that has appeared in the sky. Through your decisions, you decide the fate of the world and the characters around you. BioWare’s storytelling is a pillar of modern RPGs, with likable characters, grand epic worlds, and great writing. Plus, Dragon Age: Inquisition was able to step up the combat system with much more responsive and satisfying control. The game also looks stunning on the Frostbite 2 Engine. This was my game of the year from 2014, and on Canada Day, I would definitely recommend this huge RPG. Just don’t miss the fireworks at the end of the day.
4) Assassin’s Creed II
Developed in Montreal, Assassin’s Creed II is revolutionary with its open world mechanics and sheer technical brilliance. Scaling buildings and jumping off rooftops felt great with a non-repetitive structure (unlike the original). The character, Ezio Auditore, has been prolific with fans of the game, due to his wit and bravery throughout the three games he was in. Assassin’s Creed II is also well renowned for its huge graphically stunning reinterpretations of Italian cities, and while it wasn’t set in Canada, this game proved that the country had talented artists, developers, and actors that can create a blockbuster AAA experience in the gaming field.
5) Mario Strikers Charged
From Next Level Games in Vancouver came Mario Strikers Charged, an extremely fun arcade soccer game featuring Mario characters. Released on the Wii, Mario Strikers Charged had the addictive quality of the sport with the satisfying combo system between passes and striking. The game also looked flashy with each character’s intro, and the ability to charge shots to enable specific effects. There was also the mega strike, which had the main character of your team activate a move which can get multiple shots in at once. The abilities from each character and the items that were available really stepped up the game too, and made Mario Strikers Charged its own. If a new Mario Strikers game gets released for the Wii U or the NX, it will be a big deciding factor for a purchasing decision. It’s that good to me.