BEST ACTION / ADVENTURE
Previous Winners:
2018: God of War
Action / adventure is a pretty broad category, and many games have a chance to grab glory here. From platformers to Metroidvanias to hack & slashes, many titles have a claim to the throne, but which one will come out on top? Which title impressed the oprainfall writers the most in 2019? Well, without further ado, here are our nominees for best action / adventure game of 2019.
Yooka-Layee and the Impossible Lair
NA Release Date: October 8th, 2019
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One, PC
Review
The only platformer to make the category, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair impressed us with its retro style gameplay and complex but fair stages. With its vibrant and cartoony visuals and plenty of replay value, this game is a worthy follow-up to Playtonic’s 2017 title and certainly feels right at home as one of our nominees.
Devil May Cry 5
NA Release Date: March 8th, 2019
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Preview
11 long years after the release of Devil May Cry 4, Capcom finally returned to the main titles with Devil May Cry 5. Dante, Nero, Lady and Trish return along with series newcomers Nico and V in possibly the best Devil May Cry game to date. With fun, challenging and tight action gameplay, a great soundtrack and graphics, and of course the colorful cast of characters the series is known for, this game is really a return to form for the popular series. This game is a love letter to fans of the series, and Capcom wrote it to perfection. It comes as no surprise that Devil May Cry 5 would make the nomination for best action / adventure.
Fate/EXTELLA LINK
NA Release Date: March 19th, 2019
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Switch, PC
Review
A follow-up to Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star, Fate/EXTELLA LINK improved on the previous game’s mechanics, added new characters in addition to returning fan favorites, and of course, updated the graphics accordingly. With its great anime-style graphics, beautiful soundtrack, compelling story and characters, and fun Musou style gameplay, EXTELLA LINK certainly improved upon the foundations of the original. The series’ future looks bright within the Musou genre, and it has certainly earned its place among the heavy hitters in this category, umu.
And the winner is…
Devil May Cry 5!
We are proud to announce Devil May Cry 5 as the 2019 oprainfall award winner for Best Action / Adventure. After the lackluster performance of the DmC: Devil May Cry reboot, fans did not know if they’d get to see the original Dante and the rest of the main series cast again. Luckily those fears did not come to pass. Capcom really stepped up their game when it came to this series, and the results certainly showed when this game released. Director Hideaki Itsuno passionately said, “DMC is back!” when this game was announced, and we can certainly agree with him there. With fun and challenging gameplay and the return of the series’ beloved cast, the game definitely deserved this honor.
Congratulations to Capcom and everyone who worked on this wonderful title!
