Summer is fast approaching, if not already here, but for many of us it’ll be spent indoors tackling our huge backlog of games or mounting up the motivation to start yet another colossal RPG. Everyone’s in a better mood when the sun is shining however, so here’s our top five summery games.
5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
It may seem like an odd choice, but if there’s one RPG you should play this summer, it has to be CDProjektRed’s masterpiece. From the opening scene with Geralt and Vesimir overlooking White Orchard to some of the later points of interest (no spoilers here), the whole game has some absolutely gorgeous views; many of them with the sun’s rays beating down. If you’re off school or university with nothing else to do, there’s a good chance it’ll consume your whole summer too, with two huge DLC adventures already released and a main story that can take anywhere from 50-200 hours.
4. SUPERHOT
Despite the fact last week in the UK gave us our entire ration of sun for the next four years and it’s now back to being grey and cloudy, when you think of summer you also think of the heat and catching some rays in your back garden. While SUPERHOT isn’t quite a sun tan simulator, it is a bright and very well executed ‘puzzle shooter’. There’s nothing quite like it on the market which is why it’s so genre defining. Essentially, time only moves when you do and you have to kill all the bad guys. It’s a simple concept but the devs of the same name knew what they wanted to create and they achieved it. A short story accompanies endless and challenge modes, meaning there’s a lot of gameplay if you want to keep improving on your scores.
3. Euro Truck Simulator 2
There’s nothing quite like coasting down the road, windows open with the breeze rushing your face and music blaring on a sunny day. Unfortunately, if you’re unable to drive, achieving this is considerably more difficult. Euro Truck Simulator 2 is the next best thing, especially if you have a virtual reality headset. While the technology isn’t quite there to emulate the feeling of wind on your face, cruising around a magnificent version of Europe, especially with the attention to detail, delivering huge loads of whatever contract is available to you and building up your trucking empire is a worthwhile way to spend your time. Seriously, just take a minute or two to park on the hard shoulder and admire some of the scenery.
2. Super Mario Sunshine
To be honest, the clue is in the name. If you’re unable to go abroad this year, you can live your holiday through Mario in Super Mario Sunshine. Despite being an older title (Gamecube, 2002), it was the sequel to the game that defined the 3D platformer genre; Super Mario 64. Isle Delfino is the tropical resort on which Mario has to rid the graffiti from the walls caused by Shadow Mario. While it might not be the same as visiting Portugal or the south of France for a week, it’s a lot of lighthearted fun in an enjoyable world.
1. Flower
By the originally named Thatgamecompany, Flower is a game exclusive to PlayStation systems where the player controls the wind, helping a petal to fly through the air, collect other petals and transform the environment into a bright and colourful landscape. There’s very little in terms of actual objectives, as the entire point of the game is to be a relaxing and soothing experience with beautiful scenery. Combining the stunning visuals with a marvellous soundtrack from Vincent Diamante makes for a short but chilled journey. If any game should be used to describe video games as art, Flower is that game. Just don’t expect anything too challenging, as it’s less of a game and more of an experience.