Part of what makes Detention stand out is how developer Red Candle Games uses a tumultuous time in Taiwan’s history - a period of martial law called the White Terror - to add real-world weight to its horror story. It’s a 2D point-and-click adventure that takes place in Taiwan during the 1960s, where you play as a pair of students trying to escape from the grotesque creatures haunting their high school.

Gamers weren’t starving for horror games last year (especially with Resident Evil 7 and The Evil Within 2 leading the charge), but Detention managed to carve its own spooky niche on PC. In the game, players have to escape purgatory by teaming with a small cast of outsiders to beat other tribes in an ancient ritual - think basketball, but with fire and magic.īeautiful artwork, meaningful dialogue choices, and an atmospheric soundtrack round out the exquisite package. Like Bastion and Transistor before it, Pyre invites you to explore a fascinating new world filled with memorable characters. But somehow, Supergiant Games is 3-for-3 with the release of Pyre (PlayStation 4 and PC). It’s rare for developers (indie or triple-A) to release back-to-back hits.

Best games of 2017 xbox one.