There’s a tradition in Britain of going on a walk on New Years Day. I’m not entirely sure what it's about, and I think they only time I ever did it was as a child when my parents were desperately trying to tire me out so they could be hungover in peace, but it does exist. And it sure makes sense, in a way. Going to take stock of the world for the new year, see it all in a new light and maybe have a think about your place in it.

　　If you missed your chance to do it, or you just remembered how cold it is outside, maybe think about looking into these games, some of the most interesting looking adventure games that are set to come out in the new year. Some scratch that itch to explore, while others look to let you reflect on things, but they’re all interesting, and all worth remembering about as the days get warmer and you might go back outside.

　　Previous entries in Wccftech's Most Anticipated of 2020 series: RPG, Shooter, Platformer, Fighting, Action, Horror, Strategy & Simulation, Indie, Sports & Racing

　　

The Suicide of Rachel Foster

Although the name might be a little jarring, The Suicide of Rachel Foster looks like an incredibly interesting story told in a similar fashion to Firewatch, Gone Home and What Remains of Edith Finch. The steam page describes the game as ‘a story of love and death, where melancholy and nostalgia melt into a thrilling ghost tale’, and if that doesn’t interest you just a bit, I’m not sure what will.

　　Upon returning to her recently deceased father's hotel in order to sell it, players are swept up in a storm of old memories and new revelations about the incident that led to The Suicide of Rachel Foster.  

　　

In Other Waters

In Other Waters is a game about exploring an alien ocean. Unlike Subnautica, it is not an action survival game though. Instead, you play as the AI operator of an advanced diving suit, tasked with monitoring the inputs and readings you discover as the xenobiologist explores.

　　The colour palette looks lovely, and the design is very interesting, with an almost Stories Untold feel to the way you perceive and interact with the game. 

　　

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (March 20th)

Does this count among adventure games? Yes. Animal Crossing is as reflective as they come, letting players take time out of this late capitalist hellscape to do something, anything, for the simple pleasure of doing it. 

　　Sure you might still owe a raccoon all the money in the world, but at least you can go make a nice little tree stump stool instead of working minimum wage. Animal Crossing has been a phenomenon since it first launched nearly twenty years ago and for its first release on the Nintendo Switch console, we can’t wait to get away from it all.

　　

Way to the Woods

Way to the Woods was shown off last year at E3 where we got to glimpse the lovely and loving tale of two deer making their way through a colourful and strange world. Like so many adventure games, this one seems to have occurred after the end of the world, with animals left to explore and reclaim what we’ve all left behind. 

　　But there’s more to it than that, according to the trailer that included light up antlers to wander through the dark and a gigantic kitty for some reason. Whether it's the journey that intrigues you or the surrealism, Way to the Woods looks very interesting.

　　

Tell Me Why

Following on from the incredible Life is Strange 2, the folks at DONTNOD haven’t taken any break in working on their next title, Tell Me Why. It promises another heart-wrenching story, this time focusing on the relationship, and childhood of a pair of twins as they explore their childhood home.

　　The game will, like the Life is Strange series, tackle some extremely nuanced issues but the studio has done so well in the past that this one of the most anticipated adventure games coming out this year. As a reminder, Tell Me Why is being published by Xbox Game Studios, which means it'll only be available on Xbox consoles and PC.

　　

Twin Mirror

But never one to rest on just one game, DONTNOD also have another game in the works, Twin Mirror, and it looks as interesting as Tell Me Why. Although it all revolves around a character returning to their childhood home, the themes and story seem to differ wildly. Twin Mirror focuses on the theme of duality, accompanying the player and the protagonist with a double, a manifestation of the character's inner and seemingly unhelpful thoughts.

　　This is another game that will undoubtedly seek to appeal and connect with certain members of the adventure games audience and is surely going to be an emotional journey worth taking in 2020.