.jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=570&dpr=1.5)
It’s well hot in the UK right now. It might even be too hot. This week will see us suffering temperatures up to 42 degrees Celsius (107 Fahrenheit for the few countries still using that measurement) as the nation is set to experience its hottest day in recorded history. We’re all working from home as schools close, public transport ceases, and we figure out how to survive in houses that aren’t built to cope with such heat. Air conditioning isn’t usually a thing over here, so we just need to close our curtains, stick on a £15 fan we bought from Argos, and hope for the best. But as the sun is burning us all alive, at least we have video games to cool us down.
Switching on your games consoles is only going to heat up the place even further, but just imagine it’s roleplay, like the gamer sun is buddies with the real sun and both of them are working their magic to help us get the sickest tan imaginable. That’s the stuff. So, to help us navigate this heatwave over the coming days, here are five games you need to play in order to combat the sun and pretend climate change isn’t real. For once, it isn’t safe for us gamers to go outside and touch grass.
5 - Abzu
Giant Squid’s Abzu is a wonderfully cooling experience. It depicts the act of diving into the ocean in search of beautiful creatures like few other games do. The depths we venture down into are unimaginably deep, yet alluring in the secrets they behold and how rewarding it is to discover them. We can’t do that in real life without expensive diving equipment, and UK beaches are filthy and filled with jellyfish who would only sting us if we came across them anyway. It’s too hot to take a trip down to the seaside this week, so Abzu is the next best thing.
Thatgamecompany’s Journey is also a phenomenal mood piece, filled with a mixture of sand and snow that will potentially trick your mind into thinking everything isn’t on fire for a brief moment. It’s also multiplayer, so you might find other wayward souls in search of distraction.
4 - Ty The Tasmanian Tiger
Platformers like Ty The Tasmanian Tiger are ideal escapism when the real world is being battered by the elements. For decades now the genre has offered theme levels that love to take us to scorching beaches, snowy mountains, and humid jungles awash with tempting collectibles and fun little obstacles to conquer.
I could throw most games from its era into this article and prove my point without worry, but I spent so much time with Ty and his Australian pals in my youth that I remember so many of his adventures vividly. One level takes place on a sprawling collection of towering sand dunes, surrounded by a sky blue ocean filled with explosive mines, electric eels, and a weirdly sexualised seahorse character who wants us to follow her to the nearest objective.
The stage opens with a platypus teaching us how to swim as he lounges by the pool, ignoring his wife as they sunbathe without a care in the world. This game has vibes, and if the beach isn’t enough for you there’s also a lovely snow level on the horizon.
3 - Sunset Overdrive
There are few games in the world sunnier than Sunset Overdrive. It isn’t just the name either, but the characters, atmosphere, combat, and music that exude a mood that wants us to believe summer vacation is never going to end. It’s like Phineas & Ferb with energy drinks, zombies, and memes, topped off with a bouncy attitude taking clear inspiration from Jet Set Radio.
Unlike other games on this list, I wouldn’t say Sunset Overdrive cools you down or distracts you from the heat, but exudes the feeling of being on holiday with your homies in high school before you grew up. It embraces the warmth of this season we always look forward to, but gives us so many fun things to do that the act of burning up all but falls away. I’m still waiting for Insomniac Games to jump on a sequel now it’s under the Sony umbrella. One day...
2 - Super Mario Sunshine
It might be the worst 3D Mario, but at least Super Mario Sunshine has something going for it. Isle Delfino is one of my favourite hub worlds in video games, with its inhabitants quickly locking Mario away for causing trouble. It’s like your Uncle on the piss in Benidorm, throwing glasses at random passersby after one too many pints of Stella. Face it, he can’t be stopped.
After he’s been to court, Mario is outfitted with a sentient water pump known as F.L.U.D.D and sent to all manner of levels to clear up points of pollution and save the island from ruin. While I’m not fond of this game’s level design and departure from the Mario formula, I can’t help but admire its sunny atmosphere and willingness to explore places the series has never gone before. Water feels wet, the sun feels hot, and immersing yourself in it all is a breeze.
.png?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
Before we get to the top spot, here’s some honourable mentions and other games worth checking out as the heatwave continues to destroy us:
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Breath of the Wild
- Stardew Valley
- Snowrunner
- SSX Tricky
- Sea of Thieves
1 - Dark Souls
Lordran is a lot like Great Britain when you think about it. Everyone is miserable, we’re all obsessed with a monarchy who rules over the world and ensures we remain in a cycle of perpetual misery, and the weather is all over the bloody shop. Firelink Shrine is like the outside of your local Sainsburys, with all the usual characters gathering round to tell stories and make us feel weirdly uncomfortable as we pop in to buy some milk.
It has all the elements of a sunny Britain, but none are more prevalent today than Lost Izalith. Located deep underground, this mysterious place has long left behind its former glory, now filled with deadly creatures who have adapted to dank caves filled with lingering pools of lava and boiling hot geysers designed to kill all those who dare stumble inside. I need to walk to the pharmacy on my lunch break today to pick up some medication, so it’s basically that.
For real though - be careful in this heat for the next couple of days. Drink plenty of water, stick to iced coffees, keep out the warm air, and make sure to take care of your pets since they’re suffering just as much as we are. I’m going to take shelter indoors with video games and my cheap Argos fan until all of this blows over. As luck would have it, my copy of Ty just came in the post.