Favorite Gameplay Trailers of 2019
I wish I could've cut this list shorter, but these are my favorite gameplay trailers from 2019! A couple tread the line of "gameplay" but all of these are either in-game footage or very representative of it, as opposed to the big and shiny cinematic trailers from my previous list.
Just like with my cinematic trailers, I made a playlist for all these trailers, and put them in an order which I think makes a well paced 34 min montage of trailers. If that's how you'd like to watch it, then please enjoy!
Astroneer - Release Trailer
I love this trailer because it's a cute and heartfelt short story which is affecting while simultaneously showing the gameplay of Astroneer in a way which is organic to the events of the story. The triumphant ending of the trailer creates an emotional high which makes me feel good for the characters and excited to join them in their world. The trailer makes me feel like the game has limitless potential, and also some mysteries. This trailer has a lot of custom made work in it made by the developers, which assuredly took a lot of time, but I think it paid off greatly.
For a more in-depth analysis read my review!
Untitled Goose Game - Console Trailer
The opening shot of this trailer which slowly reveals the goose dumping a massive pile of objects into the river one by one is so good. It delightfully depicts the story of the countless players who spent hours upon hours as the titular goose gathering every single object in the game. It very much feels like both a nod to the players of the game, and an extreme example of the chaos the goose causes. Ending with all the objects in the lake is a wonderful bookend to the opening shot. It seems Untitled Goose Game can do no wrong; I think this is my favorite of all the goose trailers.
Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - First Look Trailer
Trailers for game sequels can be tough, especially when the sequel's graphics look ostensibly the same, but this one has the right mix of mystery and new designs which indicate there's going to be a lot of stuff in the next game. The chosen images are unique enough to give the internet endless fuel for speculation until we find out more about the game. The long and quick shots are very well cut, and the brief but powerful climax left me wanting more. The soundscape also sounds like it contains elements being played backwards, which only adds to the mystery.
Borderlands 3 - E3 Trailer - We Are Mayhem
This is a powerhouse of a AAA trailer with top notch capture and choreography. Every camera move and composition is extremely clear and well executed. Every single shot feels like it received a lot of love in order to make it as good as possible both on its own, and in sequence with the shots surrounding it. I could easily see how these sorts of dynamic camera angles could become confusing, but you don't miss a moment, and it's all cut very well to the music.
198X - Release Trailer
What could feel like a gimmick of throwback retro games is tied together beautifully in a story framing of a person and their relationship with these games. The voiceover is well written and performed; it shows us this is more than an excuse to make a variety of games into one. The voiceover makes it feel like a very personal story which I'm eager to know more about.
Carrion - Reveal Trailer
This is a super well edited horror trailer where you are the monster. Lots of good suspenseful builds leading up to explosions of monster chaos made me want to inhabit the monster and create my own horror movie scenarios. The title cards are also well designed and work well intercut with the gameplay. There building of increasingly complicated and horrific scenarios is super well done.
Spiritfarer - Gwen Trailer
This is a wonderfully understated trailer which uses parts of the game loop and turns them into a montage about taking care of a friend before delivering them to the afterlife. I love how it's done almost purely visually with only a couple short lines. It makes me want to be Stella and take care for these characters. Trailers are so often fast cut action, but this one shows how a trailer can be slowly paced, but be incredibly effective for the right sort of game. For more about this trailer, please read my review!
Observation - Launch Trailer
I love the suspense of the slow burn opening of this trailer, and how the voiceover with the characters and computer eventually culminate into what looks like some sort of sci-fi thriller scenario. Music and sound designs are super well done; this feels like a teaser for a thriller movie I'd want to watch!
Bloodroots - Demo Release Trailer
This trailer is very simple in structure, but extremely effective. The trailer intercuts gameplay with cinematic flourishes and the quick flashes of the different weapons make things very clear, and also a lot of fun to watch as we start to wonder what outlandish weapon will be used next!
VirtuaVerse - Steam Announcement Trailer
Arguably this is actually a cinematic trailer, but I love how evocative each of the images are, and the chip tune music throws us into the world slowly being revealed to us. The character at the end turning off their AR displays is a nice way to end leaving us with a bunch of questions about the nature of this cyberpunk world.
Baba is You - Release Date Trailer
This could easily have been a very confusing trailer, but they did a great job of focusing on some very clear game mechanic ideas one at a time to properly orient you before getting a little more complicated. Even when several rules are displayed on screen at once, there's still only one primary mechanic to focus on, which makes the whole thing easy to comprehend, but no less mind blowing.
Midnight Ghost Hunt - E3 Teaser
I love the visual storytelling in this trailer, which communicates the premise of ghosts versus humans without a single title card or line of dialogue. But what makes it extra special is the flavor the custom music cue adds to it. If I told you Midnight Ghost Hunt is a multiplayer game where teams of ghosts play against humans, you probably wouldn't imagine this sort of music, and that's one thing which made this really unique. Top marks to the style, shot creation, humor, excitement, and mystery in this trailer!
Wilmot's Warehouse - Launch Trailer
I'm not usually a fan of trailers with player commentary, but I'll happily make an exception for this trailer which just makes me smile ear to ear. The narration is done by Philippa Warr; she so much fun to listen to as she happily explains the game, while also herself struggling to play it to the best of her ability. Her commentary explains the challenges of the game while also make it look fun to play. Through her experience I can see myself playing the game, and relate to it despite the fact I'd not played it when I first saw this trailer. Most of all, it feels genuine and authentic, and it still manages to cover all the necessary information about the gameplay to the audience.
Sayonara Wild Hearts - Launch Trailer
I always love the trailers for Simogo's games, and I'm happy to continue loving them. The single title card labeling this as a Pop Album Video Game is all I need to understand this is going to be a short game which is all about the music. The staggering variety of visuals cut to the poppy and upbeat music makes me want to dive in as soon as possible so I can put the music into my ears and the visuals into my eyes. This is the rare trailer which leaves you wanting more, and makes you feel like you've seen so little of the whole thing.
Lost Words: Beyond the Page - E3 Trailer
Mixing voiceover and onscreen text is very difficult because you risk creating too many threads for the audience to successfully parse, but this trailer does it very elegantly through careful selection of the levels with text on screen and the voiceover script which may or may not be taken directly from the game. The trailer ends up being very endearing, sentimental, heartwarming and uplifting. The music works wonderfully with the capture and voiceover.
Snap Hunt
This is a very short trailer, but I love the hook of being in the woods and using your camera to take photos of things. This trailer is full of mystery both because of the claustrophobic viewfinder, and the great sound design. The objects photographed gradually get more mysterious, and the trailer cuts out at the climax of the skull horned figure. This trailer knows how to show just enough for us to understand, and to stop when things start getting really good.
Twelve Minutes
This trailer is intense as heck! There's not much to look at, but we're drawn in by the man revealing his foreknowledge of everything which is about to happen. He pleads with his wife to help him as she struggles to understand what is happening. The overhead camera angle of the apartment feels claustrophobic, and the opening one-take shot forces us to live in this moment and watch it play out. Sometimes good editing and directing is about knowing when to let things play out. After the man is thrown back into the time loop we get a nice sampling of the potential scenarios in the game, ending in his frustrated and anguished scream.
DOOM Eternal - Official E3 Story Trailer
This is just a great, viscerally exciting, and epic AAA game trailer. The bursts of energy, cuts to black and explosions of gunfire, blood and guts are super well cut to the music. The rhythm of the music and cuts mean it's never boring, but never a cacophonous mess which causes your brain to tune out. The multiple actions per shot are also very well captured, and synced well to the music! A good, gory, and fun time all around.
Outer Wilds - Launch Trailer
This trailer is majestic as heck, but in a completely different flavor than something like Kerbal Space Program or Astroneer. The banjo music alone puts it in a different galaxy, and the visuals are just recognizable enough as space craft, but unfamiliar in a way which makes it unique. I usually poo poo excessive use of cross fades because they tend to feel unmotivated, but here they seem to be preserving a sense of momentum which makes you think of objects traveling through space. The title cards are also uniquely evocative in a way which gives the game its own identity.
Oxygen Not Included - Launch Trailer
This trailer gets credit simply for making a very complicated game extremely digestible. I wouldn't give credit for that alone though, it does it in a clear and entertaining way with great editing style. The additional animation also adds so much charm and personality to the gameplay. The single shot of one of the people trying to fix a wire by tying it into a bow tells you the game is about constantly solving problems even in less than ideal ways; that's great visual storytelling. There's also a nice story arc as it progresses from landing on a planet to leaving it on a rocket ship. A super well done job of making a very busy game clear, fun and entertaining.
You can read more of my analysis of this trailer here!
My Friend Pedro - Full Throttle Trailer
This is just a balls to the wall heart pumping trailer which is completely suited to the balletic, two-fisted gunplay. I especially love the switch to all slow motion gameplay during the new musical phrase early in the trailer. Everything else is just fantastically captured and edited to the music, and the encore ending is a great one shot representation of an incredibly skilled player doing their thing, thus giving the audience something to aspire to when they play the game. The last shot exudes confidence by being completely unbroken.
Microsoft Flight Simulator - E3 Trailer
While Outer Wilds is majestic in an unfamiliar and almost fantastical way, Microsoft Flight Simulator's trailer is majestic in the most grounded way possible in the high fidelity simulation of the real world. The music is wonderfully epic, and does a great job of making the audience feel in awe of the world we live in, and what it would be like to fly over it. Sometimes things are breathtaking simply because they really exist!
Those were my favorite gameplay trailers of 2019. So many incredibly inspiring trailers to watch and learn from. If there are any other gameplay trailers of 2019 which you found notable please email or tweet them to me.
Thank you so much for reading!