Playing darts is a classic bar activity, but since we couldn’t go out and play over a pint with friends this year, why not hang out and play darts in some of our favorite games of 2020?
Little Hope
Little Hope is at the bottom of our list because you only get to interact with darts one time, but it’s a fun little game that teaches you the mechanic of Quicktime aiming, which is extremely important later on. As a darts mini-game, it’s a little lacking in flourish or style, but it’s a fun way to teach this mechanic.
Watch Dogs Legion
Watch Dogs: Legion is full of plenty of activities to complete, but of course you can play some darts while you sling back some pints. Now, this dart minigame is pretty challenging as the aiming isn’t super precise, but learning the nuance of the board and the aiming mechanics feels satisfying. There are dartboards all over London for you to test your hand at and get a high score. It’s a fun side activity to break up all of the hacking.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Yakuza is full of mini-games to play around Yokohoma, batting cages, arcade games, go-karting, and yes even darts. The darts game itself isn’t my favorite, but it’s a Yakuza staple, and watching Kasuga’s reaction to getting a high-score makes it worth your while. Ultimately, there are better mechanics in our next two entries, but the charm of Yakuza is unrivaled.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Nothing says cozy like playing darts in Seventh Heaven. It’s such a small part of Final Fantasy VII Remake and actually completely missable, but it’s easily one of my favorites. Cloud has a few moments while waiting for Tifa to return from her Avalanche meeting while waiting you can walk over to the dartboard and partake in the action. You’ll see a hastily scribbled list of high scores, naturally, you want to beat Wedge’s high score, and it will take a few tries. It’s a very nice small piece of world-building and a moment of silence in a game that has a lot to say.
Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5 Royal is easily the best darts I’ve played in a video game in 2020. Not only are the mechanics sound, but it provides tangible in-game benefits to the combat. Playing darts with party members not only ents you some fun dialogue and confidant building, but it helps power up your Baton Pass. For those unaware, if you knock an enemy down in combat you can use Baton Pass to chain together extra turns using your party members. If you’ve played enough darts when switching to that party member, they gain the benefit of increased damage.
Did you have any favorite mini-games you played in 2020? Be sure to let us know on the official Prima Twitter and Facebook pages.
