Royal's Game of the Year 2023
The best 10 Games I played in 2023. I don't care about release year. There is one game that came out this year even on this list. I am completely out of the video game release hype cycle. Miss me with that shit.
This year, I played more jrpgs than I ever have in my life. And I already considered that my favourite genre. Final Fantasy 16 was such a bad time it launched me into playing all the main series Final Fantasy and many adjacent jrpgs. So, here's my list.
This year, I played more jrpgs than I ever have in my life. And I already considered that my favourite genre. Final Fantasy 16 was such a bad time it launched me into playing all the main series Final Fantasy and many adjacent jrpgs. So, here's my list.
10 Games
Fantastic game from start to finish. In 2024 I'd like to play some older entries in the series but even just on its own this game is so cool! The story is intriguing and sad. Building your AC to spec for missions is lots of fun. I've always wanted a mech game like this one and From absolutely delivered. Goty for me without a doubt. Between games released this year, Tears of the Kingdom and Baldurs Gate 3 didn't make it on this list for various Reasons, I didn't get close to finishing Yakuza Ishin and FF16 was terrible. This game though, became an all timer.
This year is the first time I've ever 200% this game. First time I've ever 100% it without mostly watching someone else play. It's really good! Surprising no one. There are many successors, clones and games taking bits and pieces from this out there but after playing this this year I really don't think there's many that quite reach this. Incredible game.
I did not expect to fall in love with FF2 the way that I did. Coming off of Final Fantasy 16 that was just such a disappointment. My expectations were already low and that game really just blew those away and replaced them with a harsh reality. Fuck Yoshi P.
Anyway this is not about FF16. Final Fantasy 2 is a game that the rest of the series isn't really in conversation with. Some basic themes and locations will stick around but this game stands on its own.
It's got a sick sense of humour mechanically, where you will often go down a tunnel where there is nothing and I kind of love that. Grinding is rewarding and combat is very straightforward. I loved the stats system so much it launched me into SaGa (Final Fantasy Legend); which is the actual successor to FF2's systems.
The story even has more going on than I really expected. I like Firion. The struggle against Empire will continue to be the main idea Final Fantasy plays with forever.
It's been like 6+ months since I played it and I still think about it regularly. Excellent, unfairly maligned game.
Anyway this is not about FF16. Final Fantasy 2 is a game that the rest of the series isn't really in conversation with. Some basic themes and locations will stick around but this game stands on its own.
It's got a sick sense of humour mechanically, where you will often go down a tunnel where there is nothing and I kind of love that. Grinding is rewarding and combat is very straightforward. I loved the stats system so much it launched me into SaGa (Final Fantasy Legend); which is the actual successor to FF2's systems.
The story even has more going on than I really expected. I like Firion. The struggle against Empire will continue to be the main idea Final Fantasy plays with forever.
It's been like 6+ months since I played it and I still think about it regularly. Excellent, unfairly maligned game.
I was surprised by just how much I liked this game. Not surprised that I liked it but it really stuck with me. The soundtrack is easily the best in any Silent Hill. The themes are poignant and totally cohere in a way I think SH1 and 2 kind of meander and dance around. And I'm really just a sucker for a good dungeon crawl. Silent Hill 3 is the most what if Silent Hill was just a dungeon crawler and it really spoke to me in a way even 2 didn't.
Truly one of the best RPGs ever made. It doesn't go higher simply because it doesn't speak to me on a personal level the way the top 4 do.
A jrpg deeply interested in playing with mechanics and setting in a way really not done before it. It's compelling from start to finish with some very memorable characters and a breezy pacing thst was really refreshing coming from 40+ hour jrpgs I have been playing all year. I'm not quite finished yet but I expect to be before the year is over. Everyone play this game!!
A jrpg deeply interested in playing with mechanics and setting in a way really not done before it. It's compelling from start to finish with some very memorable characters and a breezy pacing thst was really refreshing coming from 40+ hour jrpgs I have been playing all year. I'm not quite finished yet but I expect to be before the year is over. Everyone play this game!!
I have always been a bit of a detractor of this game. Ever since I was a young kid on the internet for the first time thinking FFX was the best game ever. (I still think this) being annoyed about guys ten years older than me insisting the series peaked at 6. While I definitely don't agree with that, I did have to finally give up on that unfair emnity toward it. 6 is a game I have picked up and put down many times in my life. This year, I fully completed it for the first time. It's really good!
You can see a lot of FF7 DNA in it, perhaps unsurprisingly but it's not something I ever really considered. It's big set pieces are truly excellent (pixel remaster ruined the opera scene I think but I have seen the original anyway) and the World of Ruin is very cool.
What keeps it from climbing higher on my goty list, and on my final fantasy list in general is that it's not focused enough. The story would have more weight if they drilled down on even just a slightly smaller cast. I also think Kefka is a very boring villain. Everyone becomes stupid for no reason every time he shows up and it's a bit frustrating. His boss fight though is really good mechanically and aesthetically. I don't think he lived up to his reputation at all.
Still, I think pretty highly of this game. It's got some of my favourite Blue Magic in the series. Despite being very mixed on its story content, it is a very good game with a scope just not reached at all by the previous entries in the series.
You can see a lot of FF7 DNA in it, perhaps unsurprisingly but it's not something I ever really considered. It's big set pieces are truly excellent (pixel remaster ruined the opera scene I think but I have seen the original anyway) and the World of Ruin is very cool.
What keeps it from climbing higher on my goty list, and on my final fantasy list in general is that it's not focused enough. The story would have more weight if they drilled down on even just a slightly smaller cast. I also think Kefka is a very boring villain. Everyone becomes stupid for no reason every time he shows up and it's a bit frustrating. His boss fight though is really good mechanically and aesthetically. I don't think he lived up to his reputation at all.
Still, I think pretty highly of this game. It's got some of my favourite Blue Magic in the series. Despite being very mixed on its story content, it is a very good game with a scope just not reached at all by the previous entries in the series.
This would be among my most favourite Final Fantasy games if it wasn't bogged down with open world slop, still buggy as hell in 2023 with no hope of ever being fixed and generally has a mid combat experience.
As far as characters and world building goes, it's really just one of the best. I think it beats FF7 there, but stops short of FF8. (To me, top three are 10 > 8 > 7) The ending has me sobbing. Just completely wrecked me. It holds up even better to me than it did at launch, though I understand it's been improved upon specifically since I first played it. I wish I had more to say but my feelings about this game are very straightforward. It's really good! Despite everything around its production, despite Square leaving it out to dry, it's still quite excellent.
As far as characters and world building goes, it's really just one of the best. I think it beats FF7 there, but stops short of FF8. (To me, top three are 10 > 8 > 7) The ending has me sobbing. Just completely wrecked me. It holds up even better to me than it did at launch, though I understand it's been improved upon specifically since I first played it. I wish I had more to say but my feelings about this game are very straightforward. It's really good! Despite everything around its production, despite Square leaving it out to dry, it's still quite excellent.
Really fell in love with this game. I've dabbled in a few SaGa games since I beat the very first one but Frontier has stood out the most to me. It's actually a lot like Live a Live where you are playing a bunch of different stories out based on the character you pick at the menu.
It's got some really excellent sprite work, a soundtrack that really gets you going and a more refined version of the stats and grinding system from FF2 to SaGa that really hooked me in the first place. It's not higher because I haven't finished it. And because it is a bit frustrating. The environment looks incredible but the things you can interact with in it are unfortunately not very clear. So sometimes you will run all around with no idea what to do until you just happen to click on something. Just big points against it for playability. Still, I think it's really special and am happy to keep plugging away at it.
It's got some really excellent sprite work, a soundtrack that really gets you going and a more refined version of the stats and grinding system from FF2 to SaGa that really hooked me in the first place. It's not higher because I haven't finished it. And because it is a bit frustrating. The environment looks incredible but the things you can interact with in it are unfortunately not very clear. So sometimes you will run all around with no idea what to do until you just happen to click on something. Just big points against it for playability. Still, I think it's really special and am happy to keep plugging away at it.
This game slaps! Soundtrack: incredible. Systems: Deep, incomprehensible, rewarding.
Story: kind of nothing. Some evil exists go up the tower and kill it. The set pieces that kind of spin out of this end up being more interesting than the actual overarching 'plot' such as there is.
Some of my favourite places in a game. The tower is very cool. If the middle of this game wasn't so incredibly frustrating it might be better than FF2. I had such a good time with this I had to check out other entries in the series. I would really like to play the Wonderswan version of this some day.
Story: kind of nothing. Some evil exists go up the tower and kill it. The set pieces that kind of spin out of this end up being more interesting than the actual overarching 'plot' such as there is.
Some of my favourite places in a game. The tower is very cool. If the middle of this game wasn't so incredibly frustrating it might be better than FF2. I had such a good time with this I had to check out other entries in the series. I would really like to play the Wonderswan version of this some day.
I have always been a big fan of Ratchet & Clank and this game is an excellent one of those. Mechanically it's probably the best one for sheer 'gamefeel'. The weapons are as wild as ever, the environments are extremely cool and the rift mechanic is really well utilized. Points against it really come down to the writing. Which, isn't really bad or anything but it has lost all of the bite of previous entries. R&C has only gotten more and more sterile to me as the years go on which is a bit of a shame but such as it is, I can't complain too too much. It's still much better than the writing in the 1 Remake they put out attached to that terrible movie.