Game of the Year 2023
As usual, this is focused on games I played this year and not only new releases. Either games I finished for the first time this year, or felt this year was substantially new or most representative of my time with the game.
Honorable mentions:
First, a list of unfinished games that would almost definitely make this list if I'd finished them. I won't go into much detail as I'm sure I'll talk about them more later. Lies of P is not only the best soulslike outside of From, but tops some of their games as well. Chained Echoes and Sea of Stars are two different takes on modernizing turn-based RPGs, I'm enjoying both of them but can't manage to get through lengthy RPGs without dropping them and picking them back up a couple times. Sephonie is very cool and I'll probably finish it soon. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is fantastic and I'm excited to continue that series. Resident Evil 4 definitely earns its reputation and is amazing from what I've played.
Now for some games that I replayed or continued playing that don't really qualify for this list but I want to talk about. I replayed (most of) Metroid Prime, and plan to wrap that up and replay the sequels as well. Over time I'd become unsure if I really liked it as much as I thought, many of my other old favorites have fallen in my view as my taste has changed, but Prime absolutely holds up. Just some of the best atmosphere and exploration out there. The gameplay feels very ahead of its time with the limited focus on combat and remains a very unique take on translating metroidvanias to a 3D environment. I played it through the Primehack mod on my steam deck, and I think the original game still beats out the new remaster visually, it's just stunning how good every room looks, and there's so much variety that makes locations easy to remember. Still among my all time favorites.
I replayed Celeste this year and actually got around to beating the post-game content and DLC this time. Still one of the best pure 2D platformers out there. I think most of the post-game content is better than the base game, glad to finally have completed it. Looking forward to trying out some mods next year.
I got back into Trackmania for a while this year and played quite a lot of that, people have only gotten better at using the mapping tools and there's just an overwhelming amount of great content now. The daily "Cup of the Day" competitions are also a very fun format and kept me coming back to it regularly for a while.
Honorable mentions:
First, a list of unfinished games that would almost definitely make this list if I'd finished them. I won't go into much detail as I'm sure I'll talk about them more later. Lies of P is not only the best soulslike outside of From, but tops some of their games as well. Chained Echoes and Sea of Stars are two different takes on modernizing turn-based RPGs, I'm enjoying both of them but can't manage to get through lengthy RPGs without dropping them and picking them back up a couple times. Sephonie is very cool and I'll probably finish it soon. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is fantastic and I'm excited to continue that series. Resident Evil 4 definitely earns its reputation and is amazing from what I've played.
Now for some games that I replayed or continued playing that don't really qualify for this list but I want to talk about. I replayed (most of) Metroid Prime, and plan to wrap that up and replay the sequels as well. Over time I'd become unsure if I really liked it as much as I thought, many of my other old favorites have fallen in my view as my taste has changed, but Prime absolutely holds up. Just some of the best atmosphere and exploration out there. The gameplay feels very ahead of its time with the limited focus on combat and remains a very unique take on translating metroidvanias to a 3D environment. I played it through the Primehack mod on my steam deck, and I think the original game still beats out the new remaster visually, it's just stunning how good every room looks, and there's so much variety that makes locations easy to remember. Still among my all time favorites.
I replayed Celeste this year and actually got around to beating the post-game content and DLC this time. Still one of the best pure 2D platformers out there. I think most of the post-game content is better than the base game, glad to finally have completed it. Looking forward to trying out some mods next year.
I got back into Trackmania for a while this year and played quite a lot of that, people have only gotten better at using the mapping tools and there's just an overwhelming amount of great content now. The daily "Cup of the Day" competitions are also a very fun format and kept me coming back to it regularly for a while.
15 Games
Project Zomboid is the game on this list that I put the most time into this year, and while I'm overall positive on it that time was a mixed bag and there were points where I felt like I really hated this, and others where I loved it. It has a lot of problems, many of which are solved by mods but those can introduce other problems. Fun in multiplayer but often doesn't feel built for it. Despite being in development since the dawn of time it still very much feels like a work in progress. I did spend a lot of time with it though and will come back for the next update, so it feels worth talking about here.
I was very wary going into this based on its reputation, but it kind of kicks ass as a co-op shooter. Sure, it does lack a lot of things from RE4, but it's really enjoyable in its own way. The progression is weird with having to play through the campaign multiple times to unlock everything, and it ends more with a whimper than a bang at the end of all that, but I really enjoyed it and found myself missing it after. I wish there was something more here, or that the mercenaries mode and dlc weren't complete ass.
I'm sure everyone remotely familiar with Yakuza has heard people say to be prepared for Kiwami to be a step down from 0. They're not exactly wrong, but I feel like this set my expectations at the wrong level going in. This is still most of what makes Yakuza 0 great, and I still had a really good time with it.
Full Review
Full Review
12
Cocoon feels like the worthy successor I always wanted to Limbo, that Inside didn't really fill for me. This is a bold new direction in both gameplay and style, updated with modern sensibilities. I love the style and presentation, the game being textless aside from the title really helps the start of it immerse you in the world, and the animation and sound design are top notch. The puzzles were just the right difficulty for me where it did require a little problem solving and most of them felt smart and unique, but never got frustrating enough to make me not want to finish it. It's great about showing you new concepts and then not overstaying its welcome, there's a lot here in a short runtime. My only real frustration is that some of the later puzzles had the issue of taking too long to execute the solution after you realize what to do, but it's a pretty minor case of that. Really cool game.
11
Managing to stand out in the roguelite deckbuilder genre is a challenge these days, but Cobalt Core easily succeeds there. Taking some inspiration from FTL/Into the Breach is a very unique combination with the deckbuilder genre, and the space theme is nice and well-executed. Where this really stands out though is its core mechanic of ship positioning. You as well as the enemy ship can move left or right during fights, and this mechanic is incredibly elegant in its design. It's very simple to understand all the interactions with, but provides so many options and depth that make it stand out from similar games. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface from what I've played of this, but I've definitely played enough to say that it's pretty great.
R4 is the definition of a stylish game. Even from the game's intro and menus you know what you're in for here. Presentation is first and foremost, with visuals that still look fantastic and great sound design with an awesome soundtrack. That's not to say anything bad of the gameplay though, it's simple but very satisfying to drift around the city streets of the tracks here. When I first played this I was somewhat soured by the very limited selection of tracks, not all of which are even that great, but the game has stuck in my head and I've already gone back and replayed it a couple times. It's easy to pick up and do a few races, and I always have a good time.
Full Review
Full Review
Pseudoregalia is a great 3D metroidvania that really nails its movement and knows to stick to its strengths with that. It's a short and simple game, but very satisfying to play and feels like it rewards creativity and sequence breaking. The upgrades are really unique and not the generic stuff you'd expect, they really feel like they open up your options in interesting ways. My main complaint is just that the areas looking a little samey and lack of a map can make backtracking across large distances a bit of a hassle, but the game's short enough that it doesn't become too bad.
Full Review
Full Review
This new release was my first time playing We Love Katamari, and it's mostly a really fun experience, though a bit strange in the ways it does and doesn't improve on Damacy. The variety in level objectives is nice, but it does reuse areas a disappointing amount, and while I guess I understand the scope of this remake being pretty small, keeping the mid-level loading zones feels odd. The soundtrack is really good and tries some unique stuff, but it doesn't hit quite as consistently as Damacy's, and you hear the same stuff a bit too often. I feel like keeping the songs from that in as well would have added some nice variety. This is weird where on paper I'd probably say it's better than Damacy, and I wouldn't exactly say it's lacking in creative spirit, but... it is lacking a little something. Still had a very good time with it though.
While Nova Drift isn't quite fully released yet (though that is quickly approaching), I feel like the newer updates for the game really bring it from a promising idea to fully realizing its potential, and I more than doubled my time in it this year so this feels like the right time to put it on one of these lists. I love the combination of classic arcade game mechanics with a roguelike, and there's so much variety here in player builds, it gives me the satisfaction of building an ARPG character in a 15 minute span. I plan to write more about this when the full release comes out in 2024.
Time Bandit is a very unique experience that explores why we play games and how we use our time. It's very ambitious in some ways while very minimalist in others, and while it has some rough edges it achieves what it sets out to do very well. There's really nothing else quite like this and it kept me coming back daily for over a month to finish it, I'm very much looking forward to part 2.
Full Review
Full Review
This year isn't the first time I played Ghouls 'n Ghosts but I got back into it in a way that it only feels appropriate to mention here. This series is known for being incredibly difficult, but Ghouls remains a very approachable and enjoyable game to pick up and play. The controls are simple but very tight, and the level and enemy design are excellent. I went back and replayed it to get the true ending, then played it again, and again. It quickly became a game I can pick up and play whenever, and it's very fun to revisit and improve at over time.
Full Review
Full Review
The Void Rains Upon Her Heart is a very lengthy title that really doesn't have a good way to shorten it, and is also another unfinished game on this list but one I put a lot of time into and really loved. It combines shmup and roguelite mechanics in a way that makes for a really approachable difficulty curve and satisfying gameplay. The story is strange but unique, and does a better job of presenting it than most roguelites. The way you slowly unravel all of the content in this game is extremely fun and engaging, and I plan to come back to it and 100% it as future updates come out. Will likely be writing a full review at a future date as well.
Unsighted is a fantastic zelda-like with a really cool central mechanic. Every character in the game, including yourself, has a limited amount of time remaining which you can directly see. You can find items to extend this time by exploring, but you have to balance how you spend your time between looking for these and completing objectives, and choose who you give these to. Many of the characters provide valuable services, and on your first playthrough you definitely won't be able to save everyone. The gameplay is great, it's some of my favorite top-down action combat up there with CrossCode and A Link to the Past. There's a variety of weapons to use, and all of the dungeon items you'd expect from this type of game serve double purpose as weapons as well. The exploration is really fun, and quite open ended, the game allows you to sequence break very easily, getting items and completing dungeons out of order. I've only completed one playthrough at this point, and plan to complete NG+ and play more of the roguelike dungeon rush mode to see everything before writing a full review, but I can say now that it's a great game and one of my favorites of the year.
Against the Storm solves my main problem with city builders and allowed me to really get into a game in a genre I've always wanted to like more than I do. It almost feels wrong to call this a roguelite since it's so different than anything else in that genre, but the shorter randomized playthroughs and the structure connecting them makes this so much more approachable than trying to build a single massive, perfect city. You don't have to worry about starting over when you make a mistake when you'll be starting a new city in an hour anyways. Structure aside though, I love so much about this game. The design of the world and presentation is all very comfy and intriguing, in this world it's always raining and the different cycles of the storm season determine various gameplay effects and you have to plan around storms for timing when you do things. Each run allows you to pick a limited set of buildings to use, which you select as you progress, encouraging variety and keeping decisions at any individual point from becoming overwhelming. I could go on for a while, but everything about this game is great. I've already played a lot this year and plan to play a lot more.
I knew from very early on that Ghost Trick was something special. The presentation immediately grabs your attention, and draws you into a story that I think is one of the best in games as a whole. The gameplay is a very unique twist on what is essentially a point and click adventure, giving you puzzles that with a very unique set of rules that are simple but satisfying to solve. The whole time I was playing this I was in disbelief of how great it was, and thought for sure it would drop the ball at some point, but it never did. This is among my all time favorites, it's something really special that I think everyone should play.
Full Review
Full Review