Intro:
It's that time of the year again. I've played a lot of video games (check here for my top board games if you care), and I'm using this blog to blabber about them. It is NOT a blog about games released in 2023; solely those that are new to me or on a sort of new platform.
Speaking of platform: it's almost all steam decks this year unless noted otherwise. My gaming PC is mostly collecting dust nowadays.
Previous entries:
My top games of 2022: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-64-video-games-of-2022.19205/
My top games of 2020: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2020.17057/
My top games of 2019: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2019.15590/
My top games of 2018: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2018.14505/
My top games of 2017: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2017.13053/
My top games of 2016: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-20-games-of-2016.11119/
My top games of 2015: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-20-games-of-2015.10044/
My top games of 2014: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2014.9749/
The list:
40. My friend Pedro
Failed expectations, I guess. I thought it'd be a fun platformer shooter, but...I GUESS it's good? It's decently made, but t didn't click for me. It has all the ingredients that should entertain you, but I just wasn't having fun.
39. Moncage
This IS technically very good. Reminds me of gorogoa in lots of ways in that it's imaginative and that you match aspects. But where that is on a 2D plane, this is 3D, which makes controlling (at least on steam deck) rather fiddly.
38. Induction
This was a dollar game. And not to sound like a snob, but I've played better in this price range. It's a puzzle game, but the puzzles felt unfair, random and not that well layed out. And that's the part where the designer had a shot. Interesting, but...not very good.
37. Mega man collection
Capcom bundle. Main lesson: if you're not a fan of mega man, you won't grasp the retro appeal. This is either ridiculously hard or "merely" hard (if you rewind time). I won't comment on quality, except where I'm concerned. I had some fun, but nothing stood out.
36. Ace attorney trilogy
Same bundle. Never played an ace attorney game before. I kinda liked it. Not enough to invest me, though. (though in it's defence: I think the deck is a great way to play it).
35. Omno
This one gets a neutral score. It's "okay". Nice visuals, but you don't DO anything that seems worth doing. Wonder in an open world. Collect orbs. Climb plants. Ride fancy dinosaur cutscene. Repeat. Music's passable, but it's just too bland.
34. Dandara trails of fear
Okay, I admit it: the deck's the best experience for the strange controls of this one (sorry gpd...none of your devices work properly out of the box for this game). By a long shot. I had fun playing it but couldn't invest myself in the story for like...the third or fourth time?
33. Stephen's sausage roll
I bought a freaking BUNDLE for this game. It's ugly. It's balls hard. It's frustrating. Solving a puzzle makes you feel smart. However...there's no logical flow to it all. It's like the designer's a genius who just can't get how to TEACH players to use the turn around/bbq mechanic. The mellow game campfire cooking is imho much better, and that mostly copycats the main abilities!
32. Street fighter 30th anniversary
A third one of that capcom bundle. Played some street fighter. Got beaten by the AI. Admitted: the steam reviews warned me, so I got what was coming to me. But damnit: I've got me a bundle of a lot of street fighter games in my collection.
31. Recursed
Hats off: this is the probably the hardest puzzle game I've ever played. It's a bit less ugly than sausage roll, has a better learning curve...for the intro levels. After that, it's a straight up insanity. It revolves around recursivity, namely calling a procedure from within itself. Here symbolized by boxes that contain other rooms. Put the box in water, everything within is flooded. Simple? Yeah...until you start getting multiple boxes, keys and so on. There's a sort of method behind this madness, but I think this is mostly aimed for mensa members. Otherwise said: I'm literally too stupid for this game.
30. Railbound (android)
Afterburn made some quality puzzle games with golf peaks and inbento. These are quality puzzles as well...but imho isn't as good. It's about drawing rails and driving trains. It's similar to (but different enough from) cosmic express in that way. The implementation is strong, the theme breezy and the appeal is there. Controls are a bit off but not much of a hindrance. My main complaint is that the puzzles aren't intuitive. Or rather: some solutions are reached more through trial-and-error than through reasoning. So...it could've been better.
29. Abe's Oddyssey
Last year's attempt to run it wasn't much fun. Now I tried the playstation version, solely for quicksaves. It's still fun. But...nostalgia's not what it used to be. The theme's still outstanding, but the controls are simply dated. I liked my play...I didn't love it.
28. Glass road (android)
I wasn't about to try it. Or rather: I merely wanted to learn the board game. But I have to admit it grew on me. It's a card game about outguessing what your opponent will do. Other than that, it's mostly a standard euro fair: collect resources, build stuff, gain points. The board game's more fun, but this is...good. Outdated in graphics, but pretty good.
27. Path of giants
Okay, okay: I'm often on the lookout of a sort of remake of lost vikings. This...is sort of it. It's in 2.5D and is puzzle related rather than with a hint of combat. I can't really blame it for not being lost vikings, but it stands on its own quite well. Perhaps a bit easy, but after those earlier puzzle games that basically said "you suck", it's a welcome variety.
26. Urbo
Ever played triple town? It's a chill town building/puzzle game. This one's almost a straight copy, albeit more beautiful and minimal. I...probably wouldn't rate it as high without triple town, but it's a fine time waster. But beautiful as it is: it's a mobile game on steam. Even though it's not on android.
25. Red ronin
Ahhh...turn based combat games. I loathe it in RPG's, but it's different in puzzle games. This one's dressed up as katana zero, but while it looks as an action game, it's really a puzzle. Mostly one about optimizing moves. It REALLY should've had an 'undo' move, as solving the puzzles often involves repeating the first bunch of orders that work. But the story's okay, the gameplay fun and has enough going for it to enjoy.
24. Pizza tower
I loved the early wario land games. This channels the manic energy from all sides. It's fast, you're an antihero and it's wildly different in style than anything (even Wario is more traditional). For that, I've got to pay it respect. The only thing standing in its way between me loving it is that half the game is about speedrunning faster than Sonic. In other words: I'm terrible at it. It's fun to play in short bursts, but not being good at it really sets you back a lot.
23. TMNT cowabunga collection
I take it back: nostalgia IS what it used to be. When it's done right. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were my youth. And this package bundles a stupidly huge amount of them. Yes, the gameboy games didn't exactly age well...but neither did I. Besides: turtles in time and the arcade versions are just fun beat 'em ups by themselves.
22. super mario 3D world
I played this one before on my actual wiiu. It's good. Very good. Mario at his best. And because I'm me, I just continued (started over) on steam deck. Because fuck nintendo, that's why.
21. Nobody saves the world
I searched into this one after I learned that the lead designer for the swapper and stealth bastard deluxe also worked on this game (created by drinkbox, which made a few other games I really like). It's a lot more conventional in approach though it has some weirdness in that you swap between different classes that also level up differently. Great fun.
20. Doom 1993
I...dunno why I wanted to run through this one again. It's literally been decades, but unlike other older 3D shooters (unreal), this one is actually fun to play on a handheld. Nostalgia is better than it ever was.
19. Towerfall ascenscion
At one point I realised that the steam deck is a fine console with a few extra cables and pairing some controllers. So I went through my library in search of something that could play couch co-op. Most were decent, but I've yet to host a modern LAN party with a deck. But while games like the jackbox party games never made it out of testing, towerfall ascension grew on me. It has that classic puzzle platformer look and feel (think bubble bobble), and the fact that you have to pick up your arrows after firing is a nice twist. More so: this game rewards you in feels when you manage trick shots with your arrows.
Also: the single player campaign is exactly right in length. Those loving celeste really have no excuse not to at least check this one out.
18. Haiku, the robot
I've played hollow knight many times. Love the exploring, but it's just a tad too difficult for my liking (especially the boss fights). I honestly can't claim Haiku IS better, but I must say I enjoyed it more. It's hard but not as punishing. It has a pleasant gameboy color vibe to it. And it's not as insanely large as hollow knight. All in all: I enjoyed this one.
17. Ape out
I had to overcome my initial reaction for this one ("oh...another hotline miami wannabe"). You're a gorilla trying to break free. You do this by beating everyone into a pulp.
It has a very strange art style and perspective. Oh, and audio as well. The thing is: the game nails exactly what it wants to do: pure, uncut fun gameplay. The difficulty only ramps up slowly but gets pretty tough later on.
16. shotgun king
Some games just make you smile in their concept alone. Like this one: what makes chess better? A shotgun, that's what! You are the black king. While you're facing boards and boards of evergrowing white piece army, you just try to shoot them from the board.
So...it's a variation on chess. One vs many. After each board you pick advantages for both sides, making things gradually harder. It's also over quickly if you're careless. But that's really the appeal: try to survive as long as possible. It's not the sort of game that'll be mainstream soon, but it's awesome at what it does.
15. Qomp
I swear I don't know how some games end up in my library. Sometimes I almost pick something by elevator pitch alone and it works. Qomp is something like that. It's pong...except you're the ball. Your only button turns you 180 degrees (you always go either upper right or down left). Just by this, you need to try to traverse through mazes. Yes, it sounds like a simple variation on alleyway, but it was a very pleasant surprise. A rather short one, unfortunate enough, but I rather play great shorter games than those that outstay their welcome.
14. Dredge
This one's probably the consequence of me falling into burnout again. This game promises (and delivers) both relaxing gameplay and horror. As paradoxal as it sounds, it comes together perfectly. The game is just "drag everything from the ocean in your boat", but it's good at that. Fishing and hauling stuff are fun minigames, the game has fetch quests, upgrades, a Lovecraftian lore and so on. It's more a budget title of a studio that had an idea and ran with it, but it's good regardless.
13. My time at sandrock
A delayed one. As in: I enjoyed 'my time at portia' so much I backed this as soon as I heard about it (mid last year), but only really started playing it this year. This is, simply put, exactly what I wanted. It kept the working formula, made things a bit easier to manage and added a bit of variety without sacrificing the story. Oh, and for what it is? simple: stardew valley in 3D. With a western theme.
12. Patrick's parabox
Bought this one in a steam bundle. In essence, it's sokoban. The twist is that blocks can be entered and it delves in some recursivity when it becomes clear some boxes are literally the level you're playing. It approaches the paradoxal twist from recursed earlier in a much cleaner, simpler version. But what I like most about this game is that the levels aren't hard for being hard but because they're teaching you the concepts of what you're doing (similar to how portal taught you thinking in portals). There's a strange sort of intuitive logic to it that makes the levels easier to do than to describe.
11. Super Mario Oddyssey
Yeah, I know: I'm late to the party. But better late than never: this is finally a 3D game that can stand toe to toe with super mario galaxy. Though a bit on the easy side, this is the equivalent of comfort food for me.
10. Sonic all-stars racing
It's safe to say that the steam deck changed my gaming habits. I've barely touched a mouse outside work, and if a game isn't intended for gamepad controls I find myself quickly losing interest (shotgun king is an exception). And within that segment, I find that racing games have more appeal to me. Like this one: I still have my original wiiu one. I honestly can't remember from which bundle I got a steam key, but I tried it. And played it. And played it more. It's still as insane as it was, and even ten years later it gives Mario kart a run for its money. I'm not going to try unlocking everything, though.
9. Inside
Played through this one some years ago. Works even better on the handheld. Not the hardest of games and wtf is with the ending, but the horror theme works perfectly.
8. Slay the princess
Wow. Talking about a game that grabbed me by the b****s and didn't let go until I knew what it was all about. Well...this is like the Stanley parable as a horror game that's also a love story (no, I'm not kidding). You are an unnamed person ("the hero") that's tasked by the narrator to go to the cabin in the wood, find the princess in the basement, and kill her. Because if not, the universe'll end. The game is a series of choices that matter a whole lot more than in other games. It's also SOMEWHAT a roguelike, which means that your choices lead to...different endings. Sometimes you kill the princess. Sometimes she kills you. The narrator isn't always on the sideline, your previous playthroughs have impact, and...look. I might've already said too much. Suffice to say that this is the best story driven game I've played in YEARS!
7. Linelight
Another steam pickup that I had on my google play library that I never could control properly. The key here is minimalism: you're a light traversing over lines. That's...it, really. It has very good puzzles and equally abstract enemies to outsmart. It also has an arc in the same way that duet: premium had an arc: the sort of visual and audio appeal that occurs once you make it to the end of the maze.
6. Mo:astray
As varied as the indie scene is, most games sort of blend together in what they're doing. I'm glad to say that the weird quirky games are still being made. Mo:astray is only a platformer because it resembles anything else LESS. You're a blob you pretty much bounce around the level as a golf ball. You're on a planet full of zombie-like things you can control by attaching yourself to it (and even read their minds, which is a great way to build the world), there are savages, machines and other weird stuff. What I like most is how the game squeezes all sorts of variety out of its main mechanic of golfball shooting/attaching to walls.
And as you can hear, the theme is equally quirky. It resembles stealth bastard deluxe, the swapper or rain world in some ways. Something has gone horribly wrong, but I'm not sure if the story is really about THAT as it is about trying to survive as a little blob in a harsh, brutal world where the earthling settlers have accidentally unleashed something horrific onto the native planet.
5. Rayman origins/legends
I can't believe it's been ten years since I played these! 5 bucks for both of these games...really...FIVE??? I can't deny there are better platformers now, but this is still an incredible combo of 2 of the best platformers ever.
...okay: I'm mostly about legends here. Origins set a lot of the stage and was an intro to an outstanding engine. Legends looks like the best that engine could offer: speedruns, music sync battles, bosses...even a freaking ENDLESS mode! Strangely enough, it's both too short (I thought it had a whole extra episode) and too long (this game PEPPERS you with things to unlock it's not even funny anymore). Oh, right...and it contains most levels of origins.
4. Ori and the will of the wisps
My initial plan was to run through ori and the blind forest again. But wait...didn't that one had a sequel? It did. And while I was initially not blown away ('ok...so it's more of the same stormy nature, angelic chorus and cryptic deep voice'), I have to say it quickly grew on me. By the end, I can say that it has more abilities to unlock, more characters, more story (though not all frontloaded this time) and more fantastic music and visuals. Especially the music is outstanding.
3. Bonfire peaks
This is the best Draknek game not by Draknek (he produced this, iirc). Otherwise said: this is the best designed sokoban game since ever (though keep in mind: I've not come around to playing monster's expedition). And the reason is that it goes the 'easier said than done' approach and does it: just make it 3D. That is: you're a dude with a box you want to burn. You can pick up the box, turn around with it, and walk it forward or backward. The fire is usually somewhere up top so you've got to navigate to it, sometimes uncovering the box from other obstacles.
The game looks terrible. Like minecraft goes through a goth period. But the puzzle design is brilliant. Downright. Freaking. Brilliant. Yes, it's often frustratingly hard, but it's more tangible than patrick's parabox. That is: if you've ever tried to move a large couch through a hallway or moved boxes around, you KNOW that getting stuck...happens.
2. super mario wonder
I tried it because I was in the mood. I stayed because it's not just good. It's not just great. It's downright INSANE! Lemme put it like this: it has a massive ace up its sleeve. Without the ace, it would already be different enough from other 2D Mario games to put it around or even at the top of that list. With said ace, it stands head and shoulders above the rest.
And what is this ace? Well...every level has a flower that makes things go insane. One time it's a herd of bizons, then you're turned into a certain creature, stars are falling from the sky, and so on. The insanity is that these hardly ever repeat, so it's like every single level is a treat in itself!
1. Rogue legacy 2
Another one that flew under the radar. On paper, I can't even recall what it offers over the first rogue legacy (which I now must admit has a sort of "I'd rather play dead cells" around it). But I've spent so incredibly much time with it I'm amazed that my daughter hasn't famished to death. It's that perfect "difficult but not too much" curve. It's a chill sandbox in which you can, after a while, just grind because it's fun to do. Or try the bosses. Or the many challenges. Or...
Anyhow: as good as the other games were, I must award this my game I loved most this year.
It's that time of the year again. I've played a lot of video games (check here for my top board games if you care), and I'm using this blog to blabber about them. It is NOT a blog about games released in 2023; solely those that are new to me or on a sort of new platform.
Speaking of platform: it's almost all steam decks this year unless noted otherwise. My gaming PC is mostly collecting dust nowadays.
Previous entries:
My top games of 2022: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-64-video-games-of-2022.19205/
My top games of 2020: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2020.17057/
My top games of 2019: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2019.15590/
My top games of 2018: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2018.14505/
My top games of 2017: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2017.13053/
My top games of 2016: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-20-games-of-2016.11119/
My top games of 2015: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-20-games-of-2015.10044/
My top games of 2014: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/taleweavers-top-games-of-2014.9749/
The list:
40. My friend Pedro
Failed expectations, I guess. I thought it'd be a fun platformer shooter, but...I GUESS it's good? It's decently made, but t didn't click for me. It has all the ingredients that should entertain you, but I just wasn't having fun.
39. Moncage
This IS technically very good. Reminds me of gorogoa in lots of ways in that it's imaginative and that you match aspects. But where that is on a 2D plane, this is 3D, which makes controlling (at least on steam deck) rather fiddly.
38. Induction
This was a dollar game. And not to sound like a snob, but I've played better in this price range. It's a puzzle game, but the puzzles felt unfair, random and not that well layed out. And that's the part where the designer had a shot. Interesting, but...not very good.
37. Mega man collection
Capcom bundle. Main lesson: if you're not a fan of mega man, you won't grasp the retro appeal. This is either ridiculously hard or "merely" hard (if you rewind time). I won't comment on quality, except where I'm concerned. I had some fun, but nothing stood out.
36. Ace attorney trilogy
Same bundle. Never played an ace attorney game before. I kinda liked it. Not enough to invest me, though. (though in it's defence: I think the deck is a great way to play it).
35. Omno
This one gets a neutral score. It's "okay". Nice visuals, but you don't DO anything that seems worth doing. Wonder in an open world. Collect orbs. Climb plants. Ride fancy dinosaur cutscene. Repeat. Music's passable, but it's just too bland.
34. Dandara trails of fear
Okay, I admit it: the deck's the best experience for the strange controls of this one (sorry gpd...none of your devices work properly out of the box for this game). By a long shot. I had fun playing it but couldn't invest myself in the story for like...the third or fourth time?
33. Stephen's sausage roll
I bought a freaking BUNDLE for this game. It's ugly. It's balls hard. It's frustrating. Solving a puzzle makes you feel smart. However...there's no logical flow to it all. It's like the designer's a genius who just can't get how to TEACH players to use the turn around/bbq mechanic. The mellow game campfire cooking is imho much better, and that mostly copycats the main abilities!
32. Street fighter 30th anniversary
A third one of that capcom bundle. Played some street fighter. Got beaten by the AI. Admitted: the steam reviews warned me, so I got what was coming to me. But damnit: I've got me a bundle of a lot of street fighter games in my collection.
31. Recursed
Hats off: this is the probably the hardest puzzle game I've ever played. It's a bit less ugly than sausage roll, has a better learning curve...for the intro levels. After that, it's a straight up insanity. It revolves around recursivity, namely calling a procedure from within itself. Here symbolized by boxes that contain other rooms. Put the box in water, everything within is flooded. Simple? Yeah...until you start getting multiple boxes, keys and so on. There's a sort of method behind this madness, but I think this is mostly aimed for mensa members. Otherwise said: I'm literally too stupid for this game.
30. Railbound (android)
Afterburn made some quality puzzle games with golf peaks and inbento. These are quality puzzles as well...but imho isn't as good. It's about drawing rails and driving trains. It's similar to (but different enough from) cosmic express in that way. The implementation is strong, the theme breezy and the appeal is there. Controls are a bit off but not much of a hindrance. My main complaint is that the puzzles aren't intuitive. Or rather: some solutions are reached more through trial-and-error than through reasoning. So...it could've been better.
29. Abe's Oddyssey
Last year's attempt to run it wasn't much fun. Now I tried the playstation version, solely for quicksaves. It's still fun. But...nostalgia's not what it used to be. The theme's still outstanding, but the controls are simply dated. I liked my play...I didn't love it.
28. Glass road (android)
I wasn't about to try it. Or rather: I merely wanted to learn the board game. But I have to admit it grew on me. It's a card game about outguessing what your opponent will do. Other than that, it's mostly a standard euro fair: collect resources, build stuff, gain points. The board game's more fun, but this is...good. Outdated in graphics, but pretty good.
27. Path of giants
Okay, okay: I'm often on the lookout of a sort of remake of lost vikings. This...is sort of it. It's in 2.5D and is puzzle related rather than with a hint of combat. I can't really blame it for not being lost vikings, but it stands on its own quite well. Perhaps a bit easy, but after those earlier puzzle games that basically said "you suck", it's a welcome variety.
26. Urbo
Ever played triple town? It's a chill town building/puzzle game. This one's almost a straight copy, albeit more beautiful and minimal. I...probably wouldn't rate it as high without triple town, but it's a fine time waster. But beautiful as it is: it's a mobile game on steam. Even though it's not on android.
25. Red ronin
Ahhh...turn based combat games. I loathe it in RPG's, but it's different in puzzle games. This one's dressed up as katana zero, but while it looks as an action game, it's really a puzzle. Mostly one about optimizing moves. It REALLY should've had an 'undo' move, as solving the puzzles often involves repeating the first bunch of orders that work. But the story's okay, the gameplay fun and has enough going for it to enjoy.
24. Pizza tower
I loved the early wario land games. This channels the manic energy from all sides. It's fast, you're an antihero and it's wildly different in style than anything (even Wario is more traditional). For that, I've got to pay it respect. The only thing standing in its way between me loving it is that half the game is about speedrunning faster than Sonic. In other words: I'm terrible at it. It's fun to play in short bursts, but not being good at it really sets you back a lot.
23. TMNT cowabunga collection
I take it back: nostalgia IS what it used to be. When it's done right. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were my youth. And this package bundles a stupidly huge amount of them. Yes, the gameboy games didn't exactly age well...but neither did I. Besides: turtles in time and the arcade versions are just fun beat 'em ups by themselves.
22. super mario 3D world
I played this one before on my actual wiiu. It's good. Very good. Mario at his best. And because I'm me, I just continued (started over) on steam deck. Because fuck nintendo, that's why.
21. Nobody saves the world
I searched into this one after I learned that the lead designer for the swapper and stealth bastard deluxe also worked on this game (created by drinkbox, which made a few other games I really like). It's a lot more conventional in approach though it has some weirdness in that you swap between different classes that also level up differently. Great fun.
20. Doom 1993
I...dunno why I wanted to run through this one again. It's literally been decades, but unlike other older 3D shooters (unreal), this one is actually fun to play on a handheld. Nostalgia is better than it ever was.
19. Towerfall ascenscion
At one point I realised that the steam deck is a fine console with a few extra cables and pairing some controllers. So I went through my library in search of something that could play couch co-op. Most were decent, but I've yet to host a modern LAN party with a deck. But while games like the jackbox party games never made it out of testing, towerfall ascension grew on me. It has that classic puzzle platformer look and feel (think bubble bobble), and the fact that you have to pick up your arrows after firing is a nice twist. More so: this game rewards you in feels when you manage trick shots with your arrows.
Also: the single player campaign is exactly right in length. Those loving celeste really have no excuse not to at least check this one out.
18. Haiku, the robot
I've played hollow knight many times. Love the exploring, but it's just a tad too difficult for my liking (especially the boss fights). I honestly can't claim Haiku IS better, but I must say I enjoyed it more. It's hard but not as punishing. It has a pleasant gameboy color vibe to it. And it's not as insanely large as hollow knight. All in all: I enjoyed this one.
17. Ape out
I had to overcome my initial reaction for this one ("oh...another hotline miami wannabe"). You're a gorilla trying to break free. You do this by beating everyone into a pulp.
It has a very strange art style and perspective. Oh, and audio as well. The thing is: the game nails exactly what it wants to do: pure, uncut fun gameplay. The difficulty only ramps up slowly but gets pretty tough later on.
16. shotgun king
Some games just make you smile in their concept alone. Like this one: what makes chess better? A shotgun, that's what! You are the black king. While you're facing boards and boards of evergrowing white piece army, you just try to shoot them from the board.
So...it's a variation on chess. One vs many. After each board you pick advantages for both sides, making things gradually harder. It's also over quickly if you're careless. But that's really the appeal: try to survive as long as possible. It's not the sort of game that'll be mainstream soon, but it's awesome at what it does.
15. Qomp
I swear I don't know how some games end up in my library. Sometimes I almost pick something by elevator pitch alone and it works. Qomp is something like that. It's pong...except you're the ball. Your only button turns you 180 degrees (you always go either upper right or down left). Just by this, you need to try to traverse through mazes. Yes, it sounds like a simple variation on alleyway, but it was a very pleasant surprise. A rather short one, unfortunate enough, but I rather play great shorter games than those that outstay their welcome.
14. Dredge
This one's probably the consequence of me falling into burnout again. This game promises (and delivers) both relaxing gameplay and horror. As paradoxal as it sounds, it comes together perfectly. The game is just "drag everything from the ocean in your boat", but it's good at that. Fishing and hauling stuff are fun minigames, the game has fetch quests, upgrades, a Lovecraftian lore and so on. It's more a budget title of a studio that had an idea and ran with it, but it's good regardless.
13. My time at sandrock
A delayed one. As in: I enjoyed 'my time at portia' so much I backed this as soon as I heard about it (mid last year), but only really started playing it this year. This is, simply put, exactly what I wanted. It kept the working formula, made things a bit easier to manage and added a bit of variety without sacrificing the story. Oh, and for what it is? simple: stardew valley in 3D. With a western theme.
12. Patrick's parabox
Bought this one in a steam bundle. In essence, it's sokoban. The twist is that blocks can be entered and it delves in some recursivity when it becomes clear some boxes are literally the level you're playing. It approaches the paradoxal twist from recursed earlier in a much cleaner, simpler version. But what I like most about this game is that the levels aren't hard for being hard but because they're teaching you the concepts of what you're doing (similar to how portal taught you thinking in portals). There's a strange sort of intuitive logic to it that makes the levels easier to do than to describe.
11. Super Mario Oddyssey
Yeah, I know: I'm late to the party. But better late than never: this is finally a 3D game that can stand toe to toe with super mario galaxy. Though a bit on the easy side, this is the equivalent of comfort food for me.
10. Sonic all-stars racing
It's safe to say that the steam deck changed my gaming habits. I've barely touched a mouse outside work, and if a game isn't intended for gamepad controls I find myself quickly losing interest (shotgun king is an exception). And within that segment, I find that racing games have more appeal to me. Like this one: I still have my original wiiu one. I honestly can't remember from which bundle I got a steam key, but I tried it. And played it. And played it more. It's still as insane as it was, and even ten years later it gives Mario kart a run for its money. I'm not going to try unlocking everything, though.
9. Inside
Played through this one some years ago. Works even better on the handheld. Not the hardest of games and wtf is with the ending, but the horror theme works perfectly.
8. Slay the princess
Wow. Talking about a game that grabbed me by the b****s and didn't let go until I knew what it was all about. Well...this is like the Stanley parable as a horror game that's also a love story (no, I'm not kidding). You are an unnamed person ("the hero") that's tasked by the narrator to go to the cabin in the wood, find the princess in the basement, and kill her. Because if not, the universe'll end. The game is a series of choices that matter a whole lot more than in other games. It's also SOMEWHAT a roguelike, which means that your choices lead to...different endings. Sometimes you kill the princess. Sometimes she kills you. The narrator isn't always on the sideline, your previous playthroughs have impact, and...look. I might've already said too much. Suffice to say that this is the best story driven game I've played in YEARS!
7. Linelight
Another steam pickup that I had on my google play library that I never could control properly. The key here is minimalism: you're a light traversing over lines. That's...it, really. It has very good puzzles and equally abstract enemies to outsmart. It also has an arc in the same way that duet: premium had an arc: the sort of visual and audio appeal that occurs once you make it to the end of the maze.
6. Mo:astray
As varied as the indie scene is, most games sort of blend together in what they're doing. I'm glad to say that the weird quirky games are still being made. Mo:astray is only a platformer because it resembles anything else LESS. You're a blob you pretty much bounce around the level as a golf ball. You're on a planet full of zombie-like things you can control by attaching yourself to it (and even read their minds, which is a great way to build the world), there are savages, machines and other weird stuff. What I like most is how the game squeezes all sorts of variety out of its main mechanic of golfball shooting/attaching to walls.
And as you can hear, the theme is equally quirky. It resembles stealth bastard deluxe, the swapper or rain world in some ways. Something has gone horribly wrong, but I'm not sure if the story is really about THAT as it is about trying to survive as a little blob in a harsh, brutal world where the earthling settlers have accidentally unleashed something horrific onto the native planet.
5. Rayman origins/legends
I can't believe it's been ten years since I played these! 5 bucks for both of these games...really...FIVE??? I can't deny there are better platformers now, but this is still an incredible combo of 2 of the best platformers ever.
...okay: I'm mostly about legends here. Origins set a lot of the stage and was an intro to an outstanding engine. Legends looks like the best that engine could offer: speedruns, music sync battles, bosses...even a freaking ENDLESS mode! Strangely enough, it's both too short (I thought it had a whole extra episode) and too long (this game PEPPERS you with things to unlock it's not even funny anymore). Oh, right...and it contains most levels of origins.
4. Ori and the will of the wisps
My initial plan was to run through ori and the blind forest again. But wait...didn't that one had a sequel? It did. And while I was initially not blown away ('ok...so it's more of the same stormy nature, angelic chorus and cryptic deep voice'), I have to say it quickly grew on me. By the end, I can say that it has more abilities to unlock, more characters, more story (though not all frontloaded this time) and more fantastic music and visuals. Especially the music is outstanding.
3. Bonfire peaks
This is the best Draknek game not by Draknek (he produced this, iirc). Otherwise said: this is the best designed sokoban game since ever (though keep in mind: I've not come around to playing monster's expedition). And the reason is that it goes the 'easier said than done' approach and does it: just make it 3D. That is: you're a dude with a box you want to burn. You can pick up the box, turn around with it, and walk it forward or backward. The fire is usually somewhere up top so you've got to navigate to it, sometimes uncovering the box from other obstacles.
The game looks terrible. Like minecraft goes through a goth period. But the puzzle design is brilliant. Downright. Freaking. Brilliant. Yes, it's often frustratingly hard, but it's more tangible than patrick's parabox. That is: if you've ever tried to move a large couch through a hallway or moved boxes around, you KNOW that getting stuck...happens.
2. super mario wonder
I tried it because I was in the mood. I stayed because it's not just good. It's not just great. It's downright INSANE! Lemme put it like this: it has a massive ace up its sleeve. Without the ace, it would already be different enough from other 2D Mario games to put it around or even at the top of that list. With said ace, it stands head and shoulders above the rest.
And what is this ace? Well...every level has a flower that makes things go insane. One time it's a herd of bizons, then you're turned into a certain creature, stars are falling from the sky, and so on. The insanity is that these hardly ever repeat, so it's like every single level is a treat in itself!
1. Rogue legacy 2
Another one that flew under the radar. On paper, I can't even recall what it offers over the first rogue legacy (which I now must admit has a sort of "I'd rather play dead cells" around it). But I've spent so incredibly much time with it I'm amazed that my daughter hasn't famished to death. It's that perfect "difficult but not too much" curve. It's a chill sandbox in which you can, after a while, just grind because it's fun to do. Or try the bosses. Or the many challenges. Or...
Anyhow: as good as the other games were, I must award this my game I loved most this year.
