I played 74 games this year. This number includes games I didn’t play for the first time this year. It also includes board games and video games.
Unlike the count above, the list below only includes games I played for the first time this year.
My top five
Dark Souls - Very good. Not as good as Elden Ring. Very cool to see an early version of this series. The intricate and interlocking world design of this game is unparalleled for me. The souls vibes and exploration are also unmatched for me.
Agricola - I see why this is a classic. Really captured my imagination. This inspired me to work on an unfinished project Worker Placement Survivors. I’d like to revisit it and this game more.
Dragonsweeper - I am really into Minesweepers for some reason. This one rocks. It is mixed with a fun rule discovery game, which is also something I love. Web playable, free, not too long - play it!
PEAK - This is my kind of co-op game. I had a lot of fun with this. Great for shooting the shit and generating fun experiences. I love games with emergent interactions and lots of simple interlocking systems.
CorgiSpace - I really liked this as an artist’s collection of works. The little recaps you unlock after you play the game are really fun. I feel like I was really playing and critiquing ideas and works alongside the artist. Very fun.
- Sebastian’s Quest is my favorite from this collection easily, it is sooo good. This is just a great game on its own right.
- Cave of Cards is also good and cryptic, you have to push past the initial distaste at not understanding what is happening. I really like a cryptic game. This one also transcends the collection, but I needed that context to force me to take it seriously.
- Vampire vs. Pope Army is another good one. I don’t think this transcends, but it is really good.
- Dino Sort is in my top from the collection too. I’ve liked this kind of game since I played a ludum dare winner, Small Trek.
Honorable mentions
Skin Deep is kinda awesome. It’s cooler each time I play it. This is definitely on my list. I’m not sure where yet though. I want to play it more.
- I’m not really into immersive sims, but I always kind of want to me. I think maybe Mosa Lina and Hitman World of Assassination have given me enough training to finally enjoy them.
Toy Battle - This is just good clean fun. Same designer as Caesar! which I also loved. I’ve only played this digitally, I think it could be higher up in my estimation if I played it physically.
Caves of Qud - The world and narrative are amazing. This game is super deserving of the Hugo award that it won. It is rich and endlessly interesting. I experienced a lot of this second hand, but it is great as part of a larger community.
- The level of simulation in this game is also astounding. I think this is incredibly impressive, but in the long run I think I don’t actually enjoy playing in this system. The minute to minute mechanics of fighting just become kind of a slog to me.
- This is truly a one of a kind. A generationally amazing game.
Katamari Damacy Rerolled - This is awesome. I’ve heard about this one for a while, but never gotten around to it before now. If I played more of this I think it could easily make my top five.
Heat - This is a really cool game. I only got one play in, but it was really cool how much this felt like racing. If I played more I think it could be above the line too.
1000xResist - This game is cool, but not really my kinda story I think. I have a hard time with narrative heavy games. I’m glad I played this and saw it through.
Notable omissions
Blue Prince - This game is super polarizing. I respect that it is uncompromisingly a roguelike and a puzzle game. I’m kinda turning into a roguelike hater though and would really prefer it to just be a puzzle game.
Despelote - This was pretty interesting. I liked seeing a game messing with cinematography. I think it just wasn’t really my kind of game.
Consume Me - I liked this, but didn’t love this. I think I wanted a shorter narrative version of this. The minigames in a narrative structure remind me of Florence and I appreciated the brevity of that game more.
Expedition 33 - Clair Obscure - I’m not into JRPGs, I don’t have history with them. I’m still pretty curious to try this one, but just haven’t gotten around to it.
Kaizen - A Factory Story - This was enjoyable! It doesn’t hit the highs of Shenzhen IO and Last Call BBS for me.
Dark Souls 2 - I didn’t like this as much as Dark Souls which I also played this year for the first time. This game got a bit long in the tooth for me. It has some very interesting experiments in it. Very glad to have played it, looking forward to DS3 next year!
Elden Ring Nightreign - This was fun for a bit, but I lost interest in it. I like playing games with friends, but I’d really rather just hang out and talk than play this sort of game much.
The Seance of Blake Manor - I wanted to like this more than I did. It feels so close to awesome for me, but it just didn’t quite land.