Another spicy year for gaming and it really had me hustling down to the wire to set my list. While I could easily expand it to 20 great games worth mentioning I am keeping it to a neat 10 and boy this year was diverse in the selection. We had incredible new IP coming in and some sequels that were well worth the wait. Lets count it down!
10. Fire Emblem Engage
I am well versed in the ways of Fire Emblem and it was nice to have a new one. Not too much reinventing happened in this installment of the series; they tightened up some of the gameplay by taking away the giant castle from FE houses. At the same time the gachapon system for enhancing your rings was a bit silly. Either way being able to link your favorite heroes from past games to the ones in this story made a difference and gave a blast of nostalgia..
9. Spiderman 2
It’s hard to put Spiderman 2 in this low spot but the ending didn’t have the same punch as the original. Impossible to deny at the end of the day the traversal, character swapping, and side content was amazing. However, at times the main story felt forced, the battles are long and tedious and some parts disjointed. There are several characters that will not be coming back and it was difficult to understand at the time why taking them off the table was important. At the end of the day Spiderman 2 does a great job at pushing the story of these characters along towards a finale.
8. Lies of P
Since playing the demo for Lies of P I was hungry and ready to run. Using the idea of Pinoccio as an automaton who is the only hope of the humans was a good fracture to the original fairy tale. Since it is a Soul-like game the combat seemingly does not do too much to set itself apart, but the challenge level was manageable with the enhancements you can unlock. Customization started off slow but towards the end it was impactful and easy to build around your play style. I still have an itch for more of this content so it may come back into the rotation sooner than later.
7. One Piece Odyssey
I was never really into One Piece before the pandemic and now I have become a big fan. If you have a casual knowledge of the manga or show and you want to get the cliff notes Odyssey does a great job recapping. At the same time brand new characters are added to the One Piece universe and RPG elements are way better than expected. This one was a long haul game and you can easily push 100 hours into it with additional story DLC and going back to complete end game content. If you are a fan of One Piece then this is a very competent RPG featuring the Straw Hat Pirates.
6. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Building on the original story from the first Star Wars Jedi, more worlds are there to explore all the while Cal is fighting to protect his friends and fuel the rebellion. Along the way the story takes some turns including making some references to the movies and TV shows. Traversal in this one was not as zippy as Spiderman but the story was far and above worth the play. There were some parts that really pushed Cal’s character and it will be interesting to see where it goes. Oh, mild spoilers but you finally get to face off against Darth Vader.
5. American Arcadia
Surprise! This spot was originally going to Armored Core 6 but after finishing American Arcadia it could not be contained. American Arcadia is a high octane story in two parts that are happening at the same time. One perspective is third person, always moving to the right and the other is a first person view with more sneaking elements. The characters, story, environments are a blast to run through. Some of the puzzles will have you stop to take a breath but overall nothing is impossible to overcome. This is a quick one too with nice bite size chapters for the gamer on a time crunch.
4. Final Fantasy 16
I am a sucker for Final Fantasy and while we are moving further from the old school turn based combat the characters, music, and world are still there. FF 16 comes in with some of the most enjoyable quick time events in a while. The timing is generous so you are able to watch the action happening on screen. The side content will keep you engaged for hours as it all loops back and feeds into the main story. Some of the themes in the game are really obtuse but I get where they are coming from trying to create the setting. At the end of the day the action packed combat mixed with the music score was the killer combo.
3. Sea of Stars
An original turn based RPG in the setting of Sabotage Studio’s first game. I kickstarted this one back in the day and was sitting patiently waiting. It was well worth the wait and it checked a lot of those boxes in a great JRPG. They also incentivize the players to go back and play through side content to be able to obtain the true ending, which is needed in my opinion. For those who never played The Messenger, there are levels and music from that game that come back during Sea of Stars. The story went places I was not expecting and while the characters themselves are not perfect it made for a compelling adventure.
2. Alan Wake 2
Last sequel on this list and by far the best of the crop. For those who never played the original Alan Wake it was an action adventure with horror elements, this is straight horror survival. The game’s story takes place 13 years after the original and boy did they do a great job of building it. You are getting two stories that collide, one of Alan Wake and the other of Saga Anderson. While Saga is in the real world dealing with the supernatural and guest appearance of the Federal Bureau of Control you have Alan still stuck in the Dark Place. There is a 15 minute sequence where they turn Alan Wake’s story into a musical and it might be one of the most amazing things incorporated into a game in years. So for sure the musical elements there and at the end of each chapter had me enthralled.
1. A Space for the Unbound
A Space for the Unbound is impactful and that’s why it is my game of the year. Set in a small town in Indonesia it is embedded in the culture and you can see it in all aspects of the adventure as it unfolds. On the outside, A Space for the Unbound appears to be a puzzle game where the player is living the life of a high school student. Under that the subject matter is very serious and takes the player and characters on a journey that they will be challenged during. There is some levity as you are able to pet and name all the cats that you encounter in A Space for the Unbound. The ending however left a mark that I will take with me and will not soon forget the fun and sadness I felt playing it.
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