Video games rule! People say 2021 was a “slow” year of games, I say the opposite, it was the best year of games yet. What even is a year in games any more? This year had significant upgrades to two of the greatest games of all time — Disco Elysium and Umurangi Generation, both of which I played this year. The greatest game of all time, Outer Wilds, got a DLC I haven’t even played yet, and Inscryption came out. Video games rule.
In 2021 I finished 94 games — maybe the most ever? I actually finished more games right at the end of the year but I’m carrying them over to 2022 for whatever arbitrary reason, I just don’t feel like adding them to this loooong list. I’ve also started replaying more and more games, and of course they’re my faves, so they’ll always be on my GOTY list.
What does finishing a game mean?
Lots of games don’t have ends. If a game has a clear single player story/campaign/game type etc. then finishing that is finishing the game. If it doesn’t have that and is online or just endless, I count having a solid understanding of what the game is as having finished it. The vast majority of games I played this year have a clear ending so it wasn’t as unclear as other years.
I liked almost every single game I finished this year, just lots of great stuff, it was hard to narrow down GOTYs. My GOTYs are highlighted by showing an image of the game so you can just scroll and see what my faves are. So here we go:
January — a great start to the year
Vampire the Masquerade: Coteries of New York (Switch) — If you were goth in the 90s/early 00s you’ll appreciate this game. It’s got some problematic stuff in it that is very emblematic of the white goth culture of that era, and it’s weird that 20 years later these people are still holding onto some of that, but still most of the game is super goth campy vampire fun. The art is also gorgeous and really adds a massive amount to what is a fairly mediocre, but fun, visual novel.
Bayonetta 2 (Switch) — What a great game and a perfect sequel. Bayonetta 2 takes everything great from the first game, replicates, and improves on it. The difficulty is better balanced, there’s fun and cool extras, and the same outlandish fucking ridiculousness is still there. Bayonetta 2 is sooooooo fun and if you liked the first you gotta play the second.
Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) — FF7R has an incredibly strong beginning that slowly degrades into a standard AAA slog. It seemed pretty clear to me that the devs were likely told the game has to be a minimum of 30–35 hours of play so make sure you fill up the game to make that happen. The game is 18 chapters and there are whole chapters that achieve nothing in the story, are purely combat, and are just a total frustrating waste of time. The combat is phenomenal, but the camera angles are pretty horrendous so doing so much combat in a row really becomes a chore and not fun. Still, I loved the plot, and there’s a lot of moments in it that are fantastic, I just really wish they’d just accepted the fact that a 5 hour long plot can’t be stretched into a 35 hour long game. I think had they aimed for something around 20–25 hours we would have a pretty incredible game.
Monster Train (PC) — Monster Train still going strong for me after 2020! I played this game last month as part of last year’s game’s finished list and it just continues to grow on me more and more. It is really fun and relaxing in a way other card games, with their extreme difficulty, hasn’t quite been for me. I played it for a good chunk of the start of the year and eventually fell off. Solid roguelike all around.
Butterfly Soup (PC) — This is one of my all time favorite games and if you haven’t played it…get to it! It’s the funniest game I’ve ever played, totally heartwarming, and genuine as hell. The game is fantastic, and it’s free on itch and just 3 hours long — so go play it! I play it at the start of every year and it will always be on my GOTY list.
Hidden Folks (PC) — What an incredibly loveable, relaxing, enjoyable game! I LOVED playing this — the artwork is incredible, the amount of detail and care that went into it is truly remarkable. The sound design also works SO well, it’s fun and silly and adds such a good layer to the game. This big animated Where’s Waldo game is one I’ll be recommending to people for a while. Absolutely in love with it and an all time fave.
A Short Hike (PC) — Wow this game did not disappoint. Absolutely fantastic. Fun, incredibly well designed in both puzzles and game world, great writing, and it really does hit that perfect sweet spot of emotions. I really need to go on a short hike in real life.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall (PC) — This was a really solid all around RPG. Great story, fantastic characters, good worldbuilding. The art and music are pretty average, I’d suggest throwing on some genre of electronic music while playing. It has probably the best take on a cyberpunk/dystopian future I’ve seen in that it really avoids all the stupid edgy crap and stays true to its punk nature. This game is a really strong example of making video game RPGs campaign based instead of having each of them trying to be the full story of an entire world. This felt much more like a singular really good campaign experience, full of character and politics, and the more I sat on it the more I loved it.
Frog Fractions (PC) — I had heard about Frog Fractions numerous times, I played it, it’s fun. It’s okay. I didn’t find it particularly engaging or anything, but it’s only an hour long and it made me chuckle a good number of times. I had to look up a guide on it a few times because it’s actually kinda confusing to play at points.
Adventures With Anxiety! (PC) — This was short 30 minute game on learning to relate to your anxiety. It does a good job of managing to be cute and fun while seriously addressing mental health in a productive way. It always feels good to experience media that reinforces engaging with your mental health in a realistic and healthy way. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re feeling not great.
Dicey Dungeons (Switch) — I didn’t reach the final true boss of the game, but I beat it several times and honestly…overall this game was a disappointment. There’s stuff to like about it, but it’s got WAY too much RNG, and to reach the true end takes WAYYYY too long. It made me sad cuz I was excited to get it. I did more or less enjoy what I played. The ideas were cool but whenever I lost it felt random and half the time I won it felt easy cuz I was just getting the right dice. Neither of those things are fun or interesting.
February — great indies and a Bloodborne replay
Extreme Meatpunks Forever (PC) — Game freakin rocks — queer punks kill fascists in meatmechs, great writing, fantastic characters, fun story, great aesthetic and overall design. Really liked the deprioritizing of graphics for the mech fighting, it worked really well with the punk vibe of the whole game. Just great!
The Indifferent Wonder of an Edibile Place (PC) — https://studio-oleomingus.itch.io/the-indifferent-wonder-of-an-edible-place This was a fantastic game — the poem in the game is incredibly well-written, I absolutely loved it, and how the game gives the poem life worked magically. Really just phenomenal and a great experience in just 15 minutes.
Pareidolia (PC) — https://sumaleth.itch.io/pareidolia A great mini game about seeing the world as a Pac-man game during COVID
Bloodborne (PS4) — Still amazing! Replayed alongside some friends. One of the best AAA games out there.
A Mortician’s Tale (PC) — Loved this one hour story about a funeral director. It’s really well written and moving and a great commentary on the dysfunctional state of deathcare in western culture.
Eastshade (PC) — This was a beautiful mini open world game. Incredible world and character design, just really enjoyable to play. The only thing marring it is that it tries to hard to be a video game — too much concern about money, back and forth side quests, barriers to play, etc. The best parts of the game are where it just lets you do the things you want to do, explore its world and have fun.
March — so many different genres, so many great games
Valheim (PC) — Survival games are entirely a genre of failed goals, and Valheim is still a part of that, but it is has by far the smoothest and most well developed start than any other I’ve played. I don’t have much faith the developers will be able to actually release a completed and full game eventually, as no survival game developer ever has, but it doesn’t really matter because for only $20 I’ve had the most fun and experienced the most polish yet out of this genre.
Frostpunk (PC) — A phenomenal strategy/city builder game, maybe my favorite of all time. The primary scenario is one of the best city builder experiences I’ve ever had. The systems they’ve created in the game and how they are all part of the thematic environment is just really well done. Really hard to stop playing, really high level of quality, and just incredibly engaging. I finished every scenario and played endless mode, I just can’t stop.
Loop Hero (PC) — What a great game. It really just hit so many itches for me — it was so chill, so fun, all the systems are so streamlined and clear. It really needs more tooltips/info within the game, but other than that I absolutely loved it. It’s a very me game that hits all the things I like about strategy games.
Resident Evil: Director’s Cut (PS1) — I was very surprised at how well this game still holds up. The tank controls are not as bad as people say and with some adjustment they can be kinda fun or at least in line with the scary vibes. With save and load states the game is incredibly fun and low on stress. It’s still creepy with amazing level and audio design and it’s still got hilarious dialogue. Well worth a replay, I loved my time revisiting it, even if I forgot to wait for Barry and didn’t get to have my final fight on the helipad with Tyrant. Maybe next time!
Ascension: Transition and Silver (PC) — Really enjoyed this VN about trans and queer identity. The game was very engrossing, it set up a great scifi world and great characters and relationships. It also uses real photography as backgrounds. It mixes together really well and thankfully it’s short and well paced. If you’re into queer VNs it’s definitely worth playing, especially since it’s free!
Timruk (PC) — Another really great game from Studio Oleomingus — a quick 10–15 minutes, some fantastic writing, great art, and a clever mechanic at the end https://studio-oleomingus.itch.io/timruk
Us Lovely Corpses (PC) — Another smart well-written visual novel about mental illness. There are a fair amount of these, but they never get old because the ones I’ve played have consistently been really genuine and have great characters, this one is no different. If you’re into that it’s just 45 minutes so check it out (and save often!)
Trash the Planet (PC) — https://thisgameishaunted.itch.io/trash-the-planet This game hit me so hard. It is hilarious but also it gets serious and doesn’t fuck around. A cautionary tale of raccoons who mockingly begin to copy human culture only to discover capitalism and destroy the world, it’s really just brilliant. I loved it. One of my faves this year. Free and about 2.5 hours, I definitely recommend it.
April — a chill month
Tiny Islands (PC) — Still a streamlined minimalist strategy masterpiece. Playing this game is like sipping a cup of tea.
Airborne Kingdom (PC) — This was a really solid city builder. The campaign was fun, though total fantasy fluff, and gave good direction around the building. I feel like the free build is more fun though because you can plan out your city much better. The concept is great, and while I don’t think it has very high replayability for a city builder, it’s still a lot of fun.
Soft Earth (PC) — https://rudeghost.itch.io/soft-earth a really well crafted and written visual novel about gender identity and a death in the family. It was really beautiful and well done, with some really smart minimalist visual choices. I loved it and it’s less than hour and free! check it out.
Pac-Man 99 (Switch) — A great continuation of battle royales on Switch and the only one I can actually win. I love Pac-Man.
Eliza (Switch) — Fantastic VN about the anti-human philosophies of tech companies. Beautifully written and disturbingly accurate to how absolutely fucking stupid and disconnected from reality these dumb tech frat boys are. Weird ending though.
Pom Gets Wi-Fi (PC) — A funny, clever game made by the developer behind Butterfly Soup. This game is definitely an early entry level work by her, but you can see all the talent there in clever writing, plot, and a fun mix of games culture and mechanics. Definitely worth a playthrough if you dug Butterfly Soup, though don’t expect something on that level.
Dead by Daylight (PS4) — Still playing this game throughout the year, still lotsa fun, it had a huge overhaul that was a huge visual improvement. It’s gotten buggier which is bad but they’re slowly smoothing out the bugs. Still one of my fave online games ever.
May — JRPG fails and my Retroid Pocket
Quarantine Circular (Switch) — I didn’t like this as much as Subsurface Circular, but I kinda wanna give it another playthrough at some point. I felt like I ended up picking some weird dialogue paths that didn’t quite match up, or maybe the quality of writing just dips in a few points. Overall though it was still good, I love the developers style of visual novel and I hope they keep making these. I love how it feels like stage plays.
Chrono Cross (PS1) — This game starts SO strong, and just is so awful once you get to the middle and then even worse in the back third. I didn’t finish this one but I got real close so I’m counting it. So disappointing. I still LOVE the opening — the music and art is some of the best on PS1. But like many JRPGs it was plagued with dev issues and the second half is an abject disaster.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village (NDS) — What a classic! It’s still so good but it did feel kinda old and dated. Also goddamn some of the puzzles are hard. But the plot is still a great fun mystery and just the whole game concept is fun as hell.
Grindstone (Switch) — One of the best puzzle games I’ve ever played, on par with Puzzle Quest for color matching games. Just unbelievably fun. Some areas the trick to that area was way too hard in comparison to other areas, but other than that, the music, art and gameplay is just all around great. A must buy imo and soooo much content.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered (Switch) — This game suckssss and people who claim otherwise have bad memories. It is a complete disaster from start to finish both technically and in the story. Game makes absolutely no sense. It’s actually probably one of the funniest games I’ve played because of how utterly awful it is, but that’s really the only good part of it besides some great music tracks and some cool visuals.
Wide Ocean Big Jacket (PC) — This was another really fantastic short narrative indie game. The art and writing are fantastic, and I thought the way they handled dialogue and movement in the game was really clever. The gameplay felt very in line with the writing, it was quick and fun. Really loved this one.
Megaman 2 (NES) — Game still rules.
Final Fight (SNES) — This game suuuucks! It’s an interesting relic, but it’s missing all the quality of better beat’em ups. It’s also ludicrously hard, my guess it was made for arcade first because it’s virtually impossible to beat without save states
June — Umurangi
Sayonara Wild Hearts (Switch) — GOAT now and forever
Lilian — the beginning of the end (PC) — A ten minute queer VN on itch, has a neat art style and vibe that was unexpected. Does a good job for being so short.
Streets of Rage 4 (Switch) — Game is still amazing, highly replayable, just an incredible sequel. I’ll be replaying it regularly for a while. That last level is just so brutal!!!
Umurangi Generation (Switch) — Fucking GOTY this game rules. An absolute masterpiece that fuses photography and revolutionary perspective. Really just amazing and one of my fave games of all time.
July — I finally played Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64 (Switch) — I’d never played this game before and had always wanted to. Most of the game holds up surprisingly well — it’s only when the game tries to be hard that it flies wildly into old game awful territory. The hard parts are just painfully un-fun platforming with terrible camera angles. Luckily most of the game is not like that and has cool fun levels. Really kinda surprisingly great.
Dark Souls 3 (PS4) — I began a NG of this and played through it hoping to eventually do the platinum. It’s the only one I’m missing besides Demons Souls which I don’t have access to. It was better this time around, and the DLC is still phenomenal, but the base game is definitely still my least favorite. After doing some research I’ve realized the platinum is by FAR the hardest of all their games and it would probably take me over 100 hours to complete so…..no. Really shitty trophy design in this game.
That Which Faith Demands (PC) — https://jencodon.itch.io/that-which-faith-demands a cool visual novel game about working as rough job reclaiming parts from destroyed mechs. Cool style, good vibes, a little buggy with text issues, but overall really enjoyed it. Worth checking out if you’re into mechs, it only took me a half hour or so. I wish there was a bit more to what was going on with the plot, I imagine maybe you get more info depending on how you play.
CUT THEM OFF (PC) — https://jencodon.itch.io/cut-them-off a short VN, maybe 15–20 mins, about someone cutting off the wings of their friend. It’s definitely a dark/depressing type of VN, there isn’t too much there, but what was there kept my attention.
Katamari Damacy REROLL (Switch) — still all time GOAT — one of the best games ever made, hands down, get it if you haven’t played it, get it if you have played, why are you not playing it right now?
August — a slow month, busy in life
Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective (Switch) — While I don’t think this game can stand up to the brilliance of Hidden Folks, it does have just gorgeous levels. The limited movement by actually controlling a character hurts it because it’s hard to really see as much as you want, but it was still a lot of fun to play through.
Ape Out (PC) — Really loved a lot of this game. However parts were definitely too hard. Cheap video game BS is rarely fun! Stop just throwing it into your games! Other than that it was amazing. Beat it in just under two hours. The last level and bonus level were perfect! So stylish, lotsa fun.
PICROSS S GENESIS & Master System edition (Switch) — Fucking best Picross ever goddamn MAAAAADE!!!! GOTY!!!!!
Axiom Verge 2 (Switch) — This was an interesting and creative follow up to AV1. I played it on super easy settings, mainly just exploring and enjoying the vibes and music. The story again felt kinda throw away scifi themes, it’s well written just not particularly interesting/new. Combat felt a lot clunkier than the first, but the exploration was great. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first or this one, but enjoyed playing both.
September — HARDCORE! TO THE MAX!
Boyfriend Dungeon (PC) — Really fun, really cute, good message. Just a solid game overall. Glad it was short because it would have gotten old, the combat is fun but repetitive, but it’s a good solid game. Of course I ended up only maxing my love rank with the cat because people are weird.
Myst (PC) — This remake is awesome. I beat it in essentially one sitting. What a bizarre beautiful awesome game. Myst still holds up and this is the best way to play it. Not nearly as obtuse as I remember, I only had to look up a few things that were obvious once I’d realized I wasn’t paying attention. Great game.
Abzu (PS4) — Gorgeous game. Same argument of — why do more games not have colors?! Fun chill, weirder than expected, atmospheric game. Definitely enjoyed it and I have a soft spot for underwater environments which this DELIVERED on.
Yes, Your Grace (PC) — Goddamn this game overshot my expectations — incredibly well written and paced, challenging but forgiving, it really felt tough to play through and make sure that everything turns out ok. Normally I’m like whatever kings are stupid, I’ll deal with it because video games, but this game really gave that ‘weight of the crown’ feeling. Just a really great simple strategy game with a strong narrative.
Curse of the Dead Gods (PC) — This is an amazing roguelike for 5–10 hours, then you realize it is extremely repetitive with very little gameplay variety for how long it is. And it’s longer than you might think. Worth it for the initial fun at least but doesn’t compare to something like Hades which it’s hard not to compare to.
Splatterhouse (TurboGrafx-16) — Unsurprisingly freakishly hard/impossible without save states, this game is pretty fun. It’s funny how much it’s a combo of gross and goofy. You’ll be punching threw vomiting corpses on your way to a boss that is just a floating chair.
Townscaper (Switch) — Really cute, really solid, fun and easy town builder. Great to just plop some time into here and there. The look of it is gorgeous!
Disco Elysium: Final Cut (PS4) — I don’t even know what to say. This game needs a class on it. I absolutely loved it, it’s one of my all time faves, the depth of writing and characters shows that games really can get on par with books. I’d love more RPGs in this vein. That’s the dream.
If Found… (Switch) — Damn this game hit hard. I got tired of all the swiping, but beyond that it was just so beautiful and moving and definitely hit those emotions. The art was gorgeous and the story about a young Irish trans woman dealing with family, economics, society, etc. was incredibly well done. Loved it!
Aliens: Fireteam Elite (PS4) — This is a great average game! Fun gameplay, actually some really beautiful Alien environments. It’s not super well made but it’s a great co-op game to play with friends. And goddamn THE MUSIC!!!
Vigil: The Longest Night (Switch) — An average but fun 2d souls-like. Took me about 9 hours to finish, which felt like a solid length for what the game is. If you’re into these 2d souls-likes pick it up on sale, it was fun! It captures the vibe, it’s not too hard, and it’s fun to explore. You won’t get a great game experience out of it, but it scratches the itch.
Metroid Fusion (GBA) — First 2/3 are surprisingly great and the last 1/3 is surprisingly bad. The game ends WAY too hard and just not fun. Still, overall, it’s a solid entry and worth playing with save states.
Kathy Rain (PC) — This was a fun quick adventure game I snuck in before it left gamepass. Had some solid stuff. It goes….off the rails. Which I kinda liked, but I think it woulda been better as an actual realistic narrative. I wouldn’t say it’s a big recommend, but if you like quick adventure games like I do, it’s worth it! It’s about 5 hours long.
October — several great games that didn’t make my GOTY list because I can’t have like…50 GOTYs
Unsighted (PC) — This is a really great Zelda-like. I played it with all the easy settings turned to max and loved it. I’m horrible at parrying, and the game is pretty much all parry, and I was not in the mood at all for something hard, and I’m so glad I changed the settings. Made the game a really fun relaxing experience. If you’re into old school Zelda or metroidvanias or just really good pixel action games with a solid enough plot, check it out!
Metroid Dread (Switch) — The best 2D metroid game ever made. An incredible follow up after so many years — the passage of time really shows in just how well made this game is — from tight movement and combat to beautiful art direction, this game is literally and figuratively decades ahead of its predecessors.
Back 4 Blood (PC) — Really fun! It’s definitely uneven in a lot of ways, but playing with friends was a blast.
Carto (PC) — Fantastic puzzly adventure game. With the exception of chapter 9, which was way too hard and clunky, the game has a really fun map manipulation concept that works extremely well matched with an endearing story about getting lost and finding yourself and your friends/family again.
Knights and Bikes (PC) — This game was excellent, it’s core success was how well it took a child’s perspective of money problems and death and turned it into a successful narrative. The mixture of child’s fantasy and reality was superb, the art gorgeous, and even though the game could be confusing and needed more breadcrumbs, the overall gameplay was fun and relaxing. Really loved it overall, though I wish the ending had a bit more bite to its politics.
Toem (Switch) — This game is a great, cute, fun, very pretty photo game. It has some UI/UX issues for figuring out what quests you’re handing in and lotsa backtracking, but besides that it’s a really solid experience. If you’re into photo taking games it’s a must! Really clever design for the photos.
Into the Pit (PC) — An ok roguelike FPS. Feels good to play, cool art, cool music, but extremely repetitive with no replay value past the first few hours, and way too long because of that. I finished it cuz…it is fun to play, but it’s a slog, so play it in small bits occasionally.
November — Have you heard of this game called Inscryption?
Inscryption (PC) — Totally blown away by this incredible horror meta narrative adventure game about card games. Absolutely enthralled by every second of it, loved every moment, if you’re into weird narrative stories and bizarre meta puzzles and cards you absolutely must play this. It joins the GOAT list with some other games this year. The experience was just so absolutely incredible to play.
Darkest Dungeon 2 — Early Access (PC) — A strong and interesting start for EA. A completely different game while still feeling like Darkest Dungeon. I’m fairly ambivalent on it now, but I can see a lot changing and getting better with time, it’s a good start!
Unpacking (PC) — One of my surprise faves this year — brilliant concept perfectly executed. Does an amazing job translating the intense feelings associated with moving and major life events.
Forza Horizon 5 (PC) — Game freakin’ rules. It’s a AAA disaster in terms of menus and quests and UI/UX, but goddamn does the driving feel good as hell.
UNBEATABLE (white label) (PC) — https://dcellgames.itch.io/unbeatable-white-label this is the short sample game for UNBEATABLE which is a longer version currently in development. It is PHENOMENAL and incredibly fun to play. Dying for the full game.
Exo One (PC) — I absolutely loved this chill orb game. Does this game have the biggest gaming world ever? It certainly feels like it. A really smart and cool idea extremely well executed, it only fails when it tries to be too gamey and you have to really aim the orb. But feeling the rise and fall of the orb through the different beautiful levels was really just excellent. Orb.
The Solitaire Conspiracy (Switch) — This was a fun new release from Bithell games — it didn’t catch me as much as the Circular games, but it was definitely fun, and I enjoyed the cheesy spy narrative matched with a cool take on Solitaire. If you see the trailer and it’s your kinda thing, you’ll probably enjoy it.
Castlevania (NES) — I can appreciate the structural decisions in the flow of the game, the art design, and some basic game concepts, but unfortunately most of this game still falls into “this is old crap” category for me. Way too hard, way too unfair, and just not fun for a huge portion even with save states. Still I’m glad I went back and finally played it all the way through, you can see the roots of stuff like Dark Souls and metroidvanias in it.
Valley Peaks (PC) — Wow this game is so incredible! Climb mountains and talk to cute frog people in this gorgeous game. It’s really fun, surprisingly not stressful given the nature of the game. It doesn’t have any save options tho so you lose all your progress if you quit which suuuuuuuucks! But still, an amazing game. I hope it grows, I’d love to see a more developed version.
December — honestly my favorite game this month was watching other people play Inscryption
Castlevania: The Adventure (Switch) — Gameboy games are very cool. This one doesn’t play so well on the Castlevania collection, VERY framey, but just aesthetically I love the big blown out grayscale. Still, the games LUDICROUSLY unfair, but with save states it’s doable and fun much like Castlevania NES. Feels a bit less aged than Castlevania and a bit more fair overall, although it’s got some truly horrendous “beat the moving wall” segments.
The Forgotten City (PC) — What a wholly enjoyable and pleasant game. It’s got some hiccups here and there that can make pursuing the mystery a bit confusing, but for the most part it plays into its simplicity very well and the game feels a lot more complex than it is, in a good way. Really fun, enjoyable, and a really cute ending. It’s a comfy mystery I’ve liked more and more as time passes.
Dadish (Iphone) — This was a very cute funny platformer. Short, worth a play, just a quality enjoyable experience that understands what makes platformers fun and avoids (for the most part) what makes them frustrating. Definitely will play the sequel. Touch controls are a bit iffy, so I’ll probly play the sequel on Switch.
Say No! More (Switch) — This game does a great job on following through and building on its basic premise of saying NO! to abusive bosses, shitty employees, capitalism at large, etc. It’s short, which it needs to be, but it varies it up and is funny and silly enough and has enough pointed commentary that it it doesn’t get old. Really enjoyed my time with it and it’s another good reminder of how dysfunctional corporate culture is.
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight (Switch) — A pretty fun, well paced soulsvania type game. I could do without the typical sexist anime bosses, outside that tho it’s fun and well worth the few bucks I paid for it. Well made, good vibes, good gameplay. Finished in under 4 hours.
A Normal Lost Phone (PC) — WOW the basic design concept for this is so cool! Great game, really interesting, great narrative about coming out/doing what you need to do for yourself. Really good, incredibly well executed.
Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator (PC) — this game is exactly what it says it is. The aesthetic and audio design/music is so freaking good. It’s really fun to mess around with the stocks and organ sales, and talk to all these weirdos. I got one of the endings and am curious about the others, though I’d probably have to look up how to get them because it wasn’t entirely clear.
An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs (PC) — great narrative, hilarious dogs, fantastic writing. I would have LOVED this game except for some of the (likely purposeful) rough edges that didn’t meld well with me — backtracking a lot, not connecting all airports, etc. I just get lost easily when things aren’t laid out well for me. But other than that, loved it.
Archvale (PC) — This was really fun! Nothing special about it but it’s a really well put together, smooth, bullet hell experience. I really enjoyed it! And it’s short which is of course the magic ingredient. Took me about 6 hours to finish.
Ring of Pain (PC) — Really great roguelike that definitely is a lot of RNG, which is a negative. Its concept of the ring is smart and makes the game very easy to pick up and play, which is great for roguelikes because a lot of them require some serious consideration before understanding them.
Overboard! (Switch) — I didn’t like this game at all — great art and music but the game was painfully shallow, extremely repetitive, the game mechanics did not mesh well at all, the plot and writing was bad. Really disappointing and I have no idea why people like it so much, I didn’t see any redeeming value to it.
The Gunk (PC) — Loved this new game by the Steamworld devs! Absolutely gorgeous, beautiful music, really fun to play and chill (just like their other games) just incredibly enjoyable. The writing was generic and there coulda been more world building and such, but overall a pleasant and relaxing experience.