- Elden Ring - There’s a thrill in this game of discovering a new area that I think is almost unmatched in any other game I’ve played. When you first go over the bend of a hill and look down at a new area. The fear, the thrill of discovery, the anticipation of picking up loot, the danger of running into a new kind of enemy, the primal emotion of stepping into fog not knowing what you’ll find, the fear of heights the level design repeatedly evokes by putting you on a cliffside as you look down into the abyss or into a beautiful vista. The things this game does well are unique to video games. It’s a very gamey-game, and yet it still manages to evoke those feelings I described above that usually come with games that focus on immersion; games that usually try to make you forget you’re playing a game. I think that’s Elden Ring’s greatest trick. It somehow does immersion so well despite unabashedly reminding you all the time that you’re playing a game.
- Tinykin - Is it possible to create a cute platformer that’s satisfying even though it has no enemies? YES! I just love this game so much. The amount of small details and love that went into this is hard to describe. A small example. There’s music playing in the City of Santar level. When you walk into the church area you hear the same music on a church organ. When you get to the level where the choir is singing, you hear that same music as sung by a choir. When you go inside a piano (you’re shrunk down to the size of an ant inside a house), you hear that same music as played on a piano! It’s subtle but it’s so good.
- Pentiment - I’ve only just started playing this, so I’m just going to cheat and predict that I’m going to end up loving this.
- Nobody Saves the World - I love the art in this 2D game so much. It brings out the kid in me to see this kind of art. It’s like a children’s storybook’s look of hand-drawn art come to life, with beautiful yellows around a lamp post, wonderful green bushes, cute little flowers and rats and knights and arrows and barrels.
- Vampire Survivors - Ever since Geometry Wars 2, I’ve been lamenting about the lack of similar twin stick shooters that get me hooked. And along comes this strange twin stick shooter that doesn’t require the second stick, because you shoot automatically. It’s not as good as Geometry Wars 1 and 2, but it’s really good.