My favourite games of 2023!

Hello once again blog that I've never written a post for before! 

2023 was a pretty damn good year for video games, if you ignore the various hell-screaming controversies, so today I wanted to give an overall summary of my thoughts towards the various games I partook in this year, in the form of a Top 10 List! Because everyone on the internet seems to like doing those and they are very satisfying to put together! I had a lot of game-ular fun this past year and this felt like the best way to properly express it! SO here we go!

10: Signalis

Survival Horror has always been a genre I’ve wanted to try more of, but I would always be too CHiCkEn to actually go for it. But after playing this game, I legit wanna dive into more games in the genre and see what experiences I’ve missed. Everything about Signalis feels like it’s done with so much care, attention and craftian love, from the atmosphere and style of the game, how the game looks so authentically like a PS1/DS game, the terrifying sound design, the addictive gameplay loop, the satisfying puzzles and, despite how cryptic and “Explained video on YouTube” the story can be, how tragic and sad Elster and Ariane’s horrifying, transhumanistic journey ultimately ends up. Just a brilliant game overall, and one that’s reignited my interest in the horrible world of scary things.

9. Pikmin 4

Pikmin has always been a series of games with a vibe like no other. The feel of commanding a cute little ant-sized army of carrot people through the humongous landscapes of gardens, beaches and kitchens, all whilst managing your time and what items you can collect in a single in-game day, is untouchable. And Pikmin 4 damn near perfects this formula. The game implements and improves nearly every aspect of the previous games and enhances everything that was already fantastic. The world looks more gorgeous than ever, the new Ice and Glow Pikmin types are super fun additions, and the returning caves from Pikmin 2 are vastly improved from their original designs. There really is nothing else quite like playing a Pikmin game and I’m super happy a new generation gets to experience it for themselves. Hopefully it won’t take another 10 years for the next one to come out! 

(also oatchi is the most precious dood everrr 😊)

8. The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

As the sequel to Breath of the Wild, Tears of The Kingdom somehow outdoes its prequel in nearly every way. Not just in the expanded open world and the improved boss fights and dungeons, but in the amount of creative tools it gives you to explore Hyrule however you want. You wanna use a Zonai glider to glide halfway across the map? You wanna create a giant mech that breathes fire? Go ahead! You wanna attach an innocent Korok to a rocket and blast them into the sky? Do it you psycho! There’s nothing stopping you from doing what you imagine, not even the game glitching! The fact that this game is running on a Switch without making it explode is mind-blowing to me. All that being said, TotK still has a few gripes I also had with BotW, such as the story being kind of simple (aside from one plot twist that rly got to me ngl) and the characters being a bit bland and lacking the depth that they could have. But still, when a game is breaking the boundaries of what is even possible in a game this much, I can forgive it for just having an okay story. Bloody marvel of design!

7. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

For years and years and years, I’ve wanted to see SEGA give the Jet Set Radio series another chance. The series' thick, punchy early 2000s graffiti artstyle, the addictive traversal mechanics and its iconic soundtrack are things that I cannot get enough of and have honestly been a huge influence on myself artistically! And while a JSR3 has now been officially announced which I am BEYOND hyped about, to me, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk will always feel like the real JSR3... ironically enough. Developed by Team Reptile known for Lethal League, BRC is essentially a fanmade non-official JSR3 and it’s essentially everything a JSR fan could hope for. Not only is every element of what made JSR fantastic still accounted for, including the GOD-LIKE MUSIC, the game also goes out of its way to establish its own identity and even improve on aspects the original JSR games were lacking in, such as actually including cutscenes and an interesting story with plot twists! BRC genuinely feels like an evolution of everything that JSR was and could be, and is a perfect showcase that this kind of creativity and funkiness in gaming hasn't gone out of style yet. I cannot bloody wait to see what Team Reptile does next. I’m gonna go listen to the soundtrack again now. 

6. Fire Emblem Engage

I've been a massive fan of the Fire Emblem series since playing Fire Emblem Awakening back in 2014 (jesus) and I can never get enough of the series’ combo of lovable characters, engaging stories, and super addictive strategy gameplay! And Fire Emblem Engage, even though it stumbles in some places, has all of those elements and then some! While the story of the game is very basic for a FE game and honestly gets very cheesy and melodramatic at points, as an anniversary title celebrating the history of the series, it absolutely works for what it is! The cast are all fantastic as usual, my personal favourites being Céline, a princess who loves tea 😊, Alcryst, the nervous and therefore highly relatable prince, and Zelkov, the *brooding* edgelord with a *heart* of gold! The gameplay itself is some of the best in the whole series on top of this, with each map and encounter offering a new idea or fun gimmick, even if the game offers a bit less unit customisation than the previous game did. So yeah! Even if the game’s narrative is a bit underwhelming and silly, as a Fire Emblem fan looking for a fun time to celebrate the whole series, I was more than happy with Fire Emblem Engage! The DLC was bloody nightmare though. 😅

5. Ghost Trick Phantom Detective

Ghost Trick is a game I have wanted to try for ages now and thanks to the 2023 HD re-release I was finally given that opportunity. And I'm so glad that happened because this game bloody rules! Ghost Trick follows Sissel, a recently deceased ghost trying to solve the mystery of his own murder, as well as the various conspiracies and goofy characters that are entangled in said mystery. As a ghost, Sissel can manipulate the environment to help prevent other people's deaths, which form the majority of the games puzzles! The pacing and story of the game are all excellent, with each chapter introducing you to a new brain scratching Rube-Goldberg-Like puzzle or an out of nowhere plot twist that keeps you hooked right to the end. The game isn't very long but no part gets boring or slow. The characters are all likable and at times bloody hilarious, and the remastered soundtrack helps accentuate the super strong dramatic moments even more. If you're a fan of puzzle games or just looking for a damn good mystery, you absolutely HAVE to give Ghost Trick a shot. You'll also want to hug your nearest Pomeranian after finishing it.

4. Spider Man 2

As one of the main reasons I decided to bite the very expensive bullet and finally buy a PS5, Spider-Man 2 was absolutely worth the investment in my opinion. The universe of Insomniac Games' Spider-Man is honestly one of my favourite interpretations of the Spider-World and its characters, and this game adapts the iconic Venom story-line friggin' fantastically. Swinging through New York is somehow even more fun than the previous games thanks to the new winged suit, and being able to swap between Peter and Miles and experience missions and stories unique to their version of Spider-Man is bloody brilliant. The combat and stealth are just as fun as before, if a bit simplified compared to the other games, and the non-spidey sections playing as MJ or other characters are so much better than they used to be. I unfortunately wish that the game had a bit more content, as I managed to achieve the Platinum Trophy for the game pretty easily, but in terms of a Spooder-Man experience, there's not much you can complain about here!

3. Master Detective Archives: Rain Code

2023 was an absolutely killer year if you're a fan of mysteries and bloody murders because not only did we get Ghost Trick, we also got a brand new game from the team behind Danganronpa with Master Detective Archives: Rain Code! Everything that made the Danganronpa games fantastic: the gruesome murders, the compelling mysteries, the fun characters and the mind-shattering plot twists, are all present and thriving in Rain Code! The opening chapter of the game in particular broke my brain in ways I still haven't fully recovered from. Sprinkle in a super vibe-y neon cyberpunk setting perpetually set at night, as well as frantic, if a little bit hard to grasp, mystery solving minigames, and you have an absolute banger of a game! While it isn't perfect and holds some of the same flaws DR had, such as certain annoying characters and tropes (desuhiko), there really isn't anything else with a vibe like a game made by the DR dudes. So bloody excited for how they're gonna explode our minds next.

2. Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed

This might be considered cheating, since Future Redeemed is actually an expanded extra story released for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but anyone who knows me in real life will know that I am a gigantic Xenoblade fanboy and that I, to be frank, do not give a hoot. Future Redeemed not only has enough content to consider it it's own seperate game from base Xenoblade 3, it concludes the overarching narrative that every game in the trilogy has been slowly building up bloody masterfully. It's essentially the grand finale of the Xenoblade saga as we know it for now. The campaign is filled to the brim with fan-service for the previous games that made me squee like a kid in my chair and also provides extra context for certain characters from the previous games and base Xenoblade 3! Seeing Shulk and Rex, the protagonists of Xenoblade 1 & 2 respectively, all grown-up having become chiseled badasses with families of their own just made me feel so friggin' happy man. The gameplay is also some of the most addictive in the whole series, with the updated collectopaedia system giving you constant incentive for exploring and battling monsters as much as possible! I hope it sticks around for whatever comes next! I defo wouldn't recommend this campaign to a Xenoblade beginner, seeing how it sort of relies on you knowing how important certain things from previous games are, but as the potential finale to possibly my favourite video game series of all time, I legit could not have asked for a better way for it to go out. SO THEN, what could possibly top something like this?? Well...

1. Octopath Traveller 2

Octopath Traveler 2 is legit, in my opinion, one of the best modern RPGs in this generation of gaming. While I liked the original Octopath Traveler released in 2018, Octopath 2 outshines it in nearly every possible way. For those unaware, the Octopath Traveler games are turn-based classic style RPGs that feature 8 main characters, each with their own stories, wants and goals, all joining together to explore a beautiful fantasy world, this time being the world of Solistia, and ultimately discover what lies at the end of their “paths”, as they say. The player is given the choice of which character they start with and from there, can choose which other characters join at what time. This time, these can include Agnea, a dancer from a small village hoping to become a star in the big city like her mum, Hikari, an exiled prince on a journey to reclaim his homeland from his evil brother, Partitio, a slick merchant hoping to end all the world’s poverty with the power of money, and so many more! Eight, to be precise! 

Everything that made Octopath 1 great; the addictive and satisfying turn-based combat, the bloody GORGEOUS HD-2D artstyle and the incredible soundtrack, are all still here and wonderful to witness, but nearly every negative from the original game you could think of; the repetitive structure and hit or miss writing quality, have either been fixed or completely removed. Unlike the first game, each of the travelers feel like they have proper time to interact and bond with each other so by the end, they feel like a proper family you don’t want to say goodbye to! The structure also allows the player to have much more non-linear freedom as to which story they can focus on at what time, leading to the game having MUCH better pacing than before! And in part thanks to that and in part thanks to the writing, the stories themselves also manage to grip you way more than the first game, leading to so many more moments that either leave you stunned or even misty-eyed, no joke. I can’t even think of the presentation of Agnea’s final boss without even slightly choking up.

So yeah! Octopath 2, to me, is everything you’d want in a game, and one I was so happy to have experienced in the very difficult year of 2023! And if you’re interested in the game too, not only does it have a demo on the Switch and Steam, but it's also a completely seperate universe from Octopath 1, so you don't have to worry about missing any context if you play this one first! If you’re looking for a bloody magical experience for you to sink about 100 hours into, out of all the games in 2023, Octopath Traveler 2 is the one I absolutely recommend the most! Which isn’t surprising given how much I’ve written about it. 

And there you go, my completed list! There are still lots of experiences from 2023 I'd like to talk about at some point (both amazing and a little bit strange), but we can save that for another time! Let me know if you agree with my list and whether I've missed out any other game-ular, cronking mind-shattering masterpieces!

Thanks for reading!

None of the images or properties discussed in this post belong to me. Every property belongs to their respective owners.

SOURCE LIST:

Signalis By Humble Games & Playism: https://rose-engine.org/signalis/

May be found at the following website: MobyGames, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72261792

Pikmin 4 By Nintendo: https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/Pikmin-4-2267217.html 

https://www.dekudeals.com/items/pikmin-4?utm_source=nt, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73976907

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom By Nintendo: https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/The-Legend-of-Zelda-Tears-of-the-Kingdom-1576884.html

May be found at the following website: https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/media/50818/4, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71745902

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk By Team Reptile - https://team-reptile.com/presskit/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74656864

Fire Emblem Engage By Nintendo: https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/Fire-Emblem-Engage-2267157.html

Image by Giant Bomb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72742725

Ghost Trick Phantom Detective By Capcom: https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Ghost-Trick-Phantom-Detective-2338699.html

The box/cover art can or could be obtained from Capcom, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28930833

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 By Insomniac Games: https://insomniac.games/game/marvels-spider-man-2/

https://blog.playstation.com/2023/06/08/marvels-spider-man-2-arrives-only-on-ps5-october-20-collectors-digital-deluxe-editions-detailed/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73989403

Master Detective Archives Rain Code By Spike Chunsoft: https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/games/master-detective-archives-rain-code/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69421932

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed by Nintendo: By https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/Xenoblade-Chronicles-3-2168340.html#Expansion_Pass

https://xenoblade.fandom.com/wiki/Xenoblade_Chronicles_3:_Future_Redeemed?file=XC3FR_Artwork.jpg

Octopath Traveler 2 By Square Enix - IGN, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72138946