Happy final day of 2023! I thought it would only be appropriate to finish this year off with the one genre that got me into writing in the first place. This year was filled with some of the best experiences I’ve ever had in gaming form, so I won’t waste anymore time. Here are my favorite games of the year!
Disclaimer: I’m so sorry to say this, but I did not play a lot of the bigger titles that released this year (*cough cough* Baulder’s Gate 3 *cough cough* Spider-Man 2). I simply don’t have the funds nor the time for those types of commitments, so maybe next year! I’m also realizing I only played games on the Nintendo Switch…
Video Games
5. Venba
Average playtime: 1-2 hours
This was a wonderful game I saw making its way around the internet and I knew I had to try it out the moment I saw what it was. In Venba, you’re playing as a family immigrating to Canda from India, learning what it’s like to be in a completely unfamiliar place. Most of the game follows a puzzle format, where you’re trying to decipher various pages in a cook book that has seen much better days. These cooking portions of the game were the best part – not to mention the fact that they are real recipes. I loved the satisfaction of figuring out what steps to make everything in and seeing it all come together. It was something difficult enough to where I needed a few tries sometimes but not hard enough to where I needed to use hints every level. It was a short game, but worth it.
4. GRIS
Average playtime: 3 1/2 hours
Most of the time I find interesting games through videos online, but this was an exception. GRIS I found on the Nintendo Switch “Great Deals” section and was super intrigued by the artstyle. The game follows a woman through her journey to bring color back into her own world as she recovers from some sort of traumatic event. The player is never given explicit details, or dialogue at all, but the vibes are there. Each time I found myself uncovering a new color, everything about the world changed and I fell in love with it each and every time. By the end of my sitting, the game was gorgeous and I never would have known the game was going to get that beautiful from the whites and blacks I started with. Absolutely amazing.
3. Spiritfarer
Average playtime: 25 hours
Whenever I found myself with a little extra time this year where I just wanted to sit down and play a cozy game, Spiritfarer was always my go-to. It’s a sweet story following Stella as she helps lost souls move on to the afterlife. You build up your boat and give everyone houses, making sure their comfortable, while also learning about your connections to the passengers of the ship and uncovering what happened to Stella herself. ThunderLotus managed to teach me about grief and what it means to say goodbye in this beautiful little game and I don’t think I’ll ever be the same.
2. Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Average playtime: 5-6 hours
Going into 2023, this game was number one on my radar. I’d seen the original game on YouTube years ago and loved it. It’s one of the few games that I, myself, have played through at least three or four times. So, when I found the sequel was in development, I was ecstatic. My literal notes on Oxenfree II are “Amazing. Gorgeous. I was so scared so much.” I think this was an amazing follow up to the universe Night School Studio designed with the original game. I do wish it had been longer, but the otherworldly music and call-backs to the initial game made it seem larger than life.
1. Inscryption
Average playtime: 12 1/2 hours (variable player to player)
Where to start with this one? This was a game that I fell in love with just watching YouTubers fail again and again at finishing Act I of the game. It’s designed to be a strategy card game that is very difficult. Every time the player fails, they have to start again from the beginning, slowing making heir way through a total of five bosses. I never even saw Acts II and III of the game online – I knew it was something I had to experience for myself. I thank past Payton a thousand times over and over for that decision. Knowing absolutory nothing about the game made the ending that much more impactful when I finally got there. Once again I’d like to direct you’re attention to my notes, where I said: “Perfection. Act I took me over a year to finish [note: this is true. It took me so long. But it was so worth it], and the build up to fighting and WINNING was unmatched….I love a good meta game. I’m also obsessed with the found footage bits.” Please, if you like scary games that are super insane, check this out. It doesn’t get enough love.
As someone who loves to discover new video games every day, thank you for reading through my (somewhat comprehensive) list of favorite games from this year! If you’re interested, I’ll be posting one more piece with my favorite movies – spoiler, it was so hard to narrow the list down that I had to include twice the amount. Be sure to check out my other articles (as well as that one which will be linked here once it’s live)!
Payton Klaer 
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