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All of all! / Re: Games of 2023

« Last post by Archem on February 29, 2024, 08:42:35 PM »

I forgot to do this until just now. I had a very busy year, so I didn't finish as many games. I certainly still played a decent number, but most of my time went to games that don't really have an end goal, like Mario Kart or Jackbox with friends.

January

Supraland: Crash (PC)

This was a really meaty DLC for the original Supraland. It could have existed stand-alone due to how much content was in here, as well as how it's totally isolated from the original game. It's more of the same, but that's definitely not a bad thing, and I won't waste anyone's time by re-writing everything I said about the first game. I still haven't played Supraland: Six Inches Under (the sequel game), but I really need to.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations (Switch, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC)

Again, just read the mini-review I put at the end of last year's writeup. I feel the same now as I did then.

Blackthorne (PC, SNES, Sega 32X, GBA, Switch, PS4, Xbox One)

Blackthorne is a classic cinematic platformer from Blizzard back in their glory days. If you don't know/remember cinematic platformers, they were often pretty clunky, usually focused on puzzle solving, and looked very pretty. Examples would be games like Another World/Out of This World, Oddworld, Heart of Darkness, and the original Prince of Persia games. Blackthorne does have its fair share of puzzle solving, but it's much more an action game. You play as a prince sent to Earth by a wizard many years ago when your home world was attacked by orc-like bad guys who take over the kingdom. Then you get magically transported back as an adult to fight back against them. Also, you brought a shotgun with you. The setting is very medieval fantasy inspired, but with sci-fi technology peppered in, so while you're raiding dungeons, you'll also be deactivating generators powering energy shields and things like that. The combat is pretty simple, and is basically peek-a-boo most of the time. Some enemies have strategies to them, but the man orc-like bad guys eventually just turn into either pure timing or pure luck guessing when they'll pop out of cover and shoot and how long they'll stay exposed. The game is somewhat flexible in this regard, as it gives you an inventory to use which includes your usual keys, but also healing potions, grenades, remote control drones, and elevating platforms that can be used at any time. The trick is that sometimes, you need these things for specific puzzles, and you might waste them if you use them at the wrong times. The game is pretty strict about what you should do, and when. If you get it wrong, you'll likely wind up seriously injured or possibly killed instantly. While this is standard procedure for most cinematic platformers, I would argue that Blackthorne is a bit more forgiving than most. Ultimately, it's a pretty fun game, but you definitely need to have the patience to deal with such a rigid game in the modern era.

Handshakes (PC)

Ok, technically this is a demo for a yet-to-be-released puzzle game, but I'm counting it anyway. This is a block pushing puzzle game mixed with Snake. You control two little dudes who are trying to shake hands with each other, and while they don't move, their arms can stretch infinitely. The goal is to make the hands overlap on the grid, but their arms can't overlap (à la Snake). It's short, fun, and free on Steam. I love these kinds of games, so I'll be patiently awaiting the full release, Handshakes: Hands On.

March

Vampire Survivors (PC, iOS, Android, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch)

By now, I expect most people know about this game. Massive waves of gothic horror-themed monsters (obviously inspired by Castlevania) swarm at you while your character automatically attacks at fixed intervals and you move around in an attempt to avoid their onslaught, collecting experience gems and items to improve your offensive/defensive capabilities. I ignored it for a long time, convinced that it was too shallow and unlikely to actually be much fun. Then I found out it was free on phones, so I figured "hey, for free, I'll give it a shot" and wound up addicted to it for a while. It's really fun, and has a surprising amount of depth due to the deep rabbit hole of secrets hidden in the game and levels. I bought the game on PC, as well as its DLC, because even at full price for everything, it still only cost around $10. It has multiplayer now, so that means it works as a fun party game, too.

Torchlight 2 (PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One)

A very well-made Diablo clone that originally released the same year as Diablo III and featured some of the same people that worked on Diablo and Diablo II, this game was set to be a big deal. It was, actually, and capitalized on Diablo III's less-than-stellar launch. It's a dungeon crawler action game that doesn't do anything too original, but what it does, it does very well. It's Diablo in all but name, as we expected.

Toree 3D (PC, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)

A fun, short, simple 3D platformer that looks like a bright and cheery late 90s game, but as is the style of the time, it hides sinister and creepy secrets. If you're familiar with the Hanuted PS1 indie collab stuff, then you may already have seen that this was a part of that. If not, the name alone will probably give you an idea of what to expect. I like it quite a bit, as well as its sequel Toree 2.

Toree 2 (PC, Switch)

More of the same! This developer has a thing for making cutesy, fun little faux-N64 games and charging a buck or two for the bite-sized experience. I'm all for this, because as mentioned previously, I've had a pretty busy year, and this quick shot of nostalgia is very pleasing. I'm waiting for the next entry in the series, Toree Saturn. It sure looks like more Toree, but with a Sega Saturn vibe this time.

April

Metroid Fusion (GBA, 3DS, Wii U, Switch)

Did I finally finish Fusion? I guess so, it's on my list. Well, for the uninitiated, Metroid Fusion is yet another entry in the Metroid series, this time featuring a more linear progression and horror theme as you control Samus Aran through a research station while being pursued by a seemingly indestructible doppelganger. There are a lot of people who consider this to be the best Metroid, but because of its linear nature and near total lack of sequence breaks (normally a series standard), none of those people happen to be speedrunners. I've played this game plenty of times in the past, but for one reason or another I never finished it. Honestly, I'm surprised to learn that I did finish it. Weird. Anyway, it's a lot of fun, and if you love Metroidvanias as much as I do and somehow haven't played this game, you owe it to yourself to play one of the best games in the series.

September

Zortch (PC)

Zortch, or Zortch Maxinum Against The Alien Brainsuckers! (sic), as it is referred to on the game's title screen, is a retro-inspired first-person shooter that manages to perfectly capture that late 90s era. Built on a custom engine, it manages to also be damn near able to run on a PC from the same era. This game perfectly captures the look and feel of those games, sitting somewhere between Unreal and Turok in terms of visuals. The levels (15 total) are massive and packed with secrets and wild encounters. The weapons are all really satisfying to use, and the enemy variety is just right. The game has an absurdist sense of humor to it and a weirdly balanced damage scale. Your HP and armor goes up to 200, but can blow way past that using powerups, but some of the enemies can do enormous amounts of damage on their own, so it kind of neutralizes out. A lot of the standard grunts can be easily killed in one headshot, but then there are the bigger guys who teleport and can take what feels like dozens of rockets. It works so well somehow. The game's awesome, and for $5, I feel like I'm getting away with something. I think it might have been my Game of the Year.

December

Corn Kids 64 (PC, Switch)

Or maybe I meant to say this game is my Game of the Year. I'm not sure. Anyway, we have yet another throwback-styled game, this time a 3D platformer that feels very inspired by Rare's classics like Banjo-Kazooie or Conker's Bad Fur Day, but with a visual style that draws inspiration from the works of Jhonen Vasquez (Invader Zim, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac). You play as a little goat kid named Seve who it trapped in a dream where his nachos were stolen, but his friend Alexis is able to leave him silly sticky notes that sometimes offer help all over the world. Neither of them seems to be taking things too seriously in their own ways, with Seve being more interested in doing things for a reward (the nachos he was dreaming about), and Alexis just being generally scatterbrained. It's all very silly, and while the game is short in theory (there are only a couple of real worlds), they're so packed with content that it can take hours to get through everything. The levels are so smartly designed and the goals are somewhere between simple and straightforward and so obscurely buried that it feels like you were never meant to find them in the first place, and I mean that in a good way. The game has a great set of movement controls that feel like they give you enough control to go anywhere, and the animations are so fluid that they're a joy to look at every single time. I stood and watched some of the characters' idle animations when I first started the game just to admire how much life they had to them. This game is so good, and like all these other retro-styled games, is super cheap ($7 on Steam). The year's basically up, so I doubt there will be any more retro-themed GotY nominees on my list.

Cultic (PC)

Then again, what do I know? Cultic is a one-man project where you play a detective investigating an insidious cult and a number of disappearances tied to them. The game has more of that 90s retro shooter goodness that I'm so addicted to these days, and has a wonderful horror veneer that reminds me of Blood, Dusk, or Resident Evil 4. Everything feels somewhat grounded (well, at first), and the combat feels so brutal and threatening. I rarely felt safe while playing the game, and that tension was so refreshing. This game is incredible, and the story is enticing. There's a bonus chapter that explores what happens after the main game and acts as a teaser for the next chapter, and it introduces an interesting twist that makes the sinister nature of the cult all the more terrifying.

Qomp (PC)

You know Pong, right? Did you ever wonder what happens to the ball once it gets past the paddles? Well, the developer of this game did, and they made a wonderful... Puzzle game? I guess. You control the Pong ball through a series of mazes and obstacle courses where the mechanics are constantly being expanded upon. This game is short enough to be finished in one sitting, but it's excellently made, and is, once again, dirt cheap. A sequel just came out last week for $20, so I imagine it has a lot more to offer. I'm excited to pick it up and play it.

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