The return of beloved characters along with ambitious new releases has made this one of the best years in the video game industry, leaving players delighted with the abundance of options.
Even during the traditionally quiet months, players were given the opportunity to travel across the Starfield galaxies, embark on the high-fantasy adventures of Baldur’s Gate 3, and battle the monstrous forces of Diablo IV. Long development cycles and a willingness to take risks in gameplay and storytelling paid off creatively during a difficult season of layoffs, mergers, and layoffs in the industry.
Despite these challenges, video games remain an innovative cultural sector, and critics have given the year high ratings not seen in 20 years. Presented in alphabetical order, these games shined in providing players with an exciting experience.
Alan Wake 2
An unusual approach to creating games is popular, so Finnish developers from Remedy Entertainment clearly took advantage of non-standard techniques. This sequel sees the crime thriller author straddling the line between fact and fiction, where the lines between reality and illusion blur. Players will have to solve murders and dodge bullets before enjoying a musical performance by a live band called Old Gods of Asgard. (PC, Sony PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S)
Baldur’s Gate 3
Developers at Larian Studios in Belgium have created a love letter to the tabletop Dungeons & Dragons series, with a focus on customization and unexpected twists. The vampires, werewolves, dwarves and goblins that inhabit the world of Baldur’s Gate 3 constantly create such funny situations that every moment of this titanic story brings joy. Online multiplayer has also made the game popular among fans, with dozens of streamers broadcasting their successes and failures to the growing community. (PC, PS5)
Chants of Sennaar
A mysterious figure emerges from the coffin, going through a series of riddles in the dungeon, the instructions for which are written in a language that players cannot decipher—yet. Chants of Sennaar from French developer Rundisc is a wonderfully innovative game based on the idea of lost in translation, taking players into a blurry maze of castles and gardens that hides a darker secret. The orientation forces players to rely on a letter journal, where images and words are combined into a temporary lexicon. Building this vocabulary is like learning a new language. (Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
Dave the Diver
In this wacky game from South Korean developer Mintrocket, a huge octopus scares the local fishermen. This is just the beginning of the mysteries that await Dave, the hero who becomes responsible for running a restaurant and overseeing several farms. He also moonlights as a social media manager, seahorse trainer and underwater archaeologist. (PC, Switch)
Final Fantasy XVI
The story takes place in a high-fantasy environment where kingdoms plot a war against each other, inspired by the HBO series Game of Thrones. The resulting epic includes a tragic hero’s quest, as well as peaceful side quests to collect wild flowers and other useless items. Elements of political intrigue and a storyline about enslaved magical characters eventually lead the hero into fights reminiscent of Godzilla and Mothra. But even its jumbled final acts have the sparkle of diamonds that characterizes every Final Fantasy title. (PS5)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, one of the most notable games of the last decade, generated high expectations for Nintendo. As a result, we see the coming of the Industrial Revolution to Hyrule, where players have learned to combine relics scattered across the ruined kingdom into motorcycles and planes. Tears of the Kingdom was a bit of a disappointment for those who were yearning for more narrative depth from the series, but the Japanese team’s innovative approach to puzzles remains unrivaled.
Pikmin 4
There have been significant changes to the Pikmin formula. This release stands out by improving mechanics and combining the best features of the first three games, which focus on commanding an army of Pikmin—alien plants—to increase their numbers, collect treasure, and fight off native invasive species. The entire action takes place at ground level, with players controlling a crew of space explorers no bigger than ants. (Switch)
Resident Evil 4
When Japanese developer Capcom began revisiting its older games in the Resident Evil catalog, it knew that expectations for one of the entries would be prohibitively high. Since its release in the mid-2000s, Resident Evil 4 has been considered one of the best video games ever made. The remake recalls why this horror series is so popular, while also introducing new features and unexpected moments of horror. The balance of gory horror and jokes from main character Leon Kennedy almost softens the atmosphere of pure horror. Dwellers infected with a mind-controlling parasite stalking you across the Spanish countryside. (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 expands the exploration of New York City to parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Developers at US studio Insomniac Games were ready to offer more after their 2018 game Spider-Man seemed to enhance the web-slinging superhero’s gameplay loop with a realistic map of Manhattan to explore. The new game also features more horizon-busting villains, and the partnership between Peter Parker and Miles Morales becomes strained as the older Spider-Man’s mind is corrupted by the alien villain Venom. (PS5)
Viewfinder
Playing Viewfinder will open your third eye. The puzzles include perspective shifting tricks that use photography tricks to distort time and space. Scottish developer Sad Owl Studios encourages players to use the camera to create rifts in the environment, resulting in worlds that sometimes look ripped out of an M.C. illustration. Escher. Borrowing atmosphere and thematic cues from other prestige puzzle games including Portal (2007), The Witness (2016) and Superliminal (2019), Viewfinder doesn’t overstay its welcome, leaving players eager to delve into the world’s many mysteries. (PC, PS5)