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I played more than 80 different video games in 2022 (I share the full list at the end)! This was the best year of video games I have ever experienced and it felt like a mistake to not write about these games briefly.
I’m going to write about five outstanding games that were new to me in 2022. Some of these will not be a surprise to anyone alive and gaming in 2022.
Let’s talk about Elden Ring, Hollow Knight, Return of the Obra Dinn, Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero, and Dishonored 2.
Elden Ring: This is an excellent game in which I spent over 120 hours. It is the only game for which I have a Platinum Trophy. But, the thing that stands out, and will always stand out, is just how amazing it felt to be a part of the cultural zeitgeist.
In March of 2022, everyone was playing Elden Ring. All of my friends, even those who do not normally play such games (including me) were playing it. John Dickerson, a CBS news anchor, was talking about it on a political news podcast I love. Craig Mazin, the screenwriter, was talking about it on his podcast.
It was absolutely delightful to find something weird in the game, mention it to your friends, share stories, joke about failure, whine about a boss, and trade tips. I kept a journal documenting my travels. I wrote a review, despite the fact that I refuse to write video game reviews, because I felt compelled to tell others about it.
I have never experienced anything like this. I was in the know on every tangential video game meme and I knew what people were talking about when I overheard conversations in public. I diligently budgeted my morning routine to play even 15 minutes before logging in to work because I was so obsessed with exploring another cave, getting hoodwinked by some bastard ghost, or randomly stumbling onto a giant against whom I’d be fighting for the next 1-3 hours.
By now, you hopefully know about the game, what makes it special, and whether it is for you. But what you cannot possibly know is what it feels like to play a game as magical as Elden Ring alongside every other tarnished on earth. For better or worse, the moment has passed. I relish the memories.
Hollow Knight: I bought this game in 2021 at the urging of friends. About 20 minutes in, I turned it off and uninstalled it in frustration. It was just too hard.
Fast forward to a year where I have learned how to succeed in Elden Ring, Returnal, Death’s Door. After that, Hollow Knight felt correct. 20 minutes into my second attempt I demolished the same mini boss that crushed me last time and never looked back. The game is perfect, completely engrossing, and tuned like a magical instrument.
But, the real gift of Hollow Knight, beyond its 40 hours, were the 140 hours I spent playing other Metroidvania games. You see, Hollow Knight introduced me to my new favorite genre and after I played it, I scoured the Switch store for everything similar. I’ve played both Ori games, Hob, Metroid Dread, Ender Lilies, Blue Fire, Haak, Celeste (not Metroid, but similar in style to Hollow Knight) and I have a few more in my queue that I’m trying to space out.
I absolutely love the arc of a great Metroidvania design. You slowly gain new powers that grant you additional access to the world and augment how you fight and traverse space. There are secrets, some that require observation, and others that require a beautifully executed sequence of moves.
I’m obsessed with it.
Elden Ring created a community to which I belong, now and forever. Hollow Knight showed me my new home.
Return of the Obra Dinn: A few years ago I intentionally sought to play games outside my comfort zone. By this I mean, games that are difficult (Elden Ring, or Sekiro, which I will play in 2023), stealth games, narrative games, Japanese Roleplaying Games, puzzle games, and more.
If you told me about Return of the Obra Dinn in 2015 I would have said “that sounds boring.” I’m glad I adjusted my attitude, because like Hollow Knight, this game has affected me profoundly.
Let us just get out of the way that the music absolutely rules. I hum it often. The game’s two-bit visual style is also gorgeous.
Return of the Obra Dinn requires that you use observation, deduction, cleverness, and a good hunch, to solve a few dozen murders. It is somehow not tedious to walk through the same simple scenes over and over again to scan every inch and vigorously flip through notes to narrow down who could be the murderer in one scene based on who died in a previous.
At a regular cadence you feel like a genius for piecing the mystery together incrementally. Over time you have a growing sense of empathy for some of the members of this doomed ship, and a sense of anger at others.
It is the type of game that you regret finishing, because it means that there is no more, as you have already solved the mystery. I can only hope that the ravages of time lead me to forget so that in a few years I can play this one again.
Lucas Pope is an absolute genius and a true artist of the video game form. I am so inspired by his work.
I put a line break, because the three games above are absolutely profound, magical experiences. I am not sure I will ever play three better games in a span of as many months.
These next two games are less important, but were so good and I just want to give them their due.
The Legend of Heroes: Trail from Zero: This is a game that takes the simple visual style of a Super Nintendo RPG, but takes advantage of many things we’ve learned about great design since the 90s. It is a really good example that you do not need incredible 3D graphics to create a gripping experience.
Trails from Zero has…
A great story that builds slowly and is driven by interesting characters.
Charming, well-written dialog.
Compelling, open-ended progression that is easy to use, but allows for experimentation and mastery for those who desire it.
Challenging and diverse combat that is well-paced and scales.
Great side quests.
Great use of an open-world.
I play so many open-world games that use highly repetitive content, boring NPCs, or worlds that feel shallow (like the fake town at the end of Blazing Saddles). Trails from Zero builds a full, rich world where every NPC matters and the side content slowly builds into the main story.
I found it so compelling I actually put God of War: Ragnorok down for a few days to finish it. Don’t judge this book by its cover. There is a big, thoughtful game inside.
Dishonored 2: Dishonored 2 might be Arkane’s best game, and I love their catalog. The levels are incredibly well designed with a wide variety of combat, stealth, and weird choices. The progression is satisfying and supports your play style, whether that is murderous or silent. I enjoyed returning to the hub between levels and I felt like they really fleshed out the world and supporting cast. It felt more like a real place with a real pulse.
I think what I like most about Dishonored 2 is that it has such a smooth ramp for people who are not stealth experts. Plus, I never felt like the first person perspective was a hindrance, even though the game relies heavily on platforming and three dimensional stealth. This is a well-made game.
It bums me to say this, but I will absolutely have to buy an Xbox finally if they make Dishonored 3 as Microsoft owns Bethesda, who owns Arkane.
What about you?
What did you play in 2022 that knocked your socks off? Why did you love it? What excites you most about your 2023 plays?
Share in the comments below!
Excited for 2023
Because I am very cool and normal, I maintain a list of the games I own and will play, in order. The list is updated regularly, but I am very disciplined about respecting the queue and sticking to one game at a time.
I have a few games in the queue that really have me excited. I’m going to pick three from my queue, and three that I hope come out in 2023.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: While I suspect some of the action mechanisms to feel a little dated, I hear this still has some of the best quests ever. The free next gen update just came out, so the time to play is now.
Hitman 3: I’ve been putting this game off because I want to make sure I give myself enough time to play around in the sandbox.
Sekiro: I’m 99% sure this game will be way too difficult. But, there is a 1% chance I “figure it out” and play for a while.
Atomic Heart: This comes out early next year. It might be bad, completely average, or phenomenal. For whatever reason, it seems quite cool!
Armored Core 6: I played one of these games almost 20 years ago on my PlayStation 2. I remember being overwhelmed. I’m very curious to see how modern design, success with the Souls games, and a return to an existing franchise changes this game for the (hopefully) better.
Silksong: This is the sequel to Hollow Knight. I want to play it very badly.
Every Game I played in 2022
Games are listed in the order I played them. Unless noted, I finished each of these games. Some are multiplayer, which means they can never be finished, obviously. All games were played on the PlayStation 5 or Switch.
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
Overcooked: All You Can Eat
Dragon Crown Pro
Moonlighter
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
Invisible Inc
Sniper Elite 4 + Deathstorm DLC
Deep Rock Galactic
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir
Chorus
It Takes Two
Outriders
Firewatch
Elden Ring
What Remains of Edith Finch
Hunt: Showdown
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
FAR: Lone Sails
Return of the Obra Dinn
Death’s Door
Spelunky 2
Bloodborne - Did not finish. Too difficult, somewhat dated.
Child of Light
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Mark of the Ninja Remastered
Borderlands 3 - Did not finish. One of my buddies had a baby. We will return to it!
Returnal - Still did not finish. Stuck on World 3.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Knights and Bikes - Quit near the end. Not very fun.
Dungeons of Dreadrock - Quit about 1/3 through. Interesting, but not much fun.
Dishonored 2
Abzu
Journey to the Savage Planet - Quit near the end. Lost interest.
Gravity Rush 2 - Quit about 20 hours in. Neat game, but the mechanisms are frustrating and the open world content is highly repetitive.
Ashen
Tales of Arise
Card Shark - Quit. I spent the entire game fighting the controls and onerous game structure.
Transistor
Oxenfree
Paradise Killer
Super Mario Odyssey
Wordle
Afterparty
Toem
Griftlands
Hollow Knight
Citizen Sleeper
Ender Lilies: The Quietus of the Knights
South of the Circle
Children of Morta
Night in the Woods
The Witness - Quit. I’m not smart enough! But, very cool game.
Rollerdrome
Knockout City - Multiplayer. Did not play long. Did not click for me.
Breath of the Wild - Quit. I’ve put in about 25 hours and I just do not like this game.
Blue Fire
Ori and the Blind Forest
Dying Light
OlliOlli World
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Quit after about 20 hours. I enjoyed it, but was tiring of the repetition.
Prey: Mooncrash
Helldivers
Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Neon White - Very cool, but quit after a while. At some point the difficulty and the fuzzy Switch controls pushed it out of the fun zone for me.
Gone Home
Hob
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Metroid Dread
Ape Out
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen - Played about 5 hours. Neat game, but very dated (it’s over 10 years old).
Hades (Been playing it on and off for years. Finally beat it!)
Guild of Dungeoneering
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Haak
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
Marvel Snap
God of War: Ragnorok
Life is Strange: True Colors
Astral Chain
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero
Street Fighter V - Bought it on sale to try. Neat stuff, but I just don’t “get” fighting games.
Celeste
Currently in progress: AI: The Somnium Files, and Need for Speed: Unbound.
Edited by Joshua Buergel.