Summary:
My goal this year was to complete two games a month. While I didn’t adhere to this goal, I did surpass it by finishing 33 games. I mostly play small indie titles but I’m going to try and work on completing some of the big boy games next year. I am very close to finishing Ghost of Tsushima so it’ll probably be the first game I finish in 2024.
Atri -My Dear Moments-
Finished January 2nd. Technically I “beat” this visual novel in December ‘22 but finished all additional routes/content this year. I need to go back and rewrite my review as I’m pretty unhappy with it but it’s not high on my priority list so it’ll most likely never get done. I really enjoyed the art and atmosphere. The story was pretty good too. Looking forward to the anime adaptation.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Finished January 15th. The script was lacking in this one, especially with Amicia’s lines. Some of the stealth areas really ticked me off but it’s hard to say if that was due to game design or me as the player. The story was pretty good but the climax didn’t impact me as much as it was supposed to. The environments were gorgeous.
Ryse: Son of Rome
Finished January 31st. This was definitely a tech demo.
Lil Gator Game
Finished February 4th. What a joyful, lovable romp through what it’s like to be a child in love with games and imagination. The silliness was wonderful. There’s side quests, cosmetics, and a wholesome story. Top tier quality.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster
Finished February 13th. Final Fantasy VII was the second video game I ever played (that I can remember). This series means a lot to me and has been a huge influence. I wanted to make an effort to play through the series and these Pixel Remasters make that goal super easy. It also taught me that I can avoid feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed by using a guide. Especially for JRPGs. I’m an adult with a full time job and I don’t have the time to muck around trying to figure out where to go next.
Luna’s Fishing Garden
Finished March 10th. A cute pixel fishing game. The art and vibes were pleasant, especially while playing tucked into bed with the Steam Deck.
If Found…
Finished March 18th. Played in a single sitting. A story of a teenager in Ireland and her struggles. I thought it was alright. Be in a good headspace for this one. Depending on your childhood, this may be triggering. Maybe it was because I played it all at once with no breaks but I got kinda messed up for a while after it.
Aperture Desk Job
Finished March 22nd. Wanted to get around to playing the Steam Deck tech demo.
The Henry Stickmin Collection
Finished March 24th. My Discord server tried to (unsuccessfully) start a Game Club. This was the first game for us to play. My best friend and I were the only ones to participate. I was not expecting to like this game at all but I was pretty amused. There are so many routes to play through. One route was enough for me though.
Behind the Frame: the Finest Scenery
Finished March 25th. Pretty painterly aesthetic but lacking in substance. The ending was too vague for me but the story had cute moments.
Fresh Start Cleaning Simulator
Finished March 26th. Flawed but a few content updates have been released since then, so maybe it’s been improved? Either way I enjoyed myself. Simple cleaning mechanics that felt satisfying. Very nature-oriented and cute compared to other cleaning sims.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
Finished April 9th. First time I was caught up in the MSQ to experience the excitement of an expansion at launch. Those queue times were INSANE. Another game I suspect was influenced by the misery of the pandemic and the apathy that plagued the world thereafter. Heartbreaking and encouraging for the soul. Listening to Close in the Distance hurts.
Chasing Tails: a Promise in the Snow
Finished June 11th. A wintry horror visual novel. It was alright. Not a lot of substance here. The art was cute.
Tangle Tower
Finished June 18th. The art, animation, and voice work were on point. The rest of the game is good too.
A Walk with Yiayia
Finished June 30th. Very short game about walking with your grandma around the neighborhood. There really isn’t much here but it was cute.
Escape First Alchemist
Finished July 1st. Played this with my partner and friend. It was a fun couple hours. There weren’t many puzzles that required collaboration. More of a joint effort to figure out the next step.
Selene ~Apoptosis~
Finished July 1st. Free horror visual with a paid lewd content patch. Weird but pretty good.
Pokemon Puzzle League
Finished July 3rd. Can we get a sequel please??? Match-3 puzzle games are my weakness.
Donkey Kong
Finished July 10th. I hated this game. I am so bad at it.
1979 Revolution: Black Friday
Finished August 6th. I am so proud I finally finished this game as it’s one of the first Steam games I ever purchased. I dropped it due to feeling overwhelmed as it’s very choice-heavy and the first decision I made on my first run years ago made me die. Using a guide, I had a better time of it. Educational and interesting to read about its development and the history it’s based on.
Hoa
Finished August 20th. Lush, green, whimsical art style that gave Studio Ghibli vibes. Simple platforming. Light on story.
The House of the Dead: Remake
Finished July 23rd. Played this with a friend on the Switch and it was a fun time. Interesting to finally play through all the levels in this arcade staple.
Projekt Passion - Season 1
Finished August 28th. Surprisingly funny. Unironically I was invested in the story. Its art style and animation had me skeptical but it won me over.
Super Mario Party
Finished September 9th. Unlocked basically everything except some minor collectibles that involve me logging into the game every day.
Dr. Mario 64
Finished September 11th. Heavily addicted. I need a modern Switch entry.
Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster
Finished September 22nd. Dropped this due to too much freedom in character equipment. Finally found a guide and gear recommendation. Then blasted through this one. Time to wait for FFIII to go on sale.
When the Past was Around
Finished October 1st. I was too dumb for some of the puzzles. The story was decent. The art was cute.
Gone Home
Finished October 14th. The first Steam game I ever purchased. This was a replay to earn post-launch trophies. When I first played it, I remember feeling shocked by how short it was. Now I revel in all the short indie games. Funny to think about that now. Reading about this game after my replay, I found out that this title and Depression Quest triggered a bunch of very angry men in the form of GamerGate. Sometimes I’m proud to be part of the gaming community but there’s so much ugliness in it too.
The Test
Finished October 27th. Dumb but entertaining.
No Longer Home
Finished November 3rd. I’m glad I borrowed this. I did not enjoy it one bit.
Hidden Cats in Paris
Finished November 22nd. A relaxing hidden object game. I loved this game and immediately bought the rest of the series afterwards. Started out playing it by myself and after a few minutes, had a whole group of people helping me search for these cats. Cute game and cute core memory with friends.
Sucker for Love: First Date
Finished November 24th. The art style got my attention immediately. Entertaining, chapter checkpoints to unlock different endings easily, and body horror. Sequel is on its way.
1-2 Switch
Finished December 3rd. Had a hilarious, cringy experience playing through this with a friend but do not buy this.
's for the 1 stars… I think I’ll do all games I reviewed, and I apologize in advance for the long post (tho presumably will be shorter than last year’s since I played way less of my backlog… but we’ll see). This is in chronological order of when I played them this time, starting with a game I started at the airport in December 2022 and fell in love and couldn’t wait to get home to properly play it (King’s Valley). The links lead to my review for each game
for those that are worth playing if you’re into the genre.
Of course, I lack the patience to play an old game.