BillieTrixx: Billie's Top 5 Games of 2022
It’s rare I get to finish a game, with working full time in the games industry as a social media manager to being part of a weekly D&D group called Session Zero, it doesn’t leave much gaming time, so as every new release comes out my games library grows as I jump at the chance to play them but never get to the end. It’s an honour and privilege to be in such a position and I am very grateful to my community and audience helping me achieve great things, but yes, I wish I had more time to game. Ironic isn’t it. Out of all the games I have played this year, here is a list of my favourites.
1. Gotham Knights
Diving off high rise building, gliding across the city and beating up bad guys is exactly the sort of gameplay I signed up for when pressing “start” on the menu screen. Gotham Knights took me away to a Gotham City experience I have truly enjoyed, the dark, dingy city lit up in brilliant lighting and exciting characters from the likes of Harley Quinn and The Penguin. While I have remained as Batgirl for my entire playthrough so far of the game Nightwing is definitely my second in line! The game is a great escape from reality, I stuck to easy mode to wind down and relax with stream after work, we have great time racing through the city on the batbike, unearthing the gritty story and getting to do some really cool missions with abilities like silent takedowns and puzzle rooms. Honestly I really enjoy beating up bad guys and as a cosplayer the batgirl suit really calls to me!
2. DorfRomantik
Speaking of relaxing, I quickly found a tiny little puzzle game with little boats, buildings and rivers to create became a most-played this year. The premise is simple, connect hexagon pieces to create your own little world. It’s adorable in both art style, music and replayability. You unlock more tiles by completing tasks like connecting tree tiles, making yourself a little virtual forest. My favourite part of this is definitely all the little boats and trains that you unlock which go about their business around the map, it’s so cute and adorable and is very chilled. No think, only tiles.
3. Stray
I had to put the cat on the list, I HAD TO! I enjoyed Stray so much, from the themes of loneliness, hope and human connection running throughout the vibrant cities, characters and heart tearing scenes it was an incredible play. My favourite part of the the game is towards the end, spoiler alert, you are seeing the city from above and you realise how small you are, just one little cat, helping to potentially save so many. I like to think there will be another in the future, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be thrilled if Stray 2 was announced. This game was genuinely enjoyable front to back, the cat felt real , making your camera angles where his would be, seeing life from a new furry perspective, it was a beautiful game from design to dialouge. One of my favourite things about this game is it’s length, while I LOVE a open world huge RPG like Skyrm and Witcher there is something satisfying about completing a game.
4. Evil Genius 2
Rebellion Studios truly had me in it’s clutches this year, I got to experience the launch of Evil Genius 2 and the game was new to me as I had not played the previous installation and I was hooked immediately. Zalika was my go-to pick for Evil Genius, she had the most flair and fashion! I love management games and this one really takes it to a new level, being able to use goofy and fun traps to capture the enemies trying to invade your base like freeze rays and boxing gloves is HILARIOUS! I would turn on Evil Genius and 5 hours would fly by, it’s a true time eater in the best possible way!
5. Little Nightmares 2
While not new I finally got around to playing the sequel to the first game this Halloween. Twists and turns the whole way through, exciting, nail biting and nerve wracking trying to avoid creepy beings, hide in dark spaces and race to escape the nightmare. I love horror games and while this one is more on the tame side my favourite part is the lack of verbal interaction. All communication in this game is through body language, noises and intent, nothing said yet so much is spoken. It’s exhilarating running and escaping from the very disturbing creatures in the game who at every and any moment might see you. I won’t be spoiling this for anyone who hasn’t had the chance to play it yet but if you’re a bit of a scardy cat I still recommend this epic platformer. You will not be disappointed with the story, also you’ll notice this is another shorter game on my list, being able to complete this one really made the game feel even better, as it’s not often I get to tick something off my list.