Dylan's Top 10 Games of 2022
When doing our Game of the Year special in 2021, I felt ready and prepared as I finished (or got deep into) almost all of the games that I knew would be around my top 10. This year was very different. I have not finished many games and I was only able to put a few hours into a good chunk of them. As my gaming interests continue to broaden, the games I find myself interested in continue to grow. Every week saw a new release for me to sink my teeth into and talk about on the podcast. On top of this I took a much higher position at my job, revamped our website, built myself a space to start recording videos, and took on a much bigger load for GOTY as we have a large group of other content creators submitting guest posts for their top games of the year.
Needless to say, spare time was sparse! But I’m incredibly proud of where we’ve gotten the Offshore Gamescast, our website, and being able to build a spot for such a big collaboration to celebrate Game of the Year. With that out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff. Here’s my top 10 games of 2022 (and some honorable mentions.)
Honorable Mentions
Rollerdrome
Rollerdrome goes in a very different direction than what we’re used to from Roll7 with the OlliOlli games. A 3D rollerblading game that controls similarly to a Tony Hawk game while having a visual style that reminds me of Sable (one of the prettiest and most interesting looking games I’ve ever played) would be good enough on its own, but the spin of being in a murderous television show in which you risk your life and shoot people down mid-combo made this a very fun game. If you enjoy Tony Hawk games, I highly recommend this one.
Escape Academy
Putting a fresh spin on generic “escape the room” video games and leaning more into escape rooms that you can go experience in person, Escape Academy is a delight. While the puzzles are the perfect balance of challenging, fun, and interesting, this game really shines for me in how enjoyable co-op can be. Shouting back and forth with different ideas and things you discover just adds to the experience. I also love the way they handle split-screen in this game. At any time, you can switch to split-screen and see what your fellow escapist sees which takes a lot of the frustration of going back and forth out of the game.
Top 10 Games of 2022
10. Nintendo Switch Sports
When Nintendo Switch Sports, the followup to Wii Sports was announced earlier this year, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I even signed up for the early playtest, even though I couldn’t talk about it on the podcast, which is something I almost never do. Switch Sports is all around fun and specific co-op sports (looking at you, Volleyball) make bringing in a partner all the more enjoyable. I normally don’t stick with these types of games all that long but I got a solid couple of weeks of playing almost every night to the point of keeping furniture rearranged in the room and having sore muscles on a regular basis. Bonus points for being a surprisingly smooth online Nintendo experience.
9. Stray
I didn’t know what to expect from Stray other than “cat game.” It certainly delivered on that and gave me plenty of surprises throughout. I think the way they captured how a cat behaves, moves, and the little details of their mannerisms were spot on and was really the main highlight of the game for me. The amount of “aww”s this game got from me as I was reminded of one of my own cats is countless. And then enters the weird world and story that this cat is thrown into. While I don’t think it’s a perfect game, specifically when it comes to the cat not always jumping where I’m trying to direct them, it comes together as a full package that I could recommend to any cat lover out there.
Maybe one day I’ll understand what the deal was with those eyes in the sewers…
8. HARVESTELLA
Going into HARVESTELLA, I was expecting a relaxing farm sim combined with a JRPG, and while that is the basic concept of HARVESTELLA, the delivery far exceeded my expectations. I like when I can implement a specific system in a game and then rinse and repeat said system. HARVESTELLA scratches that itch for me and is very smartly designed with that in mind. In HARVESTELLA, you wake up at around 6:00-7:00 AM and have to be back at home and in bed by midnight or you risk collapsing due to exhaustion (and having to pay a hefty doctors fee). A day takes about 20 minutes of real time which is the perfect amount to make progress every single day. Wake up and tend to your farm and animals, head to the main town in the morning as shops open to buy what you need, run off to do some side quests, and then have enough time in the evening to progress in the main story/main dungeon you’re working on. Fast travel back home, go to sleep, rinse and repeat. Pair that with surprisingly fleshed out and long-running side quests with interesting characters and you end up with a game that is more than it appears to be.
7. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby and the Forgotten Land was Kirby’s first adventure in the 3D platformer genre and I really hope it stays that way. Nothing against 2D platformers but it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of 3D platformers and they did an excellent job with Kirby’s first. The levels are well designed and have the perfect balance of platforming challenges, combat, and exploring to find all of the little secrets and collectibles in the game. What really added charm to the game, though, were all of the side activities to be done in Waddle Dee Town. Fishing, the battle arena, helping out at the cafe, tilt-and-roll, and of course Gotcha Machine Alley added so much charm and fun in between levels (which can be challenging if you’re attempting to 100% the game!)
6. Neon White
Now, I am far from a speedrunner. If anything, I like to slowly take my time through games as I explore the world and experience the story, which in theory wouldn’t pair too well with Neon White, a game all about getting through levels and slaying monsters as quickly as possible. Yet, I found it to be one of my favorite gaming experiences all year. I think what got me over that hump is that, at its core, Neon White is just a puzzle game. While traversing through the level, you pick up different cards that represent using a specific weapon. Since they are all one time use, you just have to piece together the order that’s designed for moving through the level as quickly as possible. This is one of those games that gives me one of the best feelings: blasting through a level at a brisk pace without any screw ups and feeling like a total badass. Even the story and characters were mostly enjoyable, with some minor lulls and annoying characters along the way.
5. Endling - Extinction is Forever
Talk about a game leaving an emotional impact. While playing as a mother fox trying to take care of her cubs (and rescue one that was taken away) you get to witness what it is that humans are doing to the environment and world around them. Not only does food become scarce but you find yourself getting stuck in plastic bags/trash, having to avoid hunters and dangerous humans, and an increasing difficulty to not only survive but make sure your babies do as well. If one of your cubs dies from starvation or damage, that’s it. There is no bringing them back, they are gone for good. It’s a brutal and sad game that’s also filled with beauty and hope. For every rough moment, there’s one of your cubs playing, learning new skills and growing up, or interacting with a friendly human. This was the only game this year to leave me in tears.
Check out our video review of Endling – Extinction is Forever!
4. Disney Dreamlight Valley
I got completely obsessed with Disney Dreamlight Valley for a few weeks before having to move on because of other games needing my attention. Why was I so obsessed? Because this game is Animal Crossing, but better. Just like Animal Crossing, you find yourself leading a town full of villagers, time passing in real time, daily tasks, crafting, relationships to build, fishing, and really just about everything you can do in Animal Crossing but done in a much more convenient and detailed way. And, of course, your villagers are some of the most popular Disney characters to exist. Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Wall-E, Elsa, Anna, and many more. There is no limit on how many villagers you can have and you have the full freedom to move houses and structures around as you see fit (and not having to wait until the next day for it to get done). One of my biggest issues with Animal Crossing is that there’s only so much you can do on any given day before you’re stuck with only fishing and bug catching. In Dreamlight Valley, every character has their own friendship quests with multiple levels within them to keep you busy. Even if you’re stuck on one, there’s always something else to be working towards. You could play all day and not get stuck and, if I wasn’t doing the podcast, I think I’d still be playing this on a regular basis.
3. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
We’ve made it to the top three! Pokémon Legends: Arceus is one of the few times Dave and I both felt so passionately about a game that we’re both playing at the same time, which I think only added to my overall enjoyment. In my opinion, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the best Pokémon game to ever be made. The shift towards being fully 3D and being more action than turn based focused was a change I was more than happy to see. Turn based combat is not something that prevents me from enjoying a game but it’s far from my preferred style of gameplay. Running through the different biomes while tossing my Pokémon out to gather resources before quickly changing to stealth and catching a Pokémon that had no idea of my presence never got old. I’d be the first to admit it’s not perfect. The world, other than wild Pokémon roaming everywhere, feels mostly empty. The graphics leave a lot to be desired. But this felt like a large step forward for Pokémon. If they came out with a sequel that changed nothing but the layout of the land and the Pokémon you see along the way, I’d happily catch them all again.
2. IMMORTALITY
I still think about IMMORTALITY on a regular basis even though I finished it over five months ago. Don’t let the reputation of FMV games fool you, this is an absolutely fascinating and mind blowing experience. In IMMORTALITY, you find yourself going through every piece of footage of a missing up-and-coming actress, Marissa Marcel. Whether that’s actual movie scenes, interviews, behind the scenes footage, or footage taken by those close to her, it’s up to you to try and piece together what actually happened to her. You start with a very limited amount of video clips to go through but, thanks to the impressive match-cut mechanic of the game, you begin unlocking many more very quickly. You are able to click on just about any person or object within a frame and when you do you will find yourself being transferred to another video clip featuring that same person or object. The amount of planning and attention to detail that must have gone into this mechanic blows my mind. Every single object, article of clothing, and part of a set not only had to be taken into account but meticulously planned out to make sure everything connected.
While this gameplay mechanic was impressive on its own, IMMORTALITY really shines through the story. I’m not going to go into detail or spoil anything, because this really is the type of thing that’s best experienced, but I can tell you how it made me feel. The first time “the thing” happened in this game, I was left speechless. It was terrifying, shocking, amazing, and had me filled with both excitement and dread as my body was covered in goosebumps. This is not an exaggeration. It’s one of the extremely rare times an entertainment medium gave me this feeling and will stick with me for a very, very long time. Piecing together the mystery after this discovery is a thrill and there’s even more to discover after you complete the main story to the point that I put hours into the game after finishing it and still haven’t discovered everything.
I also wanted to highlight the performance of Manon Gage, the actress who played Marissa Marcel. She makes IMMORTALITY. Without her performance, the story beats would not have hit the same.
Game of the Year: Elden Ring
Surprise surprise, another pick for Elden Ring as game of the year. Rarely does my favorite game of the year align with the general consensus but there’s just no denying the masterpiece that is Elden Ring. I started my journey with FromSoftware games with Bloodborne and haven’t looked back since so I was fully expecting to enjoy this game but I don’t think many people were ready for how good it would be. Not only does it push things forward for the Soulslike genre, it creates a new standard for open world games and has pushed the medium forward as a whole.
Of course, Elden Ring doesn’t happen without inspiration from games that came before, specifically The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Open world games following the same formula of a million icons on your map were becoming more than stale and tiring and BoTW completely turned that formula on its head. However, it had issues. Hyrule was mostly a barren, repetitive world filled with many of the same enemies and shrines throughout. I’m not trying to take away from how great of a game BoTW is but Elden Ring took that idea to the next level and, in my opinion, perfected it. You’re free to explore The Lands Between much like Hyrule but you will not find the emptiness. You are constantly finding and exploring new things in the world of Elden Ring. Whether that’s a new type of enemy, a random boss, a dungeon, a character to start a side quest with, or simply fascinating locations, The Lands Between is full of it all. After 50-60 hours of playing, I’ve only explored a portion of the map and always was surprised by the new things I would find. Eventually I began to realize that some dungeons feature unique enemies that can only be found there, many of which are completely optional and easily missable. That alone is a technical and game design feat that blows my mind whenever I think about it.
Another beauty of the way Elden Ring works is that it takes out the biggest flaws of many Soulslike games: getting stuck. Many times I would find myself stuck on a specific boss in one of these games (I’m looking at you, Sekiro) and you don’t have much choice but to try again and again and again until you eventually beat it and can move forward in the game. That’s not really something that happens in Elden Ring. Are you trying to travel somewhere and a boss you’re having trouble with is in your way? Easy, you can go around it. You can run by it. Or you can just go in a whole different direction and be greeted by a new boss within minutes. This also applies to the bosses in the main dungeons of the game since you only need to defeat a few to see the credits roll. A lot of this is aided by a new mechanic for FromSoftware games of having a mount, Torrent. Not only does Torrent make navigating the world a breeze but it can completely change the way you approach a boss battle. Fighting giant dragons on foot is no easy task, but when I call my trusty spirit steed I find the fight leaning in my favor.
Another thing that impressed me with Elden Ring is how the world building and the story of the characters within are told, mostly through the Roundtable Hold, the main hub/”safe area” in Elden Ring. Many times you’ll meet a character out in the world that then goes to the Roundtable Hold for their story to continue, or maybe someone you meet in the Roundtable Hold can be found in a random location in the world. But I think the best part of it all is when they surprise you at the Roundtable Hold. You will fast travel there countless times throughout the game and things will go as expected but sometimes you go there and you’re greeted by events that completely catch you off guard. This helps keep the reputation of FromSoftware games of always having to be on your toes and never truly being safe while giving the player constant surprises no matter where they go. Some of my most memorable moments in Elden Ring occur at the Roundtable Hold.
Elden Ring has completely redefined what it means to be part of the Soulslike genre and to be an open world game. I hope we see developers trying to replicate or build upon what FromSoftware has done here but I’m not sure I trust that they’d be able to do it at the level of success that Elden Ring has achieved. Elden Ring is not only my game of the year because of how enjoyable I find it to be, but because it’s a masterpiece that, quite frankly, I believe to be one of the best games ever made.