Lile's Top 10 Games of 2023
I have finished over 60 games this year, which is insane to me. I have never played this many games in the span of a year ever before. And I can honestly say I have never had this much fun with gaming. Ever since I switched my perspective and went from AAA titles to indies and AA ones, my life has been forever changed! So, narrowing it down to ten games was really difficult and I wish I had more space! But that’s the name of the game, so without further ado, here are my top 10 games of 2023.
10. Killer Frequency
Other than discovering the indie scene, this has also been the year for me to get into horror games. I used to avoid them with a passion because I would usually end up with nightmares. And I can’t really tell you what changed but something did and now I’m really enjoying them! I still avoid jumpscare heavy games, they aren’t interesting to me and just stress me out but Killer Frequency is one of those titles that grabbed me this year.
It’s a first-person puzzling game with a fun and very trope-y narrative but it knows that it is and uses it to its advantage. It goes for comedy more than scares and it works so well! You are Forrest Nash, a late-night radio show host who isn’t all that happy to be stuck in a tiny town called Gallows Creek, since he had plans of making it big in the city. He does have the perfect radio voice though, chef’s kiss!
Of course we meet him on ‘Whistling Night’. A spooky local tradition dedicated to a serial killer from the fifties where kids prank each other and just do all-around stupid stuff. But, as you might have already imagined, this year something goes very wrong when the Whistling Man returns and wreaks havoc on the poor people of Gallows Creek.
Now it’s up to Forrest and his producer Peggy to save these residents with their brain skills! Or really YOUR brain skills because you have to solve puzzles and really pay attention to be able to get everyone out alive. This does give the game replayability value, too, because it’s very likely you’ll lose people on your first try. The puzzles are very fun, and in my opinion they’re never unfair, just sometimes need a bit of outside the box thinking. And listening skills which I sometimes lack.
The voice acting here is amazing, too. Forrest and Peggy are the ones who ground the game but some of the citizens of Gallows Creek are just insane but also insanely funny. It’s so over the top that it’s good, the perfect kind of camp. I had a blast with Killer Frequency and if you haven’t checked it out yet, I would encourage you to do so. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, has great pacing, and you get to choose the music you wanna play as a radio host. What else could you need?
9. Tin Hearts
The game with the most beautiful soundtrack this year, Tin Hearts really did show a lot of heart! To set the scene for you: I started the game for the very first time and in minute one started to get teary eyed. And not because anything had happened because the intro doesn’t show you the story, it was just because of the music. I instantly fell in love with this game.
Tin Hearts is another first-person puzzling adventure but very different from Killer Frequency. Because here it’s your job to lead a line of tiny, cute tin men to their destination without them falling off their path, getting crushed by evil machinery, or eaten up by electric spiders. Yep, that’s a thing. You have wooden blocks to help guide your little friends, and drums for them to bounce off of, and balloons to let them fly through the air.
It’s all very wholesome!
To explain a little of why you are doing this, you get thrust into the shoes of Albert Butterworth, or at least you are the ghost of Albert Butterworth, an inventor whose life story you get to experience by solving these puzzles. You get to know his family and what led them down certain paths. It’s more heartfelt than I’m making this sound, I promise! It’s one of the games that made me cry this year.
The visuals can be a bit all over the place. The tin men themselves and the environments are pretty amazing. It’s mostly very cute and colourful and later when Albert is overtaken by emotions it gets dark and gloomy. The character models though… they don’t look so great. It’s VERY uncanny valley and I still wish they had gone for a more stylistic approach.
But! I still absolutely loved the game and especially the soundtrack, as I’ve mentioned. It was so relaxing to solve these puzzles with this amazing music in the background. At no point does it get annoying, it’s just there to help you ease into the mechanics. But when it wants to tug at your heart, it sure will.
8. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
This one wasn’t an instant play for me. I have to admit that I wasn’t into the art and the tarot thing at all. Witches aren’t my favourites either. But there was something about The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood that just wouldn’t let me pass it by. A lot of people whose opinion I value recommended playing it. I knew it was very queer-friendly, and that was what made me decide to give it a try.
And, boy, am I ever glad I did.
Even though this game revolves around witches who live in space and are basically immortal, it felt so grounded. Its themes and stories are about friendship, family, self-discovery, loneliness and power. And there’s so much care put into the dialogue, there’s no weird downplaying of mental illness, there’s serious inclusion of trans people.
But let me back paddle a bit. What’s The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood even about?
Well, the main character, Fortuna, was banished to exile by the leader of her coven. 1000 years in complete isolation. After 200 she cannot take it anymore and uses forbidden magic to summon a behemoth. He helps her create a new tarot deck, since Fortuna’s speciality is divination. She reconnects with friends, gives them readings; and through these readings you can influence the story. Because the cards you make can lead to different outcomes.
It’s a very cool system and a very intriguing storytelling device.
And of course there are mysteries to solve and emotional bombshells to come to terms with. There’s even a political race that needs to be fought.
But really, the characters are the highlight. They are so diverse, their designs are super cool, and their stories are worth telling. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood really blew me away with what it had to say and it’s still a game I think about even though it’s been months since I placed it. Some games will do that to you and that is why this game needs to be in my top 10.
7. Thirsty Suitors
Thirsty Suitors and The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood do have a few things in common. They both deal with an outlandish presentation while being very grounded and honest at their core. I think when you watch a trailer for Thirsty Suitors your first thought isn’t that this is the perfect encapsulation of what it feels like to be in your early twenties and having to deal with all the bullsh*t that comes with becoming an adult.
But that really is what this game deals with.
But it does it in such a charming way. The visuals are completely insane. It’s flashy, in-your-face and loud. Since this revolves around a south-Asian protagonist and culture, Bollywood does come to mind. And I think the devs very intentionally pulled from that.
But underneath this ostentatious presentation lies a very honest coming-of-age story that doesn’t rely on tired tropes and clichés. While this does have the set-up of Scott Pilgrim – meaning that you have to do turn-based battle with your many exes – what this game really accomplishes with that mechanic is that the characters get a chance to talk out their differences, get through the walls they built around themselves and get to the core of their problems.
It’s such a refreshing take on conflict resolution and it felt really good and earned when the people involved ended up being friends at the end. While not every character has the same depth and the game overall keeps a light tone, I loved the way it deals with both relationship and family problems. Those are never easy and the game handles it with grace.
And also the combat is really fun! The skating takes some getting used to but I enjoyed that, too. It packs emotional punches without going into melodrama. The design is certainly not for everyone but it’s unique and I personally think it’s extremely cool.
I hope this team continues making games where cultural backgrounds are not character tropes but just part of people’s lives. We have too little of that in the gaming industry.
6. American Arcadia
I had been looking forward to American Arcadia for a good year until it finally released. Every once in a while it would pop up on my radar and every time I thought “this looks so cool!” The retro-futuristic design and the two protagonist concept really intrigued me and I kept hoping it would end up delivering on that cool premise.
And it did!
American Arcadia tells the story of Trevor Hills, who is essentially living in The Truman Show. He is a resident of American Arcadia, a completely fake city that is just a huge reality TV show without any of the citizen’s knowing that it is. They are watched around the clock by the people on the outside. But Trevor is very unpopular. No one wants to watch his ‘boring’ life, so he’s about to get offed.
This is where Angela steps in. She works for the company that facilitates American Arcadia, called Walton Studios. This is basically a stand-in for Disney. And this game goes hard for Disney, which I did not expect. I think based off the premise you can probably tell what kinds of critiques this game might have to offer.
But anyway, Angela helps Trevor escape his immediate capture but getting him out of the city isn’t as easy as one might think. So, while Trevor has to keep running in 2D side-scrolling platforming sections, Angela has to keep his way clear in first-person puzzling segments, and she also needs to avoid detection at the same time. And it really delivers here, they manage to make it look so cool and ramp up the action every once in a while and calm down again and then crank it up to eleven. It has good pacing, the segments are always fun, the switches make sense and when it all comes together it gets appropriately stressful.
Krizia Bajos and Yuri Lowenthal are absolute delights in the roles of Angela and Trevor and they work very, very well off each other.
I can’t really explain a lot of the brilliance of this game without spoiling parts of it, so I won’t, but I promise you, there is even more to the story than the premise promises. And they pulled it off so, so well!
5. Loretta
If you’re ever looking for a well-told thriller where you are the bad guy, and it’s all held together by some fantastic cinematic pixel art, look no further than Loretta.
Set in 1940s rural America, Loretta focuses on the character of the same name who has recently killed her own husband and is now desperately trying to keep it a secret and also to get her life back on track.
And if you are of a mind, Walter won’t be the only victim of Loretta’s wrath. Because you can make some choices.
I really love how this game sets up its premise and how it deals with a murderous protagonist. Because it’s not easy to make that work. There would be a good chance you as the player just bounce off of her if she’s too cliché ‘crazy’ or too unsympathetic. And don’t get me wrong, Loretta isn’t a good person who killed her husband out of self-defence or anything. She does horrendous things and she tries to explain it all away.
But you as the player do get explanations for why she does what she does and it’s uncomfortable and I love that stuff. Her slow descent into denial and how she keeps losing grip on reality is expertly done. At points the most mundane things start to tick her off and she just keeps digging her own grave deeper and deeper.
The sound design is excellent and helps maintain that eerie atmosphere you feel throughout the entire game. And then there’s the pixel art. And it’s just SO GOOD! At points it does make you feel like you’re in a movie, watching these events unfold; I cannot overstate how good it is and how much impact it has.
Loretta will remain one of my favourite video game thrillers for a while and I will always sing its praises when prompted. I just adore devs that go for something unconventional and will let you step into the shoes of a murderer and make that work. Just amazing.
4. Chants of Sennaar
My absolute favourite puzzle game this year – and, trust me, I played a lot – has to be Chants of Sennaar! Seldom has a game made me feel like an expert linguist. And while I understand that that’s not the case and it’s just puzzle mechanics, it made me feel so clever and cool!
You wake up at the bottom of a massive tower and are let loose on the world in front of you. You find murals depicting some sort of story but you cannot decipher the language. But you will get clues about what certain symbols mean and can put your guesses down in your handy-dandy notebook. Bit by bit you start decoding the language, so you can start communicating with the locals and learn their history.
The tower, that remains the setting for the whole game, doesn’t just have one society living there, several call it their home. But it becomes clear that they haven’t had contact with each other for a long time. They are divided by ideology but also by their languages. They simply cannot communicate, and because of that prejudices about each other have taken over their lives.
You, the player, are the first one who can start bridging some of these gaps and it’s such a wholesome concept. As you might have guessed already, the whole story leans heavily on the legend of Babel. And there are definitely religious undertones in some of the societies, though not all, and it remains self-contained. It really is about these peoples and them reconnecting. Although I’m pretty sure that similarities to modern times and the divide among us isn’t coincidental.
Besides the language decoding there are also just classic puzzles to solve, and I had a good time with all of it. I was a little sceptical about the stealth that I knew was in the game but even that works perfectly.
The art is amazing and distinct for each civilisation, the music is relaxing and gives you time to solve the puzzles in peace. The premise is great and the journey really is the destination. I just adore Chants of Sennaar.
3. Stray Gods
One of those games only possible to make outside the AAA space, Stray Gods is a musical roleplaying game. Yes, you’ve read that correctly this is a musical in video game form. And honestly? Why hasn’t anyone done that before?!
The story revolves around Grace, a goth girl in her early twenties who doesn’t quite know where her life is supposed to go. She has a chance encounter with someone called Calliope (and, of course, they sing together). Later that day Calliope stumbles into Grace’s home and dies in her arms.
And! It turns out Calliope was a literal God – or Idol, as they’re called in this universe – and her power transfers over to Grace. She is now the last muse. And as the last muse she can make people sing. It’s a little more complicated than that but you get the gist!
Now Grace has to clear her name, since all the other Gods think she killed Calliope, and she does it through a lot of singing.
While the story overall isn’t anything groundbreaking, it’s definitely solid enough to keep you engaged. The characters are fun and the voice acting is stellar. They really brought in the big guns for this one. Laura Bailey and Troy Baker are only two names on this extensive list.
What really makes this game stand out, though, is the music and especially the musical numbers. In true role-playing fashion Grace can react to situations differently. The game presents this in three distinct personality traits: Charming, Clever and Kickass.
And these do not only influence your relationship with other characters but also the songs themselves. Whatever trait you choose in songs will change them. You can go from a jazzy tune to a more rock style verse or change it into more showtunes instead. It’s a little hard to explain without being able to demonstrate it but because of this system you can have completely unique songs that have very different outcomes depending on what traits you chose. You can also mix them during the song. And somehow the songs still make musical sense every time.
I have no idea how long they needed to work and rework this until it all fit but it’s an amazing feat of game design. My only hope is they will do it again!
2. The Wreck
Whew, this is a tough one to talk about. The Wreck is a visual novel completely grounded in reality. And one of those games where you need to tell people that they should heed the content warnings given at the beginning. It’s brutally honest and emotionally draining.
Definitely not a game for everyone and you need to be in the mood for it but I absolutely loved it, and I still think about it a lot, especially if I would always choose the ending I went with.
Forgiveness is a tricky thing and this game really does ask the question if forgiveness can be earned in every situation. And it’s a REALLY tough one to answer, believe me. The Wreck throws you curveballs every once in a while which calls into question what you thought you already knew about the characters. And it does it in such a clever way.
Don’t go into this expecting a lot of actual gameplay though, this is focused entirely on story.
You play as Junon who arrives at the hospital to learn that her mother has had an aneurysm and is in a coma. Junon is completely taken by surprise that her mother put her forward as her advocate, since they didn’t have the best of relationships, and they never even talked about that possibility.
Instead of being emotionally wrecked at the news, Junon seems to be weirdly detached from her mother’s fate and her thoughts – which you can constantly hear – revolve more around why she would put her forth as her advocate instead of her medical fate.
And this is where you learn that Junon isn’t an easy protagonist. She is a flawed character and she sometimes does shitty things to people and will pretend it’s not her fault.
BUT! She starts calling herself out on it, learning from it and will try to do better in the future. She has a lot of unresolved trauma, and again, please heed the content warnings at the beginning because The Wreck doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to showing you the character’s lives and what they had to deal with.
The Wreck and its story will stay with me for a long, long time. And that’s pretty much the best thing I can say about any game.
1. The Pale Beyond
Now onto my favourite game of 2023: The Pale Beyond!
This is a visual novel mixed with a resource management game, set in the unforgiving ice of the polar region during the times of great ship exploration.
You are Robin Shaw, the first mate with no real experience. But when the captain suddenly goes missing and the ship gets stuck in the ice, it falls to you to lead the crew. You need to keep them fed, warm and relatively happy, otherwise your search for The Viscount, a research vessel, will end in tragedy.
I had been looking forward to The Pale Beyond for two years and it pretty much exceeded all my expectations. The art is amazing, the soundtrack is beautiful, the gameplay is very solid and fair, and the character writing is stellar!
That really is what drew me in and made me care. I really wanted to keep these people alive and I felt every single loss. Also, if you reach a certain type of ending, the game gives you a twist on a replay which was super cool.
I cannot sing this game’s praises enough. I know that this one is special to me personally because I had been following the development and kept an eye out for every piece of information and I also watched Bellular’s little documentary they did after the release. All of this is just a very personal attachment to The Pale Beyond that not everyone will share.
But it is a very solid game, if you like visual novels and are at least competent and resource management. You also get an Empire penguin in your camp! You get heartbreak and laughter. You even get a song about what a shitty captain you are. What more could you want?!
Until this day The Pale Beyond remains the only game I have ever bought a special edition for. I love this game with all my heart. I wish I could hang out with these people because they’re cool.
I’m sorry that I probably fail at giving an accurate description of what this game is but I don’t care. I just want people to know how excited I am about this one and how much joy I feel every time I think about it.
This year really was incredible. I hope indie games and AA titles continue to expand the market and evolve what gaming means. In my opinion this is where innovation is happening. Where the good stories are told. And I will continue to be on the lookout for these kinds of experiences. Because they give me so much more than any AAA title has been able to.
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!