NinaStruggles: Nina's Top 10 Games of 2022
Hi, I’m Nina! and I am your Struggle Bus driver.
I grew up almost exclusively on educational and point-and-click games, which still hold a special place in my heart, BUT I am now making up for lost time and struggling through as many games as I can get my hands on. I love hearing your suggestions and your favorite games that you think I should try, so please feel free to drop them in my chat or our Suggestion Box on Discord!
I have been streaming and creating gaming content for over 2 years and love getting to chat, struggle, and be silly with all of you, so if you are new here, please say hi (I promise we won’t bite…hard)
Welcome to our unapologetically weird, food-obsessed, and geeky Struggle Bus!
10. Tunic
I’ve always liked the idea of soulslike games but end up getting overwhelmed after a few hours, and Tunic gave me everything I like about a challenging game without the intimidating experience. It’s cute look and calm music made even the most difficult boss fights enjoyable to attempt over and over and, of course, nothing beats the feeling of finally completing that hard level that you’ve been stuck on and unlocking more secrets and puzzles around the map.
9. A Little to the Left
As a neat-freak puzzle lover, this is the perfect way to relax for me. There are so many ways to organize your space and A Little to the Left allows you try out different ways to place items in the most pleasing ways. It gave me a very similar feel to Unpacking, providing the much needed calm and order you need after a chaotic day.
8. Return to Monkey Island
It’s been 32 years since The Secret of Monkey Island was released and the story still continues! I cried a little at the familiar intro music of Return to Monkey Island and loved every returning character and callback joke. There were also a few puzzles that stumped me which gave me so much extra gameplay time as I tried to work through as many ridiculous solutions as I could. It’s a must-play for fans of point-and-click adventures and those nostalgic for LucasArts games.
7. Cult of the Lamb
Very much like Tunic, Cult of the Lamb took challenging combat and dungeon crawls and made it less intimidating to me. There’s something to be said for having great music to motivate and relax you while trying to dodge attacks. I thoroughly enjoyed fighting beasts and during the times I wasn’t, I could take a break and work on building, fishing, and cooking. There’s such a good balance in the game between those cozy elements of taking care of your cult members, and the not-so-cozy elements like sacrificing the non-believers.
6. A Plague Tale: Requiem
A Plague Tale: Requiem delivered the same amount of beauty, heartbreak, and suspense as it’s predecessor. Getting to continue the journeys of Amicia and Hugo was everything I wanted in the continued story. The stealth aspect in the first game really stood out to me compared to other games that put heavy emphasis on sneaking, and I was so happy to have more of it in Requiem.
5. The Case of the Golden Idol
The way the mystery in The Case of the Golden Idol unfolds is phenomenal. You play through chapters investigating different murders and then fill out scrolls to piece together what you’ve learned. This reminded me so much of Return of the Obra Dinn because of the difficulty and type of thought process you go through do discover names of characters and what they did which I loved. Getting to the “aha!” moment in each part of the mystery was always thrilling.
4. Stray
The hype around Stray isn’t for nothing. You get to play as a cat – enough said. There’s something so fun about navigating a world from only a few inches off the ground. My absolute favorite part was traveling around in buckets on ziplines. On top of the fun cat-related gameplay including scratching carpets and knocking things over, the other characters in the world are so charming that you want to complete the story to see what happens to everyone you’re invested in.
3. The Excavation of Hob's Barrow
A lot of the games here are on my list because of my love for puzzles. The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow had the most memorable point-and-click mystery solutions I’ve played this year and because of the story, I couldn’t put it down. I was so invested in the story of the spooky town with hidden secrets of its past that I played it in one sitting. I also highly recommend exploring this world for those who, like me, are a sucker for modern pixel graphics.
2. The Quarry
I don’t play horror games, but I have pushed through every Supermassive Games release because they are just that good. I’ll deal with jumpscares just so I can have the time of my life making decisions in an attempt to keep my characters alive. I loved every chapter of this story, walking through a creepy camp and feeling like I was in a teen slasher movie. The Quarry ranks high for me in the Supermassive Games catalog and definitely on my top games of 2022.
1. Immortality
After completing two playthroughs and unlocking all the secrets and achievements, I think it’s easy for me to say Immortality was my favorite gaming experience of the year. Much like Sam Barlow’s previous games, you watch videos to piece together a mystery. You follow the story of movie star, Marissa Marcel, and find out what happened to her through lost film footage. I don’t want to reveal anything else because my favorite part of playing was not knowing what to do and how things connect until it all clicks into place.