Remember 64: David's Top Games of 2023
What’s up everyone. Happy holidays and new year!
If you haven’t heard through the retro game grape vine, I’m David Pietrangelo from the Remember 64 podcast. A great excuse to work through a library of games on a console many of us love, but many of us (including myself) missed.
Sure, we have some experience with Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Mario Party, Smash Bros., and the like… but what about all the other mid-level titles that you may have seen at the rental store but never played!? Well, that’s what Remember 64 is here for!
But I don’t just play the N64. I love new games and I love playing ones from my backlog. This is a list of a bit of both. Half are 2023 games I adored and the other half of my list will be a more brief look at a mix of other titles I hadn’t gotten to until this year.
I hope you enjoy!
2023 Games
5. Cobalt Core
I really love me some roguelike games! For me Hades is top tier in the genre and is one of my favourite games of all time. While Cobalt Core may not be the same style of gameplay, the loop and storytelling are just as fun and engaging!
If you’ve ever played FTL: Faster than Light or Into the Breach, you may recognize the approach to this one. With a crew of three anthropomorphized animals, you’ve set course in space toi break out of a time loop. A perfect excuse to set the game in a roguelike genre and the perfect excuse to just keep playing this game.
I love everything about this title from the art design, the chill but upbeat sci-fi score, hilarious writing, and addicting gameplay loop.
It may be a game that fell through the cracks a bit this past fall, but I assure you (especially if you have a Switch and play undocked), this game is bound to put a smile on your face!
4. Jusant
There are many immense and action-packed games at our fingertips in 2023. You have Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 or Final Fantasy 16, for example. They’re filled with great character moments, but they’re also filled with some louder and more bombastic sequences.
Every once in a while, a quieter, more straightforward, more serene experience is precisely what you need, even if you don’t know it yet. Jusant was that for me.
From its gorgeous score, charming art style and characters, easy-to-understand controls, excellent mechanics, joyful discovery, and more, this is a title that is special in a multitude of ways.
The climbing is fun, intuitive, and feels natural. It may be the core of the gameplay, but I loved how it was really just a vessel that drove a touching and interesting story that’s told in a number of beautiful ways.
3. Dredge
Despite the dark, dreary, and sometimes creepy settings, Dredge is the most fun I’ve had fishing in a long, long time! And yes, even compared to my real life experiences.
This fishing, exploration, and mini-RPG lays an atmospheric trail of breadcrumbs I couldn’t help but follow. Sure, I was catching fish for hours and hours, but it was the larger, darker, and far more interesting world I was dredging up that had me….hooked (each and every pun intended).
What really drew me in as I sunk hour after hour into Dredge, was some of the horror and thriller elements that swirl above and below the waters.
The game is not striving for realism, but the mix of realistic water effects and physics, mixed with a more surreal set of characters and creatures; works incredibly well.
2. Hi-Fi Rush
This is the new game that I likely had the most fun playing in 2023. From the get-go Hi-Fi Rush wants to swoop you up in its wacky world of robots, music, and charming characters.
I often felt like I was playing a wonderfully crafter Saturday morning cartoon. The flash and pizazz (ya that’s right…I’m old I used pizazz!) on screen is as eye-popping and unique as any game I’ve played in recent years.
Comedy is also tough to pull off in games. But in this game they nail it pretty much every single time. The large crew of friends and enemies all have something fun and witty to say during gameplay or in between action sequences.
The gameplay itself is an amazing mix of musical timing and 3rd-person action games. It was just the right level of difficulty, and offers dozens of accessibility choices to make sure nearly everyone can experience this gem of a game!
1. Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
I didn’t realize it at the time, but the first Oxenfree game got me through a tough stretch. It wasn’t just the game, but the incredible soundtrack by SCNTFC.
With the sequel finally being released this year , I couldn’t wait to jump back into this thriller and sci-fi story I have loved for years. It was my most anticipated game each year for the last few years and it was finally here!
As you can see, for me this game lived up to my expectations and personal hype.
Oxenfree II is a masterpiece in writing and voice acting. There’s a whole lot of special work going on behind the scenes to determine what’s being said when, how, and why. It’s a mechanic you don’t see, but one that works incredibly well to create an immersive and well crafted experience.
The two leading roles are so well realized and written that I could see myself in each of their stories. Whether it be reminiscing, chatting about an existential crisis, or sitting in moments of silence. Not only did I find it difficult to put down the controller to get to the more prominent story beats, but I was also driven to hear more of the smaller and more personal moments I knew were just around the corner.
Backlog Games
5. Metroid Prime Remastered
This game is amazing! I had never played any of the Prime series and I’m so happy I finally was able to experience this on Switch this year. Between this and Dread (also for the first time in 2023), I’m fully in on Metroid and can’t wait for more!
4. Returnal
This is one of the coolest, most unique, and interesting action games I’ve ever played. I love the gameplay but I really loved all the story beats and how they were delivered. It wa a bit of a grind at times, but I couldn’t wait to find out more about this sci-fi story and dig deeper into the chilling, atmospheric setting.
3. Buck Bumble
I have Matt Stormageddon from the “Fun” and Games podcast to thank for this one. They brought this title to my attention on an episode of Remember 64 and I loved it!
This retro 3D action game is a ton of fun, has inventive but also simple ideas, and killer soundtrack! Check out Level 20 – Garden Warfare to hear us talk about it!
2. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
I don’t have a ton of experience playing Zelda games on handheld. So when I saw this title on the GBA list of games for Switch Online I had to give it a try.
A week later I sunk a couple dozen hours into this game and couldn’t put it down. I loved every minute of it! It quickly shot up as one of my favourite in the franchise.
1. Paper Mario
In a way this is could be another shameless plug (*ahem* Level 35 – Making That Paper *ahem*), but I honestly just loved this game.
I dabbled in this game back in the day, but hardly. Instead this time I sunk 30+ hours into it over the course of the summer and wanted more! The writing, the gameplay, the creativity, all of it shines above many other RPG’s of that era. This game still holds up today!
Sure, Super Mario RPG just got an impressive remake, but this game doesn’t need it. The surprising follow-up to the genre and industry altering Super Mario 64 is a true classic and one I think everyone needs to play!