Save The Game Media: Kevin's Top 10 Games of 2022
Kevin is the Founder of Save The Game Media and Host of Project XTalk: An Xbox Podcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMuff1nMon
Some would say that 2022 was a lackluster year for gaming and perhaps if you only look at the Triple A gaming space – that might hold some weight. However, at the time of writing I’m working on finishing my 87th game this year with a few more on the horizon before we close out 2022. Some ask me how I finish so many games and the answer is honestly – I just love the hobby. I’m sure content creation is a big reason why I push myself and just this year we fully rebranded to Save The Game Media and I’m doing a plethora of podcasts now, so I feel the need to play a wide variety of games on every platform so I’m knowledgeable for my listeners. If you haven’t heard any of our content, please come join but without further ado, here are my Top 10 Games of 2022 so far.
Honorable Mention: God of War Ragnarok
I LOVE God of War (2018) but I can’t say the same for Ragnarok. I can simply say that I liked Ragnarok but I think it is a clear step backwards from 2018 in most aspects that aren’t combat. Combat in Ragnarok is amazing and much improved, focusing more on parries and more combo focused. However – the narrative, inconsistent writing vs. character actions and the abhorrent pacing really hurt this game for me. A game I like but not a game I love.
10. The Last of Us Part 1 Remake
Yes, 2022 was my first time playing The Last of Us. A game often heralded as the pinnacle of gaming and one of the best games of all time and I’m here to say – I really liked it. I think the narrative, story telling, acting and everything is top notch. Maybe in 2022 the zombie apocalypse feels a bit overdone but I still can appreciate the story beats and world Naughty Dog built here. However – I don’t think the gameplay holds up very well. Stealth is down right terrible and the gun play is serviceable at best with a lot of weapons feeling useless. An incredibly annoying section and boss fight when playing as Ellie frustrated me but not enough for me to exclude it from this list.
9. Cult of the Lamb
I don’t like roguelites and I don’t like Animal Crossing but I love Cult of the Lamb. I think the mash up just works wonders, you don’t have to focus too much on either aspects of the game. The dungeons are quite easy and take only around 10 minutes to complete. You have a constant feeling of progression and you can make your village pretty self sufficient even if you treat your cult members like garbage. Sacrificing your followers or making them eat poop and then hacking up some blobs for 8 hours never got dull. However – at launch the game was riddled with bugs and performance issues towards the end which soured the experience just slightly.
8. Tinykin
This game shows the beauty of Game Pass. A game I would have 100% miss if it wasn’t for my friends knowing I LOVE 3D platforming collectathons. The game is a mix of Banjo-Kazooie and Pikmin where you will use tiny creatures to complete areas and collect the numerous collectibles scattered throughout the environment. A beautiful art style, tight platforming that is only let down by the fact it is so hard to collect EVERYTHING as there is usually 1 or 2 items that might be too well hidden.
7. The Entropy Centre
My surprise indie hit! I was lucky enough to review this game ahead of launch and from the opening minutes I knew this game was going to be special. A game heavily inspired by Portal – this game focused on moving objects by rewinding time to solve puzzles. No overly difficult puzzles, they are fun to solve, and the game doesn’t overstay its welcome at around 9 hours. The real treat is the interaction between Astra and Aria – a hilarious and heartwarming companionship that made me smile the whole time.
6. The DioField Chronicle
A game, that much like my next game on the list that I feel was criminally underrated and undermarketed. A game that adopts Real Time Strategy gameplay on a smaller scale and brings it to console. One of two Square Enix games that came out this year that I loved with a story about political conflict. A super engaging game where even the side quests feel fun as the missions will only take you 2-4 minutes, allowing you to accomplish everything with relative ease. The one drawback is the game ends on a bit of a cliff hanger and I’m not confident we will ever get a sequel – so if you’re on the fence, you can listen to me – play this game!
5. Triangle Strategy
Stand down Octopath Traveler, there is a new king of the 2D HD space. This Nintendo Switch exclusive came out in March and blew me away. An intriguing politically motivated story with fantastic strategy turn based combat. A game where every decision you make greatly impacts the story. This is a must for JRPG fans and it’s a shame that it has flown under the radar.
4. Monark
If you only played games that scored well on Metacritic then you wouldn’t play this game which currently sits at a 66% on that and yet – a game I loved my 65 hours with. An old school JRPG heavily inspired by Shin Megami Tensei. Instead of traditional turn based combat, this game adopts more of a Fire Emblem esque combat system – moving around an open map and attacking enemies within a certain distance. The story is dark and revolves around high schoolers tackling their inner demons. Clever, if not sometimes obtuse puzzles are the downside of this game and if you’re not a fan of grinding – I wouldn’t recommend as you’ll need to spend at least 20 hours grinding but man – did I just love playing this game.
3. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
I’ve never been a fan of Musou style games but man – was Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes a fantastic game to make me a fan! Three Houses is my favorite Switch game so I was skeptical they could take all the amazing elements of that game and put them into this style and let me say – they knocked it out of the park. You have the social elements from Three Houses that made the characters and world so special and loveable. An actually fantastic story that differs depending on which house you choose – preserving the replayability of the game and at the end of the day the game is just so fun! Each character having special moves tied to their personality is amazing and the new character models are fantastic. This takes the Musou formula and elevates it to the next level.
2. Nobody Saves the World
I’ve never been a fan of Drinkbox, their previous titles like Guacamelee just did not connect with me. So I’m pleased to say that Nobody Saves The World is their best game to date. One of the most fun, silliest and charming games I have played all year. Beat in one weekend, playing co-op with my brother to get every Xbox achievement. I don’t know if I’ve had more fun this year. Transforming into different forms such as a horse, rat, magician or dragon are a blast and being able to mix and match moves makes this dungeon crawler RPG just perfection from start to finish.
1. A Plague Tale: Requiem
What can I say about A Plague Tale: Requiem besides it was easily the most gripping and emotionally impactful game that I played all year. I was a huge fan of Innocence but Asobo took the foundations of that title and improved on every aspect. Stealth games are very rare in 2022 and even though this isn’t a fully stealth experience, Asobo has improved the gameplay by giving the player more aggressive options such as a crossbow. The jaw dropping gorgeous visuals is only outdone by the phenomenal performance from Charlotte McBurney as Amicia. A game that is a joy to look at, play and one you won’t stop thinking about.