On: PlayStation 5

I was turned off of Resident Evil for quite some time following Resident Evil 5, to the point that I didn't even play 6 OR 7 when they came out, even though 7 was touted as a return to form and an excellent game. I still didn't play it. However, after the trailer that played at E3 for Resident Evil Village, I knew I had to give it a try. And I'm so glad I did, fighting against actually interesting antagonists with gun control that feels satisfying for a change? I loved every minute of it. Still have yet to complete the Mercenaries Mode in its entirety, but this is the first game in a long while that I played through multiple times for all of the challenges and trophies, and I was never all that bored which is saying something.

On: PC/Windows

Daniel Mullins makes great games, I can't really think of any other way to state that. The core conceit of all of his games that I've played (that being Pony Island, The Hex, and now Inscryption) is always more or less that the game is aware that it is a game. Now this tends to leap into different styles of story-telling, and how this relates to the real world is worked in there as well, but that seed of an idea is ever present. So already I was more than willing to dive into this and see what exactly what he had in store. To my surprise, though, the card-game mechanics built around this game are exceptionally well thought out and designed. This is perhaps following off of The Hex, which attempted to lampoon numerous different genres of game so none of them ever really had time to breath or be fully explored. There are certainly ways to break this game in your favor (Ouroboros comes to mind), but Inscryption almost seems to be daring you to do so, so it feels less like an exploit and more intentional than anything else. As I've said before in the past, I can't wait to see what Mullins brings to the table next.

On: PlayStation 5

For what is ostensibly a tech demo for the PS5 and its upgraded controller, I was shocked and surprised by how functional and actively fun this experience was. The game is a solid platformer that handles well and the integration of the controller's new features (adaptive triggers and extent to which rumbling is controlled) were really showcased perfectly. I've heard that the robot in this game was actually from some Astro VR title on the PS4, but that aside my point that this little guy needs more games to his name still stands. The robots are adorable and they like all of the same games that I like, even if they are simping a little hard for Sony all throughout your adventure.

On: PC/Windows

Devolver Digital really hit it out of the park this year, producing Inscryption for Daniel Mullins and then also providing us this sleeper hit as well. I say that as I honestly didn't hear many people actively discussing it when it came out. I saw a single video on the game and based my decision to purchase and play off of that, but aside from that there wasn't much talk. The game reminds me a lot of Bastion put out by Supergiant Games, mainly due to the isometric viewpoint and the combat introduced. But man oh man, I really devoured this one. Something about it clicked with me, and I not only played through the game in the span of half a week, but I completed it too. I did two playthroughs back-to-back, the second of which involving going through the entire game without switching off the weakest weapon in the game, and I had a blast. As far as Devolver Digital goes, I've eyed both GRIS and Loop Hero for potential playthroughs next year as I was pleasantly surprised with their output this year and want to delve into their publishing backlog a bit more.

On: PlayStation 5

As I put in my "Completed in 2021" write-up, this is probably the first actual Ratchet and Clank game I've played. This is disregarding the 2016 entry which I've come to understand is not only a movie tie-in but also sort of a retreading of the first Ratchet & Clank title. It was a good game, but this is the first I've played that is its own beast, and it really did make me wanna go back and play other Ratchet & Clank games in the series. As I've been going through and finally playing through the Sly Cooper and now the Jak and Daxter games for the first time, it only fits to include the third of that PS2 trinity. Anyhow, Rift Apart is an enjoyable bit of fun that incorporates rapid shooting and explosives with an intuitive upgrade system based wholly around actively using the weapon. This sort of forces the completion-minded to experiment with other guns/bombs/etc. that you probably normally wouldn't use, and so I felt that I got a more complete experience of the actual game itself. Not to mention the actual dimension hopping during stages was a fun mechanic in and of itself. I only wish that two playthroughs had been enough to fully upgrade all of the weapons, but by the end of the NG+ run, I found myself grinding in the colosseum to finish up the last couple of weapon upgrades. It wasn't too large a headache, all things considered.

On: PlayStation 4

What a hard one! Yet another game that took me far too long to get around to playing. But I'm glad I finally did. Something about these metroidvania style games rarely click with these, but having done Carrion, Super Metroid, and then this over the course of 2021, then perhaps I've just been playing the wrong games in this small subset. Anyways, I still have to go back and actually complete Hollow Knight, because by god is it hard. After all of that time playing, I still couldn't do a few of the challenges and I certainly couldn't fully get through the DLC either. I wonder if I have the constitution to actually make it through! I had to take a break because after a week I was burned out and wanted to play something else, but I also know that the longer I wait, the harder those challenges will be when I go back to it. The ultimate tightrope of our time.

On: PC/Windows

This is an odd one, because I kinda had to force myself through the first 2 hours, and that was only because the sequel game was a bounty on the site at the time. I wanted to finish the first game before the second, so I was pushing myself through the game even though I wasn't enjoying myself. However, at some point while I was going through the Valley of the Wind everything just clicked. Suddenly I was enjoying myself and zipping around, unlocking different areas and I didn't even mind all of the backtracking. I placed this game a little lower on the list because I did love it, but I can't exactly pinpoint why or what it was that changed my mood on the whole situation. Maybe if I think on it a bit I'll come up with an answer.

On: PlayStation 5

I played the original not too long after it came out and it really grabbed me in a way that a lot of horror games don't. It did so to such a degree that it caused me to dive into other facets of what I hoped would be a fleshed out world. I read the motion comics, downloaded and completed the mobile game over the course of a week whenever I wasn't busy, and I watched a ton of "lore" videos on YouTube attempting to connect all of the characters on The Maw to one another. So when this title released, I immediately bought it and completed it in a single day. I loved it just a much as I thought I would, with the small catch that it didn't answer any questions I had. Not everything has to be connected in some big web, but while this game only barely connects with the previous title, they still establish a timeline, which makes me long for some more active exploration of the different aspects of this universe, and that wasn't necessarily provided. I hope there is some form of Little Nightmares III in the future (or at the very least DLC for the game like there was for the first).

On: PlayStation 4

As is an apparent running theme this year, I'm upset that it took me this long to get around to this game. Eventually I ended up picking it up because it was on sale, and I gotta say it was a blast to play through. The playable monster rips and tears its way through the facility with ease, eating anyone and anything it comes into contact with and you really do practically unstoppable with few exceptions. Just latching yourself to the ceiling and gaining mass as you move along upgrading yourself to confront new enemy-types is enough to keep you interested without even really thinking about why any of this is going on. To that end, there are a few (very few) sections in which you play as a human scientist in these backstory sequences and I found these a little dull, but only really because the alternative was throwing tentacles around to zip through corridors causing chaos and mayhem! Too much fun.

On: Nintendo Switch

I had to place this somewhere by default as not only have I been looking forward to a Pokemon Snap that utilizes motion technology for a LONG time now, but I did have a fun time playing the game. It makes for a nice short experience where you can experiment in different environments and discover new Pokemon based on interactions throughout the stage (same as the first Pokemon Snap). So, it has the core gameplay down. However, my focus is generally on completing things, and while completing the original Pokemon Snap is a breeze, this game can be a NIGHTMARE. Forgetting the fact that a core challenge was bugged following the day one patch and remained that way for over a month, since when you get a game at launch you're begging to have that happen, there are online elements tied to unlockables which I've never understood with Nintendo titles because their online capabilities have always been the weakest of any other consoles in that generation. The online experience is never fun and is usually more tedious than anything, and when you rope collectables into that it becomes insufferable. Granted, its really only related to those few collectables so it doesn't destroy the game itself, which is why its still making my list, but since I do tend to be more "completionist-minded", that definitely knocked it down the list for me.