On: PlayStation 5

It was close between this and Vampire Survivors over which was my #1 this year, but ultimately God of War: Ragnarok won out. God of War (2018) was informative to my final year of college (I go more into that in my Completed of 2022 Stack), and so I was looking forward to playing through Ragnarok and I can't say I was disappointed. Mythology within the world of the game finally getting tied up and witnessing characters we care about (ESPECIALLY Kratos) go through meaningful development and changes lend themselves to a neat little package that was a blast to playthrough, and it's the first of these story-driven games I've gotten invested in since I completed Control. Are there things I wish that were better? Yes, I do. Overall I think Ragnarok's combat is easier than (2018) was, and the side characters are much too quick to point out puzzle solutions after I only just got started trying to solve it. But I sorta already expect a degree of that in a game like this so I can't complain too much.

On: PC/Windows

While I've technically completed this game, my completion is still ongoing as they keep releasing updates with new unlockables and achievements! I'm at the stage though where it's easy to get those unlockables due to having loadouts and characters that basically break the game. And honestly that's where my only real complaint comes in, I think that there's certainly a challenge and an uphill battle to learning and playing through the game, but at a certain point you get the right unlockables and can just destroy the game completely, which makes completing it a little dull. If I've got Queen Sigma running around and I'm insta-killing almost everything, but still have unlockables or so left, a lot of it feels like a waiting game due to the auto-battling nature of the game. That being said, it was one hell of a ride getting to that point and it's one of those games I can imagine myself years from now wishing I could experience again for the first time.

On: PlayStation 5

As of writing this, I still have yet to complete the game. I've beat the game and done a lot of the side quests, but there are trophies/achievements for beating each main boss without taking damage and I have three of those left. Hoping to do that soon. That aside, the game itself is fantastic. I enjoy the dungeon crawling rougelike aspect, but also the sorta city-builder mechanics that the game has going for it as well. Perhaps I just haven't had much exposure to the genre as a whole, but Hades had a bit of a lighter version of this that I had fun with, improving items and talking with NPCs/doing side quests for them in the meantime. Cult of the Lamb takes it to the nth degree though with a lot to comb through. And that is my only real qualm with the game as well: I think it has too much going on in it. After perhaps my 10th or 11th run I'm still getting new mechanics thrown into the cult construction gameplay, and more collectables popping up, and that was driving me a bit crazy as I started to feel overwhelmed. But thankfully a lot of these elements actually tie into one another and aren't just their own little box of gameplay (for the most part) which added to an overall enjoyable and cohesive experience.

On: Nintendo Switch

This game would be a bit higher if the EMMI sections were slightly different, or didn't exist at all, because I wasn't a huge fan of them. And while that may seem like a huge component of the game since the tasks are based around beating them, there was so much for me to love all around those inconveniences. Other boss fights and exploration worthy of the original Super Metroid (which I've played before, but also finally completed for the first time this year) make Dread worthy to call the Metroid franchise it's home, and I hope it's success leads to more Metroid's in the future post Other M. Maybe another Prime could be in our future? That's a series of games I still need to complete themselves.

On: PlayStation

I wish I had played this sooner than when I finally got around to it. A pretty challenging and all-around interesting puzzle game that relies on your reflexes, identification of the game's ruleset, and board memorization. I was honestly getting peeved at the final stage just because, unlike the other stages, there is absolutely no room for error. If you miss a panel or speed boost or anything you are NOT making it to the end of the level, which seems a bit extreme given the rest of the game where missing things was more of a grade affect than anything else. But I still love Mr. Domino, I could totally see this coming back rebooted as some form of $4.99 PSN game in the future and I would certainly purchase it.

On: PlayStation 5

I'm not big on soulsborn games, which is a whole other discussion, but I've loved this 2D take on the genre since I first played it (two different campaigns) with friends in college. I finally decided to complete this year in anticipation for the sequel (which has been a lot of fun thus far), and played through the game initially with my father, who had a great time adapting to a new style of game he had never played before in any dimension. Following that, I did what little was left to complete and was never bored/frustrated. I can't wait to finish the sequel (currently playing online with one of those college friends) and go on to complete that as well.

On: Nintendo Switch

Could this be my favorite Kirby game?! No, because Superstar Saga on the SNES still exists, but this was a close second, I loved everything this game had going for it. I'm not big on Kirby games because for me they get monotonous a little quickly, and I wasn't that enthralled going into this game just because the trailers made it seem like an open world game to me. Glad I was wrong about that, it's definitely way more open that previous Kirby games have been in terms of how things are laid out, but it's still pretty linear, which I think works best for Kirby anyways. The thrill I got taking down the final super-secret boss in the coliseum for 100% completion still lives in my brain, and the Gashapon machines dispensing collectibles of the game was a nice touch.

On: PC/Windows

My favorite aspect of this game is being able to turn these adorable puppet characters into nightmarish monstrosities constructed of burger bits and baked goods. There's a ton to like about the game story-wise and the puzzles get creative enough to the point of really trying to think outside of the box when attempting to catch a spicy flying buffalo wing, and you really feel like a genius when you finally come up with a solution to it. I also hopped in at just the right time for the DLC to be finally releasing as well, so I went ahead and completed that as well before finishing the final campaign, making for a fully cohesive experience!

On: Nintendo Entertainment System

This likely seems surprising, I wouldn't have even played this game if it wasn't for the bounty that was on it back in January/February earlier this year. But boy oh boy, I was surprised at how much I genuinely like elements of this game. It's pretty easy to hate on a game for making weird (and at times nonsensical) choices, especially one from a console like the NES, but there's a ton to like here. I enjoy the maze room puzzles, I like the upgrade format (even though that took me an embarrassingly long time to understand), and I even like the bosses... for the most part. This game is at the bottom of the list purely because of the 4th boss, which the developers I think provided too much armor to. I was able to beat the final boss in 1/4 the time, and I did have all the upgraded weapons and missiles as well, I don't like that guy. But I will stick up for this game in the future!

On: PlayStation 5

I didn't hate this game by any means, but honestly the only real reason it's on the list is because I had a lot of fun playing a mostly realistic cat in this crazy world. Much of what was actually going on I was kinda bored by, and the stages sans the sewers really sort of blended together for me. I didn't think I was getting a lot out of it. But running and leaping and rolling around and getting CAUGHT IN BOXES as a cat I loved, and it kept me going through the whole game. Finally, when I was finally sort of fed up and at the point where I was thinking "ok, maybe I'll put this down and come back to it later," the game ended. Bliss! So overall I don't think this game was necessarily for me, but reflecting back on it, the niche enjoyment I received playing as a cat and the short runtime of the game itself sort of purified it's look in my eyes.