The return of beloved characters coupled with ambitious new titles has turned this year into one of the best hits in the video game industry, leaving gamers in an embarrassment of riches.
Even during traditionally quiet months, players had the opportunity to navigate the Starfield galaxies, embark on high-fantasy Baldur’s Gate 3 adventures and battle the brutal forces of Diablo IV. Long development cycles and willingness to take risks with gameplay and narrative paid off creatively during an exhausting season of LayoffsAnd mergers and Discounts Within the industry.
Despite these setbacks, video games remain an innovative sector of culture, with critics announcing this year’s slate of releases Best review scores in the last 20 years. Listed in alphabetical order, these games excel at providing players with immersive experiences.
Alan Wake 2
Weirdness should be rewarded, and it’s clear that the Finnish developers at Remedy Entertainment have embraced the boundaries of what players can expect from a survival horror game. The strange style that worried publishers when the original game was released in 2010 returns in this sequel, which revolves around a crime thriller author who continues to walk between truth and fiction, as the boundaries between reality and illusion blur. Players will find themselves solving murders and dodging bullets, only to later enjoy an extended musical act by a live band called the Old Gods of Asgard. (PC, Sony PlayStation 5, Xbox Series
Baldur’s Gate 3
The developers at Larian Studios in Belgium have crafted a love letter to the tabletop Dungeons & Dragons series that prioritizes customization and surprise. The vampires, shapeshifters, dwarves and orcs that populate the world of Baldur’s Gate 3 regularly provide magic that makes every moment of this titanic story a joy to experience. Online multiplayer has also made this game a fan favorite, with dozens of streamers broadcasting their successes and failures to a growing community. (PC, PS5)
Sennar songs
A hooded figure emerges from the coffin, navigating a series of dungeon puzzles whose instructions are written in a language players can’t decipher – until now. Chants of Sennaar, from French developer Rundisc, is a wonderfully innovative game that plays on the idea of getting lost in translation. The cel-shaded art direction seems to evoke the Moorish influences of the Alhambra, creating a meditative maze of castles and gardens that hide a darker secret. The confusion forces players to rely on an illustrated journal where pictures and words are linked into a temporary lexicon. Building this dictionary feels like mastering a new language. (Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
Dave the diver
Sushi and diving are just appetizers in this bizarre game from South Korean developer Mintrocket set in a place populated by the ocean, where a giant octopus terrorizes the local fishermen. This is the first of many mysteries that await Dave, an unlikely hero who becomes a seaside MacGyver responsible for running a restaurant and overseeing several farms. He also works as a social media manager, sea horse trainer, and underwater archaeologist. (computer, switch)
Japanese developer Square Enix’s flagship franchise has been going through an identity crisis – what exactly defines a Final Fantasy title? – Upon arrival at the sixteenth main entrance. This film takes place in a highly fantasy setting, where kingdoms plot against each other in a war inspired by the HBO series “Game of Thrones.” The resulting saga contains a tragic hero quest but also mundane side quests spent retrieving wildflowers and other senseless items. Elements of political intrigue and a subplot involving enslaved magic-bearers are eventually overshadowed by an evil god and giants known as eikons who lead the protagonist into battles reminiscent of the encounters between Godzilla and Mothra. But even in its chaotic aftermath, there are glimmers of brilliance present in every Final Fantasy title. (PlayStation 5)
The Legend of Zelda: Kingdom Tears
A direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, one of the most popular games of the past decade, it created high expectations for Nintendo. The resulting adventure saw the industrial revolution come to Hyrule, with players learning to combine relics scattered across the ruined kingdom into motorcycles and planes. Tears of the Kingdom slightly disappointed those craving more narrative depth in the series, but the Japanese team’s innovative approach to solving environmental puzzles remains unparalleled. Trusting players to overcome open-ended challenges with an infinite number of solutions (and paths to failure) has made The Legend of Zelda one of the biggest franchises in the industry. (convert)
Pikmin 4
There have been substantial changes to the Pikmin formula in what could be considered a reboot of the Nintendo series, which has struggled to find a mainstream audience. This entry features simplified mechanics and combines some of the best features of the first three games, which focuses on pioneering armies of Pikmin – strange plant creatures – to multiply their numbers, collect treasure, and fight off local invasive species. All the action takes place from ground level as players navigate a crew of space explorers no bigger than ants. (convert)
Resident Evil 4
When it set out to revisit older games in its Resident Evil catalog, Japanese developer Capcom knew that expectations for one particular entry would be unreasonably high. Since its release in the mid-2000s, Resident Evil 4 has been considered by some to be one of the greatest video games ever released. The remake is a reminder of why the horror series is so popular, introducing new features and unexpected scares. The balance of gory horror and funny jokes from the protagonist, Leon Kennedy, almost mitigates the sheer terror of zombie villagers infected by a mind-controlling parasite stalking you across the Spanish countryside. (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series
Spider-Man 2
Developers at Insomniac Games, an American studio, were ready to offer more of the same after 2018’s Spider-Man game seemed to perfect the gameplay loop of a web-slinging superhero with a realistic map of Manhattan to explore. Players were left happily swinging through the city long after completing the main story. Its sequel offered more of the same while improving on some of the rough edges of its predecessor. The superhero has expanded his powers into Brooklyn and Queens, more villains are destroying the skyline, and the partnership between Peter Parker and Miles Morales becomes strained when Spidey’s elder mind is corrupted by the alien villain Venom. (PlayStation 5)
camera lens
Playing this game will open your third eye. The puzzles involve perspective-shifting tricks that use trick photography to distort time and space. Developers at Scottish company Sad Owl Studios ask players to use the camera to open rifts in the environment, resulting in worlds that sometimes look ripped from an MC Escher illustration. Taking some atmosphere and thematic cues from other respected puzzle games – including Portal (2007), The Witness (2016), and Superliminal (2019) – Viewfinder doesn’t overstay its welcome, leaving players eager to dive deeper into its world’s many mysteries. (PC, PS5)
