I haven’t played many 2023 games yet, but I hope to change that in the future. The year is going to go down in history as a certified banger and it is going to take literally years to catch up with the crazy amount of great releases. What a feeling!
I have narrowed down a top 10 list of the games that I would like to play, and I have got to say, this was not an easy task.
This list is in release order, from the beginning of the year to the end!
Dredge
On one hand, I am glad to have waited as the game has recieved updates and I do prefer to play the complete version of a game. On the other, I am pleased that so many people jumped on board and allowed the game to be the success that it has become.
Last year I tried my hand at a few crafting games. I always like the idea of the gameplay loop – gather, upgrade to allow you to gather more and better stuff, to allow you to upgrade, to allow you to gather more and better stuff – but it is so rare that it is as satisfying as I hoped. Presuming that even is the loop of this game, I wonder if this will be the one. Plus, I just love the ocean.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened
I had fun with the investigation, the exploration and I am expecting a very different Sherlock experience to any that I have had so far. I am grateful that I did not play the original as I am certain I am in for an absolute ride full of unfathomable weirdness.
DAVE THE DIVER
I’m something of a diver myself. And this game seemed to come out of the blue. Suddenly, everyone was playing a game called Dave the Diver and I was like wait.. what.. how did I miss this? Not only that, but it is a restaurant manager, another genre that I love to dabble in.
I haven’t seen any gameplay or looked into the gameplay loop as I would like to experience it for myself, but based on the steam description it is giving me Moonlighter vibes. Gather by day, profit by night (or which ever way around it goes). I have downloaded the demo on my Switch so providing it is still available, I am excited to get a taste of what the gameplay is and how the vibes feel.
Baldur’s Gate 3
The fear of missing out was very intense at the release of Baldur’s Gate 3. It is one of those games that took over the lives of seemingly everyone around me, and had so much genuine praise.
The last time I saw this much hype was Elden Ring, which I actually bought on launch – a thing I rarely do – because it felt like a moment of gaming history that I didn’t want to miss. The only reason that I didn’t do the same for BG3 is because it is such a huge game, and I knew I didn’t have the time to get the most out of it.
I am very fortunate to have been gifted the game so as soon as I feel I can give it the attention it deserves, I will dive straight in and I cannot wait for that moment! I don’t believe I have played anything like it before and it is sure to be a heck of an experience.
Under The Waves
I was sold when I saw that Under the Waves was taking place in the North Sea. As I mentioned above, I used to scuba dive so when a game includes diving it always piques my interest. This one even more so as the North Sea is my home sea and the one I am most familiar with.
The other factor really drawing me in is that it doesn’t appear to be horror. With narrative and exploration being the driving force I feel a lot more confident in trying the game out.
The overall theme of the game is grief and while that can be hit and miss, I am always open to trying games that deal with these subjects as I have been helped immeasurably by them in the past. Having said that, I do feel like they are best played under certain circumstances, so this one will definitely be a personal game as opposed to a stream game.
Chants of Sennaar
I have already written about Chants of Sennaar, as it was my favourite demo that I tried on the PS5. It left a huge impression and I am still just as eager to play the full game as I was when I first tried it.
The beautiful minimalism engaged me in a way I could not have expected, engendering a trust in the player to discover what is needed, while at the same time feeling extremely user friendly. This is something that I appreciate more and more as I play more games and I believe to be an art in itself.
The type of puzzle that the game presents alone is something that I really enjoy. But paired with the art style, colour pallete and atmosphere, it turned into a sensory experience that put me into my favourite kind of zen. One part of my brain is chugging away at the dopamine from the progression and the other is completely and utterly relaxed. No overwhelm, no underwhelm, just the absolute balance of whelm in the best possible way.
Starfield
While Starfield reviews have been middling, I would still like to make my own opinion on this one. As much as I have seen some damning reveiws, I have also seen people get exactly what they hoped for and have a lot of fun with it.
I can’t help but wonder how much of the criticism has stemmed from the impossibly high expectations Bethesda themselves set for the game. I am not denying that the game could be lacking in some departments, but things always feel worse when you are expecting a complete game changer. That is why I am so interested in going in with low expectations and seeing how I find it.
I am not in the biggest rush however, as I suspect DLC will be coming and based on my experience with Skyrim, I’d rather play the complete version of the game.
COCOON
I shrugged off the buzz surrounding Cocoon because I thought it was going to be too ‘smart’ for me. I remember seeing the reveal trailer and thinking ‘puzzle game, cool, I have no idea what is going on’.
I was surprised when reviews started releasing and solidifying that the game seems to be way more approachable than I expected, and all of the positive critique appealed to me. From then on, I went into avoidance mode and decided I would like to try it out myself. Hopefully I will find some time to have a Game Pass Shabananza and this is very high up on the priority list.
Slay the Princess
I played the demo for an Indie Showcase a while ago and to this day it remains my favourite. I already wrote about why in the post linked below, but TL;DR It’s fantastic.
The only issue with playing this game is that I really would like to Let’s Play it. The problem is that I have no time to record, and I have already promised a Let’s Play of another game before I could get around to this one. So it is very high on the list of games that I want to cover, as soon as life allows.
My Time at Sandrock
Veterans of my channel will know that I loved My Time at Portia. It wasn’t without its problems but it provided so much joy both on and off stream, as well as some mindless play when I needed it. This made Sandrock a must play for me.
A long time ago I did play the Sandrock demo on stream. The main thing I remember is that I noticed improvements that made the game immediatly smoother to play. Fast forward to the games release and word of mouth confirms, it is like My Time at Portia but better. That is everything that I hoped for and I love knowing this exists ready for a time that I need a comfort game.
Isn’t it wild that this list isn’t even exhaustive? Here are some more that didn’t make the top 10 but I still would love to play.
- Abscission
- The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
- The Game of Fourtune
- The Isle Tide Hotel
- Jusant
- Killer Frequency
- Moonstone Island
- Murderous Muses
- Oxenfree 2
- The Pale Beyond
- This Bed We Made
- Underground Blossom
Thanks 2023!
top 10 games i must play from other years
More end of year content
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