Video Games in 2023
28 Dec 2023Here in 2023, my video game playing has been heavily influenced by two things. The first is playing with my ten-year-old daughter, choosing games that are content-appropriate and within her interests. The second is having an engaged group of friends that are interested in playing games together or apart, but then discussing them afterwards. These both have kept my playing dynamic and social in a way that really has worked for me. The following is a list of video games I played in 2023 (potentially released earlier) that warranted a mention.
Sea of Stars
This is a classic RPG that feels like it came out of the SNES era, but far more beautiful than those games could ever be. The story managed to keep me on my toes with some unexpected mid-game twists. The turn-based combat with real-time button presses (similar to Paper Mario games) kept things engaging (although by the end I was ready for more mix up in abilities). This game thoroughly captivated me and my ten-year-old daughter until we both separately completed it. Definitely recommended if you have a soft spot for beautiful pixel art RPGs. Good music too.
Played on Xbox GamePass, Switch
Inscryption
This game is not what it seems. The best simplification I can give is that it’s Slay the Spire meets Frog Fractions. As in it’s a digital card game… that does unexpected things that I would never dream of spoiling for you. When I first “beat” the game I then realized I had only completed the first act and that what followed was a big departure from the game I’d been playing to that point. It was… truly a great journey. The game is rated Mature due to some light body horror and language… but also the first act is decidedly creepy. If that’s not your thing, I wouldn’t tell you to power through regardless… but know that this game has many different tones. The creators of this game clearly didn’t give one lick about commercial viability, and I love what they created.
Played on Xbox
Chicory
I gather this game can be played by yourself, but I haven’t. To me it is a game about exploring an adorable black and white environment alongside my ten-year-old daughter and slathering paint over everything. You solve puzzles with those paint brushes too. They start simple and get increasingly clever. The “boss battles” are particularly varied and creative. In fact, overall the game has quite the build; don’t assume that the early game simplicity holds. This one really grew on me. But the real charm is the way it encourages you to leave your mark on every screen.
Played on Xbox GamePass
Cult of the Lamb
Half of this game is running a village sim, managing your growing set of cult followers to ensure they are housed, happy, and being exploited for your cause. The other half is an action game of exploring a dungeon to grow in power before facing a final boss. The first half, the sim, is far more charming and unique. You create your own religion, from doctrines to decorations. Combine that with a disturbingly adorable presentation, and this game leaves an impression.
Played on Xbox
Vampire Survivors
Who needs buttons? All you need to do to play this game is steer. Which makes it playable… anywhere. This is the only game that got any play on my phone. The gameplay is simple: walk around with automatic attacks, collect experience, add or improve weapons, repeat until the screen is pure madness. It’s a simple but very effective formula. I liked it enough to stake out the extremely derivative Extremely Powerful Capybaras at PAX West to get a capybara stuffy (TLDR it’s a cute and capable multiplayer-focused version of the same idea).
Played on Xbox GamePass, Switch, iOS
Pentiment
This story murder mystery adventure sure loves itself some typography. I highly recommend finding the accessibility slider for text size and cranking it to max, just so you can see more of the beautiful script. The game itself is a classic “talk to people and make irreversible decisions via dialog” adventure game, set in a monastic medieval setting. Great artistic style and difficult choices. This game had me setting the controller down so I could take a walk to think through how my murder accusations.
Played on Xbox GamePass
Cocoon
This environmental puzzle game is beautiful, mind-bending, and short. I completed it in only a few sittings, but the entire experience was delightful. Also it has oddly engaging door animations.
Played on Xbox
Super Mario Wonder
A classic 2D side-scrolling Mario in the vein of the SNES’ Super Mario world. Instead of the Mushroom Kingdom you’re exploring the Flower Kingdom, and with that comes new environments and enemies. Each level contains a hidden “wonder” effect that changes the rules in unexpected and often hilarious ways. The end result is an inspired but classic feeling Mario adventure.
Played on Switch
Diablo IV
The first Diablo was unlike anything I’d ever seen, and I went hard. I played Diablo II a ton between high school and college, this time with friends. I played Diablo III (switching from PC to console too), but it never gripped me. This year Diablo IV managed to bring back a lot of the classic enjoyment of this series (and not just because I could play a necromancer again). This time I went deep with friendly multiplayer, which was a blast. The loot perhaps came too fast, but the fun of hacking alongside friends was undeniable. Many good long evenings… until the grind set in, the level differences became harder, and it all began to feel aimless. I’ll hop in again if the seasonal content calls to me and I can play along with friends, but overall I feel like I had a complete experience.
Played on Xbox
Tears of the Kingdom
I feel like I should have more to say about this game. It’s more Breath of the Wild. Which is a game beloved by many. I like it plenty. I gather not as much as other folks do… but that’s still quite a bit. For this round, the puzzle powers are much more interesting than in Breath of the Wild. And the game is even bigger, which I didn’t really need but is not unwelcome. As of writing, I haven’t completed Tears of the Kingdom, and it’ll probably take me a long time at this rate. It’s good, it’s big, there’s also a lot of other great stuff to play too.
Played on Switch
And the Rest
Here are some other games that are worth a little mention.
- Beacon Pines: This was an interesting family-friendly diversion. It’s a story adventure game where you learn words that let you go back and fork the timeline to explore alternate outcomes. The interactivity is light. But if you frame it more as an interactive book, it feels better.
- Valheim: All I really want to do is build my Viking house. You can create interesting structures with the building system. But I need to go out into the wilderness and fell more trees and mine more ore… and there are trolls and worse out there. In the end, the loss upon random death and the grind were too harsh. I enjoyed the Viking dollhouse game for a bit but I needed a game that respected my time a bit more.
- Dead Cells: I took a crack at Dead Cells years ago. I’ve heard many sing its praises. This year I took a new and more serious attempt, and I got much deeper. When you hit a state of flow this game’s controls really shine. However too often you’ll have a glorious run turn to ash in mere moments. It turns on a dime, often after you’ve burned a lot of time getting there. The sense of progression is so weak (you unlock more toys… but not anything that literally levels you up) that it feels like you’re spending a lot of time to get nowhere. This game just yells “git gud”, and asks you to try again, but it didn’t feel as worth it as other games where I’ve decided to rise to the challenge.
- Rogue Legacy 2: I only just jumped into this rogue-lite a few days ago. And at first glance, it feels like Dead Cells but with a much more clear sense of progression. It’s obvious to me that I’m making progress. It’s clear to me what I can do and what I will get out of it. It’s an early take, but I’m really enjoying it.
- Monster Sanctuary: Metroidvania Pokémon. Collect creatures, use their powers to traverse to new areas, level them up to win turn-based battles. This game is not short, and never really hits high highs. But it worked as a low-key activity and helped open up my daughter to more turn-based gameplay.