The Games of 2023
Nothing says "2023 was totally fine, no issues whatsoever" like releasing a retrospective over 20 days into the new year.
Another year, another blogging platform (welcome to Buttondown everyone), another pile of video games. Time once again to look back at the year, because that is what we do around these parts. Really though, I like trying to think about what I liked this year and what it might say about me and the year as a whole. That's the point of calling this particular series "The Games of" with no qualifier like "best" or "top," because while I believe all of these games were great in one way or another, that's not empirically so, but contextual to me. As such, I thought that it would be nice to speak first on how I played these games alongside my normal look back on the year.
2023 marked the first year in which I served as an editor in any kind of official capacity - or as much as anything a business card with your name on it does. I tried to hit the ground running early in the year, marked by cross-coordinating the sections I edit for, planning a trip to PAX East, and trying to plan coverage for all kinds of titles; to various results.
I did attend my first PAX, getting to finally connect with collegues that have become dear friends over the years-a real highlight for me. We got to talk with a lot of developers and creatives about their work directly, and it was a huge boon to InBetweenDraft's coverage. My anime section flourished, thanks to talented writers willing to share those talents with us. I even managed a timely review of a whole ass RPG. Things were going good.
So naturally, I had to go and almost die.
I've already written about what happened a bit this summer and I'm not really interested in sharing the dirty details, but as every doctor I've spoken with since can't help but remind me, I actually almost fucking died. The end result of that is, as I hope you can imagine, some changes needing to be made. I got on a diet and started being more active; even bought the first bicycle I've owned since I was like 14. Beyond that, I also found myself just being more "outside" in general: more concerts, movies, Magic nights, etc. Some of that is likely shaking off the pandemic cobwebs, but I also think I was trying to just do more. As you can imagine, this impacted how I engaged with games a lot. It's hard to play 40-50 games a year when you're riding your bike.
That might sound like a tragedy. As many have noted, 2023 had a bevy of quality games; leading some to ask if this is the best year for games ever. I won't mince words, there were some real bangers that the year gave us and made it easily one of the strongest since 2017; which probably was the best year for modern games. However, all those wonderful games were released while a lot of very concerning things were happening in and around the industry.
Games saw a huge boon in the height of the pandemic, one that could not be replicated as the visible effects of it retreated; just as with everything else. The result was a massacre that Kentaro Miura could only dream of: layoffs, closures, consolidation, and bullshit. Thousands of developers, writers, community reps, and more lost their jobs all while praise was being heaped on their work and new doors closed in their face. This happened at every level of the business, from indie studios that lost their bets to major publishers looking to make up revenue.
That wasn't the only way the suits turned over the cushions for coins. Microsoft made a major studio purchase in attempts to strengthen the lock its platform has. Nintendo closed the Wii U and 3DS eShops, tacking on a final fuck you in the form of a system update to try to lock out homebrew. Epic gutted and threw Bandcamp out in the rain. Let's not forget game engine Unity, which tried to shake down developers for cash after their games were done and when that almost collapsed the company sacrificed hundreds of workers to give the person behind that decision a golden parachute. All of these give me the impression that even if games are "too big to fail," we must be heading for some sort of a crash; and soon. This may be a great year for games, but it very well may be the last truly great one.
Not all is lost, though. There is light in the tunnel, the games I'm going to be talking about in a moment but also how I played a lot of them: the handheld is BACK BABY! I didn't plan on buying a Steam Deck but I couldn't help being Deck-curious and circumstances led me to transmuting a work reward into one and frankly, I'm impressed. Playing handheld remains my favorite way to play games in general and the Deck allowed me to play a lot more than I would have this year. Valve's even got competition in the space to make sure they stay on top of things, and it means there's a group of devices out there now that make games even more available and some of these handhelds are even very repairable. It's like Santa's real.
Hopefully, 2024 will be more of that feeling and not a crash of the games industry, but before heading forward let's actually talk about the games of 2023. As a reminder, this list is based on games I actually played in the year, so if your fave isn’t here, assume I didn’t play it!
The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story
I have a shit list: a club of publishers and developers that I try to avoid engaging with whenever possible. Sticking to it can be difficult, especially trying to actually write critique in this space, but the list's first entry used to be easy to avoid. Riot Games only made one game: a game that you either already know how to play or will never learn how to, so I have always found it easy to ignore them. However, that's changed. They've made a couple more games and created Riot Forge, a subsidiary that lets other developers make games while borrowing League of Legends' clout. That's how Moonlighter developer Digital Sun got me into a room to demo The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story. I left it deciding to make an exception.
(In between writing this part and publication, Riot has laid off hundreds of staff and confirmed plans to shutter Riot Forge. Wonderful.)
Digital Sun made a pretty cool little action title that has players stealing magic off enemies while dodging around the hand-created emiroments. But for me, what really bowled me over was the context of the story. Sylas of Dregbourne is — with no exaggeration — a domestic terrorist and The Mageseeker very much agrees with him. This is a game about taking very direct and violent action against an oppressor. While the game does try to tell Sylas he should consider what his life should be if he survives his mission, it avoids condemning that mission or muddying the water. I'm absolutely shocked that Digital Sun got this past a company led by a guy who, at best, is heavily and actively centrist and I'm stoked that they did. A lot of mainstream media, including games, have tried to explore the complex atmosphere we all live in right now, usually realizing the conclusion and having to pull back. But The Mageseeker uses its fantastical setting to make the case that sometimes you've just got to throw a fucking brick chain.
Thirsty Suitors
Here's a little bugbear of mine that I haven't gotten a chance to vent about: games still kind of suck at relationships. Maybe it's just because we're still mostly making games about overcoming a challenge, but romance in games still mostly takes the form of doing just the right things in the right order like a raid sequence. Another game later on this list actually had a character just straight up give me a checklist in order to unlock the cutscene where she takes her titties out in the middle of dialogue. So imagine my surprise at Thirsty Suitors managing to push this boundary.
Thirsty Suitors is — for lack of a better term — a Scott Pilgrim-like: a mash-up of inspirations used to an absurd degree to tell a resonating tale about getting your act together. Jala's return home is filled with burned bridges, a lot of self criticism, and (not so) evil exes, and it makes the romance elements in the game more robust. Each of the titular Suitors is someone Jala already has history with, and long before any kind of romance can be pursued, they all have to deal with that history. The interrogation of relationships does not end there either, as Jala has to make up with everyone from her sister to her mother, all while not necessarily being wrong herself. While there's a lot of mechanics at play, Thirsty Suitors is a game about getting over your own bullshit and figuring out how to deal with everyone else's. That element adds a lot more depth than your average romance plot in a game.
Lethal Company
At first blush, Lethal Company looks like just another Twitch bait game: a game almost laser targeted at streamers to play with their fellows and generate funny clips, which leads to a big boom of sales from their audiences before living a quiet life in people's libraries; waiting to be remembered. Lethal Company, made entirely by a single 21 year old, elevates above that by adding context to why someone would go stomping around a monster filled area: indentured servitude.
The "capitalism bad" of Lethal Company is hardly subtle, but most of it rises naturally as players just keep playing. What really made it click for me was one of my friends unironically saying "we have to go back in there or we're not going to make quota." A linear game often stumbles when trying to actually do "capitalism bad" because it has to still give the player agency and fails to be prescriptive about things (hello, The Outer Worlds) but by letting each session of gameplay create its own storyline for players, Lethal Company ironically does a better job at depicting the experience and making its point. It really is a great example of the medium doing something only it could do in comparison to other art forms.
In fairness, Lethal Company is also a Twitch bait game, but it's a damn funny one so I’ll take it.
Octopath Traveler II
I played a heaping ton of RPG's in 2023, and I would be remiss to not make mention of the follow up to Octopath Traveler that snuck out. I enjoyed the first Octopath Traveler quite a bit, but there was definitely room for improvement. Eight protagonists is a lot to juggle, especially since each narrative was kept mostly separate. I also found the difficulty tuned a little bit high-which made starting the game eight times that much less enticing. Octopath Traveler II addresses these and then some, wrapping it up in that wonderful HD-2D bow.
Now, while each Traveler's story starts on its own still, the structure of each has wiggle room to overlap with other party members, leading to better conversations and entire joint chapters. Combat is also a bit more balanced this time around, easy to start while not sacrificing the tough boss battles. Really, this is more about polishing a gem rather than drastically innovating, but Octopath Traveler II is just rock solid, gorgeous, and worthwhile. Think of this like selecting a good historical drama for Best Picture - it's not necessarily groundbreaking; but it is a great example of the craft.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
At one point during the last year, a trusted friend responded to some of my whinging about the Star Wars releases with a pretty straight forward idea: "Maybe what Star Wars is now isn't for you." That's a weird feeling, because I have always been a Star Wars kid. It's weird to now have what I would have never dreamed of before and feel a bit lethargic than pleased, but moving on is something I've considered now. Unfortunately, it is very hard to quit while things like Jedi: Survivor still happen.
I was late to the party for the previous game Fallen Order, but finishing that left me very curious to see what Respawn would do after literalizing the trauma of the Clone Wars. Respawn proved up to the task, using the still new High Republic era to set up before again realizing that Star Wars is like 80% metaphor and is best when that's leaned into. As a result, Survivor is another very pleasing action game that delivers a strong third act punch that comes off like a repudiation of some AAA single player game's usage of a certain masculine troupe — even if it’s unintentional.
Of course, the real highlight is Pyloon's Saloon, a do-it-yourself take on the Star Wars cantina scene that evolves and grows along with Cal Kestis' exploration. Plyloon's is a great way to breathe life into the world without bogging the plot down or bothering players with minutia. I just love the little slice of life details it adds.
Paranomasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
Have you ever had this happen to you? You see a mutual or a critic you really respect recommend a game they really like, so you pop on over to grab it on sale, and then promptly forget about it until it's too late to recommend it on any coverage you're part of save for your own blog?
No? Just me? Well anyway, the newest entry in this category is Paranomasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo.
Paranomasight is a brilliant visual novel, a genre that I admittedly don't spend as much time as I probably should. The narrative winds some pretty good frights and a compelling mystery around real-world locations; complete with collaboration with a local tourism organization for accuracy. Honestly, even saying that much feels like too much - its best to go in as blind possible.
What I can highlight is Paranomasight's mechanical trick - a story grid that allows players to jump back and forth between characters and chapters at will. This eliminates the need to play through the game in full multiple times, something that can make other VN's a tough proposition. This isn't just a convenience factor either, it is clearly used to deliver story beats and reveals in ways a straight run through couldn't. Paranomasight is a great example of its genre, so much so that I plan on diving in on more in this space going forward.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Really, any game on this list could have been the favorite for the year; but we're firmly in the category where in any other year, you'd see any of these at the top instead. 2018's Spider-Man was one such top game, and its full sequel doubles down in every sense of the phrase, save for the cop love. Playing as the web swinger remains good as hell, with the addition of functional web wings (the only real good way to make the classic suit better) making traversal even more fluid and fun.
But "makes you feel like Spider-Man" isn't that exciting any more, especially for a character we get a shit ton of content about now. Thankfully, Insomniac does have more to offer. Spider-Man 2's narrative is a logical continuation from where they've been, but it also pushes up against the limits of both the open-word and superhero genres. Like many classic Spidey stories, Spider-Man 2 asks if Peter Parker is actually doing is for the best or if he could be using his skill and talents for something more. Unlike a lot of those stories, Spider-Man 2 seems to settle on the answer "Actually, maybe he should be doing something else?”
This is possible in part to trying to move Miles Morales into the spotlight (to the point of pissing off some folks), but this is still very much a Peter Parker joint. Despite de-aging the character model, Insomniac is still telling a more mature Peter Parker story than the comics often are willing to. They even managed to make the symbiote interesting again, for crying out loud. Of course, all this does run up against the open world game design. For my part, I prefer pushing up against these walls, and the big New York map does still sell the constant strain of being a Spider-Man in a city that is always going. Altogether, this is yet another strong showing from Sony's studios.
Cassette Beasts
Despite having a part of my brain occupied at all times by The Pokémon Company, I don't play a lot of Pokémon clones. Sure, other "monster tamer" games are fun, but I'm referring to the very specific ones — the games almost meant to be a commentary on the Pokémon franchise. Usually I find that they miss the point: they only focus on being harder, or edgy, or have creature designs that don't even come close to the masters over at Game Freak. They don't really engage beyond the surface appeal of the franchise. Cassette Beasts is not one such game.
In truth, despite the rhyming it does with Pokémon, Cassette Beasts is quite distinct. There's a strong RPG structure that could have various mechanical backbones underpinning it, which is exactly why I think the small team at Bytten Studio "get" how to make one of these. Cassette Beasts crafts a fantastical world made up of people isekai'd away to it and that allows for both a world that works as a society built around these creatures while also introducing players to its concept, and then also uses it to translate its larger themes. Those themes of building relationships, over coming hang ups, and the power of creating art ooze out of every aspect of the story and its characters.
The monster designs are excellent, finding new space in similar ideas that other games in the genre have – and then pioneering new ones. Seriously Bytten and/or Raw Fury, I am ready to add a Candevil plush to my ever growing collection, just say the word. Cassette Beasts also makes significant strides in type-alignment mechanics, with different types having status and environmental effects that deepen combat without sacrificing baseline logic to help players learn. Topped off with some excellent music (including the best boss fight joint of the year) and it's no surprise why this became my newest indie darling.
Baldur's Gate III
Oh ho ho, big fucking surprise I know. Even I concede some people dickride this game too hard, but I also think the dismissiveness some critic circles have had for Baldur's Gate III's response to be unwarranted. Larian Studios has unequivocally delivered a quality CRPG, one that will hopefully lead to a revival of the genre's popularity. It is incredibly easy to get sucked into the various routes and options the narrative has available; and while it isn't necessarily pushing the limits of the medium or anything but is a pretty damn strong fantasy narrative.
Baldur's Gate III was always going to be my shit, after all my favorite game is a spiritual successor to this game's predecessor. But that it turned out so good and was ruined that well is notable. The use of all the strengths of Dungeons and Dragons' 5ᵗʰ Edition without falling into its weakness takes real game design talent. The narrative is juggling the needs and goals of its cast in a way that other games of its ilk can only hope to achieve. The biggest complaint I can reasonably leverage is that they changed one character's story after release and even that's a nitpick given the early access history of the game.
In case you're wondering, the most unreasonable complaint is that too many of you monster fuckers are making Astarion things for my spouse to buy.
Speaking of my spouse, a funny thing: Back in 2017, they became obsessed with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (as many did), leading to me taking a lot of shit from her, for years now, for not ranking the game higher on my GOTY ballot for The Young Folks, the previous site I wrote for. This year, the most packed year since that year, BGIII is far and away her favorite — and you might have noticed I've only talked about nine games out of my normal ten so far...
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Look, Breath of the Wild was a truly spectacular game. For me, it was still missing some things and some of what it did have didn't click with me. But Tears of the Kingdom truly completes the package by putting even more about what makes Zelda special in the mix. There are actual temples this time around! Zelda is an active agent! Purah hot!
Even beyond the superficial, TOTK is fantastic joy to get lost in. Nintendo's EAD team jam packed not one but three whole maps with discoveries that are actually distinct and enhance the feeling that this version of Hyrule has been and is lined in. In a medium full of open worlds made up of less distinctive features than the original San Andreas, TOTK proves that with patience and skill, the open world game can still be far more than it is - even more than the baseline its own predecessor set for everyone else.
That's probably the most telling thing of all. Other games, games on this list even, are still trying to put into practice what BOTW established while that game has more or less now been topped before many figured out how to even get close. Much like BGIII, Tears of the Kingdom shows us what games can be when talented developers are given the space and time to just create like what they want to. As the industry continues to constrict and bleed, we need to hold dear and celebrate these triumphs. My only hope is that the medium survives to be inspired by them.
Tears of the Kingdom is also the kind of game that helped me with my changing relationships with games. I ultimately played the game at my own pace, eschewing my need to write about it, and found myself reaching a point of satisfaction- so much so I posited to some close to me that it’s a game I never need to play again. Maybe my feelings about that may change, but it does make me think about all these games I have kicking around and whether or not I play them for the same kind of fulfillment. It's with this thought that I look at this little blog and other platforms I have and wonder how to align with this mentality. Hopefully I can share some of these ideas with you soon.
For now though, 2024 is an election year. Arceus help us all. Take care of yourself and each other.
One thing that’s not changing is Warp Zone, here’s some other things I like right now:
Loading Ready Run revived the LRRCast for a 20th anniversary retrospective on their own work and it is an absolute treat.
Aftermath is a good website.
In a show of selfishness: I did this interview with Kenji Washida, a SVP at Bandai Namco, about Godzilla and collectible figures and I think it turned out pretty cool.
A not so friendly reminder that there is incredible violences being visited upon the Palestinian people in Gaza right now as you read this. Please help in calling for an immediate ceasefire.