Well friends, it’s that time of year again. The time when I dust of the old blog and make a list of my favorite games and books of the year. Sorry if it’s a little rough this year. I was waiting to finish some games that I never finished and it seemed like a slog this year. I hope you enjoy it anyway!

1. Atelier Ryza 2

I was looking forward to this game as I enjoyed the first one. I think this game stream lined everything that needed ironing in the first game, which just made for a smoother game experience overall, and kept me engaged all the way through the game. I enjoyed the story and how the characters grew, and I didn’t feel as much like the story was just tacked on to a crafting simulator, as each side quest really felt like it was part of the story. (Well most of them did.) My only minor complaint is that sometimes the map is still hard to navigate.
My rating: 10/10
Platforms: Switch, PS4, PS5, PC

2. Metroid: Dread

I know everyone is surprised it isn’t first, but I just felt the game didn’t surprise me in any way. (Except for it actually existing! Holy shit!) I expected a fantastic game, especially from what I saw in previews, and a fantastic game was delivered. I binged this game in a weekend, and really enjoyed myself, but I haven’t come back to it to 100% it or try hard mode. I know lots of people who have though. One bit of advice I can give if you somehow haven’t played this yet: Run through the EMMI sections instead of trying to hide. You’ll have way more fun and get the intended feel of the game. If you own a Switch, I cannot recommend this game enough. Mercury Steam really came through on this one. My one minor complaint is that the soundtrack was too atmospheric, and there were no real bops.
My Rating: 10/10
Platforms: Switch

3. F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch

Despite its over the top name, and its pandering to furries, this is a solid metroidvania. I enjoy the combat. It’s pretty. I enjoy how over the top everything is. Not all the music is good, but some of the tracks are just *chef’s kiss*. If you enjoyed Dread, I’d play this one too.
My Rating: 10/10
Platforms: PS4. PS5, PC

4. Ring Fit Adventure

This game just straight up makes exercise fun. It’s an RPG, but instead of fighting monsters you fight cute little personified exercise equipment, BY EXERCISING! If you don’t want to go to the gym (and maybe you shouldn’t over the next two week tbh) I’d highly suggest Ring Fit Adventure.
My Rating: 10/10
Platforms: Switch

5. Slay the Spire

I don’t know why I slept on this. Everyone else in the world has already played it and liked it. It’s my go to “I need something to do on my phone for 10 minutes” game.
My Rating: 10/10
Platforms: Literally everything. You can probably play it on your smart fridge.

6. Flynn: Son of Crimson

I backed this game on Kickstarter and it finally got released this year. After struggling with some games that I liked, but were ultimately less than satisfying, Flynn scratched the itch I was looking for. It’s a fairly fast paced action platformer that really isn’t too hard. If you’re looking for a palate cleanser game, this is one I’d suggest.
My Rating: 10/10
Platforms: All Major Systems (except PS5)

7. Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir

Nothing surprising here. It followed standard anime/visual novel tropes, but I liked it nonetheless. I wish the menu was easier to navigate or parse, and there were (true to form perhaps), bits where you knew what to do, but not how to make it happen. If you like visual novels, check this one out.
My Rating: 8/10
Platforms: Switch

8. Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind

I kinda wish I had played this one first? I don’t think it was as good as Missing Heir, and it left me with some questions. It was definitely a lot creepier though.
My Rating: 7/10
Platforms: Switch

9. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

The music was fantastic. Otherwise, it is a fine Zelda game. Worth playing if, like me, you never finished it on Gameboy.
My Rating: 7/10
Platforms: Switch

10. Shin Megami Tensei V

I liked this a lot better than 4. Again, this is due to streamlining a lot of mechanics. It lost its luster about 40 hours in. I wish they’d make JRPGs shorter. BUT FLOWING BLUE HAIR!
My Rating: 6/10
Platforms: Switch

11. The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures

This is two games, and not gonna lie, I didn’t get to the second one. I was really excited about this game, but I am not sure if I just wasn’t in the mood for it or it just didn’t live up to the mainline games. Either way, at some point I’d like to go back and finish it.
My Rating: 6/10
Platforms: PS4, Switch, Phone

12. Cris Tales

I played the demo for this and was really excited, but the whole game was a little lackluster. To be honest, I think it was the loading times that did me in. Between every combat there’s at least 10 seconds of loading time, and there’s a LOT of random combat in this game. That was frustrating because it broke the flow of the game, and pretty much everything else was grand. It was pretty, it had good music, the voice acting was good, the story was (ok, kinda lame), the characters were fun and quirky. I really wanted to like this game, and a lot of the elements were there, but I left dissatisfied. I’d try playing it on another platform (than Switch), as I hear the loading times aren’t as bad, and maybe you’ll have more fun than I did.
My Rating: 5/10
Platforms: All Major Systems

13. Blue Fire

This game was a weird cross between Hollow Knight, Metroid Prime, and OoT. There were some parts that were really fun and a lot of parts that were just incredibly frustrating. I did not finish this game, though I feel like the bones of a good game are there.
My Rating: 4/10
Platforms: All Major Systems except PS5