The 2022 Game Surprises
2022 was indeed a fantastic year. The amount of high quality indie releases I played made it incredibly tough to choose my favorites. But it was also one of the first years, where multiple of my favorite experiences stayed strictly digital, with no physicals announced. Its a shame that some of these amazing titles might not be conserved for the future.
1. Elden Ring
Elden Ring was, without a shadow of a doubt, my game of the year. I’ve never had an experience so punishing and cryptic, but yet so mesmerizing end giving as this game. A simple side trek down a lift led to an exploration that took dozens of hours. From Software created their magnum opus with this game and it deserves all the praise it gets.
2. Sable
Sables art style is instantly memorizing and pretty, shades of Moebius. But more than that it's a very clever piece of game design. I love games that try to distill an idea into a mechanic, and Sable is perfectly capturing the feeling of youthful loss in the question of what you are supposed to become. Insanely clever of Shedworks.
3. Vampire Survivors
Every odd year, there is a game that transforms the public expectation of what a game is. Vampire survivors first impression is that of a slapped together asset swap, but upon its first hours it reveals itself as the most approachable and most finely crafted progression loop in years. It's 5$ that keeps on giving for hours.
4. Valheim
The pandemic has taught us more than ever how valuable social time with friends is. And for me, no game can give you this feeling like Valheim. Spending time as half naked viking chopping trees and building grandiose structures together is a wonderful experience, an escape from worlds realities.
5. Eastward
Ever since Cave Story, there is a certain pride to recreating a retro experience but showing off how much we progressed. Eastward from Pixpil would, no doubt, be the one of the games of the era if it had launched in the 90ies, rivaling the likes of Earthbound. Its deep, gorgeous, thoughtful… simply amazing.
6. Unpacking
I love 2022 for how many games reinvented game mechanics. Cozy games have long reached over the plate of Harvest Moon clones, but Unpacking is truly special. The simple act of unpacking boxes full of belonging and putting it on shelves tells so much about the owner's life, that it really captivates you from beginning to end without ever saying a word. What a fantastic game!
7. Tunic
Tunic will be a mind-blowing but approachable and amazing experience. The digital in-game manual recreates the amazing feeling of discovery you must have had in the 90ies trying to understand a japanese game like Zelda, with every page the secrets of the world start to make more and more sense. Its only problem is that FEZ already exists, if it werent for that, Tunic would be one of a kind.
8. Dorfromantik
Dorfromantik stuck with me as an idea for developers. The idea that you still can commit to a somber, polished, colorful and artful experience and find success in it. Dorfromantik is so simple and nice, my jaded self saw it fail spectacularly in today's attention economy and life service business models. I am so happy it succeeded so hard it did.
9. Powerwash Simulator
I can't believe I’m slashing Cult of the Lamb for this, but Powerwash Simulator captured the collective consciousness in a way that was truly amazing to see. The game perfectly captures the satisfaction we as humans feel when we clean something. It's so intrinsic, so deeply rooted, that everyone understands and is able to enjoy it. Truly fascinating.
