2022 wasn’t the best year for games, with some highly anticipated games being delayed to 2023 and others turning out to be disappointments, but it wasn’t all that bad either. There’s still a decent selection of great games to choose from this year.
Here are my top 5 favorite video games of 2022.
5. The Case of the Golden Idol
Developer: Color Gray Games
Available on: Windows
This was a last-minute addition to the list. The Case of the Golden Idol is a point-and-click game that resembles an old PC game that you’d find your grandma playing on her laptop. At first glance, the art looks ugly and the game looks boring, but once you’ve been convinced to play it, it quickly reels you in.
The game is a series of murder mysteries. You’re presented with the aftermath of a scene and using clues scattered throughout, you have to piece together what happened and prove your understanding of events by filling in the blanks of sentences and other prompts. Everything is brilliantly written. Even from the start, the puzzles are no pushover, but they never feel unfair. During my playthrough, I was never stuck for too long, and once I finally found the solution to a puzzle, it felt gratifying.
The game offers hints for those that can’t figure it out, but I couldn’t tell you how it works because my enormous brain didn’t need any.
The game is cheap and requires very little memory and processing power (though it did crash on me a couple of times).
4. Live A Live
Developer: Square (Original); Square Enix (Remaster)
Available on: Super Famicom (Original); Nintendo Switch (Remaster)
I had never heard of Live A Live until Square Enix released an HD-2D remaster of it this year. I’m glad this was how I was able to experience it though.
Live A Live is a JRPG that’s comparable to Chrono Trigger. Each chapter has its own characters, setting, story, and gameplay variations. It’s like a series of bite-sized JRPGs, and all of them are good. Unlike other JRPGs, which tend to drown their game in an overly convoluted story and terrible dialogue, Live a Live tells simple stories with complex characters. Cutscenes and dialogue are never too heavy. Some parts of the game have random encounters, but they aren’t too annoying.
The developers clearly put a lot of effort into the remaster. The visuals are beautiful, the voice acting is good, and the soundtrack is great.
3. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Developer: Game Freak
Available on: Nintendo Switch
Pokémon desperately needed a shake-up in its gameplay, and nothing made that more clear than when it finally got one.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is great. In a lot of ways, it’s the Pokémon game that we’ve always dreamed of. It’s an open-world game with an atmosphere akin to Breath of the Wild. You’re not just some kid going through the gyms and fighting the champion cause the game told you to, you’re a researcher set loose and tasked with exploring the world of Pokémon.
Pokémon in Arceus don’t just feel like props for cock fights. They’re living beings with behavior similar to that of real animals. They don’t just fight, they help you with tasks like breaking rocks and gathering berries. They have fun animations that give them personality.
Unshackled from the traditions of the main series, Arceus challenges many of the series’ norms and improves the gameplay in dozens of ways. The pacing of battles is much better, most ending in one or two hits. Wild Pokémon will now directly attack you, the trainer, until you initiate a battle by throwing a Pokémon out. Even during battle, you never lose control of your character, and once the battle ends, you go right back on exploring with no time wasted on a results screen.
Battling isn’t the only thing you do now. You can catch Pokémon by simply sneaking up and throwing a Pokéball at them. There’s also exploring, foraging, crafting, solving puzzles, and spending all your money trying to perfect your hair and outfit.
The game’s tutorial at the start is very sluggish, but once you get past it, Arceus gives you a great experience in the world of Pokémon.
2. Splatoon 3
Developer: Nintendo
Available on: Nintendo Switch
Shooters have been pretty stale and soulless lately. Splatoon 3 is a shining exception.
Previously, I spoke about my experience playing Splatoon 3’s demo (and in the process got some facts about its gameplay wrong). Well, the full game’s been out for months now and it’s excellent.
Just like in the demo, matches are brief, fast-paced, and exciting. Like the best games out there, it’s easy to pick up and difficult to master. The full game comes with anarchy battles, matches with an objective outside of inking the turf, and Salmon Run, a PvE mode. Alongside the multiplayer, there’s also a single-player mode, which comes with a really good story (though some of the levels feel a bit tedious).
When it comes to many of the challenges that big multiplayer games constantly struggle with, Splatoon 3 seems to handle them like they’re nothing. I’ve encountered virtually no cheating or toxicity. The balancing is good; not every weapon gets to shine, but no weapon feels overpowered and dominating. New content and improvements to the game are released in a nice, steady stream.
What makes Splatoon 3 special though is its writing and its world-building. Not only is the world of Splatoon incredibly stylish, it’s also well-written and tells thought-provoking stories. Splatoon is rich with lore that explains how, following the extinction of humans, the inklings and the octolings came to be and how their society and culture developed. The game even credits all the clothing to in-game brands and all the music to in-game bands.
At the same time though, every character is a lovable goofball with dialogue designed to make you smile at all times. The writers lovingly dance with the fourth wall, sometimes even going as far as acknowledging how the internet has reacted to their characters.
This is most apparent during Splatfests, limited-time events where players pledge loyalty to a team and compete with the others in matches. Which is better: rock, paper, or scissors? If you’re stuck on a deserted island, which would you rather have on you: gear, grub, or fun? These are the sorts of questions you debate through violence in Splatfests, and frankly, I’ve never felt more motivated to win than during them. More importantly, the writers pay attention to who wins. The creative direction of Splatoon 3 was even heavily influenced by the result of Splatoon 2’s final Splatfest, where team Chaos beat team Order.
When you play Splatoon 3, you aren’t just a player in a fun shooter, you’re a full-fledged citizen of Splatsville and a contributing member of its society.
1. God of War Ragnarök
Developer: Santa Monico Studio
Available on: Playstation 4, Playstation 5
Of course this game was gonna be number one on the list. It was one of the most anticipated games of the year, and it delivered.
God of War Ragnarök is what happens when you spend ludicrous amounts of money on a game, and the money is well spent. It’s like the effort needed to make two full triple-A titles was put into one.
Every aspect of the game from top to bottom is great. The graphics are incredible. The story and dialogue are top-notch. The actors’ performances, especially Richard Schiff as Odin, are excellent. The combat is fun and satisfying. There are dozens of cool boss fights and exhilarating cinematic moments. The slower moments, where you walk around, explore the world, and solve the game’s puzzles, are just as entertaining.
Since his debut almost 20 years ago, Kratos has undergone some of the best character development of any other video game character. God of War Ragnarök ends his tale and sticks the landing with near flawless execution.