Baron's Top 5 Games of 2023
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Honorable Mention: Squirrel Stapler
This game would be at #2 if not for the fact that a full version was released as part of a horror collection in 2020. The version I played in 2023 is a standalone version with a handful of new features and secrets to uncover, so I didn't think it would be fair to include this on the list.
...But I can't just ignore one of the best games I played in 2023. Created by David Szymanski (Who is known for creating Iron Lung) Squirrel Stapler is a edutainment style horror game where you play as a man attempting to make his wife beautiful by stapling squirrels to her flayed corpse. It's absurdist, engaging & confounding with a brutally frightening amount of tension. When I started playing I couldn't get enough, I wanted to dig up more secrets, shoot bigger squirrels and MEET GOD.
5. Homebody
Developed by Game Grumps, the youtube gamers behind Dream Daddy, this game snuck up on me. I'd only learned about it a few days before it's release, and in fact, I took a gamble and purchased it only after seeing a small clip before an episode of Game Grumps. I did not regret this AT ALL. While the tank controls can be frustrating, that really is the only complaint I had throughout the game.
In Homebody you play as Emily, you have social anxiety, and your college friends have invited you to a remote house they rented out to watch a meteor shower. Oh and a maniac with a knife is trying to kill you, that's important to know too. It's puzzle focused, unlocking layers of a strange house as you delve further and further into the hidden stories within the walls. I fully suggest that if you enjoy horror, puzzle games, and mystery games, this game is one you do not want to get spoiled on. Very replayable, incredobly engaging, waaaaay bigger than the price tag suggests.
4. Laika: Aged Through Blood
I'm not a metroidvania guy. I don't really like side scrollers either. Yet, here's Laika: Aged Through Blood. Here's the thing, if a game has enough furries in it I'll just about always give it a shot. (With how few games that covers it's been a pretty solid system so far.) So I purchased this on release and went insane for the first level trying to figure out the controls. My main complaint has to be visibility. This game has some hellishly satisfying blood splatter with corpses and viscera flying thru the air. But a side effect of that is that while riding around on your motorcycle you can easily lose track of your position and land on your head, clonking your noggin' to death. One other thing that may put people off, the bosses. The later you get the more unreasonable they feel. I 100% suggest looking at a guide if you end up dying to a boss more than 10 times, that likely means something about how the fight works has escaped your notice.
But yes, I mentioned motorcycles. In Laika you play as the titular coyote, a mother and a warrior. Her family line is gifted with the ability to return upon death alongside a motorcycle fashioned from the bones of her ancestors. So when a child from her village is kidnapped and crucified, a vicious chain of revenge is started against the millitant birds. Laika has an amazing world. The magic feels grounded and never 'hand wavey', the characters feel genuine, and the locations are incredible to explore. In every aspect, visually, structurally, and as a skate park for you to traverse the world grabs you and pushes you deeper. From a gameplay perspective getting to grips with the mechanics is difficult but highly rewarding. It feels great to go from barely dodging bullets to fully destroying anyone who stands in your way.
Also you backflip to reload. It feels amazing.
3. Anode Heart
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Something you should know about me is that I love poke-clones. (Though that is not a term I would use to refer to this game.) I've been falling out of love with Game Freak in recent years yet of course have retained that poke-nostalgia. So I turned to pokemon fangames to scatch my monster taming itch. Pokemon Empyrean is one of the most memorable and challenging (without feeling unwinnable) Pokemon fangames I've ever played, so when I found out the dev was working on an original title I just had to check it out. Anode Heart is the most recently released game on this list, so I'm not actually finished quite yet. I suppose that's why I put this one at #3, maybe a few hours of gameplay could bump it up or down one, but not all the way off the list.
In Anode Heart you play as Seek, an andoid who finds themselves waking on a foggy shore with no memories. As you explore Stack Island you travel along side 'Tama' creatures that are both analouge and digital, mysteriously born into the world. Unlike other monster taming games I've tried, this one has heavier ties to Digimon, while including only the best parts of other simular games. Nothing feels like bloatware. A lot of pokemon fangames love to throw everything they've got at the wall to make their project stand out, resulting in unskippable mini-games and frustrating mechanics. Thankfully the minigames in Anode Heart are all fun and interesting, while also not being compulsary to progressing. The tutorial is comprehensive, seamless, and mostly avoidable if you need. The new mechanics all slot neatly in the place of old tired ones & the difficulty curve so far has been fair and challenging.
I cannot neglect to mention the artwork & music. This game never disapoints. There's love put into every biome, monster design and sound. The music is always fitting to the area while having a hint of added artifacting cutting through the updated styling, like a classic sierra or gameboy game's limited track capabilities.
My only gripes come in little crumbs. The card mini-game feels alien in how strange it works (I don't think I understand it haha), and I wish more of the monsters had branching evolution lines to experiment with. But these issues don't get in the way at all.
2. Pseudoregalia
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This game was 2023's Dark Souls (If dark souls was a parkour 3D platformer/metroidvania.) You play as Sybil, pulled into the dream of a noble who wished to escape from reality. The dream has distorted, the people are suffering, you must free Castle Sansa from this twisted nightmare. This is a game I was 90% sure I'd play for an hour and drop when I gave up out of frustration. I'm not even sure why I tried it save the furry protag. But! I'm so glad I did. Pseudoregalia is a 5+ hour game that is crazy replayable and an amazing new worm for your brain.
It's not for everyone, much like Dark Souls the game will not bend to your will, you must learn how it wants to be played, you must not give in. Also like DS1, if bashing your head against a wall (literal) doesn't work, other pathways and areas await you. Think of this as a puzzle game where the puzzle is fast paced wall running and platforming. By god does it feel good once you get the hang of it. I'm personally terrible at games like this, but I love 3D character platformers, so with time the fine-tuned movement system made more and more sense, and the twisting interconnected castle slot together like a beautiful puzzle.
As for issues, it's hard for me to name much. I'l like to say the short play time, but for £4.99 five-six hours hours (or 9 for me to see credits) is way more than fair. One thing I often see people comment upon is the underutilised combat. The first mini-boss is the only mini-boss and the soundtrack during that fight absolutely fucks. I would have liked to see more mini-bosses, but that's only in hindsight. While playing thru the game I barely noticed the lack of boss fights, I was too busy cursing my slow reaction time.
1. Amnesia: The Bunker
This was my most anticipated game of 2023 and I was right!! In 2020 I played every game by Frictional Games in anticipation of Amnesia Rebirth. It was a great way to experiance how a style of game can develop so much in such a subtle way. To the outside observer these games are interchangable, but replaying Penumbra right before playing The Bunker was absolutely insane. There really isn't anything quite as freeing as going from desperately fleeing from monsters to a gun and a grenade being shoved in your hands. The choices this game presents really can't be beat, the consequences of those choices are also not to be underestimated. Everything you do will cause the enviroment to react. Cranking your lantern will attract the beast, shooting open locks will leave less bullets to defend yourself. Hell, even your inventory is limited.
The enviroment is maze-like yet believable, you can tell how much love has been put into the contents and the writing by how well researched it is. You'll find yourself re-visiting areas to gather resources and open new paths, but it never feels frustrating, but tense as you run lower and lower on fuel for the generator. Light is the only thing that keeps the beast at bay. But even the light of the generator is only enough to make it hesitate in most cases. Atmosphere is one of the most finely tuned weapons this game has at it's disposal. Between the oppressive darkness, the tense music and the sound design that marks the movements of the monster, you'll be scared even with the generator going.
While some later segments dragged on a tad, I believe that was from my own failing. Some of those late puzzles require quick thinking, so if you play this game do not neglect to properly examine your surroundings if you get stuck or feel lost.
It seems the theme of 2023 for me was limited enviroments full of puzzles to be revisited and explored. Is that rougelikes? Hm.