Without further ado:
- 10: Spiritfarer. I’m not much of a cozy gamer—a little too boring for me—but I loved this game because it was about dying and what makes life worth living, and supporting the people around us through that process even when they get scared of it and aren’t the nicest. Very pretty, the tasks were challenging and fun, and the interactions between characters were heartfelt and motivating.
- 9: Xenoblade Chronicles 3. If Clair Obscur was the most fun JRPG I’ve played, this one is the best I’ve played both in terms of the combat mechanics, which are tricky to learn at first (with a busy dashboard and the need to pay attention to break charge bars, character positions, combo skill charge-ups, etc.) but somehow come to organically make sense and function really well without excessive grinding. The characters and story are amazing as well, really moving in spite of how cobbled together it is from previous XC storylines (evidence of this is how much of the framework Clair Obscur stole [w/ credit]).
- 8: Horizon: Zero Dawn. The combat was too complex for me (at least on keyboard and mouse), so I had to dial down the difficulty, but the rest of the game design was first-rate: magnetic characters, unbeaten world-building, excellent story mechanics, beautiful score. I decided I’m going to buy the art book.
- 7: Gris. I hate platformers, but this no-death platformer about death (grief and recovery) was an unadulterated joy. I’ve never seen a more beautiful game, and I listen to the soundtrack by Berlinist all the time.
- 6: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. A French RPG that represents a staggering achievement for the core team of 6 (total dev team: 30) at Sandfall Interactive. Designed with the player in mind and it shows—most fun I’ve ever had playing a JRPG. Moody, heartbreaking, jaw-droppingly beautiful. The soundtrack is a banger; it’s no wonder Sandfall swept the GOTY awards last year.
- 5: Death’s Door. Come for the gallows humor about death and bureaucracy, stay for the beautiful isometric world and a truly heartwarming exploration of the myriad reasons we hang onto life.
- 4: Ghost of Yōtei/Tsushima. Gorgeous open worlds with tons of activities (more diverse and open in Yōtei), gripping stories (tighter in Tsushima), challenging but rewarding combat systems, hot springs to soak in, foxes to pet. All they do is win.
- 3: Zork: Grand Inquisitor. I remember icing down my laptop in 1999 so I could keep playing ZGI without overheating my graphics card—that’s how obsessed I was with this game. It’s a 360° Myst-style puzzler with a complex map, great magic system, and cute cutscenes (Face from A-Team, anyone?). Kendall!
- 2: Tunic. This indie game punches way above its weight with tough souls-like combat, intricate puzzles, a beautiful Zelda-like isometric world, incredible score, and a compelling (though laconic and mysterious) story.
- 1: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The best game ever made. The combat system may have been a bit soft, but it more than made up for it with the open-world exploration (not to mention the terror of hearing that Guardian music start up when you were just toodling through a forest somewhere). Gorgeous, heartfelt, rewarding.
