by Jayce Ham
My favorite time of year is here at last: discussing my favorite games of the year. This year was amazing for video games, and it will be so tough to pick my top five, but I am up to the challenge.
Horizon Forbidden West
Beacon Pines
Stray
Cult of the Lamb
God of War Ragnarok
Starting with number 5 is Horizon Forbidden West. The sequel to the highly acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn went beyond my hopes and expectations for the game. The gameplay was fun but challenging at times, and we got closer to characters I absolutely adored from the previous game, as well as introducing compelling new ones. I was very pleased with how they continued Aloy’s story and expanded on the game’s universe by showing us the “forbidden west”. While the story did not go exactly where I had liked it to, the game was still one of the best of 2022 and one I cannot wait to have time to replay so I can explore the open-world aspects further.
Coming in at number 4 is Beacon Pines. If you love Night in the Woods, which was released about five years ago, I highly recommend picking up Beacon Pines. The game takes place inside a storybook where you play as both the narrator and the main character Luka. It is up to the player how the story goes and what mysteries will be revealed. The mystery is dark, creepy, and thrilling, no matter how many times you replay scenes to see different outcomes. This game is highly underrated and deserves way more recognition than it got.
Number 3 on my favorite games of 2022 list is Stray, a debut game from indie studio BlueTwelve Studio. In this game, you play as a cat in a post-apocalyptic world. The game was highly praised for its movement and animations that felt like what a real cat would do and how they would move. While the game was short and frustrating at times, I enjoyed the game so much and cried more than I expected, too. If you love cats, play this game.
Number 2 on the list is Cult of the Lamb. Do not be put off by the title, this game is so much fun and adorable. You play as a cute little lamb who is given the task to start a cult that worships an anonymous demon. While that may sound creepy at first, I assure you the game is hilarious, fun, and cute in its artistic style. Part management game and part rogue-like dungeon crawler, it excels in both the genres the game presents. I found myself constantly wanting to play this game and being excited every time I gained a new member and could name them and decide what they would look like. The most fun I had, though, was a mini-game called Knucklebones which is a dice game you can play in one of the locations. I still think about it from time and time and want to go back in the game just to play Knucklebones.
And finally, my number 1 game of 2022 is God of War Ragnarok. The hype I felt for this game as I was waiting for it to release was unreal. I spent every second of the weeks leading up to the release thinking about this game and wishing time would pass faster so that I could play it. I, then, proceeded to finish the game within three days. This is the sequel to one of my favorite games of all time God of War (2018). You play as Kratos, a former Greek God of War who has landed themselves on the Norse side of things as means to escape from their past. The sequel continues Kratos’s journey along with his son Atreus. This game is all about, as I’m sure you guessed from the title, Ragnarok or rather, the prevention of Ragnarok (the end of the world). Every moment of this game exceeded my hopes and expectations, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it over a month after its release.
2022 was full of amazing, innovative, and exciting games to play. There was something for everyone. The decision on my top 5 was difficult, but ultimately, I am happy with my choices, and I hope you give some of these games a chance.
0 Comments