Helldivers 2. Enjoyed the first one. Although I was skeptical of the third person view they proposed for the second one because the game can be so chaotic, I am enjoying the second one even more.
No love for Against the Storm? Technically it released 8th of December last year, but that's not enough time for it to be able to get GotY for 2023, so it's got to fit in here. (also I only played it after new years)
Other than that Balatro has got to be a strong contender for me. PoE2 is looking more and more likely to take it home next year for me.
According to Steam, I spent most hours this year playing Book of Hours. (The word "Hours" is in the name of the game, so what choice did I have?) It is an amazing game, and I recommend it to anyone who likes cozy games with lots of lore to explore.
However, there is one game that I must confess I had even more fun with, even though it's relatively short: The Pristine Cut of Slay the Princess.
I can't really say much about it other than that it's a horror visual novel with excellent voice acting and incredibly good writing, as almost any detail of the game's story would be a spoiler.
(Edit: I know, both of those games released last year, but the question was about which Steam Replay and which games one had fun with this year - not about games that released this year.)
Disco Elysium
I know it did not release this yer, but I got to it now, so it is GOTY for me.
I also finally completed the full story finally this year. I had always gone about 3 days in and started over trying completely different options lol
I got hooked, but I was like "what if I chose this option now?" all the time. So I started completely different character right after I finished. Got couple hours in, but... 1) it's too fresh experience and I should probably give it a bit more time and 2) I wanted the new character to be this fascist, racist, egoist, alcohol and drug abuser, but damn. It's so tough to play against some basic human principles.
Balatro, absolutely. Now that it's on mobile, work will never get 100% out of me again.
Factorio. And Cities: Skylines 2 if I'm playing it on Windows.
Factorio just makes hours disappear, it's an amazing game! Have you played the expansion?
played? Past tense? You must be joking
Yes, I did.
UFO 50 without a doubt. Most creative bang for your buck that's ever been released imo
Absolutely agree with this. The product could have had fewer games and each game could have been much more shallow and it still would have been "good". But there's honestly a ton of bangers in this collection and the variety and creativity is astounding.
Nine Sols. Really underrated metroidvania that flew under the radar for many people.
Balatro
Its not even a contest. The time I spent playing a rogue like poker is higher than most other games combined.
Send HELP!
just a new round buddy, you know you want it.
Same.
I'd been starting to get into it when the Android release dropped and then I was cooked. Now between Steam/Android I've always got a run going somewhere.
I also bought it twice to play it everywhere! The dev deserves the support!
If you realise the RNG is really ridiculous at higher difficulties than you can stop
Deadlock
It brought me a new multi-player experience, something to share with friends, and it is super fun. I also don't get toxicity out of it.
Deadlock is nice, but the toxicity is the same as in every moba like teamgame, therefore I stopped playing it because I felt the time I spent playing were not enjoyable to me. Its sad because the game is so promising and delivers Valve typical polish which rivals triple AAA garbage.
I think that the fact I keep voice audio muted helps me not to get to much toxicity D:
But then your coordination will be lacking.
More of a visual novel, but I had an amazing time with it. I cried. It was beautiful. I've been learning the piano since I finished it.
Go in completely blind if you do decide to play it!
Seems right down my alley. Does it feature any triggering subjects? (Mainly severe mental health stuff and suicide is stuff I avoid for the time being)
Do you have recommendations for similar games?
Sorry to hear that, there's been times where I've avoided certain bits of media for similar reasons, and that feeling of "should I invest myself in this?" while trying to keep yourself safe. I hope things improve for you.
I don't want to say anything about Until Then really as I think the experience would be hampered knowing anything about it, but it'll still be there for you in the future. There are heavier moments throughout the story however, I cried at both the beauty and the sadness at multiple points in the game.
Some comparable games that have some similar themes or vibes
I think a lot of these kinda stories revolve around the sadder parts of life to elicit emotion that drives us towards connecting with characters in the same way that seeing hardship and struggle makes you care about your fellow human. To me it feels that through these experiences we're able to see our humanity in a rawer form, perhaps its because there's a cost to ourselves due to our emotional investment. There's no need to take on that cost unless you have the emotional space to do so though, but that cost is often what's made it so great. I didn't play any games for just over 2 weeks after I finished Until Then, I just started playing the piano, went on walks/bike rides/runs, and decided to get more involved at a local board game cafe. But really, no need to force yourself into that, focus on yourself, do the things you need to do to improve your situation internally or externally, it'll be there for you then.
If you want some story-esque games that feel much less soul-consuming, here's a few of my favourites:
And a couple of cozy games that are a bit adjacent to these
Edit: Also sorry for the monologue haha, didn't mean for that to get so long, just started rambling
You absolutely beautiful person! What a thoughtful and sincere reply, I cannot thank you enough.
You're 100 percent right that those experiences will still be there for me in the future when I feel the space. For now I am limiting myself to your second group of suggestions (I've played the first Frog Detective and loved it), knowing that your first group is there when I feel like it.
I did already play Edith Finch though, a masterpiece in my opinion, but indeed quite heavy (but extremely hopeful too).
Naw shucks haha, kind of you to say. I'm glad my ramble/vent was worth it!
Since ya played Edith Finch, in Until Then you form a much stronger connection with the characters, but the content and topics it faces are less extreme What is there will hit harder because of that connection I think.
I hope you enjoy any of the games I suggested! Also really, just get yourself Donut County. It's a stupid cozy romp. Do racoon crimes.
Sekiro. Played it a few months ago and I still think about it all the time. Amazing.
Tactical Breach Wizards
Call of duty black ops 3. Most of that time was spent in custom zombies maps, but the third party client that cleans up the cheater problem that plagues every old cod let me enjoy some occasional multiplayer, which despite being apart of the infamous jetpack era, I actually quite enjoy
Custom zombies maps are the beeeeest
Animal Well, UFO 50, and Balatro in that order.
Star Wars Outlaws.
I had so much fun while playing and Kay is such a sweetie😍
This was a surprisingly awesome game. The Sabacc mini-game alone is worth the price of admission.
Helldivers II, baby!
Im a simple man. I see bugs or bots, I spread managed democracy onto them.
Pathfinder: WOTR was pretty epic for first playthrough.
Aliens Dark Descent for most intense 40 hours of gaming, ever. Loved it.
Twin-stick shooter against various bugs and robots with some ARPG gearing, and the action here is fantastically tight with probably three key factors:
I play a lot of twin-stick and top-down shooters, and this does a great job mixing the arcade twin-stick feel of high intensity fending off a swarm with tactical top-down dungeon crawling elements, and it's just really special feeling to play. The core action feels not just well designed but like it was made just for me, and I'm genuinely glad someone made it (or is making it, since it's early access). Plus, it's extraction style instead of being a roguelite, so you're always right at the best action while still getting procedural levels, so each run is a little different.
THE FINALS
Rather advanced gameplay, extremely fast-paced and chaotic, quite heavy to run, even with most of it running on servers.
But damn when it was first released a year ago, I instantly got hooked from the vibes and then stayed for the breath of fresh air in the FPS genre. The description above also happens to match really well with my ADHD tendencies.
There's a reason why it took 47% of my entire play time this year.
Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes]
UNI finally gets rollback, which means I finally gave the series a shot. The GRD system is a very unique concept that adds an additional layer of trying to win the advantage state, then pressing the advantage when you have it or respecting the opponent's advantage when they do. And Vatista is just a very fun character to play, I'm having a blast with her.
Age of Mythology: Retold. By far. It only came out in September and already it's my 7th most-played Steam game of all time.
It was never in contention for the goty, by frankly I'm disappointed that it didn't win its own category at least, because it is just so good. It delivers so perfectly on what it promised. It's a remake that feels like how your nostalgia remembers the OG game, adding in excellent modern polish and exciting gameplay while keeping the core of what made the 2002 game so great.
Xdefiant. Loved that game, it will be missed.
I think the game I've probably had the most fun with throughout the year and not including games I've recently gotten over the past month or two would have to be a 3 way tie between Balatro, Peglin, and Backpack Heroes. Balatro barely hangs on there, though, do to the boredom of playing it for long enough it's starting to get a little boring.
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