With its well-executed TTRPG-inspired mechanic and an intricate narrative that fleshes out its universe, Citizen Sleeper brings a fresh outlook on the cyberpunk genre in video games.
With its gameplay mechanics that are woven into the narrative, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong brings a fresh take on the narrative-driven games genre with its vampire detective title, even if the overall execution could have used some more polishing.
Visually, Trek to Yomi is a memorable ode to samurai movies while it plays it safe on the gameplay side.
As far as “walking sims” are concerned, Eternal Threads stands out with its time-manipulating narrative Rubik’s cube mechanic that adds a welcome layer of challenge and delivers an interesting approach to plot progression.
With its adorable 2.5 aesthetics and lighthearted plot, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising offers a quick fix and a promising outlook for what’s to come with Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.
With its original narrative blend of sci-fi and surreal while mixing up gameplay mechanics, Norco delivers a memorable narrative-driven experience.
The premise of Trolley Problem, Inc. might sound problematic to some but if you indulge in its dark humour as much as the game does, you’ll find in it an original little indie game apt for a party night to judge you and your friends' moral standards.
With Ghostwire: Tokyo, Tango Gameworks delivers an original title with a captivating supernatural twist on Tokyo inspired by Japanese folklore.
ANNO: Mutationem is a gorgeous-looking, original indie title that, while bearing issues with the narrative design, is a display of promising potential for developer ThinkingStars.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human lives up to the expectations by delivering an engaging gameplay in a detailed open world complimented by the series’ characteristic parkour mechanic that neatly blends in the exploration and combat.
Surreal yet well-crafted, The Eternal Cylinder is easily one of the most unique games of the year.
While Bright Memory: Infinite is the best-looking game I’ve played all year, it’s not the best executed one; but as a product of a one-person team, it is an impressive feat.
While Conway: Disappearance at Dahlia View doesn’t offer that tough of a case to crack, it does deliver an original atmospheric narrative-driven mystery game.
Devoid of the stress and grind that has become staples of most modern games, Sable reimagines what a fun, open world game can be and delivers with an original take.
As Ember Lab’s debut title, Kena: Bridge of Spirits delivers a visually-striking experience and decent enough gameplay that warrants a closer look at what the developers come up with next.
Deathloop makes re-runs fun like never before.
Eastward is an incredibly charming indie gem that’s well worth sinking hours into exploring its detailed post-apocalyptic world and unfolding its intriguing and heartwarming plot.
Raz makes a triumphant return in Psychonauts 2 which delivers a great time in trippy minds.
Foreclosed is a reminder of the adage to not judge a book by its cover as despite its singular, eye-catching comic-book-meets-cyberpunk aesthetic and some promising mechanics, the execution is a botched one.
Svoboda 1945: Liberation is more of an interactive, gamified history lesson than a traditional video game but it is executed in an interesting and original way that prove to be an important way to entice people to learn more about history.