Even though Stray from BlueTwelve Studio has been out for a year, it’s still a joy to play on the Xbox Series X. The story is still a wonderful journey, the gameplay is still easy-peasy, and the visuals are still out of this-world gorgeous.
Astronaut: The Best from developer Universal Happymaker is a challenging game that brings so many layers of complication that it can be overwhelming as much as satisfying. The difficulty might catch some gamers off guard, but the humor helps keep the ship together and create a fun experience.
Stray Gods from developer Summerfall Studios and publisher Humble Games is a beautiful and engaging musical branching narrative game that succeeds in delivering a powerful story with compelling characters. While not every song in the game is gold, the music that accompanies the gameplay mixes well and makes for one of the more entertaining gaming experiences of 2023.
F1 Manager 2023 from Frontier Developments is a detailed F1 experience for the F1 fan that needs a bit more than what F1 2023 can deliver. It has every aspect of running an F1 team, designing success on the racetrack, and juggling the business side of the sport. What it doesn’t have is up-to-par visuals for this generation, but that takes a backseat to the F1 managing the game successfully delivers.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is spectacular on the PC. It brings the same great story with the same wonderful characters, as well as all the good gameplay elements that the series has been known for over the years. It has some very minor hitches in its giddy-up, but nothing too serious. It’s certainly one of the better PC conversions from Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition from DotEmu is a decent game thanks to a clever mixture of RPG, puzzle, and strategy structure. It has a compelling storyline that reminds you of an 80s/90s RPG gaming world, and it has plenty of characters to play around with on the battlefield. It falls short with unbalanced gameplay that always leans towards enemy advantage and the control mechanics that can be incredibly finicky at times.
Mr. Run and Jump from Graphite Lab and Atari is a phenomenal tip of the hat to simple, yet fun games born during the heyday of the Atari 2600 VCS. While the game’s simplicity is a mask for a more mechanic-fueled strategy game that will test your gaming nerves over and over again through its complicated gameplay design, the journey very much pays off by the end.
LISA: Definitive Edition from Dingaling Productions is a warped, twisted, dark game that doesn’t pull its punches with any of its storytelling. The complementary gameplay helps to enhance the story and create some major connection between game and gamer. It’s something to behold, even if the beginning feels impossible to overcome.
Let’s Revolution! from developers Buck and Antfood is a simple game that has a complicated underbelly of strategy and asks gamers to make sophisticated choices. While the gameplay is short in its single follow-through, its replayability shows its longevity. While not all of its elements work, especially when it comes to character choice and sometimes random enemy attacks, it’s still a fun game to come back to when you are itching for a quick gaming experience.
GYLT from Tequila Works is a heavy game to bear. Its story is overwhelmingly sad, relatable, and impactful. The gameplay is built to complement the story and the devs did a great job of pulling those two pieces together. This game isn’t for the faint of heart and it will certainly get you in the feels, but the journey is worth the emotional risk.
Ghost Trick: The Phantom Detective from Capcom is a challenging and creative puzzle game that casts the same logic-driven shadow as its gaming cousins in the Ace Attorney series. It offsets its incredibly large amount of difficulty with a strong story that has sprinkles of humor in it, while still maintaining its murder mystery mission to deliver an overall entertaining experience.
Dave the Diver from Mint Rocket is something to behold. The game features exploration, collection, side quests, an RPG backbone, and a restaurant simulator, all of which are beautifully balanced and connected. This is by far one of the better games of 2023 and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Pixel Ripped 1978 from ARVORE Immersive Experiences and Atari is a good VR experience that is led by a competent narrative and nostalgia. How VR is used within the game is entertaining and engaging, if not outright clever. While not all of the game is gold, it still manages to turn old game schemes and concepts into something new and engaging within a virtual reality environment.
Escape Academy – Escape from the Past from Coin Crew Games does a good job of creating a decent prequel narrative while incorporating a healthy dose of escape room drama. While the balance between story and gameplay seems more story-slanted, the DLC still does a commendable job of delivering a fun, yet short escape room experience.
Fall of Porcupine from Critical Rabbit is a serious story wrapped in cute animation that only Richard Scarry could fully appreciate. The story is driven by branching choices and relaxed from time to time by mini-games. The main crux of this game is the story, which may not be for everyone, especially considering the topics of conversation it presents. They can be powerful at times, but also empty on interactivity.
Crash Team Rumble from Toys For Bob is quite fun. It features a balanced system of gameplay, some fun characters with unique gameplay styles, and a nice set of maps that complement strategy and quick gameplay. The leveling system may work its way to max quickly, but it doesn’t detour how much entertainment you’re going to get from this title. The biggest concern with this game is longevity and variety. It’s nice that Toys For Bob laid out a roadmap to tame some of this worry, something most companies don’t do well nowadays, but only the future seasons will tell the dedication to the title.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie from DON’T NOD plays like a proper branching narrative visual novel should play. The acting, writing, and general presentation are the icing on the cake to make this type of gameplay work very well. While it won’t be for everyone, it certainly is top tier for those who are looking for a good branching narrative journey.
The Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection from Atlus is so much better than expected, but not without its flaws. The dungeon-crawling and exploration experiences are primo, as is the need to build a map out and put it on the player to keep track of their surroundings. While the beginning of the game may force some players to question if they’re up for the task of traversing the Etrian Odyssey worlds, as well as some of the gameplay design decisions that can be archaic and restrictive, the collection’s payoff seems much greater by the end than the amount of effort it took to get there.
Bleak Sword DX is a gorgeous, nostalgic, and clever game for something built in a simplified structural way. More8Bit did a superb job of creating a fast gameplay environment while also maintaining creativity with its enemies and maps. While it may not seem like much, it has some moxie to it. Be forewarned, though, it also contains a heavy amount of frustration.
Super Mega Baseball 4 from Metalhead Studio is a riot to play, but it is a smaller experience when compared to its bigger MLB The Show brethren. What it lacks in the longevity of a forever MLB season, it makes up with in moxie, personality, and a bevy of ways to play. The customization and chance to play legends and vloggers will be enough reason to give this a go.