#deep collar

5. Stacklands (Sokpop Collective)

Sokpop managed to combine the perfect mix of mechanics to keep me hooked for hours. Luckily this game has an "ending" of sorts, or I probably would still be playing. It's a card-based village-building game with fun twists and Sokpop's signature whimsical art style. There have been two free expansions released already, with more on the way.

4. Deep Collar (uncle_specter)

This was a micro-indie game submitted to a game jam that I also entered. It's a free 2D pixel game conveyed mostly through dialogue. It's only a few minutes long. It fucking ruined me. I didn't expect to care about these characters so much - they all feel like real people.

3. Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment)

I haven't finished this game yet, but I can just tell it's going to be one of my all-time favourites. Josh Sawyer is a wizard and he and Obsidian have done it again. It's a Disco Elysium-esque blend of humour, mystery, and long blocks of text, with a gorgeous marginalia-inspired art style. I only wish it wasn't a Microsoft exclusive, but that's capitalism I guess.

2. Tunic (Tunic Team/Finji)

My favourite game of 2021 was Death's Door, and Tunic follows in the same vein of isometric Souls-like Zelda-like action-adventure. I did need to use a guide for some sections, but it's overall not a difficult game. It's a beautifully designed world with some truly horrific secrets, and excellent gameplay mechanics.

1. Elden Ring (From Software)

This is my most boring take. Look, anyone who says Elden Ring isn't the Game of The Year is kidding themself. It's everything people love about FromSoft games, but more of it. Yes, some of the bosses are badly designed, the story is less coherent than other games, and the open world reuses a lot of assets. It's definitely not the platonic ideal of a video game. But it is quantitatively and qualitatively the best game of 2022, and a step forward for games as a medium.