Hi-Fi Rush is a new IP from Tango Gameworks, the Bethesda subsidiary behind Ghostwire: Tokyo and the Evil Within series. It’s a surprising departure in style for the studio, and it arrived fully formed with no prior promotion whatsoever. Thanks to its launch on Xbox Game Pass — a service that has somehow not yet…
GOTY 2023 — #5 Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 is the sequel to 2010’s Alan Wake, a cult hit from Finnish studio Remedy Entertainment. It solidifies the connections in the so-called “Remedyverse” that were introduced in the DLC to 2019’s Control, and continues the story of Alan Wake more than a decade after it left off. The story follows two parallel…
GOTY 2023 — #6 Chants of Sennaar
Chants of Sennaar is a language-deciphering puzzle game from French indie studio Rundisc. It takes place on the many levels of an enormous tower, where the silent protagonist must meet different cultures, work out their languages, and solve puzzles using that understanding. Its concept is inspired by the Tower of Babel story, in which the…
GOTY 2023 — #7 Infinite Guitars
Infinite Guitars is a rhythm action RPG set in a world of floating sky islands and guitar-wielding scavengers who eke out their existence in the aftermath of a desperate rebellion. Its hero, J.J., is a disaffected kid traveling with their grandfather. When rogue elements of the old empire confront them, J.J. is separated from their…
GOTY 2023 — #8 Metroid Prime Remastered
Metroid Prime tells the story of bounty hunter Samus Aran when she discovers a derelict pirate frigate full of dead and dying pirates. After encountering an old enemy, she pursues him beyond the frigate to Tallon IV, the planet that it was orbiting. Tallon IV is rapidly deteriorating, a once-lush planet decimated by an apocalyptic…
GOTY 2023 — #9 The Talos Principle 2
The Talos Principle 2 is a game about solving puzzles within enormous abandoned structures on a mysterious chain of islands. It is told through they eyes and interface of 1k, the thousandth new person created to join a civilization of androids in the wake of humankind’s demise. It follows after 2014’s The Talos Principle, which…
GOTY 2023 — #10 COCOON
COCOON is the debut title from Geometric Interactive, a studio founded by Playdead’s (LIMBO, INSIDE) former lead gameplay designer Jeppe Carlsen and audio designer Jakob Schmid. It’s a vibrant and eerie puzzle game delivered in what could be considered Carlsen’s preferred style: a wordless adventure driven by a minimalist “one-button” set of actions and heavy…
GOTY 2023 Kickoff
The year is wrapping up, so it’s time to uphold my annual tradition of only blogging at the very end of it. I got a late start, so that means that my #1 post will not be till the 2nd of January. 2023 has been a busy year for me personally, but a complicated one…