You know those Twitter threads where people list off every video game they’ve completed throughout the year? It’s something I’ve always been a bit keen on doing, but I figured summing up each game in a single Tweet wouldn’t do them justice. So, throughout 2023, I decided to keep a record of every game I completed, composing what are essentially mini reviews to try and cover every facet I liked or didn’t like about each one… and that was a mistake.

This wound up taking far more time and effort than I expected. And between a new job, other real world responsibilities, and me wanting to play more and more games, I failed to get this done before we rolled into 2024. Sunk cost fallacy meant I didn’t want to abandon all the work I already put in so, screw it, I’m putting this out even though we’re already a quarter of the way into 2024. Just know I will not be attempting something like this again, at least not to this degree.

For the record, this list isn’t exclusive to games that launched in 2023. No matter how old it was, if I beat it, I included it here. What counts as clearing a game is often up to interpretation but, for me, it’s at least hitting the end credits, though sometimes I made a point of clearing post-game content as well. Right, with the preamble out of the way, let’s run through every game I beat in 2023.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns

The premise of a superhero strategy game from the studio behind XCOM was definitely an intriguing one and despite having very little familiarity with Firaxis’ work (I did try XCOM: Enemy Unknown but it’s unforgiving difficulty put me off), Midnight Suns drew me in thanks to its use of Marvel superheroes, approachability, and card-based combat. And somehow I wound up enjoying it even more than I thought I would.

While formulaic, the structure of taking on missions, chilling out with your fellow heroes, and upgrading your home base is incredibly moreish. Plus, the randomised elements like the cards and enemy types keeps missions fresh and engaging even once they begin to repeat themselves. The many optional difficulty levels and the freedom to progress the story at your own pace helps satisfy every type of player, be they a newbie to the genre or someone who thrives on intense challenges.

For most of my playthrough, I was considering giving this game an A rank, but unfortunately there are a number of issues I have with it that hold it back. While I did enjoy most of the character writing and interactions, and the increasing stakes and occasional twists kept me engaged, the story as a whole was rather mediocre. The finale, in particular, ended things on a rather wet and unsatisfying note. Also, this game is rife with annoying bugs. Nothing gamebreaking thankfully, but enough minor annoyances that left me begging for a patch, like enemies sometimes not leaving the battlefield when defeated or the Hunter’s profile picture not appearing in menus. One time Captain America fell through the floor and never came back. Oh, and gating a bunch of the costumes behind weird microtransaction bullshit loses Midnight Suns some points. You can’t even just buy them, you have to buy 2K’s stupid currency and use that to buy the costumes.

Despite its flaws, Midnight Suns was a very welcome surprise that I can happily recommend to any fans of strategy games or Marvel, and I wouldn’t say no to that sequel Firaxis blatantly teased after the credits.

Rank: B

Pac-Man World Re-Pac

If I had a penny for every retro Bandai Namco platformer remaster/remake in 2022, I’d have two pennies. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice. One of them, Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, was something I’d wanted for years due to my overwhelming nostalgia for the Klonoa series. The same cannot be said for Pac-Man World Re-Pac, a full remake of a 1999 PlayStation game that I had never touched. However, as a casual fan of the yellow mascot and as someone that did play both of Pac-Man World‘s sequels, I was curious to go back and experience what came before, especially as those who did grow up playing it seemed to have fond memories of it.

Without any rose-tinted glasses to wear, though, Pac-Man World Re-Pac is very much your typical run of the mill 3D platformer. It’s by no means a bad one, far from it. I still enjoyed my trek through Ghost Island and saving Pac-Man’s family from his evil doppelganger Toc-Man. Pac-Man controlled decently and all his various moves had their use, and I like how the game incorporates elements from the original arcade game to the levels, such as the Power Pellets for eating ghosts and collecting fruit to open locked gates. The boss fights were a surprising highlight due to them all being very unique, with the final battle proving to be more of a challenge than I expected.

It’s just that there’s nothing in Pac-Man World Re-Pac that other platformers haven’t done better, especially in the 20+ years since it originally came out. The same can probably be said for the Klonoa remasters too but, while I am somewhat biased, I’d argue that those games hold up very well thanks to their interesting and often challenging level design, fun characters, neat worldbuilding, and nuanced stories. Pac-Man World Re-Pac sadly doesn’t have any of that.

Level design is fairly basic and doesn’t provide enough opportunities to explore, the story and characters are incredibly one note, the locations aren’t very interesting, and the whole thing is painfully easy. Most of my deaths came from lapses in judgment rather than any difficult platforming and you can rack up so many extra lives thanks to the end-of-level slot machines that death is barely a nuisance. Not to mention a very generous checkpoint system that lets you keep any collectibles you grabbed even after hitting a checkpoint. Plus, collecting everything in a level requires constant monotonous backtracking. Nearly every locked gate I came across just required me to progress a teeny bit further to find the matching fruit and then walk straight back.

Maybe Pac-Man World Re-Pac is aiming for a younger audience, one that would find it a bit more challenging, but I probably still wouldn’t recommend it as an introduction to the 3D platformer genre, not when games like Super Mario Odyssey or Kirby and the Forgotten Land are freely available. I don’t regret my time spent with Pac-Man World Re-Pac; after all, it was still entertaining and I can’t say people shouldn’t play it at all. I just think it may have been smarter to remake the sequel instead.

Rank: C

Metroid: Zero Mission

With several of Samus’ 2D adventures under my belt, I always meant to go back and try out her very first game. Or more specifically the Game Boy Advance remake of it. I recall briefly dabbling with the original NES Metroid at some point but it was far too old-school for my liking. So, once I realised the Wii U eShop would shut down in 2023, I saw an opportunity and bought Metroid: Zero Mission among several other games. This thing got rave reviews when it first came out in 2004 and while I’m not here to challenge those reviews, I unfortunately didn’t enjoy it quite as much as others.

Let’s start with the positives. I had fun exploring planet Zebes thanks to the precise controls, dark atmosphere, and gradual acquisition of upgrades. In my experience, Metroid games tend to get somewhat easier as you progress since you start off relatively frail but, with enough health, weapon, and movement upgrades, most enemies become such a non-issue and you can blitz right through them. This certainly helps make all the backtracking less tiresome than it could have been, and it’s always a nice feeling when you get a new upgrade and realise it can help you better explore previous areas.

The final section where Samus loses her power suit and has to sneak her way through a space pirate ship to retrieve it is a particular highlight since it renders you more vulnerable than you were even at the start of the game. It’s extremely tense and challenging without ever becoming too frustrating and makes for an oh so satisfying conclusion when you tear apart the ship from the inside upon reclaiming your full strength.

I think ultimately my issues stem from the fact that I had already played its sequels – Metroid Fusion, the Metroid 2 remake, and Metroid Dread – and they were all far superior games, taking what worked in Zero Mission and expanding upon it and/or further modernising it. As a result, playing Zero Mission felt like a bit of a downgrade. None of the boss fights are particularly noteworthy (though the Ridley jump scare was very effective) and never quite feel like there’s much strategy to them beyond “keep shooting missiles till they die”. Not to say there is none, but the only reason they’re remotely difficult is because there’s so much crap you have to avoid, especially during the Mother Brain fight. Also, while the game periodically tells you where to go next, there were a couple occasions where I felt completely lost which isn’t always fun.

Plus, while the minimalist story and presentation work fine, I kind of wish there was a bit more meat to it, especially regarding Samus’ history with the Chozo who raised her. I am aware there’s a whole manga prequel that does exactly that but I’d prefer it if it was in the actual game. Not to mention I was shocked by how short Zero Mission really is, even if you’re playing it at a casual pace. Though that may be to its benefit since it prevents the game from dragging out too long and encourages speedrunning.

All in all, I did enjoy Zero Mission and can recommend it as both the optimal way of experiencing the first Metroid game and as an entry point for new fans. The sequels are just much, much better.

Rank: C

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

I already wrote a review for this game when it came out, but I wanted to acknowledge The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog again in this list since it was genuinely one of the neatest surprises of 2023. April Fool’s Day jokes are always hit or miss and within the gaming industry, they usually err towards the latter, either by simply being unfunny or being announcements for things people would actually want. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, however, was easily the best one since it wasn’t just a funny trailer but an honest to goodness video game and a pretty good one at that.

As a fan of murder mystery visual novels and Sonic the Hedgehog, this was a match made in heaven for me. It being a free PC download obviously meant I had to go in with low expectations and, yeah, you can tell this was made on the cheap with the simple visuals, lack of voice acting, and short length. Not to mention it’s not very challenging when it comes to finding clues and unravelling the lies in witnesses’ testimony.

Yet the whole thing is so endearing; you can tell the people who worked on it are big fans of both the genre and Sonic. The artwork is superb and looks like it was lifted from the IDW comics, and the writing is entertaining and funny at points, with all the characters’ personalities in tact (if a tad exaggerated sometimes). It manages to skew that fine line between sincerity and self awareness while also showing some new sides to these characters by putting them in a scenario we’ve never seen them in before.

The minigames that are bitesized Sonic levels are a cute addition that helps the game stand out compared to other visual novels, and they get genuinely difficult by the end. Plus, the story, for as basic as it is, does offer some cool twists and has a surprising moral about toxic friendships and letting go. The playable character (dubbed Barry by fans) is great too, managing to simultaneously be a straight man to the rest of the cast while boasting some bizarre quirks that prevent them from being boring.

It’s probably unfair to rank it alongside the rest of the games on the list since it’s completely free, but The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog deserves its dues. I think it says a lot about it that I’d happily pay for another one of these, especially if it’s more fleshed out and given a real budget (make it a Team Chaotix spin-off and I am there day one). Officially, I’ll leave it unranked but just know that it holds an A rank in my heart.

Unranked

Yakuza Kiwami 2

I remember really enjoying the original Yakuza 2 on the PS2, mostly because it was when the series really clicked with me. I liked the first one fine, but I don’t think I quite understood the appeal of Yakuza until the second game. So, I was excited to re-experience it with modern visuals and gameplay… until I realised Yakuza Kiwami 2 uses the same engine as Yakuza 6: The Song of Life aka my second least favourite game in the series.

I just didn’t care for the changes Ryu Ga Gotoku made to the combat, with both Kiryu and enemies feeling oddly weightless and stiff. I also think they overcomplicated levelling up by having five different types of experience you could acquire and needing to boost Kiryu’s base stats manually as opposed to them being automatic upgrades. However, the great thing about Yakuza is that even at it’s worst, it’s still enjoyable and despite all my grumbling, the changes to the combat and levelling system are hardly dealbreakers.

The action is fun and flashy yet rarely brain dead, there are several entertaining distractions in the form of minigames (the cabaret club one remains a personal favourite) and delightfully ludicrous side quests, and it boasts one of the better stories in the series. Not because it’s superbly written or anything; in fact, it’s kind of messy at points, with some sections having nothing to do with the main plot and a climax so ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh. But that’s honestly what makes it.

If the first Yakuza was a crime thriller, then its sequel is an action movie, ramping up the spectacle while finding plenty of time for gangster melodrama. Plus, this game is home to one of the series’ most iconic setpieces (Kiryu fighting a pair of tigers), features one of its best antagonists in Ryuji Goda, and was the only game to star Kaoru Sayama, a badass lady cop who frankly should’ve stuck around as a recurring character.

Although, if I’m being honest, the optional campaign with Majima is almost worth the price of admission alone. I feel I shouldn’t like it as much as I do considering it’s so short, has almost nothing to do with the main plot (besides explaining why Majima quit the Tojo Clan), and Majima’s moveset is disappointingly limited, but all of that is made up by the return of Makoto from Yakuza 0, making for one hell of an emotional reunion. Following up on Yakuza 0‘s fantastically bittersweet ending was a risky move but it paid off, managing to provide Majima and Makoto some much deserved closure without undermining that previous ending. I won’t lie, some tears were shed.

Rank: B

Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

I was initially going to give this a game a skip but changed my mind after reading a couple reviews, and boy am I glad I did. Although I’m not a fan of traditional horror games, I am strangely fond of games with spooky atmospheres – the kind where the horror doesn’t come from gore or monsters but from creepy imagery or your own imagination/paranoia. Paranormasight isn’t a traditional horror game but it is perfect for playing in the dead of night while tucked in bed. It’s not without some jump scares but it’s, fittingly, more akin to a ghost story – unnerving and chilling instead of outright scary. Plus, it borrows a lot from one of my favourite game series, Zero Escape.

I’m always a sucker for multiple story routes in games, but what’s even better is having multiple story routes where your actions in one affect another, with characters able to possess information they otherwise shouldn’t thanks to your influence. On top of that, the story is incredibly well written, full of likeable (and not so likeable) characters and juggling its many mysteries and subplots, all of which weave together and remain engaging from start to finish. Not to mention the general concept is a lot of fun and full of potential, with several characters acquiring unique curses that, if they kill enough people, will allow them to uncover and perform a resurrection ritual. On top of that, you have some great character art and music as well as this neat grainy overlay as if you’re watching a VHS tape on an old TV, which perfectly suits the 90s setting and old school ghost story vibes the game is going for.

Honestly, I really want to grade this game an A but I feel like Paranormasight doesn’t quite take full advantage of its concept. It sets itself up for some potentially really intriguing puzzles that you could only design in a video game and then proceeds to not do a lot with the idea. One of the earliest puzzles requires you to turn down the voice volume in the audio settings and this felt so good to figure out, but sadly none of the later puzzles come close to doing anything similar. That’s not to say the rest are bad; they’re mostly fine and fun to solve though I think a couple could have benefitted from a hint system. I’m ashamed to admit I needed a walkthrough to acquire the true ending, which is personally annoying since I realised I was on the right track and was just missing a couple steps, but also because I really like the final twist and wish I had figured it out on my own, even if I needed the game itself to nudge me in the right direction rather than read the answer online.

Furthermore, for a game with branching storylines and curses, you’d think whether or not you make the characters use their curses would have more of an impact but they really don’t. Most of the time, characters will use or refuse to use their curse regardless of your input. But perhaps Paranormasight‘s biggest crime is that it’s too damn short. I kept expecting more characters and story routes to unlock, but as the story barrelled to its conclusion, I realised that despite the similarities, this game isn’t quite as complex as something like the Zero Escape games. But when one of your biggest critiques about a game is that there’s not enough of it, that’s a sign that you’re playing something special. The developers have expressed interest in making a sequel and I will be there day one if that happens.

Rank: B

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed

Though not a full game per se, I couldn’t not try and condense my thoughts on Xenoblade Chronicles 3‘s story DLC for this article. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was my Game of the Year for 2022 so of course I was incredibly eager to see what form the DLC would take. What I got was certainly not what I expected and while I can pick out problems with it, Future Redeemed is just one more reason why I love Xenoblade as a series and Monolith Soft as a studio.

Gameplay wise, it’s admittedly just more of the base game, but Future Redeemed‘s remixed battle system helps it feel a bit more distinct, with its new mechanics feeling like they could be fleshed out into a full game instead of arbitrary changes to justify their own existence. Things like exploration and getting into random battles are further encouraged with the Affinity Point system, where completing mini achievements grants you the points you need to power up the party. And the whole thing is more technical wizardry as you can explore every inch of the region without encountering a single load screen… on the Switch! No wonder Nintendo has Monolith Soft help out with The Legend Of Zelda nowadays.

But what truly makes Future Redeemed is, ultimately, its story, characters, and ludicruous amounts of fan service. I almost feel like maybe it gets too self indulgent with the frequent references and callbacks, but I admit I cheered and cried at every single one. Bringing back old heroes is always a risk, but Shulk and Rex are perfectly realised, having grown into wise mentors while retaining all the characteristics that made fans like me fall in love with them to begin with.

Fortunately, Future Redeemed‘s quality isn’t solely dependent on the fan service. All the new characters are great too, especially Matthew with his blunt personality, heart of gold, and love of punching stuff. He also manages to remain the main protagonist throughout, never getting overshadowed by the returning heroes even as his goal to find his sister drags him into something far larger. Speaking of his sister, Na’el, despite getting less screen time than everyone else, may be one of my favourite antagonists in the series.

I could easily write a far more in-depth article or make a six hour video on everything I love about Future Redeemed so I’ll wrap things up by just saying that it succeeds at its job of being a prequel and a conclusion to the story arc that began with the first Xenoblade Chronicles in 2010. Hell, it’s the culmination of director Tetsuya Takahashi’s work since 1998’s Xenogears. After all this time, he’s finally managed to complete the ambitious saga he’s always wanted, without needing to make any major concessions or sacrifices. Some things may not be satisfyingly explained, but the ambiguity feels deliberate, like Monolith Soft wants to let us reach our own conclusion. Plus, the implications of what follows next have me more excited about the series’ future than ever before.

Rank: A

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

As someone who played the crap out of the previous Theatrhythm games, I was beyond stoked to see a new entry be announced nearly 10 years after the last one (not counting the Japan-only arcade game and Dragon Quest spin-off). I may not be an avid Final Fantasy fan, but I love the franchise’s music and Theatrhythm Final Bar Line goes above and beyond with an absolutely stacked list of 380 tracks spanning the mainline games and various spin-offs.

That’s not even including all the DLC which throws in music from other Square Enix properties, such as Nier, The World Ends With You, and even Xenogears. I’m partly ashamed to admit I shelled out for the most expensive version of the game just so I could have every available song, but as a lover of the rhythm game genre, why would I not want to have all the content available? There’s admittedly not much else I can say about this one. It’s jam packed with content, offers near endless replayability, has a cute single player mode to unlock all the characters, and optional multiplayer modes if those tickle your fancy.

I suppose the only real criticism I could make against it is that some of the single player quests are annoyingly difficult. While I quite like the RPG elements that see songs turn into actual battles, with spells and summons and all that, it feels like there are certain systems or intricacies that the game doesn’t wholly explain, and completing the harder challenges can be such a pain since they usually involve defeating a boss that has ludicruous amounts of health. You either need a perfectly optimised party or have grinded them beyond level 99 to even stand a chance, and even then it isn’t always enough.

Still, there are dedicated fans online who’ve shared their own parties for these challenges, which has certainly helped me. That one minor annoyance aside, this is still a perfect package for rhythm game and Final Fantasy fans; one that I honestly can’t see Square Enix topping for a long time.

Rank: A

Final Fantasy VII Remake

I always intended to check out Final Fantasy VII considering its legacy. So, when Square Enix’s fancy remake launched, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to finally play the original FFVII to see just what all the fuss was about. The remake looked incredible, but I wanted to experience it with the knowledge of the original game so I could better appreciate what changed and what didn’t. I beat Final Fantasy VII in late 2021 and while I didn’t fall in love with it like some people did, I certainly enjoyed my time and understood why and how it achieved its reputation.

Having finally got through Final Fantasy VII Remake, I’m even more glad I got the original under my belt, mainly because it isn’t entirely a remake. In truth, it’s a strange pseudo sequel that doesn’t just update and flesh out the original’s opening arc in Midgar, but actively acknowledges the original game, touching upon themes of fate and forging one’s own destiny, and dabbling in meta commentary on Final Fantasy VII itself… and I am 100% here for it. It makes for a far more interesting experience than just retelling the original story again but with nicer visuals.

To be fair, though, they are very nice visuals. While I’ve always felt a game’s graphics shouldn’t be the number one priority, FFVII Remake is stunning to look at, even if it’s not the most colourful game by virtue of being confined to Midgar. Hell, production values across the board are incredible, with an amazing soundtrack and superbly animated cutscenes, complete with solid voice acting. Between the writing and performances, this game easily has my favourite depictions of its core cast.

Of course, the game itself is fun to play. It took me a while to get used to the combat since despite being real-time action, it never feels like it’s possible to get through fights unscathed. Not every attack can be dodged, requiring you to get used to blocking, which means you will be taking damage no matter how good you are. Maybe this was done to try and still reflect the turn-based combat of the original which obviously lacked a dodge function. The fact that certain segments contain crates full of HP refills and potions certainly suggests the developers knew players would always need them.

I’d certainly take something like Kingdom Hearts over this, but FFVII Remake‘s combat is still satisfying to engage with and, for the most part, manageable. Even when I was taking hits, fights never felt unfair. Strangely enough, I struggled more with the occasional batch of regular enemies than the bosses. Not to say they were easy; they were definitely challenging but in a good way (except for Hell House, that fight sucks ass), and I approached every one with excitement. My favourite fights wound up being against regular human opponents, such as Roche and the Turks. I think the presentation helped a lot too; the combat, music, sound effects, and visuals all perfectly complement one another.

I also appreciate how each of the main party plays differently yet are still customisable thanks to the Materia system (possibly my favourite part of the original FFVII). You can set them up however you want, allowing for different strategies. Do you make Cloud a magic user? A healer? Someone who debuffs enemies? It’s up to you. Yet all of them have unique playstyles too, some of which are definitely more fun than others. Seriously, Square Enix, give Tifa her own game.

There’s so much more I can say about FFVII Remake so I’ll wrap up by saying it’s incredible that a project that could’ve so easily gone wrong turned out as phenomenal as it did. It’s not flawless and suffers from occasional padding, but it was a joy from start to finish that left me giddy with excitement for future games.

Rank: A

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Ghost Trick is one of my favourite games ever so I was naturally ecstatic to learn it would be getting a remaster for modern platforms. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, though, and it had been long time since I last played it. Was Ghost Trick really as good as I remember it being? Fortunately, the answer is yes.

Ironically, this could be one of the shortest segments of the whole article since us Ghost Trick fans love to tell people to play it while refusing to say anything about it. If you haven’t played it yourself, all you need to know is that you control an amnesiac ghost named Sissel who must recover his missing memories and learn why he was killed. To do so, you solve various puzzles to prevent other characters’ deaths by using your powers to manipulate objects and rewind time.

Figuring out how seemingly innocuous items can be used to reach a solution is half the fun and seeing the solution play out like a Rube Goldberg machine is immensely satisfying. I was able to nearly blitz through the game thanks to my memories of playing it the first time, but that didn’t dilute the sense of accomplishment I felt as I completed each chapter. That’s partially due to the puzzles being wrapped up in a fantastic story filled with equally strong characters. This is easily the best story Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi has ever written, especially on a second playthrough and you see how certain plot points are foreshadowed. No character, even the minor ones, feels wasted in their roles and they all have fun and distinct personalities that keep them memorable.

There’s really nothing else I can say besides that Ghost Trick is one of the very few games I can happily recommend to anyone. If you’ve still never played it, I implore you go buy Ghost Trick right this second. Not so it can make enough money to warrant a sequel, but just so you can experience what I think is one of the best games ever made.

Rank: S

Inscryption

A part of me feels like I was tricked into playing Inscryption. Everything I had seen of it made me think it was a deck-builder meshed with Zero Escape style escape rooms, which admittedly isn’t entirely inaccurate. What I had failed to realise is that Inscryption is a roguelike; a genre I have very little interest in. I’m simply not a fan of losing any sense of progress every time I fail and needing to basically start again from scratch. However, despite learning Inscryption‘s true nature quite early on, it already had its hooks in me and I wound up enjoying the loop of constructing a new deck and a new strategy as I tried to reach the end.

The premise alone played a big part in keeping me motivated to try again after each failed run. I frustratingly don’t want to explain why since Inscryption‘s the kind of game best experienced blind, but I’m a fan of its disturbingly creepy vibes. As I said in the Paranormasight segment, although I’m not a fan of horror games, I do like spooky and eerie atmospheres where the horror comes from not understanding precisely what’s going on as opposed to overly gruesome imagery and jump scares. Inscryption scratches that itch perfectly, with a narrative that leaves it up to you to learn the answers rather than letting the game explain everything succinctly.

Obviously, the gameplay itself is very moreish and fun. There are a lot of rules and mechanics but they’re simple to pick up and understand. Plus there’s a rulebook always on hand in case you forget anyway. Matches strike a decent balance between relying on strategy and luck though through experimentation and the right card combinations, you can find some fun ways to break the game in half. This feels deliberate though since Inscryption does ultimately want you to reach the end. There are neat cryptic puzzles you can find and solve inside the room you’re trapped in, and the rewards are both mandatory to progress and improve your chances of reaching the end.

I’d love to discuss what comes after but, again, it’s something that’s best experienced for yourself. All I’ll say is that Inscryption goes places and takes full advantage of its status as a video game to do interesting and cool things. And any game that does that is one worth experiencing in my book.

Rank: A

Like a Dragon: Ishin!

I did write a review for Like a Dragon: Ishin! already, but since I had to get it done before the game came out, I wasn’t able to experience it the same way I did with other Yakuza/Like a Dragon games. I usually like to take my time with the various side activities and substories; something I wasn’t quite as free to do for my first playthrough. I wondered if I’d wind up liking Ishin more on a second playthrough but, truthfully, I still stand by my initial review score.

Let me be clear, Ishin is a solid Ryu Ga Gotoku game and has almost everything I love about the Like a Dragon series: satisfying and often over the top combat, humourous side quests, and a wide range of things to do from karaoke and dancing minigames to taking care of your own house and farm. It’s also just really cool that Westerners get to play a installment that was Japan-only for so long.

Even after exploring Ishin to nearly the fullest, though, it doesn’t magically address all the issues I had with the game during my first run. The story remains fairly uninteresting despite the novel concept of dramatising the life of actual samurai Sakamoto Ryoma. I think I have a better understanding of the political intrigue after playing through it a second time but it didn’t make it any more engaging. Maybe I’d have resonated with it a lot more if I was already very familiar with the real world inspirations?

Not to mention having all the characters be portrayed by previous characters from across the series, while fun, is ultimately the shallowest form of fan service. I genuinely struggle to memorise most of the characters’ names since they fail to stand out as their own unique personalities. Okita Soji is just Majima in both appearance and personality so why bother viewing him as anyone else?

I’m also not fond of the game’s more grindy nature compared to its predecessors. Since weapons are mandatory in Ishin, you need to constantly be upgrading or acquiring new ones to deal any meaningful damage. I remember a lot of frustrating boss fights in my initial run since I was otherwise blitzing through the story. The second time around, I was able to get much better weapons and gear, but combined with the sometimes busted Trooper Cards (which provide helpful extra abilities), combat often wound up becoming trivial. Still, one-on-one clashes are a genuine treat, especially in the Swordsman style. Dodging or parrying the enemy’s sword swings and then countering is always fun to pull off, and there are plenty of ridiculously violent special moves to unlock that stop fights from getting too rote.

While I would never call Ishin a bad game nor would I advise new Like a Dragon fans avoid it, it doesn’t exactly have me praying for the other samurai spin-off, Kenzan, to get the same treatment but who knows, maybe that’s actually the better of the two.

Rank: B

Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizon

While the first two free updates for Sonic Frontiers were solid and worth returning to the game for, it was the final piece of DLC that myself and many others were looking forward to. Not only would Tails, Knuckles, and Amy be made playable characters for the first time in years, but we’d be getting new story content, with later trailers teasing a completely revised finale and a new Super Sonic form. Yet the final result was… polarising to say the least, ending Sonic Frontier‘s lifecycle on a bit of a sour note rather than an exciting high.

I’ll do my best to keep things brief, but The Final Horizon is kind of all over the place; it’s most frustrating aspect being the sharp rise in difficulty. Not only was this DLC never advertised as offering a more intense challenge, but its efforts to address complaints about the base game being too easy went too far in the other direction. A chunk of The Final Horizon‘s platforming and combat challenges are simply not fun to play, particularly the revised minibosses. I don’t know why the new characters even have attacks; there is zero reason to fight any of the Guardians as them. Hell, even a fully levelled up Sonic can struggle with them and since they’re completely optional, I didn’t even bother. The new Cyberspace stages aren’t much better, each one offering new, mostly unwelcome gimmicks. Aside from one that had reduced gravity; that I actually had some fun with.

The new final boss isn’t that much of an improvement over the original either. This is an instance where the increased challenge is welcome, but the strategy for beating it is annoyingly obscure and it suffers from an awkward camera. Although once I realised what to do, the fight is far more enjoyable on subsequent playthroughs and offers some delightful spectacle and killer music. That said, I do miss the original schmup battle with The End and its epic speech. Plus, I think I prefer the more bittersweet ending compared to the newer, happier conclusion.

I will admit, I did not care that much for this DLC after clearing it, but I still went back to it to try and complete as much of it as I could. In retrospect, I’ve come round to how Tails, Knuckles, and Amy play, especially once you unlock more abilities for them. The game does a bad job explaining what they can do and at the start, they are woefully weak, both at defending themselves and at exploring. But once you get skills like Amy’s bounce jump, it’s actually a lot of fun running around the island as them, completing platforming challenges. Especially when you get the more broken abilities like Knuckles’ infinite glide and Tails’ Cyclone, letting you bypass some challenges entirely. Hopefully, they’ll feel just as good as Sonic controls come the next game.

I won’t be ranking The Final Horizon since it is a free update, but I will say I’ve softened on it a bit after my initial playthrough. That said, I can’t help but be a little anxious now about the eventual sequel. I’m choosing to believe the DLC’s rough edges are due to a short development time, but after Sonic Frontiers restored my faith in the franchise, I pray this isn’t an omen of Sonic Team dropping the ball yet again.

Unranked

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

I initially planned on waiting for a price drop before picking up Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 (I refuse to pay £70 for any game), but after spotting it discounted to about £50, I couldn’t help but snap it up day one. I loved the previous Spider-Man games from Insomniac and while the sequel’s not without issues, it’s just as good, if not slightly better, than it’s predecessor… which is really all I wanted.

Traversing through New York is still so much fun, especially with the new web wings, to the point where I rarely used the fast travel option. I know some aren’t as impressed with the combat, which has barely changed from the last games, but I still enjoy it for how fast and fluid it can be. It’s very satisfying racking up combos as you flip and dip avoiding attacks, especially as you acquire more abilities to play with. Though I have to admit, I wasn’t particularly impressed with Miles’ new Venom powers compared with Peter’s symbiote ones. Speaking of, the symbiote is the ultimate power trip and perhaps the only thing more fun than using it is seeing nice guy Peter slowly succumb to its influence and go full dick head mode, with his voice actor Yuri Lowenthal hamming things up to a delightful degree.

There’s admittedly a lot I could criticise regarding the game’s story and characters (I just don’t think everything’s as tightly written as they could have been). Not to mention I also found it shockingly buggy at launch even with the day one patch (it crashed on me about four times) and it weirdly omits the fun not-Twitter feed that shows how the public is reacting to your exploits as well as the option to re-listen to Jameson and Danika’s podcasts (both of theses features were present in the previous games). Despite those complaints, I was still emotionally invested throughout and having a blast with the game’s various side stories and set pieces. One boss fight in particular was almost exactly what I wanted from Spider-Man 2 and I was thrilled to see Insomniac deliver the goods. Oh, and the suit selection is fantastic too.

I wouldn’t blame anyone for not being as impressed with this sequel. It ultimately isn’t much of an improvement over the previous games and it arguably relies a bit too much on being as “cinematic” as possible, with set pieces that don’t require much input from the player. But this sort of flashy spectacle, the equivalent of a popcorn flick at the cinema, can be all you need from a game. Spider-Man 2 is one such game though it helps that practically every aspect is well made. I think it says a lot that I dedicated to 100%ing Spider-Man 2 immediately after the credits rolled and will definitely get round to a New Game+ run at some point.

Rank: A

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

I had long lost interest in the 2D Mario games. Ever since New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, they all began to blend in with each other with very little to distinguish them. Sure, level designs were different and you’d get a new power-up or two, but that seemed to be literally all they had to offer. Jumping from New Super Mario Bros. Wii to New Super Mario Bros. U was hardly night and day. But then Nintendo revealed Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

‘Wonder’ really is apt because Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks so charming and wondrous from purely a graphical stand point. I don’t know how to explain it, but everything from the characters to the backgrounds looks far more lively and full of personality compared to the New Super Mario Bros. games. And that’s before you get into all the weird visuals created by the Wonder Flowers, which are easily the game’s crowning achievement. Obvious drug jokes aside, it was always a delight to see what sort of effect grabbing one would have on a level. Some mechanics are repeated between levels but not often, and none of them felt obtrusive or annoying.

These do a great job of helping certain levels stand out, which are otherwise fun if a bit breezy to play through. The tight controls and platforming elevate them so they’re never boring, but with how easy it is to rack up lives, game overs were rarely a threat. Almost makes me think Nintendo should’ve cut the life system like it did with the timer, itself a welcome change that removes unwanted stress and lets you more freely explore the levels. That’s not to say there’s no challenge to be found; the secret levels certainly put your platforming skills to the test yet not to a hideously unfair degree. As frustrated as I got with them, I still felt compelled to keep trying while also grabbing every collectible for 100% completion. One level in particular, though, can go to hell and I will confess to cheesing portions of the final challenge with Nabbit thanks to his invincibility (though it still proved very difficult).

I think any game is doing something right if it compels you to do everything it has to offer and that’s precisely what I did with Super Mario Bros. Wonder. By the end, I was sad to see it over and I hope future 2D games take influence from what this one achieved. Hopefully with better boss fights though. Fighting Bowser Jr. over and over again proved very tiring.

Rank: A

Goodbye Volcano High

I feel a bit bad for labelling Goodbye Volcano High as ‘Life is Strange but with dinosaurs’. I know I’m not the only one and it is the best way to pitch it to somebody (hell, that’s precisely why it caught my interest), but Goodbye Volcano High deserves to stand on its own merits and not just be constantly compared to another, more well known IP.

I’ll get the negatives out of the way: this game was unfortunately a bit buggy in that some lines of dialogue would get skipped over and the lack of a manual save feature meant I had to redo an entire section when I thought the game had auto-saved. Also, while this is obviously due to a small budget, the limited animation means some scenes come across as a bit stilted. Thankfully, that is made up for by some superb voice acting.

Despite those gripes, I thoroughly enjoyed Goodbye Volcano High and not just because of the rhythm action minigames peppered throughout the story. I can tell that this was a game the people working on it wanted to make. They had a vision and they were able to stick to it without some busybody executive peering over their shoulders and interfering with it. I know there are plenty of other games like that but it’s always a treat whenever I experience one for myself.

But perhaps more importantly than that, Goodbye Volcano High just resonated with me. I don’t know how radically different your dialogue choices affect the overall narrative (I can’t imagine things change too much), but the story alone kept me going because it was so oddly relatable despite starring a non-binary teenage dinosaur (something I’m assuredly not). Fang’s dream of making it big in their band, realising their fellow bandmates don’t quite share their passion, and feeling discouraged by the adults in their life; I can’t say I’ve been in that exact position, but I can empathise and understand Fang’s feelings. Yet the game strikes a good balance at making them sympathetic but also kind of selfish, too caught up in their own issues to tell that maybe their friends are struggling with their own futures.

All of this teenage drama is wrapped up in a scenario about the world coming to an end. At first, I found it darkly comedic that Goodbye Volcano High posited the question of “What if the dinosaurs lived long enough to evolve and develop their own society only to be wiped out by a meteor anyway?” which is why I was unprepared for how melancholic it would make me feel. The main cast are at a point in their lives where they’re on the cusp of adulthood and expected to be making serious plans about their future. But when faced with an inevitable and unavoidable end, what’s the point? We see characters struggle to continue their normal lives as if everything is fine while struggling to reconcile with the fact that they’re going to die… and all their dreams and aspirations will go with them.

This all hits especially hard given our own real-world circumstances. Sure, there are no meteors heading our way, but every few months we’re reminded that our planet is on borrowed time. Climate change is getting worse and worse while scientists repeatedly warn us we’re on the cusp of irreversible damage to the planet. Combined with financial crises, regressive politics, and wars, it’s so easy to fall into nihilism. How can any teenager be expected to hope for the future when it looks so bleak? Goodbye Volcano High doesn’t try to pretend there’s a perfect answer, but if the world is going to end, you may as well face it with the people you love while singing your heart out.

Rank: B

Pentiment

[NOTE: The following segment was written before PlayStation and Switch ports of Pentiment were announced, and I couldn’t be asked to rewrite it]

I’ve never been an Xbox guy, but every once in a while it will get an exclusive that makes me go, “Dang I wish I had an Xbox.” Pentiment was one of those games. Fortunately, I’ve got myself a Steam Deck, meaning I can not only partake in PC exclusives (provided they’re compatible with the Deck), but Xbox titles too. Pentiment was the first game I bought for my Steam Deck and not only is it a perfect fit for the system, but I found myself loving it far more than I expected.

I was already suckered in by Pentiment‘s distinct art style, one influenced by medieval era artwork, and despite not being much of a history buff, I wound up becoming quite engaged whenever characters discussed then current events. I even feel like I learned a few things. Plus, it does a good job of explaining what certain terms mean, and the core story itself is engaging anyway. You don’t need to understand the intricacies of 16th century Europe to know what’s going on.

Although it’s billed as a murder mystery, I think it’s more apt to describe Pentiment as a medieval soap opera. The murder may be the driving element, but you’re never told if you’re correct in your deductions. There’s enough evidence and clues which make any of your suspects equally viable and, while there are some ramifications depending on who you pin the blame on, the core narrative ultimately doesn’t change too drastically, which is a tad disappointing. Yet I became enamored with the personal lives of the villagers of Tassing, uncovering their hidden secrets and seeing how they and their relationships change over the course of 25 years. Even though the admittedly satisfying climax to the main plot stayed the same, each subsequent playthrough was worth it of only for all the new things I learned about the characters.

The actual roleplaying elements are incredibly well implemented too. I’m not familiar with developer Obsidian Entertainment’s previous work, but it’s impressive how many ways there are to solve the various mysteries of Tassing. Some are certainly easier to pursue with the right character background and skills, but there’s usually a second (or even third) solution to getting the answers you want. I do think some of the skill checks can be quite harsh (some even feel impossible without the right background) but that’s hardly a deal breaker. Much like Goodbye Volcano High, Pentiment is a passion project through and through that I’m thrilled got the greenlight despite its niche premise. I hope Obsidian gets to make smaller projects just like it in-between all those fancy big budget Xbox exclusives it has to crank out.

Rank: A

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Just like Like a Dragon: Ishin!, I got to review Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (contender for the most hilariously long-winded game title I’ve ever seen), which meant plowing through its main story and only allowing myself a brief taste of its side content. It may be much shorter than Ishin, but I wasn’t going to risk missing my deadline. And much like Ishin, I think I still stand by my initial review despite a second playthrough allowing me to see more of what the game had to offer.

It’s impressive how, for a much smaller scale title, Gaiden still feels as packed as any previous mainline game. Between the various side quests, the Colosseum, the hostess clubs, the gambling halls, and various other activities, Gaiden kept me busy throughout. I was especially thrilled to see Pocket Circuit, one of my favourite minigames in the series, make a return. And the Colosseum’s massive payouts put at ease my concerns over needing money for all of Kiryu’s upgrades. As for combat, while I do feel there’s a weird delay between button inputs and attacks triggering, it’s still as satisfyingly brutal as ever, perhaps more so. The spy gadgets don’t quite gel with Kiryu’s fighting style, but they’re perfectly fine gimmicks and have some novelty to them. The wire gadget, though, is fantastic; it never gets old stringing up enemies and flinging them every which way.

Unfortunately, I can’t get over how thoroughly unnecessary this game’s very concept is. There was a delightful level of mystique to Kiryu’s presence in Yakuza: Like a Dragon; one I didn’t need to see explained. I was ready to move on from Kiryu after his fantastic cameo and boss fight, and embrace a new future for the series with Ichiban Kasuga yet RGG and Sega couldn’t help dragging Kiryu into the metaphorical spotlight once more as if they’re afraid to let him go. Personal quibbles aside, Gaiden does have one of the better Yakuza stories, further highlighting how the yakuza have no place in the modern world and how its members either accept or deny it.

Plus, while I don’t think the game really does much with the spy motif, it just about justifies its existence whenever it focuses on Kiryu specifically. While at times he seems unchanged, he’s clearly more vulnerable than he’s ever been and almost going through the motions at times, having sacrificed everything to keep the people he loves safe. The way he reflects on lost friends and the kids he left behind is genuinely moving, and that scene at the end easily had me shedding some tears. You know the one.

The lack of a New Game Plus, a series staple, is baffling though. After really struggling with the final few fights on my first playthrough, reaching the end with the best gear and maxed stats made things hilariously trivial so I’d have liked to try the final boss again on a higher difficulty (albeit with all my upgrades), but that’s sadly not to be. Despite my gripes, Gaiden is certainly not a poor entry in the Yakuza series, and a part of me hopes this spawns similar, smaller titles that focus on other characters besides Kiryu.

Rank: B

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

I had already played through Disco Elysium back when it came to Switch in 2021. While I did enjoy it and its tabletop roleplaying inspired premise makes it a perfect fit for the console, it chugged like hell with long load times and a choppy, if otherwise manageable, framerate. I managed to score a free copy of the game on my Steam Deck, which was an opportunity to try and play things differently, gain a greater understanding of its world and plot, and enjoy a far smoother framerate.

After I spent my initial playthrough trying to avoid save scumming, taking every dice roll as they came no matter how bad they were, I felt inclined to manually save and reload a bit more frequently. Last time, it felt like there were moments (albeit very few of them) where I risked locking myself out of making progress so I wanted to play things safe. Plus, I wanted to see how some actions I didn’t or failed to pursue last time played out. Although I have since learned repeatedly failing certain dice rolls unlocks new means of progression, but this only incentivises another playthrough.

There are actually plenty of reasons to revisit Disco Elysium. Its setting of Revachol is oddly captivating despite being a hellhole, with some hauntingly enchanting atmosphere at times. The replay value alone is worth solving the core mystery multiple times, even if you know the answer, since there’s a ridiculous amount of dialogue options and scenes; many of which you’ll only find with the right character build. Said dialogue also successfully bounces between witty, funny, and hardhitting; there’s no denying Disco Elysium is an incredibly political game and while some of the commentary is a bit lost on me, I can still understand motivations, character emotions, and the overall story just fine without feeling stupid for not getting certain things.

There’s frankly too much to say about Disco Elysium; I imagine some have written entire essays about it. So, all I’ll say is it deserves all the praise it’s been given and is quintessential for anyone who loves tabletop gaming or just video games in general. It’s a shame there will probably never be anything else like it.

Rank: A

Tangle Tower

For some reason, I assumed this was some mobile tower defence game. But the moment I realised it was a point-and-click murder mystery game in the vein of something like Ace Attorney or Professor Layton, my interest was piqued and, thanks to the demo, I eagerly snapped it up on Steam.

Although Tangle Tower throws you into its story with next to no preamble, it doesn’t take long for you to pick up what’s going and understand the dynamic between protagonists Detective Grimoire and Sally, who make a great double act thanks to their voice acting. Honestly, all the voice performances are superb and help add a lot of personality to the cast on top of the incredibly fluid character animations. One animation in particular legit made me gasp.

The non-linear structure of exploring the titular tower, gathering clues and testimonies to solve mysteries helps make you feel like a real detective needing to piece things together. Though the game’s not so mean as to not give you the occasional hint on what to do next when you stumble across something important. Some of the puzzles are real brain teasers too (one in particular left me stumped for ages), but they’re not so frustratingly difficult that you’ll need to rely on a guide. I also particularly like one mechanic where you need to fill out a thought bubble using the available evidence to form conclusions. Aside from allowing you to come up with really silly solutions that are obviously incorrect, actually figuring out the real answer from the info available to you can make for some satisfying ‘lightbulb above the head’ moments.

It’s such a shame then that Tangle Tower fumbles things right at the end. Before you know it, you’re being railroaded to a conclusion that proves woefully unsatisfying, lacking any sort of grandiose confrontation or catharsis at figuring out the culprit like you would in an Ace Attorney game. While it doesn’t ruin things, it did make me less inclined to check out the eventual sequel, and grateful I bought Tangle Tower at a discount.

Rank: B

Detective Grimoire: Secret of the Swamp

As I was playing Tangle Tower, I found out it was actually a sequel to 2014’s Detective Grimoire: Secret of the Swamp. Despite the rather lacklustre ending, I was curious to see what came before; plus, it too was going super cheap. Unfortunately, I found Grimoire’s first outing to be even more underwhelming.

To its credit, while it clearly had less of a budget, the character animation and voice acting were still solid. I was particularly surprised by how smooth and full of personality the animations were. Not as strong as Tangle Tower‘s, but still good stuff. And just like its sequel, it had a strong hook for its mystery that kept me engaged, and the non-linear structure lent well to making me feel like a proper detective, sniffing out clues and chasing up witnesses upon learning new info.

So, imagine my disappointment that Tangle Tower‘s weirdly rushed conclusion wasn’t a one-off thing. I think Secret of the Swamp‘s ending may be worse since I somehow figured out the culprit despite missing at least one key piece of evidence, and the final confrontation, again, had no energy behind it. There was no thrill, no drama, it just… happened. On top of that, this game actually sets up plot points for its sequel yet Tangle Tower itself makes no reference to the events of Secret of the Swamp. I had also assumed we’d see how Grimoire and Sally became partners in the first game, but that never happens. Maybe my impressions would’ve been different if I played them in release order, but the lack of acknowledgment for this series’ continuity is bizarre to me. If anything, it only contributed to my disinterest in playing the eventual third game.

Part of me thinks I’m being too harsh on these two games; that I had too high expectations. It’s also hard to truly dislike a pair of games I spent, like, less than £10 on. But I feel there’s a lot of untapped potential in the Detective Grimoire games. The fun and snappy dialogue is great and all, but that can only get you so far without a satisfying mystery to match it.

Rank: C

Detective Pikachu Returns

From one underwhelming detective game to another, I was honestly expecting more from Detective Pikachu Returns. While the original 3DS game was clearly designed for children and not meant to be particularly complex in its puzzles and mysteries, I remember thoroughly enjoying it regardless, primarily for its worldbuilding and how it integrated different kinds of Pokémon into its setting and story. You can craft some really compelling mysteries in the world of Pokémon, and I feel Detective Pikachu did that quite well. Not to mention the way certain Pokémon were depicted made me appreciate them a lot more, granting them more personality than you’d see in the mainline games.

Yet the sequel feels like a step backwards. The mysteries are somehow more basic than before as well as the integration of the Pokémon. While the story does make use of their unique powers, it’s all very standard, only ever going with the obvious ideas rather than anything truly intriguing. On top of that, the way you connect the clues you uncover to reach the truth feels especially hand-holdy; it never felt like I managed to figure something out on my own, so pinpointing culprits and deducing twists lacks any sense of satisfaction. In fact, there’s very little energy to anything going on, with only a tiny handful of dynamic set pieces that boil down to QTEs, and culprits pretty much going “Oh dang you got me” when you prove their guilt.

It’s easy to dismiss my criticisms by pointing out I am an adult man playing baby’s first detective game, which is technically true. Maybe if I replayed the original Detective Pikachu, I’d find it to be just as slow and overly simple, but basic mechanics and puzzle solving could be offset by a decent narrative; something Returns sadly lacks. It’s not awful or anything, and it tries some interesting ideas. A whole chapter is essentially Pokémon‘s take on racial profiling, which is a surprisingly mature topic for a kid’s game, but it barely scratches the surface, with the rest of the plot fairly stereotypical. It also doesn’t help that the 2019 live action movie was, frankly, more entertaining and engaging for both kids and adults.

Aside from Kaiji Tang’s performance as Detective Pikachu, which is still delightful, and a pretty cool endgame twist that legitimately caught me off guard, there’s nothing else I wholeheartedly enjoyed about Returns. It doesn’t help that this was a game myself and many others waited four years for. Even if it wasn’t in active development during all that time, the wait really hasn’t been worth it, with it not even taking advantage of being on the Switch. Returns could’ve easily launched on 3DS with very little compromises. It’s by no means the worst Pokémon spin-off out there, but there’s so much more that could’ve been done with its concept that I sadly think will never be fully realised.

Rank: C

Before I wrap things up, I want to give special mention to Master Detective Archives: Rain Code. While I did complete it in 2023, it was for review purposes so, just like with Like a Dragon: Ishin! and Like a Dragon Gaiden, I had to skip most of the side content to meet a deadline. I wanted to clear it a second time for the sake of this article, but that wound up not happening. So, if you want my thoughts on that, be sure to read my original review, but I may share an updated opinion in a future piece.

Conclusion

Phew, that was a lot, wasn’t it? All in all, even despite missing out on some of the year’s biggest and best games, my personal 2023 was all around positive. Bar some disappointments, there were no objectively bad games and several all time greats. Since I can’t help myself, I’ve also compiled every game here into a tier list for the sake of a handy summation. In case you’re wondering about placement, left to right is favourite to least favourite.

If you’ve read throughout this whole thing, I sincerely appreciate you taking time out of your day to read my ramblings. I still had some fun collecting my thoughts here and I’ll definitely aim to put together a 2024 recap too. Just one not as long and exhausting as this one.