This is it. Of course, any and all lists are subjective, but these are the titles that members of our team looked back on and thought to ourselves: this is the gaming experience that defined 2022 for us.
Pierre-Yves - Chained Echoes
So coming in at the very last minute, Chained Echoes by Matthias Linda and Deck 13 Spotlight easily became my 2022 Game of the Year. It had just about everything that one could want from both a retro inspired RPG / JRPG while also having all of those modern day "luxuries".
Like Rise of the Third Power that was my Game of the Year right until I sat down to Chained Echoes, it has a lot of the same elements but what brought it a notch above is that the gameplay is all designed to constantly keep you moving. There are no transitions, splash screens for stats, or any of that. You run around the field, get into battle if you want to, fight, and keep moving with nothing more than a few stats showing the results of the combat. Adding in great writing, visuals and audio effects and music? This is what put Chained Echoes at the top of my list for the 2022 gaming year.
Susan - My Time at Sandrock
Pathea Games released My Time at Sandrock after pushing it back a few times due to licensing issues. As a fan of the first game, My Time at Portia, I immediately sought out the sequel and found myself in awe of the graphics improvements and QOL features. While it is still in Early Access, I’m definitely making Sandrock my GOTY because I cared about the character storylines (unlike its predecessor) and beauty of the game. Plus, Pathea included a multiplayer feature that allows my friends and I to build the town together!
Richard - Dragon Munchies
An amazing sidescroller action platformer with an amazing cast and an amazing storyline. There was so much to love about Dungeon Munchies that I have a hard time not recommending it to almost everybody I can.
Nick - Elden Ring
I know this is a popular choice in a lot of corners, but I'm a sucker for a big fantasy game, and Elden Ring is the biggest one in a long time. I haven't been this engrossed in a game since... probably Dragon Age: Inquisition (and I sunk about 140 hours into that one). Elden Ring pisses me off, it gives me a sense of satisfaction, it tickles my desire for exploration and discovery and most of all I just got lost in it for dozens and dozens of hours. It sucked up my time like no other game in 2022 did.
