OUR FAVOURITE GAMES OF 2023!
Helloo, hello everyone! 2023 has been quite a year for games, full of absolutely epic releases that have kept us busy for hours on end. BUT, with New Years fast approaching, the time has come for the team to choose our own Game of the Year! Ready!? Let’s go!
PHANTOM BRIGADE
Alex - Environment Artist
A mech strategy game with a very novel game mechanic. You can predict the movements of your enemies 5 seconds ahead. This allows you to move your units on a timeline akin to something like movie editing software. You have to plan your mech’s movement carefully and the battles are very cinematic. I’m a sucker for mechs and cool new ideas of play!
HADES
Baran - Marketing Coordinator
This was my introduction into the rogue-like genre. The writing is funny and very coherent, the combat is satisfying, and every run feels unique! You look forward to going back to the House of Hades, as there's always something new to discover. Hades 2 will be hitting early access soon, so it is a perfect time to play the first one!
LETHAL COMPANY
Britany - Lead QA / Streamer
For only 10$, you're gaining one of the funniest and most entertaining gaming experiences ever! I've found it to be such a unique experience - the prox chat has led to some hilarious moments, the maps with ever changing layouts are super engaging, the monster designs are horrifying…coupled with the fact that they react to voice activity, it just adds another layer to it’s potential! Did I mention it was developed by one person?!
DRAGONS DOGMA: DARKNESS ARISEN
Connor - Concept Artist
It really won me over with its amazing art direction - a lot of the monsters come directly out of Greek myths and legends. It combines Monster Hunter with the Souls series in level design. The pawn system is actually really neat, allowing you to build out your own assistant! They give funny insights such as "Even in numbers, a weakling is a weakling still!"
BALDUR’S GATE 3
Guillaume - 3D Artist
This one holds a special place in my heart, particularly as a 3D artist and avid tabletop role-playing game enthusiast. The meticulously crafted visuals in the game, from the intricately detailed character models to the immersive environments and props, reflect a level of artistry that resonates with my passion for creating visually captivating worlds. BG3 is a truly exceptional and deserving recipient of Game of the Year in my eyes!
LETHAL COMPANY
James A. - Game Director & Programmer
For a solo indie dev, it’s an amazing hit, and I love how the graphics are so ... "rough" — Lethal Company proves that gameplay is KING! I really love how brutally punishing it is and the social dynamics make for tons of hilarious situations. Systemic gameplay is at its finest here!
PLANET ALPHA
James W. - Audio Designer
What draws me to games is mainly the aesthetics, the environments, and the overall experience of being dropped into strange and unusual new worlds. Add in some nice, challenging puzzles and I'm happy! Planet Alpha ticked all these boxes for me. Great environments, great characters, great aesthetics with some enjoyable puzzle platforming!
BALDUR’S GATE 3
Jasmin - Character Artist
I played BG1 and 2 before and also DOS 1 and 2. It felt natural that Larian could take on this game, and they proved throughout the development to be transparent about the development process! The game is visually stunning, the gameplay/story/design is just simply fun. Using good taste and clever production tricks is what impressed me the most as a nostalgic fan of top down games and as a game dev artist who creates games.
BALDUR’S GATE 3
Jordan - VFX Artist
Baulder’s Gate 3 really raises the bar when it comes to interactivity and reactivity in the realm of CRPGs. The level of polish and immersion is unmatched. It’s the closest we have come yet to capturing the DND experience in a video game – this was a game that was well worth the wait!
ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM
Keiana - 2D / UI / UX Artist
I found that every aspect of the game was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, and the battles were also great and sometimes hilarious! As a UI artist, I especially fell in love with the UI design and would need to take moments to just admire everything on screen!
BALDUR’S GATE 3
Marc - Technical Director / Programmer
Baldur's Gate 3 is the real deal this year for RPG fanatics. It's like a love letter to D&D buffs, hitting all the right notes with its killer storytelling and choices that really shape your journey. The combat's turn-based goodness keeps you hooked, and the world they've built is so dang immersive, it's like diving headfirst into a classic RPG dream.
COUNTER-STRIKE: GLOBAL OFFENSIVE
Marcus - Animator
Counter Strike: GO is easy to learn, but hard to master. Every new map is so different from the previous, so it feels like it has fresh playability. The sound design is so well integrated, it is impossible to play on mute!! It feels really balanced, and there is a lot of counter play based on game knowledge rather than abilities.
STREET FIGHTER 6
Mei - QA Tester
SF6 not only gave the series a much needed style refresh, but also introduced entirely new systems that streamlined the gameplay and made it much more accessible for players of all skill levels. It has something that no other fighting game has ever managed to pull off: a single-player mode that's actually good. It's basically Yakuza, and that's not even an exaggeration.
SEA OF STARS
Melissa - Community Manager
This escape from reality drops you into a rich, lore-filled world full of mysterious magic and evil that needs to be fought. I really loved learning about / wielding Valere and Zale’s sun and moon powers. It was easy to get sucked into travelling the world with them and discovering new lands to explore. Every character has so much personality! It’s clear that Sabotage put so much love into every pixel of SOS!
VALHEIM
Olivier - Level Designer
There are a ton of things to discover in these procedurally generated magical worlds (and Iron Gate is constantly adding new stuff in!) Going at your own pace, you constantly seek out greater powers! This game's replayability level is just infinite: exploring, harvesting, mining, delving, crafting, plowing, building…plus, the game visuals are just beautiful, so you will ALWAYS have a good time while running this game!
SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER