It’s hard to keep track of every game launch. While a handful of titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, or Death Stranding 2: On the Beach are sure to top the year’s Best Of lists, many more will go unrecognized for their brilliance, fun, or sheer absurdity.
The good news is we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re stuck at home for the holidays and itching for something to play, or you just want to make sure you don’t let any hidden gems slip under your radar, here are five games from this year’s slate you should not miss.
Blippo+
Courtesy of Yacht; Telefantasy Studios; Noble Robot
If you’re in the mood for something a little out there, start with Blippo+. First released in May on the handheld Playdate console, the game arrived on PC and Switch in September.
At first blush, it’s a game about channel surfing. You browse different broadcasts, each of which feature bizarre, retro, live-action transmissions about a minute or so long, from nightly news and soap operas to quiz shows and fuzzy softcore. Every channel runs according to a schedule, which means you’ll need to decide which broadcasts to watch as they run live, and which to try again the next night. The more you watch, the easier it becomes to piece together the overall strange, sci-fi story of Blippo+, which plays out across these endearingly weird channels. Think ‘80s TV show Max Headroom, but with those vibes sprinkled into everything—including the retro soundtrack by Jona Bechtolt of Yacht and the composer Rob Kieswetter.
Blippo+ is one of the year’s most original games, so much so that it almost defies explanation. The less you know, the better. Best to embrace its absurdity by diving directly in.
Buy for $15: PC, Nintendo Switch, Playdate ($10)
Blue Prince
Courtesy of Raw Fury
Dogubomb’s Blue Prince (a play on “blueprints”) is for puzzle lovers. In House of Leaves fashion, players explore a mansion whose rooms are constantly changing in search of Room 46. Things are made even more difficult by the fact that, to start, you’ll only be able to take 50 steps per day, and your path will be redrafted anew every cycle depending on which rooms you choose to explore.
Each room has its own puzzle or problem to solve. Some rooms will offer you help, like extra steps or useful items. Other rooms, like the gymnasium, will drain your energy and end your day faster. To be successful at Blue Prince, you’ll have to balance exploration with knowledge. On top of the game’s logic- and clue-based puzzles, you’ll also solve greater mysteries about the house and the family who owns it.
Just one piece of advice: Keep a notebook handy to track your clues and map your journey. Thank me later.
Buy for $30: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, (macOS in mid-December)
Consume Me
Courtesy of Hexecutable
In Consume Me, developer Jenny Jiao Hsia takes a semiautobiographical dive into her teenage years to explore her relationship with dieting and disordered eating. The game stars Jenny, a girl trying to organize her life, lose weight, and get a boyfriend and still get the grades her family demands. Jenny has specific goals she wants to achieve, which players accomplish through different mini-games: scrubbing the bathroom clean, creating meals through a Tetris-like puzzle, applying makeup by wiping it over her crusty morning face.
By turning every task into a game, Consume Me offers a poignant commentary on how we optimize every part of our lives in the modern age in an effort to constantly glow up. It’s a coming of age tale by way of WarioWare, where the dangers of extreme calorie counting become not only familiar, but a game to be bested. Therein lies the danger of diet culture: food is no longer a means to survive, but an enemy to be defeated.
Buy for $15: itch.io, Steam (Windows and macOS)
Dispatch
Courtesy of AdHoc Studio
A surprisingly fresh take on both superhero stories and workplace dramas, Dispatch is an episodic game made by a group of developers from the now defunct narrative-focused studio Telltale Games. After Robert (voiced by Aaron Paul), a down on his luck hero who goes by Mecha Man, loses his ability to pilot his suit and fight crime, he takes a desk job as a dispatcher, responding to emergency calls by sending heroes to help. He’s tasked with turning a group of former villains into vigilantes by acting as a strong mentor and assigning them jobs successfully.
It’s an experience that’s part choose your own adventure, part strategy game. Dialogue choices players make for Robert impact his relationships with his team and their morale. While on the clock, players assign the best hero for a particular task based on their unique set of skills; if you judge poorly, the mission fails. Each episode takes roughly an hour to play, making it the perfect game to throw on after work or during a casual Sunday afternoon.
What sets Dispatch apart from other narrative-heavy games is the strength of its writing and the chemistry between its characters. This debut title from the new developer AdHoc is a real gem, a mature story that is both irreverent and heartfelt, complete with a no-skips soundtrack.
Buy for $30: PC, PlayStation 5
Sektori
Courtesy of Gimblll
If you’re looking for something a little more fast-paced with a lot more techno, the twin-stick shooter Sektori is for you. Kimmo Lahtinen, a former Housemarque developer who worked on titles such as Resogun and Outland, wanted to create a shoot ‘em up that relied on players’ skills, not their memory. That means that each playthrough is randomized, whether it’s the enemies you kill or the levels themselves.
As you play, you’ll pilot and upgrade your ship to make it faster and more durable, both of which are key to surviving Sektori’s relentless waves of enemies. The game is hard. It’s fast-paced and there’s a lot happening on the screen at any given time, so death by enemy projectiles can sneak up on you suddenly. It’s rewarding as you start to get the hang of it and eek out just a few more seconds of survival than you did last time. The game’s constant explosion of activity and beat-heavy mixes make it perfect for anyone who wants to feel like they jammed Pixy Stix directly into their brain.
Buy for $15: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
