Hey everyone!
Our annual tradition is here for its 6th Edition!
With the year coming to a close, we like to take a look back at the games we played this year and find the ones we enjoyed the most to share with the rest of our colleagues as a recommendation of what games they might enjoy playing through during the holiday period.
As Game Developers, we don’t have as much leisure and gaming time as we’d like, so the holidays is usually the best time for us to catch up on the things we might’ve missed this year! If you see a game that might fit your fancy, I’ve attached links to where each game can be purchased / downloaded in their description.
Got any new games that might’ve missed our radar?
Please share your favorite game of 2023 on our Discord, Twitter or Facebook !
Now, without further ado and in no particular order, here are the Games We Loved in 2023!
“As a big fan of cozy games, and eternal ecoanxious person, this was a very welcome escapist fantasy of fixing all sorts of ecosystems and making things right for good.”
– Julie-Anne, Programmer
Terra Nil
Free Lives
Steam | Epic Games Store | GoG | Netflix
“A one-of-a-kind experience that will make you feel like you’re actually learning and mastering different languages. If you’re interested in linguistics, definitely give it a try!”
– Eline, UI Artist
“A very unique puzzle game! They really make us feel like we’re learning languages through the floors of this babel-like tower. I loved discovering the differences in structure in every language, and the whole thing culminate in a very humble and beautiful way.”
– Nathan, Animation Director
Chants of Sennaar
Rundisc
Steam | Switch | Xbox One | PlayStation
“After having tried Baba Is You, I thought puzzle games weren’t for me, but oh boy did Cocoon changed my opinion on that genre! Beautiful small game with no text, yet it is so easy to pick up. You’ll tell me it isn’t surprising coming from the studio that made Inside and Limbo, but it’s nonetheless quite the tour de force! The atmosphere is great with fantastic puzzles! An amazing success (I even finished it from A to Z without any help)!”
– Fern, Design Technical Director
“A remarkably well-constructed showcase of elegant and intuitive game design, Cocoon just lets you pleasurably and gently flex your brain for a few short hours. The too-rare puzzle game that lets me feel smart, instead of sheepishly queuing up let’s plays or walkthroughs.”
– Rodrigue, Director of Marketing & Publishing
Cocoon
Geometric Interactive
Steam | Switch | PlayStation | Xbox One
“‘’yOU aRE on a path iN the wOODS…’’ Great game! I enjoyed every seconds of it! Art, music, fully voice-acted….meta-psychological/philosophy/Lovecraft horror game! I’m craving to know more of the other routes!”
– Annie-Claude, Senior Quality Assurance Tester
“The narrative design of this game is extremely cool. It’s visual novel that really pushes the envelope on replayability where your choices matter. Each tiny choice creates a different playthrough and you really wanna collect all of the endings. The less I say about this, the better.”
– Cem, Game Designer
Slay the Princess
Black Tabby Games
Steam | GoG
“MAYBE I DON’T WANT ANOTHER DRAMATIC POLITICAL WAR STORY, MAYBE I JUST WANT SILLY GUYS DOING SILLY SUPPORTS + SOME GAMEPLAY. Engage good actually.”
– Sarah, Quality Assurance Tester
Fire Emblem Engage
Intelligent Systems
Switch
Hi-Fi Rush
“This game was my solid GOTY from the moment Invaders Must Die started playing. It’s not a perfect game but dear god it feels good to play (and spam the post-game).”
– Jo M, Programmer
Hi-Fi Rush
Tango Gameworks
Steam | Xbox One
“Honkai Star Rail is the same company (Hoyoverse) behind the acclaimed game Genshin Impact and Honkai Third Impact. This time, the game is set in space and uses the turn-based RPG system. Story is captivating and the unique simplistic approach with the turn-based with only 2 skills per character is really well done and engaging. ‘’Rules are meant to be broken!’’”
– Annie-Claude, Senior Quality Assurance Tester
“I’m stuck in gacha hell. ”
– Jo M, Programmer
“Never been fan of these types of gatcha games. I was tempted by the promise of a good turn-based RPG, and I’m now also stuck in hell. Help.”
– Med, Community Manager
Honkai Star Rail
HoYoverse
Website | GooglePlay | App Store | PlayStation | Epic Games Store
“What a beautiful game, as a sequel, I wasn’t expecting its art to feel as fresh and inspiring to me! Everything about the Zonais is gorgeous, their character-designs, their architectures, their constructs. It’s really interesting to see how they manage to bring technology in a way that visually fits within the Zelda universe. How can level designers allow players to Ascend like this and still be confident that it won’t spoil the exploration?! It’s amazing.”
– Nathan, Animation Director
“Me: ‘’How Nintendo can go even beyond after Breath of the Wild?’’ They did, and oh my they did. Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to Breath of the Wild and pushes the boundaries of the open-world genre. The unique Zonai construct system and the exploration is pushing to 100% and more.(Did you see what people did online with the Zonai construct system? It NUTS!) You really explore every corner of Hyrule from the skies to the ground…to the underground. It is also a beautiful conclusion that left my eyes teary at the end. Nintendo did it again.”
– Annie-Claude, Senior Quality Assurance Tester
Legends of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo
Switch
“Those games were a good part of my childhood and I finally got to play proper MMBN6 multiplayer.”
– Jo M, Programmer
Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection
Capcom
Steam | Switch | PlayStation
“As a soulslike fan who isn’t a fan of big robots, AC6 really took me by surprise with its refreshing playstyle. Never expected flying around in a giant mech to be this satisfying.”
– Med, Community Manager
Armored Core 6
FromSoftware
Steam | PlayStation | Xbox One
“Just watch: Wonder (Piranha Plants on Parade) | Super Mario Bros. Wonder OST”
– Jo M, Programmer
“What can I say, it’s Mario!”
– Alex M, Lead Programmer
Super Mario Bros Wonder
Nintendo
Switch
“I used to play the pen and paper way back and I find the game so immersive it was a blast to get into. Two full playthroughs and 100% achievements later, I still miss Night City.”
– Daniel, Lead Programmer
“This game is the best AAA of this last years. he’s not perfect he shares a lot of stuff that i don’t really like in AAA,in general, but, he has a soul, something to tell, one of the best world building i’ve seen, and the narrative/realisation of the main story is f****** awesome.”
– Gael, 2D Artist
“They really fully remade the game with this expansion and the new story they’re telling is really solid. It’s intriguing, it’s depressing – it’s pure cyberpunk. 10/10 would listen to the credits song and cry again.”
– Cem, Game Designer
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
CD Projekt
Steam | Xbox One | PlayStation | GoG
“What up istiks, Baldur’s Gate 3 was one of the games of all time for me this year. JUSTICE FOR KARLACH.”
– Stef T., Art Director
“140+ hours in, I still have more I have yet to see about this game. It is incredible.”
– Med, Community Manager
“Astarion approves.”
– Marie, Senior Marketing Manager
“As an avid D&D player in real life, I was delighted to see just how well they were able to capture the feeling of taking part in an epic campaign filled with complex characters. It’s a true crowning achievement for Larian Studios, and for the digital gaming medium as a whole. Also… make Withers romanceable you cowards! I’ll ‘walkest alone’ till they do XD”
– Sophie, Game Designer
“I’m a newbie in the world of D&D and seriously, this game is amazing for any fans of the fantasy genre! Great narrative, multiple choices and consequences, music, combat etc You can see this game was made with LOVE AND CARE and the team has a serious respect for the D&D Universe. Critical Success 20+”
– Annie-Claude, Senior Quality Assurance Tester
“My gf loved it !”
– Gael, 2D Artist
“Make! Astarion! Only! Fangs! Real!”
– Sarah, Quality Assurance Tester
” “Authority.” ”
– Cem, Game Designer
“Best game of the year! The story, the gameplay, the visuals, and of course, Astarion.”
– Eliane, VFX Artist
“I’m not even into Act 3 and yet I keep creating other Tavs to see everything Act 1 has to offer, send help.”
– Eline, UI Artist
Baldur’s Gate 3
Larian Studios
Steam | GoG | PlayStation
Aaaaand that’s it! Seems like Baldur’s Gate 3 was on everyone’s radar the most this year, unsurprising it won Game of the Year at the Game Awards! In any case, hope you found something you might be interested in trying out! Don’t forget to share your 2023 favorites on our Discord, Twitter or Facebook !
Thank you so much for reading and we’ll see you on the flip side, have a fantastic holiday season!
Cheers,
– Med and the Thunder Lotus Team
Looking for more recommendations? Check out our list for 2022!
