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Welcome to 2024! I bought a lot of games last year, and now I’m going to choose my favorite one from each month. So, without any more to speak of, let’s start going over my best game pickups of 2023.
It’s important to just say that these are personal picks.
Dead Space Remake
January
One of my favorite games received a remake and it was none other than (paid link) Dead Space. With the whole ship basically one giant playground, it really opened us up to even more horror. The updated graphics and controls added with the new side mission and small changes in story really made a difference. I wrote a more in detail review here.
Demeo
February
A friend of mine got me to buy this because he thought we would enjoy playing together. It quickly became one of my favorite PSVR 2 titles, and still is. It’s like a top down DND game for 1-4 players. It is playable solo but it’s so much better with friends. It’d not only on PSVR 2 but Quest as well, so I absolutely recommend checking it out.
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
I waited a lot of years to get my hands on this game. Emulation was an option, but I’m not very good at it. I went the physical route for my copy, and played through the PS4 version. After waiting so long, it felt pretty amazing to finally experience it. For a more in detail blog, check out my official review.
Cult of the Lamb
I was a tad conflicted when I saw this game. The idea of raising a cult of any kind was an odd one, because I’ve always been raised Christian. I’m not going to actually discuss religion here though, I’m just pointing it out that it did leave me in a weird spot when I saw the game. Regardless of that though, the more I saw of it, the more I thought it would be something I would like.
Oh it was too. A roguelike dungeon crawler with cult management. It’s heavy on satanic rituals and such, so I fully understand why some would definitely not want to play it, but if you aren’t religious and enjoy some roguelike gameplay with Animal Crossing like management, then this might be for you. I’ve written a review to go look at it for further details.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
I was already in the middle of (paid link) Ys VIII when this dropped for the PS5, but I couldn’t help myself. I beat it in right under 25 hours, and it kept me on my toes the entire time. It was a fun title, and I definitely recommend checking out my review for it.
Fishing Vacation
Honestly this game took me by surprise. I first found it due to another article I read, and then found it on the Switch. I’ve played it 6 or 7 times now and still cannot get scary endings. The atmosphere is there though, eerie and unsettling. A fishing trip with a darker story just at the edges, slowly creeping in.
Monster Sanctuary
I have passed over this game many, many times since its release. For some reason or another, I could never fully grasp just how this game played from the videos I watched or photos I saw.
I was so wrong about this game. It turned out to be so much fun and an addiction. A 2D side scrolling turn based RPG with plenty of monsters to catch, train and evolve too. The story is pretty good as well!
Vampire Survivors
I almost didn’t put this one in here, since I had already played a lot of it in 2022 on my Steam Deck, but I just felt like it had to be a part of it. I had a great time replaying the game all over again on my Switch, and also playing in the new co-op mode. It’s still a deal, and I totally recommend checking it out.
Army of Ruin
I love me some roguelike titles, if that hasn’t been abundantly clear at this stage. This was a recommendation from someone, and it was a dang good one too. After 25 hours of playing, I’m still going and enjoying trying to unlock everything. The updated graphics and 3D sprites versus Vampire Survivors is nice and pleasant with that same solid gameplay.
I did a review for this, so check it out for further details, but I actually just bought this again on the PS5 and have been playing on my Portal.
Suicide of Rachel Foster
I’ve talked about this game so much, and yet, I’m going to do it again. It took me on such a rollercoaster of emotions, and left me with a lot of feelings. It answered my questions, and it gave me a story that I’ll never forget. My review for this game goes into more detail, so I’ll just leave this off here.
Cuisineer
After the likes of playing most of Moonlighter, I’ve really grown to enjoy the genre of shop management. This game falls into that category, only it’s a restaurant. You’ll have to explore dungeons to gather the ingredients needed to cook and expand.
This was such a nice surprise when I learnt of it, even better when I found out it worked for my Steam Deck. It’s currently only available on Steam.
Lifeline
I won’t have a lot to say about this one since I did just discuss it in last month’s pickups. It was one of my most wanted games for the entirety of last year, and I’m just glad I get to experience it. There’s something about finally playing it, and seeing how the technology worked back on the PS2.
Conclusion
There were a ton of great games I bought and played in 2023. I can say that 2024 is also starting off pretty well also, and I hope everyone else is looking forward to new games on top of buying old ones too. This wraps up my best game pickups of 2023. Happy gaming everyone.
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