An incremental resource management game is the last place I'd expect to find a compelling story, but this time-hopping murder mystery just shot up the ranks as one of my favorite games of this year.

An unflinching, uncomfortable, yet hope-filled story about healing from childhood sexual abuse. Reading the content warnings before playing is strongly advised to see if it's something you can handle.

The perfect survival horror game for those too squeamish for other survival horror games (like me), while still offering a solid core gameplay loop that can cater to newcomers and veteran fans alike.

Possibly the most uplifting game I've played in years. A 3D collectation platformer that's gorgeous, well-written, and an absolute joy to play the whole way through.

The Suika-like genre has never been my cup of tea, but it turns out that adding RNG-based power-ups was all I needed to get one to hold my attention for more than a single 2 1/2 minute play session.

Although the "retro-inspired" design of this block-breaking puzzle game can sometimes border on just feeling unpolished, I still found the gameplay to be engaging, albeit a bit slow-paced at times.

One of the most inventive puzzle games I've ever played, where each uniquely-designed logic puzzle is themed around jigsaw pieces. Challenging, engaging, and charming in ways that took me by surprise.

Setting aside the extremely tedious endgame grind (which is slowly being patched, thankfully), this gave me almost everything I could've asked for in a sequel to one of my favorite games of all time.

Paper Mario's aesthetic meets Majora's Mask's side quests meets El Día de los Muertos. It wears its many influences proudly on its sleeve, yet still maintains a strong identity of its own.

Another game to help bolster the niche genres of "phrasal template puzzle games" and "animal-themed detective games". Fun, clever, and very well-polished, though rather short with its 2-hour runtime.