Game of the Year Awards 2022
Gaming in 2022 was all about keeping it close and personal. Many titles featured proximity as part of their gameplay or indirectly via other means. Perhaps this trend came about because of the pandemic that told us to stay away from others nearly three years ago. Whatever the reason, gaming certainly kept players on their toes this year.
Many games surrounded players with innumerable threats. Vampire Survivors and its clones featured hundreds of encroaching targets as players collected experience orbs. Need for Speed Unbound swarmed the driver with police cars as their wanted level rose. A Plague Tale: Requiem had waves of countless rats that could only be kept at bay with light. Even packs of zurks in Stray liked to get close to our feline protagonist through narrow alleyways.
Some games made proximity an integral part of their action. Aside from dodging devastating boss attacks, Elden Ring included a steed that allowed players to keep their distance and also get in close for hit-and-run attacks. Dorfromantik involved calmly placing matching tiles adjacent to others for maximum points. The Callisto Protocol channeled Dead Space and included an intimate dodge-based melee system. And Metal: Hellsinger asked players to attack as close to the beat as possible to score more points.
Even narrative games found a way to create intimate personal connections. Eternal Threads allowed us to peer into the final week of characters that perished in a fire and then try to save them. Weird West had players reacquaint themselves with their past lives in a supernatural version of the old west. Pentiment let gamers share meals with prominent members in a medieval society to get a new perspective on murders. And As Dusk Falls took the perspective of two opposing families in a tense hostage scenario.
Then there were the games that let us get closer to the past. Return to Monkey Island was a solid modernization of an old adventure game. Prodeus let players enjoy old-school shooting with a familiar retro visual style. The Quarry was quite like the developers’ previous game, Until Dawn, from years ago. Even the puzzle chambers in The Entropy Centre brought back thoughts of Portal. And let us not forget Gran Turismo 7, Splatoon 3, God of War Ragnarok, Overwatch 2, and Horizon Forbidden West, as all of these titles continued the same winning formula from their respective franchises.
So the year was about closeness in more ways than one. So get closer to us, pull up a chair and have a read of the next few pages to see what we consider to be the best video games that 2022 had to offer.
A Plague Tale: Requiem “There are plot points about Hugo’s responsibility in wielding his cataclysmic power and Amicia’s duty in showing him the right way forward. The game asks some tough questions, which is respectable. How much is one life worth? How much can you sacrifice for those you love? Requiem restrains itself against any cartoony plot points, and it’s instead replaced with a lot more lore, world-building, and mythical prophecies. It builds out a decent mystery. However, it’s still the journey of Amicia and Hugo that shines the brightest.” – Kaan Serin
Runners-up: Pentiment, God of War Ragnarok, Immortality
Cult of the Lamb “The hand-drawn, 2D cut paper animations coupled with the dark yet vibrant and oversaturated colours walk the line between alluring and creepy. The character designs are impeccably executed, ranging from goofy cublings right up to hideous monstrosities yet all the while maintaining a level of endearing cuteness that feels on par with games like Animal Crossing or Ni No Kuni.” – Joe Cabrera
Runners-up: Pentiment, Elden Ring, A Plague Tale: Requiem
God of War Ragnarok “As any first-party exclusive, it goes without saying that God of War Ragnarök performs and looks great. There are a few expected different visual fidelity/framerate options on the PS5 version of the game, and a high level of polish overall. The textures look sharp and some of the background vistas are really great looking. The animations are very smooth as well, and the cutscenes are captured effectively.” – Alex V
Runners-up: A Plague Tale: Requiem, Gran Turismo 7, The Callisto Protocol
Metal: Hellsinger “The soundtrack here is a no holds barred headbanger, with heavy riffs, double kicks, and plenty of screaming and growling lyrics. The songs were composed by Two Feathers and involve performances by legendary singers from the genre, such as Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Matt Heafy (Trivium), Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Randy Blythe (Lamb of God), and more. It’s very kick-ass, and definitely an excellent tribute to the genre.” – Alex V
Runners-up: Elden Ring, Tunic, A Plague Tale: Requiem
Elden Ring “And what an immersive world it is. From the creative weapon and armor designs, to otherworldly and hideous enemies, across the dark dungeons and overbearing castles, the land is filled with a sense of dread and wonder. The addition of time of day and weather changes, along with a haunting ambient soundtrack that kicks up during boss battles, make for an incredible sense of atmosphere.” – Alex V
Runners-up: A Plague Tale: Requiem, Stray, GhostWire: Tokyo
The Quarry “It’s also a story that remains engaging and interesting for its entire duration, not just because it’s a solid teen survival thriller, but also thanks to a very strong cast and dialogue. Yes, it’s all highly cliché at times and the characters play to their stereotypes, but it’s a group that is extremely believable and relatable in their own ways, and the strongest cast that Supermassive have ever put together.” – Alex V
Runners-up: A Plague Tale: Requiem, Horizon Forbidden West, Immortality
Amicia (A Plague Tale: Requiem) “It’s still the journey of Amicia and Hugo that shines the brightest. Despite a massive adventure full of toppling cities, high-seas sailing, and an eruption of pests, Requiem is at its strongest when it’s scaled back. Stumbling upon a hidden swing and watching the pair play with it, finding a bird’s feather to cheer Hugo up, and exploring a tropical island hand in hand – these are the moments that I couldn’t get enough of. These were the moments that felt most human, that made the game feel alive.” – Kaan Serin
Runners-up: Cat (Stray), Marissa Marcel (Immortality), Kenny (High on Life)
The 2022 Awards continue on the next page!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II “Like in previous games, the core gameplay remains solid. Shooting is still smooth and enjoyable. Kills are satisfying and deaths are quick. The recharging field upgrade options have been expanded, with a lot more gadgets, including an inflatable decoy, smoke screen, suppression mine, and mini-radar. Players can vault walls and slide or dive, but with shooting delays to minimize their effectiveness in combat. Movement is a touch slower than recent years, but is rewarding and carefully tuned.” – Ben Thomas
Runners-up: Overwatch 2, Splatoon 3, Prodeus
Elden Ring “For the most part, this third-person action game remains focused on melee combat, though there are still opportunities to be a magic caster, a ranged weapon specialist, and everything in between. The punishing and yet addicting basics of the “souls-like” gameplay loop continue to live on in Elden Ring. The new elements – such as AI summons and adding a horse – expand the variety in combat, but it remains highly challenging.” – Alex V
Runners-up: Grounded, Cult of the Lamb, God of War Ragnarok
Gran Turismo 7 “Gran Turismo 7 makes its PS5 debut with an unrelenting rigidity. It’s a game that continues to offer some fantastic simulation racing on the track, a sizable collection of detailed cars, and an enjoyable variety of challenges across License Tests and more whacky alternatives. If you’ve been craving a triple-A racing simulation that values its clean driving above all else, GT 7 continues to deliver.” – Alex V
Runners-up: Need for Speed Unbound, GRID Legends, WRC Generations
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope “The sequel does what any good sequel should do, which is successfully build upon the framework of what worked in the prior entry. The XCOM-lite gameplay was satisfying in the first title, but the copious changes here significantly improve upon it. Smart changes such as full power over team line-up and free movement add a lot to the combat engine.” – Eric Hall
Runners-up: Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Two Point Campus, Triangle Strategy
Pentiment “Its decades-spanning story takes us through several eras and groups of characters, and delves into the various changes that society witnesses. Its subject matter is always thoughtful and layered, opening you up to perspectives outside your own. And, most notably, Pentiment always returns to the story’s heart. What do these upheavals in society mean for the ordinary people of Tassing?” – Kaan Serin
Runners-up: A Plague Tale: Requiem, Stray, SIGNALIS
Elden Ring “Players first select a starting class, though for the most part that simply helps define what kind of weapons and playstyle you prefer, by pre-allocating your character stats. It doesn’t lock you into anything, and you can switch things around as you level up. From small daggers to swords that you have to carry over your shoulder, the ability to have a shield or dual-wield katanas, or perhaps an off-hand magic wand, there is plenty of variety.” – Alex V
Runners-up: Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pentiment
NBA 2K23 “NBA 2K23 continues to push the franchise to another level of quality. The on-court gameplay has been refined once again, and has struck a fine balance between being realistic, but also fun to play. The cutting down on ball-handler moves due to the adrenaline meter goes a long way to making the game feel closer to the sport, while tweaks on the defensive side of the ball make for a more realistic experience.” – Eric Hall
Runners-up: MLB The Show 22, Mario Strikers: Battle League, FIFA 23
Kirby and the Forgotten Land “Even with the move to 3D, the formula for Kirby hasn’t been altered too much. The Pink Puff can suck up enemies they come across to either spit them back out or steal their powers. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a solid 3D platformer that nails what it was trying to do. It manages to incorporate the unique skill set of its titular character into an adventure that doesn’t overstay its welcome.” – Eric Hall
Runners-up: Stray, Tinykin, OlliOlli World
The Entropy Centre “Portal started something special 15 years ago and The Entropy Centre continues its legacy in its own way. It is a good puzzle game that borrows a few ideas and executes them well. The core element of rewinding objects through time has a decent learning curve and suitably harder challenges near the end. And the lively AI companion, ASTRA, helps to make saving the world a bit less lonely.” – Ben Thomas
Runners-up: Dorfromantik, Return to Monkey Island, Immortality
The King of Fighters XV “The King of Fighters XV continues the series’ reputation as a game for fans of the fighting genre. It doesn’t include the plethora of features its peers do but makes up for it with delivering on almost all the essentials. The combat engine still takes significant time to fully learn, but the learning curve is not as steep as it used to be.” – Eric Hall
Runners-up: Sifu, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Midnight Fight Express
Vampire Survivors Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you.
Runners-up: Metal: Hellsinger, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Marvel’s Midnight Suns
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Dorfromantik “Light puzzle games are a dime a dozen, but Dorfromantik is one of the good ones. It’s a game that you’d expect to also find on mobile platforms, and yet its surprising PC-exclusive nature means there are no controls issues and the performance is excellent. The central hook of building out the landscape using connected tiles is excellently executed and offers plenty of replay value, with the added bonus of multiple modes to really dig into the mechanic.” – Alex V
Runners-up: Card Shark, Winter Ember, Neon White
God of War Ragnarok “The great core combat is now diverse from the start of the game, and there are more enemies, realms, and puzzles. You’re certainly getting your money’s worth if you enjoy the core gameplay loop. As a first party PlayStation exclusive, the game performs well and sounds great on the PS5. If you enjoyed the previous entry and want more, the sequel delivers.” – Alex V
Runners-up: Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, Stray
Pentiment “Pentiment is mature in a way few games are. It exudes passion for the time period and subject matter, treating every character and issue with respect and reverence. If you want an adventure game that responds to your choices and trusts you to discover its narrative on your own terms, Pentiment is a must play.” – Kaan Serin
Runners-up: Grounded, Vampire Survivors, As Dusk Falls
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 “It makes its case for being the best entry in the series to date due to its improvements in both gameplay and cast design. It’s amazing to see what the studio was able to do with the lesser tech afforded to them on the Nintendo Switch, but it’s hard not to want to see this in all its glory. Even with all that said, though, this is in contention for best RPG currently available on the console.” – Eric Hall
Runners-up: Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Splatoon 3
Cult of the Lamb “Whilst none of the mechanics in Cult of the Lamb are particularly unique on their own, what makes Cult of the Lamb so special is the amalgamation of all of these into the same game without any of them feeling out of place or any less fun than the next. Every gameplay style is well considered and plays a vital part in the overall construct of the game.” – Joe Cabrera
Immortality “Players can pause the video at any frame, and then use an Image Mode that allows you to click on almost any object. The item list that you can click on is exhaustive – of course you start off clicking on the main actors, which can teleport you around to the tens of different clips they may appear in. But you can also click on anything from windows, lamps, apples, clothing, scripts, roses, and tons of other props and objects.” – Alex V
Runners-up: Cult of the Lamb, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, Card Shark
Elden Ring “Where Elden Ring begins to shine and diverge from its predecessors is the switch to an open world design. And despite this large change in scope, the developers have done an incredibly good job of adapting the signature gameplay to the new setting. There are large open areas that often contain a scattering of decaying ruins, collapsed buildings, and imposing cliffs – each likely holding secrets, new strangers to meet, and items to find.” – Alex V
Runners-up: Stray, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II “The multiplayer action is similar to Modern Warfare from 2019, which is a strong base to work off. It is still a relatively fast 6v6 shooter, as players can be aggressive in spurts when there are explosive distractions. Multiplayer offers great fun after dozens of hours, in either the regular or large modes, to remain the most dependable part of the franchise.” – Ben Thomas
Runners-up: Overwatch 2, Splatoon 3, Grounded
Elden Ring “There are so many times when you come across something totally unexpected and strange, that makes you stop and think “What in the hell is that?… Am I supposed to fight it?” or “What is up/down there? Can I get there somehow… should I?” The sense of discovery and the master class of level design that Elden Ring has is simply unmatched.” – Alex V
Runners-up: Vampire Survivors, Cult of the Lamb, Horizon Forbidden West
Read on to find out which title won our 2022 Game of the Year!
Like Metroid, GTA, and Diablo before it, when Demon’s Souls released on PS3 in 2011, it started a whole new subgenre. Developers FromSoftware probably didn’t expect that their third person RPG with a unique combination of clever level design, imposing boss battles, and unwavering high difficulty would put them in the spotlight and spawn countless imitators. But the hardcore experience resonated with players, and allowed the studio to hone in on this style of gameplay. Following multiple sequels, and spinoffs in the form of Sekiro and Bloodborne, the developers have now returned to their main line of games with Elden Ring – the hardcore action RPG that takes the Dark Souls formula to an open world format.
From small daggers to swords that you have to carry over your shoulder, the ability to have a shield or dual-wield katanas, or perhaps an off-hand magic wand, there is plenty of variety. One new aspect that adds even more flexibility is the Ashes of War system – which lets you replace the weapon skills and affinities, instead of them being fixed like in the past games, giving more opportunities to stick to your favorites. And you’ll need as much flexibility as you can get. Boss battles continue to be a staple moment, where you will be locked into a room or a larger area and have to fight a bizarre and haunting creature that’s usually at least twice your size, though often much bigger.
If you find the game very challenging – which is pretty much guaranteed, and should continue to be re-iterated – the summon system and the return of multiplayer can help. The new summoning system allows you to call upon a ghostly companion – a large jellyfish, a group of wolves, or even a copy of yourself – to help in combat. You’ll have to find these summoning spells first, and they can be critical to your success by helping pull the aggro of the enemies or the boss away from you, for a moment of respite and new back stab opportunities. It’s a very helpful mechanic in the face of the new tough and very aggressive bosses.
While the basics remain largely the same, where Elden Ring begins to shine and diverge from its predecessors is the switch to an open world design. While previous games featured some excellent and compact level design, Elden Ring is like a bunch of those games put together, and spread over a large open area. There are occasional linear paths that make you fight a boss before you can reach the next large open section of the map, but on the whole there is a lot of player freedom in terms of where to go. And despite this large change in scope, the developers have done an incredibly good job of adapting the signature gameplay to the new setting. There are large open areas that often contain a scattering of decaying ruins, collapsed buildings, and imposing cliffs – each likely holding secrets, new strangers to meet, and items to find. The more open areas allow the developers to get really creative with positioning, patrols, and scripted events.
And what an immersive world it is. The art style continues to be excellent all around, though familiar to fans of this series. From the creative weapon and armor designs, to otherworldly and hideous enemies, across the dark dungeons and overbearing castles, the land is filled with a sense of dread and wonder. The addition of time of day and weather changes, along with a haunting ambient soundtrack that kicks up during boss battles, make for an incredible sense of atmosphere. The clanking of your armor, the sound of enemy’s boots hitting the concrete floors, the echoing of enemy cries as they perish – it all comes together in a hauntingly beautiful way.
Elden Ring is an excellent continuation of the experience that FromSoftware has been building for the past decade. It takes the familiar Dark Souls formula and transposes it into an open world design without missing a beat. Not only that, it adds incredibly thoughtful mechanics that seamlessly integrate into the new bigger scope. The excellent level design and exploration elements are turned up to eleven, and the sense of wonder, the striking art style, and haunting sound design all combine for a highly memorable adventure – and our 2022 Game of the Year.
Honorable Mentions: God of War Ragnarok, Pentiment, Cult of the Lamb, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Thanks for reading through the 2022 Awards! We hope you had a great year in gaming, and look forward to what the next twelve months can bring!