As previously mentioned, 2023 was rough for game devs, but there’s no denying it was a remarkable year for releases. So given all the amazing new games I played this year, it says even more about how special Baldur’s Gate 3 was - because when it came time to think about GOTY, it was not even close. BG3 is an incredibly special, once in a generation game the likes of which we likely won’t see again for some time.

Extremely addictive deckbuilding bullet-heaven roguelite tower defense. Cool styling and very much a one-more-run type of experience - especially with friend leaderboards! Interesting cards, abilities and characters, but I feel like tower upgrades could afford to be more than just stat bumps. That said, really good game.

Deckbuilding autobattler roguelite with some realtime combat elements - it’s such a genre-mash that it can be a bit hard to get your head around at first, and ultimately hard to decide if it works. Cool concept, art and atmosphere, but the core combat mechanic won’t be for everyone. The mix of autobattle with realtime interactivity sometimes means you spend more time waiting than calculating your next move. Interesting game though, and decently priced.

In a statement today, Valve announced their plan to discontinue the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) after the 2023 season, but reassure the community that their annual tournament The International will continue. Launched in 2017, the DPC aimed to clarify & formalise invites for The International, but Valve now claim it led to a less varied and exciting competitive Dota scene.

I was ready to bounce off, intimidated by its depth and pacing, but this game is truly something else. Great writing, VA, world design and more than anything, an obscene level of player agency.

A bit buggy at launch, but an undoubtedly pretty and exceptionally satisfying Vampire Survivors-like. Think it will benefit hugely from updates, adding more build options - but very fun already.

Extraordinarily good art, great music and very well put together. Runs are challenging; there’s quite a lot of cognitive load and mistakes are punished hard - but it’s fun as hell.

Boba is an incremental gamejam entry, but it’s from Daniel Mullins… so you should know to expect the unexpected. Not much can be said without spoiling it, and it’s only about 10-15 minutes, so just play it. Love.

Sub Rosa was a wild ride through the streets of Reservoir Dogs and Heat, and all your friends are there. Now sadly abandoned in early access, the streets are empty. A real shame.

When I was young and my parents were out, I’d take my dad’s work laptop, hook up the phone cord, and using MSN dial-up, download custom units and maps for Total Annihilation. Fantastic game.