Collage by Aurich Lawson
2022 has been a bit of a weird year for video games. For starters, perhaps the most anticipated game of the year came out in March, well ahead of the usual rush of holiday releases. But that holiday rush was itself muted this year, thanks to major franchise delays from Diablo until Star field until The Legend of Zelda.
That has led some commentators to call 2022 a “slow year” for a games industry still recovering from the development chaos of COVID. And it’s true; we had some collective trouble getting to our usual 20-game selection for this year’s best games list, a possible sign that there were fewer “obvious” choices than usual.
Looking at the selections that did make the 2022 list, it’s hard to imagine the collective industry has let us down in any way. The relative lack of big-budget blockbusters has allowed many independent games to shine, including those that made this list based on bold new ideas in gameplay or storytelling. All told, the games below will stay with us for a long time and speak highly of the games industry’s continued creativity and resilience.
This year, we’ve chosen to list our game picks in alphabetical order, with a single “Game of the Year” pick at the end. There they are.
Atari 50: The Birthday Celebration
Digital Solar Eclipse; Windows, Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series, Atari VCS
It’s rare that a compilation of retro games qualifies for Ars’ annual Game of the Year list. It’s unprecedented for a game like this to actually win one of our coveted spots. But Atari 50 does some crucial things to differentiate itself from the countless classic game emulation collections that have proliferated over the years.
The first is an intense focus on complementary materials. Atari 50 is packed with video interviews, design papers, concurrent ads, trivia, quotes and more. It all gives crucial context to Atari’s 50-year history and makes even the least playable games in the collection more interesting from a historical perspective. The “timeline” presentation is also top notch, making the whole product feel more like an interactive museum than a simple collection of old titles.
Atari 50 also stars in its half-dozen “reimagined” versions of some Atari classics. These feature updated graphics, sound, and gameplay that take advantage of decades of advancements in game design and technology, reviving old concepts for new audiences. While these offers are not all winners, the addictiveness of Vctr Sctr alone is enough to warm the heart of any fan of old-school arcade games.
-Kyle Orland
Cult of the Lamb
Huge monster; Windows, Mac, Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series
Here’s a weird explanation: There aren’t enough cult simulators out there. However, there are plenty of roguelites. Cult of the Lamb is both, and while it’s a good roguelite, it’s the cult simulator that made it stand out this year.
Devolver
The combat portions of the game play like a more forgiving and accessible cousin to the indie classic Binding of Isaac. The dodge-and-slash action on offer here is tight but not too original. But you’ll spend at least as much time in a city-building loop, producing and harvesting resources, conducting favor quests for townspeople, and managing the general happiness and productivity of your cult – while delivering sermons, silencing heretics, and performing anthropomorphic animal sacrifices.
There are dashes of it Crossing animals, Stardew Valleyand even that of Peter Molyneux Black and white here. It’s all pretty fun, but the cartoonish vision of running a cult in a world of Lovecraftian horrors is what really sells the game.
The art is top notch, the music gets stuck in your head (in a good way), and the progression systems are addictive just enough. Cult of the Lamb doesn’t reinvent any wheel, but it’s a delicious cocktail of some of the best indie gaming to offer in recent years – whether we’re talking roguelite dungeon crawlers or the cozy gaming phenomenon.
In other words, it’s a “greatest hit” of popular indie game mechanics with a hilarious and original theme. As such, it is worthy of your devotion.
-Samuel Axon
Dwarf Fortress
Bay 12 Games; Windows
The version of Dwarf Fortress which has existed for the past 16 years has been, well, unpleasant. The default images were colored ASCII characters; onboarding relied on wikis and painful trial-and-error; and the inherent difficulty was also the game’s rallying cry: “Losing is fun.”
Bay 12 Games / Steam
Still, Dwarf Fort’ unparalleled complexity and epic story potential earned a devoted following and kept the game funded by donations – but barely. That makes the game’s modern “debut” – with 16-bit graphics, a beautiful soundtrack, tutorials and optimized shortcuts – something of an invitation to newcomers. It’s also a chance for longtime fans to share their love for Zach and Tarn Adams, the brothers who kept this crazy simulation going without ever being active. sale the game.
The new commercial version of Dwarf Fortress released this year is much easier to dig than the old version. Now, after your first few tries at the game, you’re more likely to be left with a question like, “How do you find an encampment with sand that also has enough minerals?” instead of “What was that red Turkish looking symbol and how did it kill my fighter?”
But despite the spit-shine, the massively deep systems and procedurally generated mythical chaos are all still there, just with more reasonable ways to access and understand them. (Which leads to another possible question: “Why does that cat get gloomy when it thinks about tables?”) This new version of Dwarf Fortress only adds to the charm of this already impressive work and will hopefully bring the game to a wider audience that can stick with it better. We all benefit from it.
-Kevin Purdy
God of War: Ragnarok
Sony Santa Monica studio; PS4/5
After four years, Ragnarok could have provided just a little more of the “Dad or Boy” style God of war that we remembered and loved in 2018. That game would probably have been competing for a spot on this list.
Sony
And yes, essentially a lot of the gameplay and a lot of the environments in this sequel will feel familiar to fans of its predecessor. That’s not a bad thing; Ragnarok‘s combat systems are as deep as ever, to the point where significant new combat options were introduced nearly 20 hours into my playthrough.
But Ragnaork also stands alone, thanks in no small part to its supporting characters. The Norse pantheon implied by the game’s title deftly steals the show, exchanging subtle barbs and mythological drama over some delightful, scenery-munching performances. While the relationship between Kratos and his pre-teen son Atreus doesn’t exactly tug at heart this time around, there are enough intriguing side stories to cover up this relative flaw.
The sequel also does well with its varied pacing, switching to the agile, bow-equipped Atreus or into extensive puzzle-solving sections before Kratos’ standard ax-and-chain-wielding gameplay can feel too exhausting. And the beautifully decorated environments shine through, especially on the PlayStation 5, practically begging you to explore every corner for plenty of hidden paths and storylines. Touches like that help land this sequel on our list, even if it doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor.
-Kyle Orland
