It’s always a relief when big early favorites pay off in the world of games. “Elden Ring” and “God of War Ragnarök” were the most anticipated games of the year. And two of the year’s best. Now you might think that the air is going out of the balloon a little when the best game of the year is launched already in February. Fortunately, it germinates well in the shade of the “Elden Ring” tree. In addition to a whole bunch of incredibly exciting and brand new games, the gaming year has offered a fantastic reunion with “God of War” on PC and a brilliant new version of “The Last of Us Part I” on PS5. I’ve had great expansions for two of my favorite games – both ‘Destiny 2: The Witch Queen’ and ‘Returnal: Ascension’ were brilliant. I laughed out loud and long at the absurd brass simulator “Trombone Champ”. And every single day I have a five-minute zen break with the word game “Wordle”. That being said – here are my ten favorite games of 2022. Elden Ring Developer: From Software Director: Hidetaka Miyazaki and Yui Tanimura Publisher: Bandai Namco Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox There has never been any doubt, even with several strong contenders throughout 2022. “Elden Ring” is by far the best game of the year. You are placed in a huge, completely open fantasy world (created in collaboration with George RR Martin) and given only a vague finger pointing roughly in the direction the developers think you should travel. You can choose to just ignore that index finger. The rewards you get from exploring The Lands Between on a whim are greater than in any other game, ever. There are fantastic boss fights, incredibly stylish areas, challenging caves with wild treasures and a fauna of engaging and delightful enemies everywhere. Much of this is even optional. Even after playing “Elden Ring” for several hundred hours, I discovered sides of the game that I had never seen before. That freedom to create my own gaming experience – both in terms of the route I want to take through the game and in terms of building my own character – sets an impossibly high standard for the entire genre. Immortality Developer: Sam Barlow Director: Sam Barlow Publisher: Half Mermaid Productions Platform: PC, Xbox, iOS, Android After starring in three films – none of them released – actress Marissa Marcel disappears. It’s your job to find out what happened to her. You do this by looking through clips from the three films, produced in 1968, 1970 and 1999. You can click on faces and objects in the scenes and jump to other clips with thematic similarities. There is around 12 hours of video to be taken here. You delve into themes such as religion, art, money and power – and the meaning all of this has for humanity. A feeling that something is going on behind the scenes increases with each clip you watch. I will never forget the moment the veil is lifted and the truth about these three films is revealed. Nor the subsequent hours with ever new pieces of this wonderful puzzle. I still think about “Immortality” almost every day. I’m getting goosebumps just writing about it here. “Immortality” is a relatively inexpensive game, and is also free on mobile for anyone with a Netflix subscription. The threshold for testing it is therefore incredibly low. But play it preferably with a controller and headset. God of War Ragnarök Developer: Santa Monica Studio Director: Eric Williams Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Platform: PlayStation Director Eric Williams was given a seemingly impossible task when he took the baton from Cory Barlog and was given the responsibility of following up one of the greatest games of all time . The height of the fall was enormous. The pressure of expectation as well. But Williams brings this wonderful story, which is inspired by our own Norse mythology, to a steady and impressive conclusion. The end of the world and Odin’s wrath creep closer. But it is the relationship between father (Kratos, Greek god of war) and son (Atreus, half god and half giant) that is the beating heart of the story. The way this relationship develops throughout the story creates a charming, engaging and often very moving framework for the magnificent experiences. “God of War Ragnarök” is almost as good as its predecessor. It lasts a lot for me. Pentiment Developer: Obsidian Entertainment Director: Josh Sawyer Publisher: Xbox Game Studios Platform: PC, Xbox Here we go to 16th century Germany and a murder mystery with hand-painted books, Martin Luther’s reformation, the art of printing, religion, philosophy, art, politics and the hunt for historical facts and events as a backdrop. The whole game is like a hand-painted book from that era come to life. This is an uncompromising history lesson. An interesting and educational introduction to what was in many ways the starting point for our modern society. Then there is also a lovely crime story, where it is your job to investigate up to several murders. The three acts and around 12 hours of text bubbles demand a lot from you as a player. But the reward for diving into “Pentiment” with skin and hair is truly enormous. Tunic Photo: ANDREW SHOULDICE/FINJI Developer: Andrew Shouldice Director: Andrew Shouldice Publisher: Finji Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Mac On the surface “Tunic” is a sweet, beautiful and engaging adventure inspired by “The Legend of Zelda” and a dash of “Dark Souls”. Starring a brave fox. Engaging quests, rewarding exploration, stylish battles, hidden areas, useful upgrades and delightful treasures. All this is central to “Tunic”. But the game is so much more than that too. The game hides a gigantic secret. You get hints about this secret in the game’s digital instruction book, a book you put together yourself by finding pages around. The secret gives the whole game a new, amazing layer. It entangles itself in all the game’s areas and experiences. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It’s like swallowing the red pill in “The Matrix”. It’s one of the most ingenious design moves in gaming of all time. Signalis Developer: rose-engine Director: Yuri Stern Publisher: Humble Games/Playism Platform: PC, Xbox, Playstation, Switch If you’ve been longing for a game inspired by “Resident Evil” anno 1996 mixed with Japanese anime, German brutalism, “Blade Runner” cyberpunk and the famous painting “Die Toteninsel”, there is actually a game for you. “Signalis”, the game is called. And it’s both as cool and as wonderful as it sounds. It is also a claustrophobic, exhausting and at times extremely disgusting horror game. We are probably talking about the worst gaming experience of the year. It is perhaps also the toughest. Stray Developer: BlueTwelve Studio Director: Koola og Viv (Colas Koola and Vivien Mermet-Guyenet) Publisher: Annapurna Interactive Platform: PC, PlayStation 2022 has truly been the year for gaming experiences a little off the beaten track. “Stray” is definitely one of them. You control a cute kitten, who is separated from his pack and ends up in a post-apocalyptic, underground world populated by robots and deadly, flesh-eating monsters. The echo of the people who once lived here is everywhere. The robots you meet appear human, inspired by their former owners. Some of them dream of the sunlight on the surface, and you are recruited to help them out of their underground prison. What follows is a beautiful, focused, melancholic, engaging and exciting adventure with serious and topical undertones. Somerville Developer: Jumpship Director: Chris Olsen Publisher: Jumpship Platform: PC, Xbox Aliens attack Earth, and you – an ordinary guy – embark on a perilous journey to reunite with your wife, baby and dog. The contrast between the earthly journey and the extremely alien, extraterrestrial presence is as stark as it is beautiful. Just about every picture in the game can be framed and hung on the wall. And when the intense but calm journey finally explodes into abstract, “2001: A Romodysse”-like psychedelia, the sci-fi geek in me rejoices. SIFU Photo: Sloclap Developer: Sloclap Director: Jordan Layani Publisher: Sloclap Platform: PC, Playstation, Switch The kung-fu clichés are spread thickly in “SIFU”. You witness the murder of your father as a young boy or girl (your choice), and start your quest for revenge a few years later. But the clichés appear as a precise and loving tribute. The battle system is deliciously advanced and the experiences, the role gallery, the story, the music and the surroundings are incredibly stylish. I also like the game’s big gimmick – you can continue even if you die, but you age. This means you become stronger but take less damage. And when it became known a little while ago that “SIFU” – a tribute to classic kung fu films – will now also become a film, with a script by “John Wick” creator Derek Kolstad, the circle has in many ways been closed. Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 Developer: Infinity Ward/Raven Software Director: Jack O’Hara Publisher: Activision Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” was technically and graphically stunning, but a rather mediocre experience for me personally. The free pack “Warzone 2.0” was second bowls. Here you are thrown into the huge, fictional desert city of Al Mazrah in a battle royale for 150 players. A beta of the more mission-based “DMZ” is also included, and takes place in the same city. It is incredibly difficult to place “Warzone 2.0” in a top 10 list. It appears a bit unfinished and rattled. I’m not particularly good. But still, I play it almost every night. Both “Warzone 2.0” and “DMZ” are extremely engaging experiences, and both have the potential to set the standard for this genre for the next five years. Merry Christmas and soon a happy new year! I am a freelancer and write about games for news. On a daily basis, I work at Level Up Norway. Of course, there were many other good games in the past year. A couple of them that almost snuck into the list were goodies like the adventure games “NORCO” and “Return to Monkey Island”. You can find all my game reviews here.
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Best games of the year 2022 – Reviews and recommendations
