Hey, recently I saw some videos highlighting games of 2023 that flew under the radar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jilzxO22Yq0

This one gets a rant off first, but the second half also mentions such games:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpo-4EOX_z8

I think it is a good thing. So let's do the same. The 2023 games I recommend are Against the Storm and 20 Minutes till Dawn. The first video also mentioned Terra Nil, I played and enjoyed the prototype earlier, but haven't yet played the full release from this year.

So which games that didn't get attention did you play and recommend from 2023?

I've already shilled for these two a lot but why not take one more opportunity:

Blasphemous II is about as good an indie Metroidvania as I've seen. An incredibly unique art direction, a good progression system, varied environmental design, lots of worthwhile things to discover, and absolutely fantastic combat with some of the best boss fights I've seen from the genre. The second to last boss fight still sticks out in my memory almost half a year after beating out. There's a few nitpicks I can make, like enemy variety and the frankly annoying requirements to get an ending that doesn't completely suck, but start to finish it's one of the best indie games on the market.

On the opposite end of the story spectrum, Pizza Tower tosses out the depressing atmosphere and is just an all around fun time. A bizarre Warioland spiritual successor that makes it work, mainly due to some incredibly fun controls, a great selection of variety with level design, and some surprisingly entertaining boss battles as well. It's absolute nonsense from beginning to end, but it's the good kind of nonsense, the kind that makes you want to come back and try for better and better ranks. Another game that would probably end up in my top 10 indie titles ever.

Some honorable mentions for other lesser played/indie titles that deserve recognition: Ghostrunner II, In Stars and Time, A Space for the Unbound.

Pizza Tower! Just the soundtrack alone with its funk, psychedelic, jazz fusion, even some rock elements is ecstasy. Then just an over the top story of Peppino trying to save his pizzeria from a sentient floating pizza gameplay is fast and wacky, art style reminds me of 90s Nicktoons, just a wacky and wildly entertaining game. Clear Wario Land influence as well.

Hopefully it eventually gets a console release!

I am not great at Jump&Runs and consequently Metroidvania, so I skipped both of your main recommendations, even though I hear nothing but praise for them. But I heard about A Space for the Unbound before and that is much more up my alley as an adventure game. I have to play Slay the Princess and World of Horror first though I think.

Blasphemous 2 / Slay the Princess are good picks for this one.

World of Horror is the best blend of old school pen n paper RPG, with some small rogue lite elements and an incredible tone similar to what you'd see of Junji Ito.

Also there are great "modding" tools available to build your own custom adventure/scenarios if you are on PC

Otherwise, I am really intrigued A Space for the Unbound. Thought it would pass around everyone's mind but it's actually mentioned a fair amount from what I've seen on the net.

Also, if you are a fan of the Megaman Zero games, I do recommend y'all to check out Gravity Circuit. A similar but original take on that gameplay format.

I enjoyed Trine 5 and Warhammer 40K Boltgun from last year, both smaller projects that didn't get much fanfare.

2023 also finally saw the worldwide release of the previous Japan-exclusive 2008 title Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, one of my absolute favourite games of the 7th generation. If you have even the slightest fondest for horror games of the PS2 era, I highly recommend it.

Fuck yeah!  Chants of Sennaar reaching the top 3!  

Anyways, all of my initial choices were ones I've reviewed: Chants of Sennaar, Humanity, Viewfinder, Killer Frequency, and No One Lives Under the Lighthouse (console release was 2023).  

For ones I've broken into but haven't finished:

- El Paso, Elsewhere

Just a solid indie version of Max Payne.  The story is kinda weird given the whole "evil ex-gf is a vampire demon" is blatantly leaning on writer/dev's real-life troubles, but it plays around with 4th-wall breaking moments in interesting ways.

- Warhammer 40K: Boltgun

Similar to El Paso, it's a solid indie DOOM clone about turning every enemy into mince meat.  Oh, what glorious mince meat they become from my handy chainsaw!

Going by our 2023 GOTY Award tally...

Spoiler!

Neither shooter garnered much attention from our community. 

It didn’t release in 2023 but Vampire Survivors continued support through 2023 was significant. Planet of Lana is a gorgeous quick little game that deserves your time.

BOMB RUSH CYBERFUNK!

Also Eiyuden Chronicles was fun.

Bayonetta Origins