Key art for Zero Time Dilemma. A man is strapped to a chair with a gun pointed at his head, while a woman in a red sweater stands behind him.
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15. Zero Time Dilemma
(Spike Chunsoft, 2016)
I'll take some responsibility here. After playing the first 2 Zero Escapes back-to-back in 2023, I waited till now to play the final in the trilogy. And for a series as byzantine as this, I was doomed to be googling recaps the entire time.
Key art for Cult of the Lamb. A lamb with bloody eyes floats in the center of the image, surrounded by their followers, while old gods loom in the background.
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14. Cult of the Lamb
(Massive Monster, 2022)
When it first released, I put ~4 hours into Cult of the Lamb before falling off. At the time, I was piqued by the idea of a tongue-in-cheek cult sim, but the hack and slash segments were repetitive & too big a part of the gameplay loop.
Key art for What Remains of Edith Finch. A black silhouette of the Finch house, surrounded by forestry.
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13. What Remains of Edith Finch
(Giant Sparrow, 2017)
Despite enjoying What Remains of Edith Finch back when it launched, I've always been weirdly hesitant to return to it, perhaps out of fear that it wouldn't hold up to time & scrutiny. Turns out it's even better than I remembered.
Key art for Marvel's Spider-Man 2
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12. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
(Insomniac, 2023)
The quintessential spectacle game—a blast to play, incredibly well-polished, and full of wonderful Moments™ that never really coalesce into a meaningful whole.
Key art for A Little to the Left
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11. A Little to the Left
(Max Inferno, 2022)
A Little to the Left is a cozy game that’s secretly not a cozy game.
Key art for Silent Hill 2 Remake. The protagonist, James Sunderland, stands in the middle of a road with his back turned toward us, while a picture of his wife, Mary, hands in the clouds.
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10. Silent Hill 2 Remake
(Bloober Team, 2024)
Here's where I confess that I've never played a Silent Hill. Despite loving my fair share of horror games, Silent Hill has always been a large gap in my knowledge of the genre.
Key art for Botany Manor. The logo is displayed in a blue sky above a white manor, surrounded by greenery.
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9. Botany Manor
(Balloon Studios, 2024)
A couple weeks ago, I picked up Botany Manor as one of EGS's weekly freebies. I launched it just to see what the opening minutes felt like, and 4 hours later, I'd unintentionally finished it one sitting.
Key art for Beyond Good & Evil, featuring the protagonist, Jade.
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8. Beyond Good & Evil
(Ubisoft Montpellier, 2003)
It's hard for me to be impartial about Beyond Good & Evil, as it's one of those games that swept me away and sparked my imagination from a young age.
Key art for Proverbs. A man with one shoe walks head-first into a brick wall, and to his right, the name of the game is displayed on a wooden sign.
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7. Proverbs
(Divide the Plunder, 2024)
Are you into Dutch Renaissance oil paintings, Flemish idioms, AND picross-minesweeper hybrids? Then have I got a wildly specific recommendation for you!
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6. Dispatch
(AdHoc Studio, 2025)
A fun, lighthearted, human take on the superhero genre that feels surprisingly fresh despite treading familiar ground. Great characters, unique approaches to team-building and synergy, and a genuinely funny script.
Key art for the game Strange Jigsaws. The title is set against a background of multi-colored puzzle pieces.
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5. Strange Jigsaws
(Fleb, 2025)
Strange Jigsaws is one of those experiences that reminds you just how plucky, unpredictable, and inventive games can be.
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4. Final Fantasy I (Pixel Remaster)
(Square Enix, 1987/2021)
A pleasant surprise. Despite a bare-bones story and relatively simple combat system, the OG Final Fantasy holds up surprisingly well as a charming and intelligently-designed RPG. Follow my gameplay thread for more:
Key art for The Invincible. A decaying skeleton in a spacesuit is buried in the sand against a red horizon.
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3. The Invincible
(Starward, 2023)
I’m conflicted about my experience with this one. On the one hand, I love its commitment to hard worldbuilding; the story is engaging because of its fascination with xenobiology and the unknowns of space; it avoids melodrama and unearned stakes.
Key art for Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Lara Croft leans on a tree holding a knife, set against the backdrop of a solar eclipse.
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2. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
(Crystal Dynamics, 2018)
The collectathon aspect kept me sane while I was out of commission with the flu over the past couple weeks. This series is incredibly fun to 100%, and the core exploration-combat loop is smooth and engrossing.
Key art for the video game And Roger. A woman stands in a doorway facing the screen with a concerned look.
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1. And Roger
(TearyHand Studio, 2025)
The Firewatch prologue by way of Florence. And Roger is a story about illness, god, and soup, told largely through simple mechanics, color, geometry, and limited text. I loved every minute and left with a lump in my throat.
