Since you’re here at my website you probably already know this: I play lots of games. As with previous years, I spent my time playing a mix of games, old and new. This is part one of my favorite games that I played in 2022!
Tinykin
Tinykin is a game where you play as a tiny human who controls even tinier creatures (the titular “Tinykin”), each with their own unique ability. The more you collect, the greater those abilities become. As you play, you explore giant-sized rooms of an abandoned house, and uncover the mystery of the home’s owner – a figure revered by the local insects as a god. It sounds insane, but it’s good fun.
The art and music are really neat, and I loved that the little noises the Tinykin made synced up with the music in each level. The game controls well, and though it’s not as challenging as older 3D platform greats like Banko-Kazooie (there’s no combat in Tinykin), it scratches the same collect-a-thon itch.
I squeaked this one in late in December, after it’d been on my list for a while – and I’m so glad I finally got around to playing it. It was a really enjoyable time.
A Memoir Blue
I started A Memoir Blue in April, and didn’t finish it until December. Not because it’s a long game, or that it wasn’t good; I just forgot to finish it as work and other things took my attention. When I finally got back to it, I discovered that I had left just one scene away from finishing the story!
I played it through once more to complete all the achievements, and ended up really appreciating the story, which is about the loss of connection between a mother and daughter. The game is mostly a visual novel, but each chapter has a puzzle or two that aren’t super challenging, but still fun to complete.
The story is told in a cool way, with cartoon versions of the past mother and child appearing occasionally, and the art and music are captivating. It’s just the kind of emotional experience I’ve come to expect from publisher Annapurna Interactive.
Overwatch 2
Maybe a controversial take, but I’ve actually been enjoying Overwatch 2. Even in its questionable launch state, the changes to the game made it feel fresh again.
The additions of the battle pass and store are a bit of a downer, because Overwatch's original rewards system was so generous. Online games have changed a lot since the first game though, and it's easy enough to just ignore that stuff.
I just wish I were better at the game.
Return to Monkey Island
The Secret of Monkey Island was one of the first computer games I ever played, and it holds a special place in my heart. I've played every game in the series and loved most of them - so I was super excited when Return to Monkey Island was revealed.
The game's art style, though good in its own right, is polarizing of course. It took a second for me to get used to it, and I sort of longed for the hand-drawn look of The Curse of Monkey Island. But having all the characters voiced by the actors who have had their roles since Curse makes it easy to look past if you don't like it.
The game's puzzles were intuitive and fun to solve, and I thought the overall length was just right. The theme of the game, explained by the game's designers at the end, really hit home as well.
Two Point Campus
Two Point Hospital looked like it was going to be a cheap budget title with no depth, but it was nothing but fun. It took a rather serious proposition - managing a series of hospitals - into something that you wanted to do.
So when two Point Campus rolled onto Game Pass, I knew I was going to spend some time with it. And it's just as fun, silly, and entertaining as Hospital - without all the illness/death!
And that's all for part one. I've got a long list ahead of me, so I'll have part two - and probably three or four - written up soon. Thanks for reading!