This is part 2 of my favorite games of 2022. This one is all about games to chill out to - and I played a lot of those, because I like to have something relaxing to do at the end of the day. You can read part 1 here.
Opus: Echo of Starsong
I started playing Opus: Echo of Starsong in 2022, but didn't complete the story until 2023. But I enjoyed my time with it enough that I felt like it deserved to be on my 2022 list.
OEoS is a game where you explore an embattled star system, in an attempt to restore the honor of the protagonist and make some new friends along the way. The graphics are sort of a low-poly evolution of older games like Another World, in service to the story, which is deep with a lot of interesting lore.
The user reviews that I read for it compared it to Mass Effect, but that's not quite right; there's no combat, and only a handful of places where things can go so wrong that you have to backtrack a bit - but the game does a good job of keeping the story moving along without too many bumps. Although it was developed by a smaller team, a lot of care went into this game, so I'd recommend it if you need something to wind down with at the end of the day (and you don't mind a little bit of reading, since the voicework is Japanese-only).
Immortality
There's been a mini-renaissance of FMV games in the last few years, and I've been low-key enjoying it. Immortality continues that trend.
In this game, you sort through the "lost" footage of four different movies which all star Marissa Marcel, an actor who mysteriously disappeared. Your goal is to figure out what happened to her, along with a handful of other recurring characters. I won't spoil the game, but as you do so, you uncover the truth in a very interesting way that, I felt, really pushes the boundaries of the FMV genre.
As Dusk Falls
When As Dusk Falls was showcased at one of the Xbox events leading up to its release, I didn't give it much thought. The still images that make up the majority of the game were great to look at, but nothing else really grabbed my attention. When it released on Game Pass, I tried it in earnest, and was immediately hooked.
It's very much like playing through a Life is Strange game, just with a different graphic style. The voicework is excellent, and before long you forget that you're just looking at (basically) comic-strip panels. The story is also surprisingly dynamic, and when you finish a chapter, the game shows you a tree of all the branching choices you could make along with what outcome(s) they lead to.
It's all really well done, and the story drew me back in all the way to the end.
A Short Hike
A Short Hike was released in 2019, came to Xbox in 2021, and I didn't play it until 2022!
The premise of the game is simple: you play as Claire, an anthropomorphic bird, who has set out to hike up Hawk Peak, a small local mountain surrounded by hiking trails. Along the way, you encounter a number of animals that you can talk to and help, and you can collect items and use simple tools.
A Short Hike is probably the most Nintendo game that wasn't made by Nintendo. It's cheerful, funny, and charming. The cartoony graphics are bright and colorful and are easy to read - the characters wouldn't feel out of place in Animal Crossing. The music is excellent and contains accordion riffs a la Mario. And the whole thing is just plain fun.
Citizen Sleeper
Citizen Sleeper was another Game Pass game that I tried after reading positive reviews - and spent a week or so playing through at night, exploring all parts of the adventure.
The gameplay all takes place in a view over the Eye, a space station on the edge of the galaxy that you have traveled to as a "Sleeper", a digital copy of your real brain housed in a deteriorating synthetic body. Your goal is to figure out how to keep your body alive, and eventually escape, as you explore the station and meet its inhabitants.
Like a good sci-fi book, the lore of Citizen Sleeper is revealed slowly as you play, and it all gels together nicely with the low-poly graphics and great soundtrack. Decisions you make have long-term consequences, and a few play-throughs will result in wildly different endings.
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
This game was probably made for a younger person than me, but I still enjoyed my time with it, and like the other games on part 2 of my list, it was a relaxing, stress-free experience.
In Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, you play as Alba, a young girl who has come to a small island to visit her grandparents for a week. While there, Alba discovers that a developer has made a clandestine deal with the mayor to tear down the local nature preserve and build a luxury hotel/resort. She decides to spend her vacation helping to restore the island by cleaning up garbage, making repairs, and cataloging the wildlife.
This is another low-poly game, but it's still great to look at. The island is colorful and full of creatures to photograph, and even though getting around is a little slow, I always enjoyed watching Alba change to a skip as she ran. There are sequences where you have to answer yes or no to a question, and you can waggle the joystick to move Alba's head to answer (frantically, if you want) - my son thought that was hilarious.
I really like the idea of a game like A:AWA to help teach people about nature conservation and to give them a safe place to explore the concept. This is another one of those games that makes pleasantness a core part of the experience, and I am here for it.
That's all I have for part 2 of my favorite games of 2022. The list is getting smaller, but I still have more favorites, so I guess I'll be back for part 3 soon. Thanks for reading!