Whenever someone mentions the lack of video games in any given year, someone in real thick glasses pops up and says "akshully..." with a list of games you never heard of. I'm not here to do that. 2023 has yielded a disappointing return so far, and there aren't too many major games on the docket for the rest of the year - Zelda and Spider-Man need some buds. Games have always moved through peaks and troughs, but the pandemic and ballooning development times (which often still result in mediocre releases) is a major problem that we can't fix just by talking about great indie games. We need strong triple-A releases for the medium to flourish, and we should be worried that we can seemingly no longer rely on that. But while we're all busy worrying about that, let me look through my real thick glasses and give you a list of games you never heard of. Just give me a second to get into character. “Akshully....”
The first game is Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo, a game much better than its convoluted title suggests. Playing as a variety of characters, you explore the story of curses befalling a town in 1980s Japan, and the mystery to stop various killers and spirits from exacting revenge. On the face of it, it's a visual novel with some point and click mechanics, but under the surface there's fourth wall breaks, moving themes, searching questions, and a constant barrage of twists and turns. There are multiple endings to unlock, one of which is the darkest I've ever seen in a video game. Paranormasight isn't perfect - it struggles with its pacing at times, the array of puzzle difficulty could be tighter, and I'd like more of the meta fourth wall stuff - but it's the most unique and most compelling game of the year so far.
I considered focussing on Paranormasight entirely, as it seems to be the least discussed of all the games here, as well as my personal favourite. But then, it's also the only one I've finished, so that rating might change. However, I thought saying 'You Probably Haven’t Played The Best Game Of The Year' then only mentioning a single game would be unfair on my beautiful readers I have expertly baited into clicking here, and I never like to leave my readers unsatisfied. More to the point, it's not just about Paranormasight. While triple-A games have been thin and reliant on admittedly excellent remakes, we've seen three great indies that are worth paying attention to. If you want to be in the know come the end of the year, cross these three hidden gems off this list now.
A Space for the Unbound is another darling not to be missed. Another period piece, this game takes place in the '90s, based on director Dimas Novan Delfiano's experience as a child going to school in Indonesia. It takes a lot of cues from Psychonauts, with the protagonist able to dive inside the minds of others, but where Psychonauts wraps up its more serious topics inside silly humour or slapstick platforming, A Space for the Unbound is unafraid of the darkness. I'm yet to wrap it all up, but I know this is a game that a lot more people should be talking about, and I hope by the end of the year more will have given it a chance.
Now for something completely different: Pizza Tower. I've only just started this one, so I'm going off vibes, but don't worry - this is a game for vibes. Pizza Tower is Wario Land played at the speed of Sonic, with graphics that look like a Flash game version of Ren & Stimpy. It's a lightning fast platformer that is meant to be covered in secret toppings, and I can't wait to taste them all. It's also important in a different way; both Paranormasight and A Space for the Unbound are more cerebral, artistic games that can push certain players away, and even seem to have a superiority complex at times. Pizza Tower is more in your face about what a good time it is, and if some are turned off from the indie scene because of its slow pace and tendency to minimise gameplay for story, order yourself a stuffed crust from Tour De Pizza.
There's still a major issue with the biggest games leaving gaps in the calendar thanks to inefficient production models that aren't even guaranteed to result in anything special, but 2023 has some great games already out there in the wild. You might just have to search for them a little. Or, thanks to this article, you won't. What a lucky duck you are.