Ok, I gotta be honest, I know that Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated isn't the most excellent game of any year. But, as the same kid who looked up to the character as a legitimate role model for my entire life, this game was everything I wanted and more. I played about half of the original game as a kid, so I was glad to complete it as an adult this past year finally. But outside of nostalgia, the game was legit a solid platformer and was a nice refuge from the more fast-paced action games or deep narratives I typically play. I actually was able to get a copy of The Cosmic Shake very cheaply at the start of the year, so I think I see a lot more porous platforming in my future.

Is that a...mobile game on the list? That's right it is! And while technically Grimvalor is available on Switch, I'd much rather play it on my phone at a higher framerate & with my Razer Kishi, and that's exactly what I did.

It's your classic Metroidvania, but its combat is a compelling blend of Dark Souls's inspired progression systems & Bayonetta's movement mechanics. All that means is you drop your XP when you die and can trigger a split second of slow-motion if you time your dodges. I had a blast with it, despite it being maybe the only full-sized game I've played entirely on my phone, but I'd be glad to play others like it down the road. Not much of the story stuck with me but I really did enjoy the combat & exploration. If you have Google's Play Pass Subscription on Android, this is absolutely the thing to play in that catalog.

Sometimes, I get in one of those moods. Sometimes I don't want to run breakneck into the action or be captivated by a grand story. Sometimes, I just want a relaxed, quieter stroll through an environment big enough & with enough tools in it for me to find my own fun. This year, Sniper Elite 4 was one of those games for me.

I only picked it back up to finish in preparation for its sequel, but whaddayaknow, turns out it already scratched the itch that game would have. Spending all that time tagging every enemy and environmental hazard before ever shooting a shot made it all the more satisfying when the xray headshots would commence. I couldn't tell you a single thing about the story, which was noticeably more polished than I expected, but the satisfying loop of plan & execute action was more than enough for me to finish the game satisfied.

F.E.A.R. is a series I love, despite only ever playing the latter 2 games in the series. I haven't fixed that error yet, but in the time since its release, the people who lived that original game have gone on to make one spiritual successor after another. Severed Steel may actually be my favorite one so far.

But it does a lot differently from that series. You get your slow-motion powers, and you are way more acrobatic, with a moveset more akin to Titanfall 2. But here, you only have one working arm, which means no reloading. This forces you to not only make every shot count but be on the move constantly in search of a weapon to pick up once your clip is empty. It makes for a frenetic combat pace that forces you to keep your wits about you to survive it.

There's even a Metroid-style arm cannon you get later in the game that lets you make Swiss cheese out of walls & tomato soup of your enemies. But even that, its vibrant yet simple artstyle, & catchy techno tunes are only the icing on this beautiful ballet of bullets.

This is one of those all-timers for me. Often there will be a game that I've known about for several years, but just never played for whatever reason. Previously, The Surge 2, Bayonetta, and Gears of War have been titles like this, and Dusk is the newest addition to that list.

I adore this game. It made me realize that my dozens of hours spent on Quake Live in middle school actually did leave me with a healthy amount of nostalgia for 90s-era shooter design. Dusk not only revels in that nostalgia but introduces new and unique concepts in its level design and sometimes even its gameplay.

It may be a horror game, and there were plenty of moments that were sincerely terrifying, but those were the needed diversions from the breakneck pace of combat and the delightfully challenging moments of secret hunting. Can't get over how much I slept on this game, but I'm glad to have finally played it.