In a year of what feels like 5 all-time favorite games to me, Anodyne 2 stands out for its nostalgic, childish approachability, but also its surprisingly mature themings and sharp writing. Over the course of about 12 hours, I remembered what it was like to be a kid again, and also re-experienced some painful parts of growing up. Theming-wise theres a lot going on here, too much for me to recognize it all on one playthrough, but I feel like something will resonate with basically everyone.

A recommendation for Pathologic 2 or Disco Elysium would come with lots of qualifiers but I think I could recommend this game to anyone. It's at the same time progressive and immediately charming.