All the Games I Beat in 2022
Listed in order of completion
2022 was a surprising gaming year for me. I found the patience for a genre that I’ve never been able to enjoy. I stepped outside my normal gaming platforms and found some serious gems. This list is my 2022 in gaming, January through December.
This list is AAA crowd-pleasers, mobile titles, and a couple backlog lurkers. I wrote a paragraph or two summarizing my thoughts on each game, written in real time as I rolled credits. This article (just like 2020s and 2021s) is a long one. Before we get started, here were my goals for 2022.
- Get five platinum trophies on PS5 (my goal every year)
An evergreen goal. Since I started this a few years ago, I haven’t missed. My goal is to earn five Platinum trophies and they must be good ones. My trophy case needs them and I shall provide them.
2. Work on my Backlog
20% of my Backlog is the goal. I made a short list of 62 games (you can see my current system for this here) that will serve as the battleground for this goal. Can I pull it off?
3. Play some classic games
As I get more serious about gaming, I think that it’s time I fill in some holes in my gaming knowledge. There are a lot of video games that shouldn’t be missed; after consulting some lists online, I’ve discovered that I was falling into that trap. I have two lengthy lists that I’ll be taking nibbles out of throughout the year. Let’s see where this quest will take me.
Here are all the games I beat in 2022…
1. Celeste
First game beat of 2022! This started as a handheld replay while I was watching Friends on Netflix and ended with me joyously reaching the summit on my big screen, my Switch clicked into its dock.
Celeste is an incredible platformer. It’s controls are perfectly designed and every jump feels possible. Celeste’s narrative may be simple, but it has a lot going on under the surface. Madeline is a excellent character and this climb hits hard because you’re in her pixelated shoes. This one is a true classic.
2. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
The Witcher III is an absolute marvel. I played it through to the last couple hours when the game came out before I moved onto other titles. This was the first time that I saw this epic story all the way through to it’s conclusion.
And what a conclusion. Though this game is several years old, it’s one of the best to ever do it. It’s side quests are unparalleled, it’s world-building masterful, and it’s combat is just nuanced enough to never overstay its welcome. How this game manages to have such memorable characters alongside it’s nigh-perfect world is beyond me. Additionally, Gwent must be placed on the short list for greatest mini-games of all time.
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt changed the face of gaming forever. I’m so happy to see Geralt and Ciri’s quest to their happy endings.
3. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a massive shake-up for the franchise and I’m very happy to have played it. Truthfully, as much as I had fun with Pokemon Shining Pearl, I hurried to the ending and have no desire to go back. This isn’t the case with Legends: Arceus. This world — still unsettled, so filled with danger — actually feels mysterious. The Pokémon franchise is famous for their post game content; this Pokédex and these later missions have me excited. Even in it’s fascinating open world, Legends: Arceus finds a fascinating balance to the franchise legacy and it’s additions.
I’m not sure if I’ll complete this Pokédex? The Witcher III put me behind schedule for beating games (it’s February 19th as I write this) so I should probably keep this train moving. We’ll see though. Legends: Arceus has its hooks in me and has taken its place near the top of my favorite Pocket Monster games.
4. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
I’ve talked a few times of Game Loot about the various things that Destiny 2 gets both right and wrong. In the case of it’s newest expansion The Witch Queen, the game has found an epic stride.
While playing Destiny 2 in 2022 still feels a bit overwhelming, its lessons learned in the story-telling department continue to impress. This is a great campaign; it certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome, while also remaining meaty enough to feel important. Savathun is an incredible villain and the combat encounters set around her feel massive and cool. The lore is rich in the Destiny universe, and certain reveals that pop off in this one have me excited for the end of this saga.
(I also wrote my first mini-review for The Witch Queen. Not sure if this is something I’ll do very often.)
5. Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
On Nintendo DS
After the news of the 3DS/Wii U Eshop closures, I had the urge to play some handheld titles. Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings checked a few boxes; this was one of my backlog titles and a DS game. I needed something a little simple while I fight for my life in the wonderous Elden Ring.
Unfortunately, this game is actually pretty bad. The level design and touch-screen puzzles are just plain slow and weird. The levels are also a mess, with puzzle solving and general movement causing the most issues. It‘s a DS game, but considering the beautiful catalog of games of that system, I’m not sure if that’s an excuse. I did enjoy the DS’s version of the Raiders theme and the touch-screen fist fights? Some silver lining. I’m happy for Staff of Kings to be lost to the sands of time.
6. Elden Ring
Elden Ring got its hooks into me in a way that I haven’t experienced in a long time. After just over 80 hours, I was able to become Elden Lord. It was my first Soulsborne game that I’ve ever beaten. For someone who did not like this formula before, Elden Ring served as the accessible masterpiece that From Software needed to take over the rest of the gaming universe.
This game is challenging, but’s its flexible open world gives the players everything they need to grind their way to victory. Whenever I got stuck on a boss, I just went and did something else. Side dungeons, grinding, and just general exploration were always calling my Tarnished’s name. Even after I rolled credits — maxing out my weapons and flasks — I still left a metric ton of bosses undefeated. I wrote a very extensive piece that you can read below. It’s one of those games that I loved so much that I have trouble talking/thinking about it critically. It can join the ranks along with (and surpass) games like Skyrim or Bioshock.
It’s my game of the year (as of April 23rd) and no game even comes close.
7. Mario Party Superstars
I have to be honest: Mario Party games feel so poorly designed. The fact that the newest game in this franchise still feels this bare-bones is just sad.
Where to begin? This board game is an unbalanced mess that relies entirely on chance. This is not a game that rewards players for tight play and knowledge of its systems. If you do well at mini-games and roll high, you will probably win. Maybe. My other big issue with Mario Party Superstars is its tiny roster of characters and lack of things to do outside of the boards and mini-games. While this isn’t something I would usually look for, playing games earns you coins to use in a shop. This shop has nothing but little models and stickers. Compare this to other first party Nintendo titles. Compare this to Super Smash Bros Ultimate or Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Look at the depth of those titles and you’ll see the issue. I had brief moments of delight here. The jank has a certain charm. It’s too bad that it’s nothing but jank.
8. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
This game is pretty sweet! It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s a game that actually sort of grew on me the more I played it. It‘s undoubtedly a clone of Super Mario Odyssey; but how can you fault the developer from stealing from one of the greatest 3D platformers ever made?
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a shake-up to be sure. The story actually goes some fascinating places and did start to surprise me in the last couple of hours. The final world is when this gameplay really snapped into place for me. Once the difficulty had ramped to it’s (admittedly low) true level, I began to appreciate the Kirby-power puzzles. But that’s really the extent of it. This game has a lot to experience, and if you like 3D platformers or Super Mario Odyssey, you’ll probably love Kirby’s latest adventure.
9. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
What a breath-taking experience. I know that certain people are not fans of the Uncharted games, but it’s hard to argue that they are bad. Their pure adventure vibes are unmatched.
In regards to Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, it’s been on my Backlog for quite some time. I had such a blast playing through this. Naughty Dog gave an emotional experience and a small sequel to the epic finale of Nathan Drake’s story. Giving Chloe and Nadine closure is something that I didn’t know that I needed. Playing it in the Legacy of Thieves Collection was perfect; my PS5 made this game a true sight. I took a lot of screenshots. Probably too many.
10. Bad Writer
This game got me. I’ve mentioned it a few times here at Game Loot — and you can see it on my bio I suppose — but I’m a short story writer. Over the last decade I’ve been writing and submitting stories much like Emily does in Riddle Fox Games’ Bad Writer.
The game play loop is simple. Each day you can make a couple of small choices. Do you go for a walk in the woods or do you write a story? Do you scroll through social media or pet the cat? Emily submits stories and checks her e-mail. Keep Emily’s happiness level high and you can make it through your 30 days and see what the future holds. Bad Writer does speak to me. I’d love to see an even more complicated version of this. This is a fantastic start and feels very personal.
11. Sifu
Sifu is actually pretty cool. It’s a fast and furious game, where the combat never stops being intense and rewarding. It feels like an odd combination of a rhythm and beat em’ up title; stacking combos and moving through crowds of enemies with brutal ease.
The bosses were also all varied and interesting, but I found them so much more difficult than the rest of the game. The standard enemies rarely killed me, but I’d run through lives fighting the boss. The way to win is learning those combos and adapting your moves to get there. Though it only took me a couple of hours to beat it, it’s one of my favorite games of 2022.
12. Carrion
Platinum trophy #23!
My first Platinum trophy of the year! Arriving all the way in June!
Carrion is super gross and I really like it a lot. It’s Metroid meets John Carpenter’s The Thing. The developers (Phobia Game Studios) have deemed it a ‘reverse horror game’ which is an excellent way to make me interested in your title.
You play a blob-type monster that is trying to escape a government facility. By killing and devouring soldiers/scientists, you grow larger. By digesting containment units across the game, you evolve and unlock new areas of the underground facility. The levels soon become puzzle pieces that rely on your knowledge of the monster’s various states — different sizes of the monster have different abilities — to solve them. This is one of those games that just feels good to move around in. The monster glides and liquids through the narrow confines of this place with a surprising speed.
If you’re looking for something a little different, take a bite out of Carrion.
13. Far Cry 6
Platinum trophy #24!
Far Cry 6 is a weird little game. On the surface level, it’s another Ubisoft checklist title. Far Cry’s game loop is largely unchanged since Far Cry 3. You have a big opening where the big bad is introduced. You join with some whacky NPCs to bring them down. This is done through outpost takedowns, bombastic gunplay, and stale story missions. Far Cry 6 has all of that in spades. Castillo is a fine villain, but the army you battle across a couple dozen hours are kind of boring after fighting cultists and loyalists.
The weirdness comes with the tone. This isn’t exactly a new problem, but it feels worse here. Castillo tortures the people of Yara. You go through missions where you find piles and piles of bodies. Then, when you go through that hell, you go back to the nearest base where the game’s annoying NPCs say the F-word and engage in some cock-fighting. Why is cock-fighting a minigame!? A little gross.
Far Cry 6 was also an awful Platinum experience, but this isn’t the piece for that. I love the over-the-top combat and simple experience of the Far Cry franchise. There are a lot of choices being made in this design. Not all of them work.
14. Awakening of Cthulhu
I bought this game on a whim and I played it in a single sitting. Calling Awakening of Cthulhu a game might actually be a stretch; it’s a couple of simple levels filled with monsters for your player character to hit. The character can double jump and swing a weapon. That’s it. When each new area loaded in, it was a mess of blurred pixels and plain music. There is no ability to pause the game and there absolutely wasn’t a HUD. I’m a sucker for Lovecraftian games, but this one isn’t worth anyone's time.
15. Resident Evil 3 Remake
It’s fascinating how time can change how you feel about certain media. I rented Resident Evil 3 Remake from my local library because I wanted to give the recent PS5 graphical buff a try. The last time I played this (I talked about it in my 2020 games list) this is what I had to say:
Resident Evil 3 is a fine game, but it’s just not for me. I’ve found that I don’t like this style of horror game. While Resident Evil 7 is my favorite game in the series, the remake of 3 left me feeling very cold.
I didn’t beat RE3 Remake because it left me feeling ‘very cold’. After seeing this game through, I understand that feeling. It’s an inferior game to RE2 Remake. It’s uninspired and is far too short. The biggest compliant I can give it is that it has a good energy. It feels more like a B-movie than the last entry. There are more one-liners and cheer-worthy moments. There is also a lot of ammo in this game. It’s clear you’re supposed to use your guns. It made for a less stressful experience, but I wouldn’t call it a more memorable one.
16. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
Ni No Kuni was a game I’ve wanted to play for years. Once I finally got a PS4 though, I ended up setting it aside to play newer stuff. I dismissed it as a childish relic and keep my focus on newer stuff.
Boy, was I wrong. Ni No Kuni is a very in-depth RPG. It’s old school in all the best ways. The animation and Familiar design is excellent across the board. Oliver’s mission to help everyone is as wholesome as it is maudlin. As a self-proclaimed fan of monster-hunting RPGs, I found this remastered version of Ni No Kuni to be a rewarding RPG.
17. MultiVersus
For a title that appears to be a soulless Smash Bros clone, MultiVersus is quite the surprise. While it’s not perfect, the developers brought their A-game. I completed the Season 0 Season Pass and I’m currently working through the ranks here in Season 1. I’m a Batman main, but so many characters are worth your time. Wonder Woman and Superman rock. Shaggy is not only a meme but he’s also a powerful brawler. The Mage characters (one of several character classes that the roster fall into) are fascinatingly versatile.
And there lies MultiVersus’ greatest strength: the characters are brilliantly designed. They showcase how they fit into their respective worlds while also clicking right into place with everyone else. At the time of this update, the game is technically still in Beta. I’ll continue playing as long as the developers continue to release excellent characters and keep the balance where it needs to be. My biggest surprise of 2022.
18. Stray
It’s ‘The Cat Game’. You play as a cat! You can meow by hitting a dedicated button. The cat sleeps sometimes! After a sad little opener, your titular stray is dropped into an underground city filled with robots. They long to escape the city and live again. As it turns out, the cat is exactly what they needed.
Stray doesn’t overstay its welcome. The cat’s limited actions make for simple puzzles and focused interaction, but the developers found interesting ways for the player to have mechanical agency. In between the moments of levity and gross monsters, the player is shown the backstory of a world ruined.
The bottom line: Stray is cute and delightfully simple. You play as a feisty cat in a post apocalyptic world. Stray does both of those things pretty well.
19. Jetpack Joyride 2
I don’t play a lot of mobile games. In the nearly three years I’ve been tracking games on the site, Florence is the only other mobile game that has made it onto the docket. While other titles — like Fantasian and Cardpocalypse, both Apple Arcade titles — have gotten close, Jetpack Joyride 2 is next up.
This is a sequel to a game that I used to play religiously on my iPod Touch. This sequel does away with the endless runner gameplay and splits off into dedicated levels. It also adds a shooting mechanic to the side-scrolling action. All of the additions made are smart ones; Jetpack 2 is a joy to pilot. It’s got different modes, boss fights, and a little bit of customization to your flying load-out. A worthwhile sequel all around.
20. Cosmic Star Heroine
Platinum trophy #25!
I absolutely adored this game. Zeboyd makes the kind of RPGs that I can’t help but love; they feel so delightfully balanced while also being well-designed. You can tell that the studio puts so much effort into their projects. This has languished in the backlog for far too long.
Cosmic Star Heroine is just great; a space-faring spy RPG with corrupt governments, turn-based kaiji battles, and a cast of loveable characters. It also has Zeboyd’s consistently fantastic score and humor. This was my 25th Platinum trophy. The game did glitch on every trophy after a certain point, but it was only a minor inconvenience. Closing the game and loading a save was enough to fix it. Just a small thing. I can’t wait to play Zeboyd’s next adventure when it arrives on consoles.
21. The Quarry
What an excellent way to end the summer. The Quarry is Supermassive’s newest and their biggest yet. Full on summer camp horror with plenty of characters and a bounty of items to collect. Until Dawn really captured my imagination when I played it a few years back. This isn’t really a sequel to that; The Quarry is far meaner and harder to predict. I lost a few more characters than I would have liked. The deaths didn’t always seem fair, but I suppose that’s a reality of a game like this.
There’s a lot to like here: the cast is great and well-rendered. The music is sheer horror nostalgia, peppered during long moments of exploration and over the top horror-flavored menus. A good time and only about ten hours long. Autumn awaits!
22. Pokémon Black 2
I understand and appreciate the love that Pokémon Black 2/White 2 garner. As the swan song for the franchise on the DS, it brought a wealth of positives. Beautiful music. A massive Pokédex. Medals! The fan-beloved Pokémon World Tournament. It also has the most impressive post game ever. But still…
Diamond/Pearl and the Black/White games were a turning point for me in the franchise. I didn’t enjoy the worlds of these games on release. It’s hard to define why; I think that the new Pocket Monsters and the regions themselves just didn’t click with me. The games felt a bit laborious, even if the classic art style wowed me repeatedly. Those were my original feelings. I played the games, but I didn’t return to them over and over again like I did with the first couple generations.
Did my feelings change over a decade? Not really. But I did have more data this time. My run through of Shining Pearl last year revealed that there was nothing wrong with these games at their core. They are RPGs made by a studio at the top of their game. With that being said: I personally felt (and feel) that the DS games had hit their wall. Quality of life improvements were needed to meet with modern times.
I’m slowly replaying older Pokémon games. I plan on playing X/Y next, which were the titles that reignited my love for collecting Tajiri’s masterworks.
23. Layers of Fear
Layers of Fear has been on my Backlog for several years. Every time I went to play it, I remembered the bad reviews I’d read. Bad reviews or not, this was the October to do it.
What I found was… unremarkable. Layers of Fear has some good ideas. Unfortunately, those ideas are hidden underneath a layer of tedious gameplay and a completely uninteresting story of guilt. It contains excellent atmosphere, but each of the initially interesting environments are soon proven to be lifeless and comically unscary. I don’t think I’ve liked a Bloober Team game as of yet. Maybe their next projects will change my mind?
24. NIGHTSLINK
An analog horror that shows a broken world through the eyes of a sort of deliveryman. 20 minutes and perfect for the October season.
I wrote a review for this one here. Check it out soon, nightslink.
25. Inscryption
What a way to reach 25 games. I seriously cannot hype up Inscryption enough: go in blind. If you like deck-building and twisty horror narratives, do yourself a favor and play this. I have no desire to get into any further spoilers. There is a reason this one was GOTY at Polygon in 2021. In a year that contains Elden Ring, God of War: Ragnarök and two new Pokémon games, Inscryption stands tall. It’s so many of my favorite tropes and gameplay systems in one utterly fascinating package. Take this journey. Enter the **REDACTED** as soon as you can.
26. Call of Duty: WW2
After a couple of horror games in a row, I decided to take a little break. I wanted something mindless. I didn’t want to worry about solving puzzles or even paying attention to anything around me. So, I went to my games in search of a Call of Duty!
WW2 fit the bill. All joking aside, I always enjoy CoD campaigns. There is nothing to them, but the combat is brisk and impactful. The story of Red and his platoon is more of the same, but I enjoyed the clichéd Americana of it all.
27. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Platinum trophy #26!
I caught a pretty nasty cold mid-October. I spent a couple of days at home, feeling pretty under the weather. Even after I was deemed healthy enough to return to work, I still felt too weak to do anything of note. I wanted a comfort game, but something with an October/Halloween connection.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered was the perfect choice. Most of the game is set around Halloween. It’s a game that I Platinumed a few years ago, so I figured a run through of the story was in order. I was also attracted to the Haptic Feedback on Spidey’s swing.
This game is such a joy to play. That story run through quickly turned into another Platinum run (the PS5 version doesn’t share trophies between platforms). Swinging to crimes never felt boring. The writing and combat is addicting; I love every beat of this superhero yarn. It’s a lot, but Insomniac created a masterpiece here.
28. Marvel’s Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps
The City That Never Sleeps is the lengthy DLC that goes along with the mainline adventure. It really is a whole new plotline, but it also does an excellent job of putting a bow around the events of the main game. Though a lot of the activities in these chapters drug a bit (SO many escort missions) it’s hard to be mad at more Spider-Man. I missed these DLC when I originally Platinumed the game. I’m glad I came back to see this story through.
(A bit of a pause between beaten games as November rolled on. I did pick up both Pokemon Violet and God of War: Ragnarok during this time. And some Black Friday stuff! Nothing that I’ll beat in 2022. Probably.)
29. Marvel Snap
Marvel Snap was by far my favorite multiplayer experience of the year. While the gameplay hasn’t completely stolen me away, it’s hard to not be impressed by the flavorful simplicity of it as a card battler.
One aspect I love about Marvel Snap is how the card abilities line up so perfectly with the Marvel characters (both deep-cut and main roster). This makes it so that non-comic people can enjoy the art and clicky combat, but long time Marvelheads can geek out over Dr. Doom’s bots or Blade’s power at a cost. The game also never dips into the worst impulses of free-to-play titles; you can buy cosmetics with real money and that’s kind of it.
30. Pokémon Violet
Paldea Pokédex Completed! Every Pokémon caught.
After a rough November, Pokémon Violet’s relaxed familiarity kept me company. I wasn’t in the right mindset for the new God of War, so I let that simmer. As much as I had fun with this new game, I couldn’t help but wonder what went wrong.
The list of bad is substantial and depressing. The performance issues are impossible to ignore. Towns are nearly devoid of identity or activities. A hideous open world. A school setting that feels exactly like real school (a chore). The three-pronged main quests were a lie; they are based on level and essentially need to be done in order. It was nothing like was promised. Character customization was slashed. The weakest Champion ever. A big/small gripe: these are the WORST final evolutions that starters ever. They are horrifically ugly. There is only one choice here and just barely.
Some positives. Shiny hunting has never been easier. Some of the new Pokémon are pretty fantastic. The ending of the game goes some places, which I always respect. Some of the NPCs have decent designs. The TM system updates are beautiful. The gameplay loop and open world sometimes work pretty well, but that’s likely the Pokémon fan in me talking.
Like so many of Nintendo’s products, they can’t seem to carry progress forward between games. Why didn’t Violet/Scarlet learn from the other Switch titles? Why are some features missing? For a middle budget title, you could chalk it up to size and money. For Pokémon Shining Pearl, I blamed the game’s weak points on it’s remake status. But Violet/Scarlet should no longer be allowed to make excuses. Do better Game Freak.
31. Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is so simple yet so brilliant. What’s not to like? A gothic auto-battler. Unlockable stuff! It’s a game best played in 20 to 30 minute bouts of flashing chaos. The gameplay loop is endlessly satisfying. The variety of weapons (and their cool evolutions) make each run feel a bit different.
There was a reason why most gaming websites showered praise on this one. It’s an indie title that attacks the market with a unique tactic. I managed to unlock a bunch of characters and unlock every new stage. I feel like I’ve had enough of the game for now (this usually isn’t my kind of thing) but I wouldn’t count Vampire Survivors out completely. It belongs on the shortlist for Best Games of 2022.
32. Save Room
Platinum trophy #27!
This was a pleasant surprise. I was introducted to Save Room by Giantbomb’s GOTY episodes. The premise had be from the start; a puzzle game built around the Resident Evil 4 inventory system. The game had RE vibes all over. The weapons, ammo, herbs, and music. The trophy titles invoke a certain RE4 merchant.
The gameplay is simple and not very challenging. In other words, it’s the perfect puzzle game for me. It ended up being my final Platinum trophy for the year.
(This was my fifth platinum trophy of the year! One goal met!)
33. Signalis
Another game introduced to me through the media’s GOTY chats. Let me tell you: Signalis owns.
Dense. Impenetrable lore buoyed by an impressive atmosphere. This is a horror game that takes so many elements of the genre — Silent Hill, Resident Evil, low-fi indies — and brings them together into an intoxicating maze of puzzles, unique visuals, and a distinct survival-horror experience. I knew I would love Signalis; I just didn’t know how much I would love it.
And that wraps my games beaten in 2022.
So What Didn’t I Beat?
I dropped Dying Light 2 after a few lame hours. I found the game to be ugly, tedious, and completely broken. I had four missions in a single hour of play glitch out so that I couldn’t complete them. Not a good feeling. At least I got a good typewriter photo out of it? I also gave Darksiders Warmastered a try and bounced off it pretty hard. Not my style. Other games I gave up on: Tacoma, Blair Witch
I also put a little time into three separate multiplayer games. Evil Dead: The Game and Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodhunt. Evil Dead was too janky to be anything worth playing and Bloodhunt was a bit toothless.
One final game note: God of War Ragnarok. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t finish it before the end of the year. I’ll be getting the Platinum trophy in the first weeks of January though. As I experience each new story beat, I can’t stop thinking about how magical this it all is. How polished. How heavy. How the story grows and grows, breaking past the A to Z structure of the first game so completely. Another masterpiece.
Thank you for joining me in another year of Game Loot. I’ll see you again in the New Year.
