I know it sounds like an oxymoron, but I think that Game of the Year should be about more than just one game. Whilst I sincerely admire Larian Studios, I think it’s a bit of a shame that so much good work went unrecognised this year in the shadow of Baldur’s Gate 3. I get it, everyone wants to play the best games, but such a strong collective movement towards one specific title just means there are literally thousands more that fall by the wayside.
Indeed, one of the biggest problems that roguish devs have had in 2023 is simple discovery. I’m personally actively looking for the best new roguelikes and roguelites, yet I frequently discover games that have launched completely under my radar. There is a serious lack of scarcity in the roguelike space right now, and it’s harder than ever for developers to get noticed.
Perhaps just as pertinently, ours is a genre that is in the best shape that it has ever been, and its influence is being felt ever further afield. By this I mean that both indie developers and triple-A studios continue to explore what it means to be a rogue at heart, and we’re seeing their creative expression manifest in a variety of directions.
That being so, I want to take this chance to celebrate a number of games. This year will be a Rogues’ Gallery of excellent titles that have released in full, with a bit of flex for pre-existing games that have received major updates and expansions. This ludic line-up hails from a range of different sub categories, and honestly it’s impossible to pick between them, so consider the following to be in no particular order whatsoever. Drum roll please…
Rogueliker’s Games of the Year 2023 – The High Five
Against the Storm – This fantasy RTS blends the best bits of classic base-building with a roguelite loop that has you trying to extend out across a growing empire. This happens while the eponymous storm rages and threatens to undo your hard work. The fantasy races spice things up and add nuance and variety, and the OG Warcraft vibes seal the deal. If you’re a strategy nerd, this could be your game of the year.
Risk of Rain Returns – This remake of the original Risk of Rain brings a visual overhaul and a range of other gameplay enhancements, while retaining the flavour and personality of the first. Risk of Rain Returns is a fantastic sci-fi platformer, but playing with a friend elevates the experience to another level. With a range of playable characters to control and a decent amount to discover and unlock, this labour of love also stands up as a great game in 2023.
Brotato – Perhaps my most personal pick, Brotato puts you in control of a Mr Potato Head-type character that you then use to avoid waves damage and in turn hand out pain. It’s an auto-shooter, but without the sprawl of Vampire Survivors; instead Brotato fires a relentless stream of short combat gauntlets at you. You can prepare for each one by picking upgrades and weapons, and then you see these upgrades appear on your little potato friend. I think the audio effects are also so satisfying that they help immerse you in the moment and focus on the gameplay, which in my opinion, is extremely fun.
Astral Ascent – The Zodiac theme in Astral Ascent will perhaps open the game up to a wider audience beyond roguelikes, and I hope that’s the case because this action-platformer is a fantastic little game that deserves widespread recognition. The combat is tight, the boss fights are exciting, and there’s so much to unlock and do. If you’re looking for a game that scratches a similar itch to Hades, but without being a carbon copy, the flip to side-scrolling platformer shouldn’t put you off. Astral Ascent has so much to offer.
Dave the Diver – This mish-mash of exotic ingredients turned out to be a delightful diversion away from all the dungeon crawling and epic adventuring of the year. Dave the Diver left Early Access earlier this June and in doing so delivered one of the most charming rogues of the year. Dave’s underwater adventure splits your time between the deepest depths of the mysterious Blue Hole by day, and a sushi restaurant by night. The resulting game is a delicious roguelite that I imagine will hook a lot of people into the genre.
Game of the Year 2023: Updates & Expansions
I think there is also room to celebrate games that have been updated and expanded upon. We’ve been treated to lots of great expansions, both early access and post-launch updates. The highlights of this year include the Relics of the Old Gods for Cult of the Lamb, and the Adventures that were added to Vampire Survivors. However, as Highlander once taught us, there can be only one.
Tiny Rogues: Between Heaven and Hell – My vote for expansion of the year landed just in time for consideration, but I’ve also had to wrestle with the possibility of there being a bit of recency bias. I’m an old romantic, however, and that’s why Tiny Rogues gets the plaudits from Rogueliker. Between Heaven and Hell completely overhauled the game, adding a whole ton of new content to an already highly playable game. In my humble opinion, the update enhanced what was already great about the game, but layered in nuance and depth across many more of its facets. I can’t wait to see where it evolves next, but the game is in great shape right now.
The penultimate spot in this year’s Rogues’ Gallery is going to be occupied by a big game with a roguelike-inspired mode. There is a major problem with this year’s award, however, and that’s my lack of time with Valhalla, the new roguelite mode that has just been added to God of War Ragnarok. By all accounts it’s excellent, however, I can only really comment on games that I’ve played. That why this year’s Triple-A Rogue is…
Hitman: Freelancer – This is IO Interactive’s attempt at bringing a bit of roguish replayability to Hitman. The road to this point has been a rocky one for sure, however, one thing that IOI has done at every step of 47’s journey is build replayability and longevity into the sandboxes that featured in each of the last three Hitman games. Freelancer is the final culmination of this effort to ensure Hitman’s long term accessibility.
World of Assassination, as it’s called now, gets a total reshuffle in Freelancer, ensuring that enough is changed in each level to put even the most experienced killers back on the edge of their seats. Now your 47 is up against four criminal syndicates, and it’s up to the player to make more strategic planning decisions to better prepare them for the unexpected as they take out henchmen and then syndicate bosses, with ever-escalating stakes.
Finally, it’s time to recognise a more traditional roguelike, and end this celebration with a nod to a game that encapsulates the true essence of the genre. In fact, this is no more true after the recent 7th Plague expansion, a year-in-the-making update that injected a whole bunch of new content to the game. That’s right, I’m referring to…
Caves of Qud – Our final rogue of the year is Freehold Games’ mega-ambitious and seemingly never-ending science-fantasy roguelike, Caves of Qud. The release version of the game is set to land in 2024, but I’m happy to recommend this one as it currently stands. The Creatures of the 7th Plague expansion added a ton of new content for players to chomp through, and the devs still put out weekly updates.
Caves of Qud is a rather tough nut to crack at first, but stick with it and push through any teething issues that you might encounter with the UI, and you’ll go on to uncover an incredibly detailed world that is layered with immense depth and consistently satisfying nuance.
