It’s hard to keep track of every game launch. While a handful of titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, or Death Stranding 2: On the Beach are sure to top the year’s Best Of lists, many more will go unrecognized for their brilliance, fun, or sheer absurdity.
The good news is we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re stuck at home for the holidays and itching for something to play, or you just want to make sure you don’t let any hidden gems slip under your radar, here are five games from this year’s slate you should not miss.
Blippo+
Courtesy of Yacht; Telefantasy Studios; Noble Robot
If you’re in the mood for something a little out there, start with Blippo+. First released in May on the handheld Playdate console, the game arrived on PC and Switch in September.
At first blush, it’s a game about channel surfing. You browse different broadcasts, each of which feature bizarre, retro, live-action transmissions about a minute or so long, from nightly news and soap operas to quiz shows and fuzzy softcore. Every channel runs according to a schedule, which means you’ll need to decide which broadcasts to watch as they run live, and which to try again the next night. The more you watch, the easier it becomes to piece together the overall strange, sci-fi story of Blippo+, which plays out across these endearingly weird channels. Think ‘80s TV show Max Headroom, but with those vibes sprinkled into everything—including the retro soundtrack by Jona Bechtolt of Yacht and the composer Rob Kieswetter.
Blippo+ is one of the year’s most original games, so much so that it almost defies explanation. The less you know, the better. Best to embrace its absurdity by diving directly in.
Buy for $15: PC, Nintendo Switch, Playdate ($10)
Blue Prince
Dogubomb’s Blue Prince (a play on “blueprints”) is for puzzle lovers. In House of Leaves fashion, players explore a mansion whose rooms are constantly changing in search of Room 46. Things are made even more difficult by the fact that, to start, you’ll only be able to take 50 steps per day, and your path will be redrafted anew every cycle depending on which rooms you choose to explore.
