Games Finished in 2023
This is a list of all the games, new and old, I completed in 2023.
Here are my lists for past years:
List items
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(1/30) - When 2023 started, I didn’t know what Private Eye Dol was and it wasn’t available in English. However, thanks to a surprise fan translation released a few weeks ago, I discovered this cute little game. Private Eye Dol may just look like a typical menu-based bishoujo adventure game but in actuality it’s a top-down title with gameplay more similar to something like Corpse Party. The game features surprisingly high production values and an equally surprising amount of variety. I was constantly impressed at how the game kept throwing new stuff at me. One moment I'm solving a murder in a spooky mansion where all the characters are walking around in almost realtime and the next I’m on a remote vacation island where I need to map out locations so I can progress. While the mysteries themselves won’t blow your mind, Private Eye Dol always kept me entertained thanks to this variety. And the presentation is also very charming, featuring 90s-as-heck character designs by Atsuko Ishida (Magic Knights Rayearth and J-Decker) and tons of cute sprite animations that give the game so much personality. While there are certainly better Japanese adventure games out there, such as other contemporary titles like Snatcher, Private Eye Dol is still well worth anyone’s time.
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(3/14) - About a week ago Paranormasight just kind of dropped out of nowhere. It was randomly announced during the Japanese Nintendo Direct in February and basically had little to no fanfare leading up to its release (at least on the English speaking side of things). I thought the game looked interesting and I ended up researching the game’s director to find he also had an interesting history in the adventure genre but I still didn’t really know what to expect. Now that I’ve finished it, I’m sort of floored at how good Paranormasight is. Fun characters, spooky vibes, engaging mysteries, fantastic presentation, it really has it all. In some ways Paranormasight does more with its short runtime and modest-looking budget than some larger examples of the genre. I saw this mentioned on Twitter, so I can’t take full credit for this comparison, but it really feels like something that would have been released on the Nintendo DS back in the day. A DS title that would be held up as a cult classic today. But more than anything, Paranormasight is just an amazing surprise. The game just showed up one day and impressed the heck out of me.
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(4/3) - When RE4 was rumored to be remade, I was very hesitant about the idea. Resident Evil 4 isn’t even that old! It only came out… two decades ago. Anyway, even after playing the demo, I wasn’t totally sure what I would think of the full game. Now that I’ve finished it, I think RE4R is pretty much the best remake you could possibly hope for (that isn’t radically different from the original). I honestly haven’t had this much fun playing an RE game since the 2 remake. Everything about the experience just felt smart, from the gameplay changes to the rewrites to the narrative. I was not expecting a lot and came away incredibly impressed.
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(4/5) - A local Discord I’m on decided to play through Rondo together and it was a lot of fun. I decided to get my old PVM out of my closet and finally get it set up so I could play through the game. I purchased the Virtual Console release of Rondo years ago and I had watched my younger brother play through the game but I had never finished it myself before now. In many ways, Rondo feels like a modern release despite being published in 1993, containing animated cut-scenes, pre-recorded music, and even some quality-of-life features (like being able to watch videos on how to defeat each boss). This, along with Private Eye Dol, have given me a new appreciation for the PC-Engine CD and how ahead of its time it was. I didn’t explore all the level paths, or beat the game as Maria, but I still enjoyed my time with Rondo and I can see why people regard it as a classic. But screw stage 5.
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(4/11) - I was on a PC-Engine kick after finishing Rondo so I decided to play through Galaxy Fraulein Yuna since I had enjoyed Private Eye Dol earlier in the year. The game is cute and full of charming artwork and animations but it is also, honestly, very dumb. The characters are dumb, the premise is dumb, and the gameplay is dead simple. But you know, sometimes you just want some dumb fun and Yuna certainly provides that. It’s kind of like watching a silly 90s anime OVA but in game form.
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(4/27)
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(5/12)
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(6/19)
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(9/4)
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(10/22) - Witch on the Holy Night is the first Type-Moon game I've experienced all the way to completion, outside of the bonus chapter of 428. It was also one of the early titles that impressed me with its visuals way back in 2011 when I was first learning about the visual novel genre (before the game had even been released). So playing through Holy Night was a really interesting experience in many ways, feeling new yet nostalgic.
Witch on the Holy Night is one of the few VNs I've played where it really screams “prestigious”. The title certainly has plenty of chuunibyou elements, yet its presentation, writing style, and sheer confidence of its execution, give the title a feeling of class and petagree I have not seen too often in the genre. And yet it can also be quite comedic, with a lot of my enjoyment stemming from the funny slice-of-life scenes between the three protagonists. These scenes also demonstrate Holy Night’s skills at visual storytelling (along with the action scenes), with the punchline often being a well timed animation or change of expression (thinking of the penguin scene). Equal parts funny and serious, Holy Night balances its tones very well and was really enjoyable to play through. However, once you zoom out and look at the title as a whole, its story has a lot of narrative dead ends, if you will. Characters like Kojika, that old guy, Ritsuka, and much of the supporting cast get very little to do despite the screen time they are given. And plot points like the church, Alice's background, and Soujyuro's past also only get hinted at. So much time is spent building up its world and characters yet the title ends with a conclusion that only really involves a fight between two sisters. It feels like the narrative is just taking a vacation in the first 13 episodes of a 50 episode anime, unwilling to progress to episode 14 where the narrative moves outside of establishing its setting. In fact the bonus scenario at the end of the game almost feels like the developers realizing they needed to use these characters for something extra after spending so much time creating art and backgrounds for each of them.
I suppose all of this was by design. As I understand it, Witch on the Holy Night was planned to be a trilogy of VNs and this is only the first installment. However, 11 years later and it doesn't seem the trilogy will ever be completed so all we are left with is a story that feels half baked in the most negative interpretation of it. But, just like a lot of VNs, the narrative is sometimes less important than the time spent with its cast. I've said this about other VNs but Witch on the Holy Night feels like it is meant to be marinated in. You just let the beautiful art, melancholic music, and fun characters wash over you as you have a nice time chilling in the stew it's cooking. And I honestly wasn't thinking about its flaws as I sat listening to the sad piano song on the title screen after completing everything. Plus, all these flaws can be forgiven due to Soujyuro. I'm only half joking because Soujyuro’s charm and unpredictability is a huge part of this game's enjoyment. The narrative can almost be summarized as two cool girls with super powers constantly having their worldviews shattered by a boy who's too pure for this world. If you don't like Soujyuro, I can honestly say you won't like this game. As for me, I liked him quite a bit so I liked Witch on the Holy Night quite a bit as well.
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(10/29)
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(11/3) - I played Pseudoregalia on a whim and it ended up really impressing me. Metroidvanias can be really hit or miss for me but Regalia did an amazing job of drawing me into its world with very little. It has a dark and moody setting yet it still comes off as whimsical and light-heated. The gameplay is challenging but it never become punishing or cruel. And it often focuses on platforming and gaining new movement abilities in a way I really enjoyed. The experience was short and sweet (only taking about 6 hours to finish) yet it felt like I had been playing the game forever. Almost like waking up from a dream you feel like you've been in for months. Pseudoregalia was a great surprise that really stood out to me in a year full of great surprises.
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(11/6)
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(12/27)
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(12/30)
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