3/ No Sleep for Kaname Date - It was fun getting to interact with the cast more but it's a bit nothing burger of an experience: not bad, not fantastic. Tbf, the game is self aware of its status. Escape game sections were cool but a bit too hand-holdy compared to Zero Escape.

2/ Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake - Despite dropping the remake of DQ3 last year I decide to give the series another chance and finally came to the conclusion that it's just not for me. I beat it only thanks to a guide and didn't enjoy the experience: combat, music, writing, or exploration

1/ The Rise of the Golden Idol - I think I enjoyed the first game slightly more than the sequel. Some puzzles I got immediatelly and some were real head scratchers. The puzzles were well designed and logical, I'm just thick.

I played more games but didn't include them in the thread so here's a Tierlist of ALL games I played this year to sum it up.

Top 3:
1. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
2. Last Defense Academy
3. Expedition 33

I'll try to be more diligent next year haha

19/ Control - (77/100) - enjoyable action game from Remedy, though the story didn't quite interest me as the world-building of the Oldest House. Art direction is on point as ever!

18/ Heartworm - (68/100) - kinda forgettable overall. Feels like a lost potential more than anything. Needed more time in the oven.

17/ Silent Hill f - (82/100) - Beautifully told story but the game suffers a bit from too many forced encounters near the end. However, it's a great return to form for Silent Hill.

16/ Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter - (90/100) - Sky FC but redone from scratch with fully 3D environment and great animations. The ending is as heartbreaking as always. Offers evrything the best the "future" installements have to offer.

15/ Pikmin 2 - (70/100) - I can never fully vibe with this game. Even if it is more strategic that the first. But the procedurally generated caves seem to troll you more than provide a real challenge. And getting 100 purple Pikmin is a chore.

14/ Duck Detective: the Ghost of Glamping - (75/100) - A good improvement on puzzle logic from the original. Quirky cast of characters and a grand good time. Voice acting is always top-notch.

13/ Pikmin - (80/100) - Very biased towards Pikmin 1 but it's simple, challenging, requires some strategy to fit within the time limit. Switch version doesn't control as well as on the Wii. Still cute as heck.

12/ The Roottrees are Dead - (72/100) - A very good take on fill in the blanks genre of puzzle/adventure game. Presentation is a bit simplistic but it is very difficult and satisfying when you get something right. Good hint system and internal logic so it is very solvable.

11/ Post Trauma - (68/100) - A bit clunky in combat and puzzles but there's a certain charm to it and the awkward main character. Tries to do something unique so I applaud the effort.

10/ Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy - (89/100) - Kodaka, I kneel. This is arguably the best thing to come out of Kodaka's crazy head but the narrative and characters are worth experiencing. I did get all 100 endings and while some were a miss with me, this game deserves recognition.

But also, WHERE WAS RHYTHM HEAVEN I'M ASKING!