Dom Peppiatt picked his games of the year for VG247. There are only three in the list but here’s his #1:
My Game of the Year for 2022 is Tunic. From my first interaction with the game (where I granted it five stars, surprise, surprise), I have been besotted with Finji and Andrew Shouldice’s mysterious action-adventure gem.
The game – immediately recognisable to anyone that grew up with retro Zelda-like games, and instantly appealing to those that didn’t – is a love letter to the sense of mystery you got when you picked up games as a kid and couldn’t immediately parse what was going on. You’re dropped into a world, and tasked with figuring out what’s going on. Written in its own language, obscure to the point of intrigue, dressed up with a gorgeous soundtrack, and realised in this toybox, tilt-shift aesthetic, Tunic will grab hold of your eyes, your ears, and your heart and it won’t let go… even after the final credits roll.
Tunic manages to summon a sense of wonder, the same sense of wide-eyed wonder that would prick your soul as a child, before you became jaded with the world (and with video games, specifically). Not to be too saccharine about it, but Tunic made me fall in love with games again. I played it on Steam for review, then did it all again on Xbox when it arrived on Game Pass. I gave it to my partner, I have sent codes to friends. I have become the Tunic evangelist, preaching to all to come worship at my isometric church.
I remember Wired calling Tunic “the game of the year that no one’s talking about” and some people criticising the game mechanics. Either way, it’s a coveted game and one I’ve not played so you won’t hear any opinions from me (you’re welcome!)
