Disco Elysium is a masterclass in storytelling and role-playing, combining deep, witty dialogue with a haunting atmosphere and innovative mechanics that redefine what RPGs can be.

Doom: Dark Ages refines classic fast-paced combat with streamlined mechanics and tight level design, delivering a solid and satisfying experience despite some simplified visuals.

The Alters surprised me as one of the most compelling strategy/survival games this year. At first glance, it reminded me of Fallout Shelter or XCOM, but it quickly reveals deeper, thought-provoking themes wrapped inside an addictive base-building experience.

Death Stranding 2 refines the unique, contemplative gameplay of its predecessor with polished mechanics, an epic story, and a bold, niche approach that challenges mainstream gaming norms.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 builds on the immersive medieval RPG experience with deep roleplaying, branching quests, and a richly detailed world, despite some quirks in combat and bugs.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reinvents turn-based RPGs with a unique blend of story, lore, and a mix of turn-based and real-time combat, backed by strong voice acting and soundtrack.

Star Wars Outlaws delivers solid gunplay and stunning environments, but suffers from a lackluster story and some suspension-of-disbelief moments, especially in stealth gameplay.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is an RPG that practically bursts with style and confidence. It takes the familiar tropes of high fantasy—kings, curses, and a sprawling magical world—and infuses them with Persona energy.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows tones down RPG elements compared to recent Assassin’s Creed titles, delivering accessible stealth and combat with a strong story and stunning immersive environments.

Avowed surprised me with a deep RPG experience, blending strong exploration, tactical combat, and meaningful roleplaying despite some frustrations with loot and scaling.

Final Fantasy XVI delivers a dark, complex story far removed from nostalgia, with strong cinematic action, a dynamic combat system that grows over time, and impressive medieval-themed visuals.

Aliens: Dark Descent offers intense squad-based tactical combat but struggles with frustrating level design, limited formation control, and some immersion-breaking bugs.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle surprises with its effective first-person perspective, engaging puzzles, and a combat style that perfectly captures Indy’s character, despite some rudimentary gameplay elements.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard offers an action-oriented RPG experience with a rich story and character-driven quests, despite some controversy over art style and quest bloat.

Dragon's Dogma II is a highly anticipated sequel with unique party and combat mechanics but suffers from severe optimization issues, rushed story pacing, and technical drawbacks.

Batman Arkham Knight delivers the ultimate Batman experience with an expansive Gotham, refined combat, and the long-awaited Batmobile, though it occasionally leans too heavily on vehicle segments.

Batman Arkham Origins is a solid prequel that refines the series’ formula, offering a darker story and a more open Gotham, but it falls short of the polish and impact of its predecessors.

Batman Arkham City expands the series into an open-world setting, delivering more freedom, refined combat, and deep exploration, while maintaining the dark tone and tight gameplay.

Batman Arkham Asylum is the origin of the acclaimed Arkham series. Its tight combat, horror vibe, and claustrophobic levels still deliver a thrilling superhero experience years later.

I recently played both games of The Hellblade Saga, starting with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice first in anticipation of the then-upcoming Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, then playing Hellblade II afterward when it released.