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2022 has seen a lot of video game releases so far, and many of them have been quite the commercial or critical hit. These releases cover a wide variety of genres, including RPG, action-adventure, survival-horror, as well as single & multiplayer video games.
There are many reasons to get a hold of these new releases, with a major one being good gameplay, which makes a video game enjoyable. This may be due to some new mechanics being introduced to the player for the first time, a return to a certain type of game, or just great well-balanced and responsive gameplay.
With so many video games available in 2022 so far, it might be difficult to narrow down just one great game. This list aims to showcase the best games from different genres, which were released this year, and have been great fun to play.
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinions.
5 video games released in 2022 which have the best gameplay
1. Sifu
If one were looking to channel their inner martial artist, then Sifu would be a great pick, as this game delivers hand-to-hand combat in a fresh new take. An action beat ‘em up video game, Sifu was developed and published by Sloclap, releasing on February 8, 2022.
This game tells the story of a young Martial Artist who witnessed their master (or Sifu) being killed by one of their disgraced former students. The martial artist has the power to be revived after death, but grows older every time they resurrect. Seeking revenge, they now track down the people responsible for their master’s death, aiming to kill them all.
The game’s combat includes over 150 unique attacks and some are able to open up additional opportunities by stunning or knocking down opponents. The revive mechanic functions in a way that the player can resurrect any time after death, but will progressively keep getting older.
After a set age, the player cannot be resurrected and will die permanently. A higher age results in more damage but lesser overall health. This will mean that players will have to strategically plan ahead as to what age will best suit every battle.
2. Elden Ring
Elden Ring graced video game consoles and PCs on February 25 to many a Soulsborne fan’s joy. This is possibly the first time a FromSoftware video game is accessible to a larger crowd with a dedicated tutorial area, as well as popups teaching players how to use various items.
That is not to say it is not vague, as players are let loose into the wide open-world of the Lands Between, as they step into Limgrave, with nothing but a few lines of vague dialogue from a ghost to guide them. Once their Tarnished is ready, players can literally head in any direction they wish to, with only enemies barring their way.
This is also only the second time a Soulsborne game has had a dedicated jump and crouch button, being pulled in from Sekiro as well as a rideable steed, which is the first ever in these games.
This allows for new players to quickly weave in and out of dangerous situations and not feel boxed in, as in previous games. With several quality-of-life improvements from older games (the most recent being a quit-to-desktop feature for PCs), Elden Ring is set to be the best FromSoftware video game to date.
3. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Players looking for a fun romp in a LEGO environment should definitely pick up LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, as this game fully encapsulates the nine major episodic movies of the Star Wars universe. This video game was released on April 5 this year.
Gameplay remains similar to general LEGO video games, as the players take control of various characters from across the nine movies. Various planets serve as explorable worlds, instead of just a single hub world, with popular locations like Naboo, Tatooine, Coruscant, Starkiller base, Ahch-To and many more.
Players can choose to start their adventure from the beginning of any title and complete it as they please. Each episode contains five missions, with a number of pre-levels between them, which collectively move the plot forward.
Combat is improved with lightsaber combat involving light and heavy attacks, and blaster users getting a third-person over-the-shoulder camera perspective. As fans of the series boot up this game for the first time, they’ll surely be saying “this is where the fun begins”.
4. Evil Dead: The Game
Fans of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell should get their hands on this game, as it is their long-awaited love letter to the Evil Dead franchise. Filled to the brim with references to all the movies and TV shows, this asymmetrical survival horror multiplayer video game launched on May 13 and is currently the best on the market.
Players can play as survivors in Evil Dead: The Video Game, choosing between various different versions of Ash Williams as well as various other side characters and friends of Ash from the movies and TV shows. As survivors, they must fend off whichever demon is haunting the map, and collect the lost pages of the Necronomicon to unlock a way to destroy the evil.
Players may also choose to play as the demon to haunt the map, where they will be tasked with stopping the survivors at any cost. Demons have various supernatural powers at their disposal which they can use to try and completely wipe out the survivors. While the survivors can be played in 4-player co-op, the demon is played by a single person.
5. The Quarry
From well-known horror developer Supermassive Games comes a spiritual successor to the hit video game Until Dawn. The Quarry tells the story of a group of young adults who get stuck in a Summer Camp a day after it is closed down. Having to spend a night here, the teens soon realise that they are not alone, and that something is hunting them.
Like past games from this developer, The Quarry’s gameplay heavily centers on dialogue options and player choice, which may end up determining who gets to live or die in the long run.
In addition to interactive dialogue, QTEs are also a big part of gameplay, failing at which might even result in the immediate death of the character players are controlling at the time. Explorative sections also exist, requiring players to make various choices with regards to the environment, which also contributes to the narrative.
Playing as an interactive horror experience, players get control of different characters in different parts of the story, as the fate of each character is put in their hands. Depending on all the varying decisions the player can make, this game has a total of 186 different endings.
