Some people have their own preferred genre, a type of game they like best. Today’s awards are for those people, who want the best games of their kind to grace that genre this year.
- Best Platformer
- Best Arcade / Party Game
- Best Action Game
- Best Action-RPG
- Best RPG
- Best Strategy Game / Simulation
- Best Graphic Adventure / Visual Novel
- Best Puzzle Game
- Best Card Game
- Best Sports Game
- Best Misc. Game
- Additional Commentary!
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Best Platformer
Neon White – There were some strong contenders in this category this year, but I ultimately had to choose Neon White. No other game this year really made it such a joy to jump, dash, and move around in three dimensions like Neon White, and that’s in part due to how wildly creative it is. You’ve never played another Platformer quite like this, and if you want a truly wonderful and unique experience within the genre, you need to play this game.
Runners-Up:
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series
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Best Arcade / Party Game
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge – Not only are Arcade Brawlers always best played with friends, they’re also so instantly accessible that anyone can easily join in and kick some butt (shell?). However, Shredder’s Revenge is not just any Arcade Brawler, but one of the best that the genre has ever produced, and while it’s absolutely accessible for newcomers to the genre, it also has a lot of depth for more seasoned players. Add to that a delightfully nostalgic presentation, and you have a game that’s sure to be welcome at any party where gamers want to play together.
Runners-Up:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
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Best Action Game
Bayonetta 3 – The silky-smooth, skillful gameplay of the Bayonetta series would have already made this game a favorite to win in this category, but add to that the extra layer of strategic action the game gets through its new Demon Slave ability, and this becomes one of the best Action games of the last few years, at least.
Runners-Up:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Little Noah: Scion of Paradise
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
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Best Action-RPG
Guardian Tales – You wouldn’t expect that adding linearity and gacha mechanics to a Zelda-style game would make for a very compelling formula, and yet Guardian Tales shows that if it’s done right, it can be an absolute delight. There weren’t many strong contenders in this category this year, but even so, Guardian Tales is more than deserving of this honor.
Runners-Up:
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
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Best RPG
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – In terms of awe and spectacle, I found Xenoblade Chronicles 3 lacking compared to its predecessors. However, I also feel that it is overall a much better game in nearly every way, with excellent gameplay, a wonderful world to explore, and a truly gripping and epic story with memorable and endearing characters. No other RPG this year gave us the full package the way Xenoblade Chronicles 3 did.
Runners-Up:
Pokemon Scarlet / Pokemon Violet
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream
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Best Strategy Game / Simulation
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope – While there were some strong contenders for this award this year, the winner is no contest in my mind. Mario + Rabbids gives players some wonderful flexibility in not only outfitting their team to try to craft the killer combination of party members, but also in taking advantage of different ways to exploit the battlefield to annihilate enemies. The amount of creativity on display here is only rivaled by how wonderfully accessible it all is. If you want to introduce new players to the Strategy-RPG genre, this is one of the best ways you’ll ever find to do so.
Runners-Up:
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Best Graphic Adventure / Visual Novel
Beacon Pines – What really sets Beacon Pines apart among this year’s selection of Graphic Adventure and Visual Novel games is that it pairs a story with really likable characters and a beautiful presentation with a clever mechanic that is both creative and also extremely accessible, making this game’s already charming branching narrative into an exploration of ideas and how those ideas can change a story. The result is a truly wonderful experience overall that I feel any fan of the genre can get behind.
Runners-Up:
Star Seeker In: The Secret of the Sorcerous Standoff
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Best Puzzle Game
Toodee and Topdee – Toodee and Topdee combines two pretty standard types of Puzzle games, resulting in an amalgamation that’s clever and refreshing thanks to some inspired level design and puzzle design. Top all of this with a good presentation and some really lovable characters, and you have an absolute winner of a Puzzle game.
Runners-Up:
Puzzle & Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition
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Best Card Game
Card Shark – While I didn’t play too many card games in 2022, Card Shark nevertheless stands out within the genre because it’s mostly a poker game that’s… not really about playing poker. This game’s approach to its topic material, and the way players are progressively made to try and remember numerous methods for cheating, all make for a truly unique experience.
Runners-Up:
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Best Sports Game
MLB The Show 22 – Who would have predicted one of the year’s best games for Nintendo Switch would be… a game developed by Sony? While the Nintendo Switch version of MLB The Show 22 of course scales down the graphics to work on Nintendo’s underpowered hardware, this is still a quality port of a truly great simulation-style Baseball game, a genre Nintendo Switch has been sorely lacking in. However, even if that wasn’t the case, this would still be a phenomenal sports game, with plenty of options to customize your experience and play the game in a way that feels right to you. This game is proof positive that simulation-style sports games can work well on Nintendo Switch, and hopefully we see even more in the future.
Runners-Up:
Grand Mountain Adventure: Wonderlands
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Best Misc. Game
Card Shark – While this game won Best Card Game just a moment ago, describing it as just “a Card Game” is really doing it a disservice. It’s a fast-paced Arcade-style game, it’s a character-driven Graphic Adventure and Visual Novel. It’s full of charm and wit and great writing and fun game mechanics, and the result overall is a truly unique experience.
Runners-Up:
Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness
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Additional Commentary!
Just going to comment on the categories I feel like I have more to add.
Best Platformer
Only four runners-up this time because I didn’t really feel like there were any other games truly on par with these games enough to be a fifth runner-up. That’s not to say that this wasn’t a strong category this year, though. The games that did get named here are all excellent, and at different times, four out of the five named games all felt like they were in the lead to win this award. Kirby and the Forgotten Land was a clear favorite, with the game expertly transitioning Kirby into a major fully 3D game for the first time ever. It Takes Two does everything extremely well, and that includes its platforming. And Crumble is one of my most delightful surprises of the year, and as I say in the review, it manages to be a better 3D Sonic game than Sonic himself has ever managed to accomplish. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is a bit of a stretch to include here as it isn’t entirely a new game, but it’s a solid remake of a phenomenal pair of Puzzle-Platformers. However, when I think back to which game’s platforming I really enjoyed the most this year, I thought most of Crumble and Neon White. And Crumble’s framerate issues and Neon White’s wild creativity ultimately tipped the scales in Neon White’s favor.
Best Action-RPG
Yeah, I’m just as surprised as you are at the slim pickings in this category this year. As for the winner, the choice came down to Guardian Tales and Soundfall, and as much as I adore Soundfall, I also have to admit that the PC version’s ability to import your own music makes that version of the game far preferable to the Nintendo Switch version. However, the Nintendo Switch version is still well worth playing if you’re looking to play the game on the go.
Best RPG
If this were just an award for “Jake’s favorite RPG”, it would have gone to one of the Pokemon games. Pokemon Scarlet/Violet in particular is one of the games I most enjoyed this year, period. Both of the Pokemon games this year boast some really high highs, but they also have some really low lows, and while I was able to look past those low points, I understand that others may not have been able to do so as easily. And while these awards all reflect my own personal opinion, I try to make it about more than just “what’s the best game for Jake”. In this case, it’s easy to see how Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is just a quality game through and through, and an excellent step forward for its series.
Best Sports Game
This was a pretty great year for Sports games on Nintendo Switch. With two solid sports titles from Nintendo themselves, and three surprisingly good options from indie developers, as well. Heck, I could have even gone on beyond the choices I listed here, with Retro Bowl offering a fun take on Football, and the sadly underrated Roller Champions also deserving some recognition here. The Nintendo Switch actually had a really good year for sports games, who woulda’ thunk it!?
That’s all for today! to keep up with all of the eShopperReviews 2022 Game Awards, be sure to check back at the Awards’ Start Page, which I’ll be updating throughout the week!
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