My Favorite Games from 2022

Happy 2023 gamers! I hope the new year has been treating you well so far.

Before I start talking about games I’m playing in 2023, I wanted to share my favorites from 2022. Just like my gaming backlog, ya girl has a blogging backlog lol oops. 

Better late than never tho, amirite?

My Top 5 Games of 2022

5. Pokémon Unite 

Honestly, the staying power of Pokémon Unite in my gaming rotation is shocking to me. A game I started with my bestie when this released in 2021 and I’m still playing on and off? Crazy. 

Synopsis: A powerful energy permeates Aeos Island that makes Pokémon grow stronger and provides them with enhanced abilities. Pokémon Trainers from around the world come here to harness the power of Aeos energy in thrilling battles. (Source: Pokémon Unite)

Available for free on Android, iOS, & Nintendo Switch.

Pokémon Unite makes my top 5 as it’s a game that I can easily pick up and put down. I don’t have to remember where I left off because it’s a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. I just have to remember how to use Google to look up the best build haha. 

There were a ton of events this year that were so cute too! This is the only MOBA that I play and gosh, they get me with the cosmetics and special events every time lol.

I failed at making the most of the first half of the year as I was waiting for other people to play with. I got over that fear tho and started solo queuing. It’s a lot of fun and I keep picking it back up.

I keep telling myself I’ll make master rank so maybe 2023 is the year. 

4. Animal Crossing New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise DLC 

Another potential shocker, Animal Crossing New Horizons makes my list again in 2022. This time it’s all about the DLC Happy Home Paradise.

Synopsis: Expand your horizons and help create vacation homes for clients on all-new resort islands. Join Lottie’s Paradise Planning team and travel to a distant group of beautiful resort islands with a diverse set of landscapes.

This time, you are in charge of inviting characters as clients and helping them live out their own dream vacations. Choose from a variety of islands, with different terrain and climates and find one that matches your client’s vision. Then start designing and start making their vacation dreams come true. Just wait until you see the look on your clients’ faces after you reveal the vacation home decorated just for them. (Source: Nintendo)

Available on Nintendo Switch.

If you have an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, you have access to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise DLC at no additional cost, yay!

If I don’t binge a game it takes me forever to finish and Happy Home Paradise is one of those games that seemed to take me f o r e v e r.

I played this live on stream for the first half of 2022. It was fun to chat while I worked on builds.

I definitely made some of the most unhinged vacation homes lol but we had fun doing it! Along the way I even got inspo + suggestions from my community which really made the game special for me.

You can check out some of my builds over on YouTube: 

If you’d like to visit, my code is:

Overall if you’re debating on picking up this DLC I would say do it. If you love decorating you will love this DLC. It’s very cute and the end event was a fun surprise. Plus you unlock skills & special items you can bring back to your Island!

It’s still one I go back to every now and then when I get into the mood to decorate. I’m not sure how many vacation homes you can build but I have a friend who’s in the hundreds!

So go get creative, loans to a racoon not required!

3. Pokémon Violet 

A game that not only consumed my life for the better part of threeish weeks, but also my husband, bestie, and our friendsgiving celebration lol. 

Synopsis: Catch, battle, and train Pokémon in the Paldea Region, a vast land filled with lakes, towering peaks, wastelands, small towns, and sprawling cities. There is no set path, so you can adventure freely through three grand stories. In one such story, you can challenge Pokémon Gyms in any order you desire as you aim for the Champion Rank!

Explore a wide-open world at your own pace and traverse land, water, and air by riding on the form-shifting Legendary Pokémon Miraidon. Choose either Sprigatito, Fuecoco, or Quaxly, to be your first partner Pokémon before setting off on your journey through Paldea. (Source: Nintendo)

Available on Nintendo Switch.

Pokémon Violet is the reintroduction to the Pokémon franchise that I wanted when Pokémon Legends Arceus released. The open world exploration, story, music, auto battle, multiplayer, Gym Leaders hehe – just everything! 

And I was so invested! I haven’t binged a game like that since my early days of ACNH.

Plus it took over my grid for the month of December lol. I haven’t been this excited about a game and trying to help other gamers in a minute. I think it was the really poor reception of the game that made me not shut up about it because to me it was so great. 

I would have ranked this game higher but since finishing the main story line I haven’t really picked it up much. I did a few tera raid events but have pretty much stopped playing now lol.

I have debated on finishing the Pokédex or shiny hunting so maybe I will get back in to that later this year. 

2. Ooblets 

I first saw this game at the Indie World Showcase. I was so fascinated by these dancing little goobers and the colorful world they inhabited.

I knew that this game was going to be something special!

Synopsis: A pretty weird game about farming, creature collection, and dancing. It’s Ooblets. You farm, you grow pals on your farm, you have those pals do dance battles, you live in a town, normal stuff. (Source: Ooblets)

Available on Nintendo Switch, Epic Games, and Xbox

I absolutely love to farm and this game delivered! The farming loop was a little harder for me to figure out at first but once I had a system, it became a loop I couldn’t drop. And honestly that’s pretty hard for me to find. There are a lot of farming sims out there but they are not all the same. 

On top of that this game has so much to offer.

First off, there is a story which absolutely if you’re playing please finish the story. It is so worth it! Exploring the world is so fun as each town is unique in design with different ooblets to collect. 

Which brings me to collecting ooblets. There are so many lol and you need items to persuade them to dance battle. I actually really like the dance battle mechanism and how it uses cards. I’m not really one to pick up a card based game but maybe now I will consider it.

Lowkey I would love to collect all the ooblets but I’m not pressuring myself to do that. Especially since some of them just make me cringe lol. I’ve just been enjoying casually playing. I’m on Day 88 now in my main save file. 

This is a game I keep going back to as well because of the timed seasonal events. Gumberlands knows how to host a good event! I want all the limited time items and it’s so fun to hang out with my ooblets trying to collect everything. I’m definitely looking forward to the spring event!

1. Potion Permit

My game of the year for 2022 is Potion Permit. 

Synopsis: Become a small-town chemist and heal townsfolk of their ailments in this beautiful pixel life sim. The town of Moonbury has always been wary of the advances of the outside world, preferring to rely on their traditional methods of healing. Until one day, when the mayor’s daughter falls ill, and the local witch doctor can do nothing to help her, they are forced to look outside their small community for help. (Source: PQUBE)

Available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.

I remember trying the demo live on stream and I instantly knew I was going to love this game. Check out the gameplay below:

I even picked up the collector’s edition hoping it would be great. I’m happy to say I was right but dang I didn’t realize how much I would love this game lol.

Another game I immersed myself into in 2022 for a few weeks. I packed in the hours working on collecting items for potions, tending to patients, rebuilding my home and clinic, learning more about Moonbury as I leveled up as a chemist, getting to know all of the villagers, and of course romancing Xiao. It’s been a minute since I was this obsessed with a datable love interest in a game lol but his story did not disappoint!

I think the thing I like the most about Potion Permit is the gaming loop of collecting materials, tending to patients, and getting to know the villagers. Even after I maxed out all the villagers and finished the storyline, I still enjoyed talking to everyone and continuing this gaming loop. 

There are two things that this game did really well that I’m obsessed with.

First, the doggo. You can name your best boy AND interact with him. Not only can we pet our dog but we can also feed him to help keep his stam up. Our dog is also the smartest with the ability to forage for food and lead us to villagers on request. This was such a useful mechanism of the game and I hope it gets incorporated into more games. 

Second, I really liked the relationship building in the game. All of the villagers had a backstory that kept me engaged and wanting to learn more. Maybe I’m just nosey but I really did think it was well written. Each villager is so unique and their stories aren’t ones that I’ve necessarily heard before in games which was refreshing. 

All of the villagers had special events for every friendship level. I loved that it wasn’t just for love interests. The time and location was also written on the bulletin board to activate these events which I really appreciated!

I loved the dating mechanism in this game as well. In most games you interact to build the friendship points, date, get some flirty dialogue, propose, then get married. In most games your new spouse just kinda chills around.

I was a little surprised to see that marriage wouldn’t be an option in Potion Permit but was glad to know there would at least be dating. To my surprise this is probably my favorite dating mechanism in a game.

After maxing out your friendship, you can then max out the next level that brings you closer to your love interest. You pick up a Moon Brooch to officially ask them to date you, getting a very sweet first date cutscene.

This is my favorite part because it doesn’t stop there.

You can then ask them to go on dates and you get the cutest cut scenes of new little dates hanging out around Moonbury. Awee. 

As you can see I won’t shut up about this game so it’s definitely my favorite from 2023. My first playthrough was full of bugs as I started on launch on Switch but it didn’t stop me. I kept playing lol.

If you’re considering playing now they have done a huge patch that fixed most if not all the issues. So no worries there!

I’m very happy to hear that they’ll be adding more content in 2023 including additional love interests! Another play through is definitely in the cards for me this year so don’t be shocked if this pops up on my 2023 list as well lol.

And honestly, I’m definitely debating on picking it up on Steam… I think if mods are created for it I def will lol. So if you hear about mods, let ya girl know!

Honorable Mentions

I didn’t really anticipate having 5 top games but these games really rose above the rest that I had played in 2022. While reflecting on the year, here are a few honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the top games list but I had a hoot playing.

• Stardew Valley – Stardew Valley will always have a spot in my favorite games list lol. I didn’t play as much as I had in prior years BUT on my co-op stream with PinkMatterGames we finally finished the community center! YAY! A big achievement and motivator for me to keep progressing on my personal save file. We even made it to Ginger Island and have been slowly making progress there.
• Genshin Impact – I had a full two or three months where Genshin Impact was my new identity lol. I became a huge Kaeya fan and bought all the things Kaeya in that short time haha. The staying power of this game in my rotation quickly faded though. I’m still interested in potentially going back to it. 
• Soundfall – Another game I first saw in the Indie Direct that I knew I was going to love. A rhythm looter & shooter, this game is so fun! I’m still working my way through but it’s such a bop it had to make this list. 
• Forza Horizon 4 – In 2022 I had a moment getting into driving simulators. I had such a strong interest that my husband got me a steering wheel controller. I kinda hate driving IRL so the fact that driving around the British countryside was so relaxing seems so counterintuitive to me lol but I loved it! I really got into it for a few weeks but the bulkiness of the steering wheel controller and having to set it up every time I gamed became a burden. I’m hoping that when we move I can figure out a better setup because I really did enjoy this game and want to get into other driving simulators I picked up. 
• Story of Seasons Pioneers of Olive Town – SoS had its moment for me lol. For about a week this was *everything* and I quickly became obsessed. I tried my best with finding a groove in a farming loop but never hit a great flow. I just didn’t love the mechanisms. Also, the love interest stories started to fall a little flat for me the more I progressed. This is one I dropped but have intentions to go back and marry Iori someday lol. 
• Ghost hunting simulators – Another moment where this became my new identity in 2022. I went in hard playing so many different titles in this genre. Looking back it’s so weird as I’m very afraid of anything remotely horror and can’t even play a FPS due to motion sickness. I have no idea how I threw in the hours playing these games because at the moment FPS style games and I do not get along for more than like 15 mins lol. 

Wrap It Up

Here are all of my favorites from 2022, a mix of new releases and some older ones I won’t let go of lol.

What games made it onto your list for 2022? Did we have any in common? 

As we enter a new year, I wish you all ✨ good luck ✨ in your gaming adventures.

May you win all your games and have the most fun!

Good luck on your quest,
Momo

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Hi, I’m Momo! I’m a gamer, streamer, and digital creator. I love chatting about video games, anime, and manga. If you liked this blog go check out other spots I lurk on the interwebz!

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