I got a red Gameboy advance when I was 8 with three game cartridges: The Polar Express, Disney Princess, and Pokemon Emerald. In my memory Disney Princess was the shit, but I recently came across it at a retro shop and shudder at what passed for entertainment as a child.
I only recently started compiling this list and am only including games I think I liked.
Rating is based on my overall enjoyment and satisfaction.
Stress level rating is not good or bad— it’s there to inform people who are looking for cozy/puzzle games, have slow reflexes or maybe don’t play a lot of video games.
| Title ------------- | Rating (/10) | Vibes (/10) | Stress Level (/10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chants of Senaar | ⭐ 10 | 10 | 3 | Beautiful intellectual game about language and culture. |
| The Beginner’s Guide | ⭐ 9 | 1 | A short commentary on Art and why we make it. | |
| Baba is You | ⭐ 10 | 1 | A cute and challenging puzzle game | |
| Undertale | ⭐ 9 | 5 | 3 | This mostly appeals to people who grew up playing RPGs as a lot of the humor and innovation comes from breaking those conventions. |
| A Short Hike | ⭐ 7 | 8 | 0 | A short cozy game for a rainy day |
| Return of the Obra Dinn | ⭐9 | 9 | 1 | An artistic mystery game |
| Papers Please | 8 | 8 | Keep your lights on and your kids fed as a border agent inspecting passports. | |
| Do Not Feed The Monkeys | 8 | |||
| It Takes Two | ⭐ 8 | 6 | 6 | Two player action puzzle game. |
| Isles of Sea and Sky | ⭐ 7 | 6 | 1 | Charming, box pushing puzzle game |
| Stray | ⭐ 9 | 10 | 6 | Gorgeous Japanese-inspired visuals and world design. |
| Why Am I Dead At Sea | Pixel art mystery game | |||
| Hollow Knight | 7 | 9 | 8 | |
Free web games
| Title | Rating | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franken | ⭐ 8 | A short, fun, and unexpected RPG with “turn-based” battles | |
| A Dicey Journey | ⭐ 8 | I’m not into dice games but found myself pretty hooked on this one! |
Games I’ve been meaning to play
- Outer Wilds
- The witness
- anodyne
- unsighted
- alundra
- Swords and Sorcery
- Chained Echos
- Forager
- Crystal Project
- Factorio (never gonna play this actually because I know I’ll get addicted)
- webbed
- Elba
- Oneshot
Here are also some silly games I made in the past