New games are some of the most exciting and worrying things that appear on a gaming calendar. Games can look amazing, but end up being terrible and vice versa. This year we saw new games from both AAA studios and indie alike. These are some of the bravest developers showing and giving us their passion project in hopes that it becomes the next successful franchise.

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Despite being in the Shin Megami Tensei universe this new game from Atlus does not bear its or its brethren series Persona name at all. Metaphor is a stylish RPG with remnants and gameplay and visual DNA from Atlus that fans have grown to love. While the story isn’t anything to write home about, its characters, gameplay, settings, and battle system are engaging to the very end.

Runner-Ups

Balatro

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Stellar Blade

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Unicorn Overlord

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Neva