Here are the games Andreas is most looking forward to in 2023

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the very best games of all time. Enough. That’s just how it is. My expectations for the sequel are therefore sky high, and in 2023 we will finally see if Nintendo manages to recreate the magic.

All I need from Tears of the Kingdom is really just more of the same that the developer delivered six years ago. I want to frolic in a big world, solve puzzles and unearth secrets – all wrapped up in an experience that’s just as entertaining whether I have five minutes or five hours at my disposal.

The story can certainly be a notch better than in Breath of the Wild, and it would have been nice if the weapons were not destroyed with the same frequency this time. Otherwise, the rest can continue as before.

The fact that Tears of the Kingdom has been postponed a number of times doesn’t really worry me too much. After all, Nintendo is good at delivering quality, and a little extra waiting is fine as long as the end product is good. Whether the game can dance around the performance issues of the ever-aging Switch console I’m a little more anxious about.

Anger Foot

Genre: Action
System: PC
Developer: Free Lives
Coming: 2023

The demo for Anger Foot still stands as one of my best gaming experiences of 2022. The game is simply great fun, and I can’t wait to tackle the full version when it comes out later this year.

Anger Foot is about taking revenge on a gang of thugs, which consists of everything from crocodile people to giant sewer monsters. With the game character’s trusty kicking foot (and a selection of firearms), all you have to do is mow down absolutely everything that stands and moves in board after board, while the game’s frenetic soundtrack whips you forward at an unreasonably high speed.

I’m still a little unsure if the game manages to be as exciting throughout. However, if developer Free Lives keeps up with enough varied challenges, I have no doubt that Anger Foot will be one of my favorites this year.

Final Fantasy XVI

Genre: Role playing game
System: PlayStation 5
Developer: Square Enix
Coming: June 22, 2023

Final Fantasy is a series that I really like, but which I have fallen a bit off in recent years. I didn’t have time for the online RPG Final Fantasy XIV, and even though I really liked Final Fantasy XV, its launch clashed with other things and I haven’t picked it up yet. In 2023, Final Fantasy XVI is coming and I hope that I can rekindle my Final Fantasy romance.

The game introduces the protagonist Clive, a guy I haven’t quite gotten the hang of through the many trailers Square Enix has released. The world does seem exciting, and I think the action-based combat system with the giant Eikon monsters – Final Fantasy XVI’s answer to summons – could be good.

Then I just hope there won’t be too much dill and dall. In my older days, I’ve grown increasingly impatient with games that don’t respect my time, and Final Fantasy tends to bloat with endless cutscenes and unnecessary side-quests.

Party Animals

Genre: Action
System: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Developer: Recreate Games
Coming: Early 2023

Just like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Party Animals is a regular on my list of games I was looking forward to in 2021. Here, however, I have much less faith that all the delays are positive for the final product, and the launch window “early 2023 » I bring a truckload of salt. I still can’t keep my expectations down.

Party Animals is a Gang Beasts-style experience where players whack each other with whatever shovels, clubs and bare fists can be found. Here it’s all about standing as the king of the pile, in one of the most chaotic fighting games I’ve ever tried.

What makes the game extra comical and hysterically funny are the cute stuffed animals you play as. You have almost zero control over the characters’ movements, and just picking up a weapon is almost like a victory in itself.

Then it just remains to be seen if Party Animals will actually come then.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Genre: Role playing game
System: PlayStation 5
Developer: Square Enix
Coming: Late 2023

More Final Fantasy! As mentioned, the series is one of my biggest favourites, and Final Fantasy VII is probably at the top of the list. I was among those who allowed themselves to be impressed by the new version’s first chapter and three years later I am more than ready for more.

The most exciting thing this time will be to see how much of the original game is covered in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Cloud and company have only just made it out of Midgard, and there’s a lot left of the gang’s original journey.

Developer Square Enix has indicated that the story will not change much, but as in the Remake, there will probably be some news here as well. I hope we get to see more of Sephiroth, and that Vincent joins the team.

Spider-Man 2

Genre: Action
System: PlayStation 5
Developer: Insomniac Games
Coming: Autumn 2023

Insomniac Games’ 2018 Spider-Man game is a blistering piece of action fun. The story was perhaps so-so, but the combat system and not least the feeling of freedom I felt when I swung through the streets of New York was absolutely incredible.

I am therefore very much looking forward to the sequel, not least because the fight is against the arch-villain Venom – one of my favorites from the Marvel universe. How the experience will be shared between the two protagonists Peter Parker and Miles Morales will also be interesting to see.

With the side-stepping Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the developer has already given a taste of how good the “spider experience” can be on PlayStation 5. This time, Insomniac also does not have to hold back the experience of the previous console generation, and the team can instead really let loose.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Genre: Action
System: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Developer: Ubisoft
Coming: 2023

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag marked the end of my fascination with the assassin series. After playing through and enjoying the first five games, I had had my fill of the standard Ubisoft formula, and the more RPG-focused experiences in Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla haven’t caught on either.

10 years after Black Flag, I certainly feel that I’m ready for some good, old-fashioned Assassin’s Creed. Fortunately for me, that’s exactly what Ubisoft plans to give me in Assassin’s Creed Mirage – a game that takes the series back to its roots.

I can’t wait to take on the role of Basim, and embark on the journey from street rat to stylish and efficient assassin. Time will tell if Mirage manages to live up to Brotherhood (my personal favourite) but I am cautiously optimistic.

Replaced

Genre: Platform Action
System: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Developer: Sad Cat Studios
Coming: 2023

Replaced first appeared on my radar in the summer of 2021, when the game was showcased at Xbox’s E3 show. Here was a side-scrolling action game that not only looked incredibly beautiful, but also seemed to boast exciting game mechanics.

During The Game Awards last month, developer Sad Cat released a new trailer. If possible, Replaced seemed even cooler, with its stylish battles and a neon-lit cyberpunk world inspired by the US in the 80s.

Absolutely everything I’ve seen so far draws me in, and I can’t wait to learn more about the setting and about the mysterious protagonist Reach – an artificial intelligence trapped in a human body.

The Plucky Squire

Genre: Adventure
System: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Developer: All Possible Futures
Coming: 2023

Devolver Digital is without a doubt one of my favorite publishers, and I listen every time the company shows off something new. In 2023, the publisher entices with several exciting projects, and among them is The Plucky Squire.

At first glance, the game is an ordinary two-dimensional platform adventure, where you control the character Jot through the colorful pages of a book. Here, however, there are many other kinds of experiences to puzzle over, and the biggest surprise is that you can jump out of the book.

When Jot breaks free from the pages, the game transforms into a beautiful 3D adventure, which I’m really looking forward to exploring. The tasks and puzzle solving also seem to require a combination of cleverness and skill which is spot on for me.

Skate Story

Genre: Skate game
System: PC, Mac
Developer: Sam Eng
Coming: 2023

Skate games are perhaps the genre I most associate with calm and relaxed gaming. For me, racking up points and performing “sick tricks” is never close to being as exciting as landing a perfect 180 over a park bench. In that way, Skate Story seems to be made for me – at least I hope so.

In the game, which is another Devolver release, you control a tortured soul on a skateboard journey through hell. It’s all set to evocative music and a psychedelic, yet alluring graphic style.

“Stand fast on a skateboard to annihilate malevolent demons,” says the game’s Steam description. For my part, I hope it will be possible to beat the baddies with some calm skating as well, and I sincerely hope that Skate Story can be the game that allows me to relax and just enjoy in 2023.