2023 is coming to an end and it’s time to take stock of this crazy video game year! Like every December, we offer you a small ranking of the editorial staff’s favorite games. One thing is certain, 2023 has marked the history of the media as the quality titles have followed one another.
It is now a tradition on Phon. As the Game Awards prepare to reward the best games of the year, we are doing our bit with the PhonAwards. In this ranking, we are going to highlight our favorite games of 2023.
From huge blockbusters to independent games that have gone under the radar, we’re going to tell you about our favorite games released over the last twelve months. Each journalist selected two favorite titles, two of the adventures that most marked us this year.
Also read – Top of the best video games of 2022, the 10 titles that should not be missed this year
Note that this is not a ranking in order. Likewise, it’s about the choices of our journalists, everything is therefore purely subjective! You yourself, in the comments, do not hesitate to give your notable works of the year 2023. We are counting on you!
Pierre’s choices
Baldur’s Gate 3: the new king of role-playing games
Without a doubt one of the best RPGs of recent years, or even in the history of the medium. A true tour de force, Baldur’s Gate 3 brilliantly transcribes the exhilarating sensation that all paper RPG players have felt in their games: freedom. Freedom to approach combat as they see fit. Freedom to resolve situations in a thousand ways. Freedom to try the most absurd experiments to get out of a bad situation (and which work!)… A real lesson in game design from Larian Studio, which has managed to restore its letters of nobility to a saga left fallow since 2001. A very great game.
Our review of Baldur’s Gate 3
Dune Spice Wars: the revival of the strategy game
Dune Spice Wars is a clever mix between the RTS genre and 4X. Carried by the fascinating universe created by Frank Herbert, it puts us in control of one of the flagship families of the saga for the control of Arrakis. Build, conquer, exploit, wage war… that’s the routine of Spice Wars. His little extra something? Focus on a reduced scale. Few towns, few units, few buildings, small maps. This results in shorter games, but with a devilishly controlled rhythm. Not bad is not it ? It’s French.
Our Dune Spice Wars review
Sam’s choices
Final Fantasy XVI: a modernized vision of the J-RPG
In its 35 years of existence, the Final Fantasy series has always evolved with the times, adopting player trends and taking inspiration from the competition. From a very static gameplay, it has migrated, step by step, towards more active handling, where standard turn-based gives way to real time. Final Fantasy XVI, even more than Final Fantasy Type 0, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Stranger of Paradise or Final Fantasy XV, symbolizes particularly well this transition to unbridled action and great spectacle, like an Elden Ring or Breath of the Wild, to name but a few. Much more mature than its predecessors, because the fans have also matured, Final Fantasy XVI is an excellent Action-RPG, even if the name “Final Fantasy” is now a little overused.
Our Final Fantasy XVI review
Sea of Stars: neo-retro at its peak
If your heart races at the mention of Golden Sun, Chrono Trigger, Xenogears or even Grandia, you are an incurable victim of a disease known as “retro Japanese RPG fan“. Rest assured: you are not alone! Many other gamers are like you. And the studios have understood this well by developing some well-thought-out palliatives. Chained Echoes. Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster. Or Octopath Travelers. Among the best in this category is a little rare pearl: Sea of Stars, a title which is reminiscent of another ultimate reference of the genre, Star Ocean. Appropriating the codes of Chrono Trigger while further modernizing the gameplay, Sea of Stars is a tribute, even an anthem, to the J-RPG of the 90s… A truly excellent title.
Simon’s choices
Tears of the Kingdom: the incredible sequel to the best Zelda
The latest addition to the Zelda license, the direct sequel to the revolutionary Breath of the Wild, has managed to meet a challenge that we thought was unachievable: to do better than its predecessor. Just a few days after its release, the entire community agreed that BOTW was now just an alpha version of TOTK. Just that. We find the same feeling of totally crazy exploration, with a game that literally lets us go into the wild with very few objectives and indications. But Nintendo has added even more permissive powers than before. It’s quite simple, if you want to build a real futuristic war tank that will crush everything in its path, the game allows you to do so. If you’re not convinced after this…
Our review of Tears of the Kingdom
Ebbing: soft and sporty at the same time
Radical change of atmosphere. Here, there is no heroism or monsters to mistreat. However, the world of Jusant is also on the verge of apocalypse (or has just suffered it, we don’t really know). We remain in a video game all the same. In Jusant, you will have to climb an endless cliff, with the sole strength of your arms and legs, without you even really knowing why at the beginning. We would be careful not to give you the reason here, as the discovery of this very particular universe is at the heart of the gaming experience. If you are looking for a gentle, poetic title, with reasonable difficulty (not to say non-existent) and which, what’s more, has the good taste of only lasting a few hours, go play Jusant.
Our impressions of Jusant
Kevin’s choices
Alan Wake 2: a diabolically effective nightmare
More than 13 years after the release of the first part on Xbox 360, the Finns at Remedy have FINALLY given a sequel to the terrifying misadventures of the cursed writer Alan Wake. And what a sequel! First of all, we must bow to the work of staging and the narration of this new episode, which still draws its inspiration from the works of Stephen King, but also from X-Files, Silent Hill or even the 4th dimension. Narrative tour de force, the title is also a next-gen graphic slap. On PS5, Xbox Series On PC, it’s quite simply a showcase of Nvidia’s technologies. And if the fights remain relatively classic, the formidable investigation system and the nightmarish atmosphere easily make up for this little flaw. A true modern survival horror.
Our Alan Wake 2 review
Mario Wonder: Nintendo’s latest marvel
Zelda TOTK isn’t Nintendo’s latest gift to the Switch. No, the Japanese manufacturer still had one final surprise for its hybrid console: Super Mario Bros. Wonder. After the excellent Odyssey, the mustachioed plumber makes his return to 2D in a new episode called Bros. The opportunity to remind ourselves how Nintendo is a platform game master. Mario Wonder is one of those games that will keep you glued to the controller (the Joy-Con in this case). Why that ? Because it’s hilarious with many people, because the title is teeming with gameplay ideas, each more original than the other, not to mention its shimmering and totally crazy artistic direction. The last great, very great game on the Switch for sure.
Our Mario Wonder test
Bruno’s choices
Assassin’s Creed Mirage: a salutary return to basics
A 100% French production, Mirage is the final part of the august Assassin’s Creed saga. After three episodes emphasizing the open world and exploration, this 2023 vintage goes back to basics. A single city, verticality, furtive approaches… and above all content that is not scattered to avoid us spending 100 hours there. At the controls of Basim, the player evolves in 9th century Baghdad, magnificently reproduced. It’s up to him to decide his approach to assassinating his targets. A real return to basics which convinced us. Not the most revolutionary game of the year, but a sure value.
Our review of Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Resident Evil 4 Remake: a faithful reinvention, between novelty and nostalgia
Resident Evil 4 is one of the most important titles in action gaming history. It was entitled to a remake at the beginning of the year. We use the same formula: hand-held camera, angry villagers, limited resources and a scenario that fits on a post-it… and it always works great! This Capcom remake is an example to follow. Unlike those of Resident Evil 2 and 3 (2019 and 2020), this one does not reinvent the wheel, since it simply takes the structure of the base game to improve it on all points. A brilliant but devilishly faithful reinvention that captivated us.
Our review of Resident Evil 4 Remake