There were a lot of fantastic action games this year and the runners-up and best of this time all stand out takes on the genre.
For the runner ups, you can check them out in the video.
1: Armored Core 6
Armored Core 6 was From Software’s return to their classic franchise before everything went to the soulslikes. While fans of Dark Souls and Elden Ring may have been left scrambling, I was right at home in my AC dashing, shooting, and slicing like no one’s business. This is a very smartly designed action game with some beautiful and somber environments. What makes it work is that your customization offers you complete freedom to build however you like, without punishing the player in any way for wanting to experiment. I can only begin to imagine what modders will do with adding new parts or creating original designs on the PC.
I went through the game three times to grab every ending and see everything it has to offer. I hope that this gives them the motivation to keep making more AC games and hopefully support this one with more content.
2: Hi-Fi Rush
We now turn to a game I didn’t think I would enjoy much less be able to beat. Hi-Fi Rush is just gorgeous to look at, with a funny story, and solid action design. The entire world undulating to the music is a great touch and helps with timing. What I liked about this game was that despite the rhythm-focused, the game was clearly designed to allow people to kind of “cheat” if they don’t have an ear for beats. It also helps that the game is very generous with its timings.
The fact that this came out of nowhere from Tango Gameworks still surprises me and how well they nailed the aesthetic, gameplay, and story, on this very first take from them. Another game that I hope this is not the end of and that there are plenty more stories, and soundtracks to come.
3: En-Garde!
En-Garde! combat design was one of my favorites of the year with its focus on using the environment to fight and deal with packs of enemies. A game that is just long enough to get its point across without becoming a chore. Considering this started as a student project, it is more amazing that the developers got this right as an early concept. If you’re looking for a swashbuckling action game, this is an easy recommendation.
4: Clash: Artifacts of Chaos
For the odd one on the list, Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is the latest game from Ace Team and continues their exploration of the strange world if Zenoclash. You are going to be wandering around looking for resources and getting into fights with many strange creatures. While it is a bit on the janky side in spots, there really isn’t anything else like it.
5: Lies of P
Lies of P is simply the best soulslike game we’ve seen not by From Software. As a first attempt by the studio, the game does a lot of heavy lifting with its gameplay and worldbuilding. Transforming Pinocchio into the most handsome soulslike hero we’ve seen and giving him all manner of weapons to destroy evil puppets and mutants with.
While I don’t think the game beats From Software’s offerings, it does come the closest we’ve seen. If they can make the timings for parrying and general combat flow a little better, this could be a fantastic series and I am certainly going to play the sequel they teased at the end of it.
