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PAX West 2022 was recently held in Seattle, and as you can tell by the time we’ve had to recuperate since it ended, it was draining to say the least. As it became clear that due to various factors, PAX West still has a ways to go before it gets back to its full potential, much like several other events. While a lot of the familiar sights and sounds were back again, there was still this air of awkwardness all around. Still, as usual, there were a ton of great games shown off at PAX West and we wanted to celebrate with a list of the ten best games we experienced!
First, a couple of rules: to be eligible for this list, the games had to be fully playable and officially available on the expo hall floor for everyone else to play as well. Yes, this did mean omitting a few potential gems that were only shown behind closed doors, but this just seemed more fair. And in the interest of further fairness, selections were limited to one game per booth. That made for even more difficult choices, but without it, there’s a chance the list could have simply been dominated by two or three publishers. Anyhow, with that out of the way, let’s get to the best of PAX West 2022! Enjoy!
9 Years of Shadows
PAX West had no shortage of impressive metroidvania games on display this year, and Freedom Games and developers Halberd Studios easily wound up with one of the best with 9 Years of Shadows…all thanks to a teddy bear. Well, plus the gorgeous pixel art, impressive bosses, intriguing world, fun combat and more. But the addition of Apino, a ghostly teddy bear that assists our heroine Europa in returning color to the land, actually adds a nice spark to things, acting as a gun, a healing item, a shield and much more. It just made for some winning gameplay overall, setting the stage for the full treasure trove of unique metroidvania delights that may come in the final game.
Demonschool
Demonschool easily grabbed a good chunk of our attention thanks to its mind-blowing pixel art alone, then grabbed the rest of our attention by coming across as an ode to classic persona games. And while what was shown of PAX West mainly focused on the combat in this tactics RPG about a group of students attempting to bust demons across a mysterious university, it was still enough to seal the deal. It looks to be a game that prides itself on strategy, setting up the perfect combos with each of your students and having them work together to take down impressive-looking enemies and bosses. If the rest of the game is as good as that, then be excited.
Dust & Neon
Rogue Games had a PAX lineup that was full of impressive highlights, so choosing just one game from them as the very best was a difficult task. But in the end, it was either that new game smell or the smell of a ton of gunpowder that led to the newly-announced Dust & Neon grabbing the brass ring. Sure, some might say that a twin-stick shooter with roguelike and RPG elements might not be that original, but upon playing it, it all just clicked together to create an addictive, highly-enjoyable experience that should hopefully make for an amazing game. Plus, Wild West robot apocalypse. Always gotta love that.
Friends vs Friends
Friends vs Friends made an explosive debut at Gamescom with a wild and colorful animated trailer and an immensely catchy song, even with only a brief bit of gameplay. But now having gotten some time with the 1v1 or 2v2 FPS, we can confidently say that the gameplay was just as wild and fun as we hoped it would be. Matches are quick, simple, and easy to get into, the various cards you can use for deckbuilding and their various effects are all unique and a thrill to try out, and the gameplay makes for classic deathmatch action, complete with a neat set of characters. Easily one of the show’s biggest highlights and not one to be ignored.
Someone at Devolver Digital is a monster to put the majesties of both Anger Foot and Gunbrella on display, thus forcing us to choose between the two (not to mention forcing a choice between Doinksoft and Free Lives, the latter making up all of Devolver’s other playable games on display). But in the end, Gunbrella won out, thanks to its impressive action and fun parkour-esque traversal thanks to its titular weapon, and unique noir world with the possibility of some great stories within it. Also, again, it’s called Gunbrella. Still not sure what kind of monster would turn the game down based on that fact alone.
March March!
March March! seemed to be the game at the PAX Rising booth that everyone was talking about…and for good reason. After all, a turn-based roguelike game is one thing, but one with puzzle elements thrown in on top of that? That sounds like an insane combination, but developers Lepka Games found a way to make it work. Having to rotate each batch of new units around in order to find the best way to attack your opponent – particularly their empty rows, if possible – while still trying to defend makes for terrific strategy, yet keeps things simple enough to make for a superb gameplay loop, like the best roguelikes. Definitely deserving of the praise.
Mina the Hollower
Yacht Club’s first major follow-up to Shovel Knight has massive shoes to fill, but Mina the Hollower more than seems up to it. This Zelda-esque tribute to the Game Boy Color was described as having a bit of Bloodborne in it as well, but it quickly became clear that wasn’t just limited to the setting. Yes, our heroine’s journey to rescue a cursed island is a rather challenging one, but it puts up an enjoyable fight. The burrowing mechanic is especially fun as well, especially when it allows you to hunt for a ton of secret to find, from various weapons to all sorts of treasures, plus new skills to unlock along the way. Definitely some more classic retro stuff.
We’ve played Rawmen throughout the years at other events – a PAX here, a MIX there, an open beta somewhere else – but it’s showcase at PAX West somehow came across as its most polished and refined showing yet…and we’re not just saying this because the writer here won the eight-way deathmatch they participated in and thus got a prize for it. But the food-based multiplayer combat game really did get the best chance to shine here, as sliding around on broth, slinging it at opponents and experimenting with all of the various power-ups made for enjoyable action. Hopefully this charming dish is ready to serve sometime soon…
Rift of the NecroDancer
Crypt of the NecroDancer possibly still remains one of the most unique indie titles of all time, being a dungeon crawler that incorporates rhythm game mechanics. But now with Rift of the NecroDancer, Brace Yourself have decided to flip the script, creating a rhythm game that incorporates dungeon crawler mechanics, namely the way you combat monsters as they advance towards you on a fretboard. It sounds simple at first, up until you have to memorize the different movements and behaviors of several monsters. Truly simple yet genius stuff. Bonus points for flipping the script on the setting as well and setting it in modern times, we can’t wait to see where that goes.
Vice NDRCVR
Once of the most pleasant surprises at PAX West was described as a mix of Papers, Please and Five Nights at Freddy’s, a sort of combo hat leaves you wondering why no one else has attempted it until now. Set in an alternate 1980s Miami where criminals use an early version of the World Wide Web, Vice NDRCVR casts you as an undercover computer operator trying to dig up whatever info is required on these sickos. The only problem is that you’re still limited by 1980s computer technology, meaning you have to be better than ever at managing things where also watching security cameras for foes, and that’s where the challenge – and fun – comes in. Engaging stuff we can’t wait to see more of.
