In the gaming world, “GOTY” is a well-known acronym. It’s the crown jewel of in-game achievements, the declaration that something is the Game of the Year. Most video game players use it as a shorthand to identify our favorite titles. And it usually takes me countless hours of sweat to choose at the end of each year.
This year, I declined.
The world is in the golden age of video games. It’s true that the last few years the huge number of AAA titles has slowed down (thanks Covid!), but the multitude of indie titles and smaller games from major studios have more than made up for the shortfall in more traditional games. The result is a multitude of great services so varied, so different from each other, that trying to call any of them Game of the Year seems futile.
This realization came to me when I swung my arms around GOTY and presented with two options: Forbidden Horizon and penitent. Both come from major studios, but their only thing in common is that they’re incredibly good.
Forbidden Horizon is a beautiful, lush adventure set in a post-apocalyptic future. It has top voice talent, a big open world that you can spend dozens—if not hundreds—hours exploring, well-designed, precision combat and killer robots. The story is tense and exciting, the characters are memorable and the setting is breathtaking.
On the opposite side of the spectrum lies penitent. Set in the 16th century in a monastery outside a small Bavarian town, the title is completely combat-free and without voice acting. The story is pretty linear, though you can choose to explore the town, forest, and monastery, making decisions along the way that affect the outcome of the story. No struggle to save humanity from invading aliens, no epic treasure hunt, just an artist (you) chatting in a conversation bubble for hours while trying to discover Secrets of mysteries and murders around you.
Forced to pick one game of the year, how would I choose between these two? Obviously, this is not one of those situations where no one wants to pick their favorite kid. Instead, it’s a matter of comparing a giant open-world action-adventure game with a story about monks going to see it in the library at night. They don’t have the same experience and trying to compare them is like bringing a quill into an archery battle.
Speaking with WIRED’s Will Bedingfield recently, penitent Director Josh Sawyer note that his game would probably never have seen the light of day a few years ago. Before there were subscription services like Xbox’s Game Pass, publishers had to focus on blockbusters that were sure to move multiple units. Nothing penitent match that description. But it has found an audience, proving it has the power to take on big, expensive games. However, GOTY conversations tend to lean towards a certain type of game and player, and titles with expensive marketing campaigns will always dominate the conversation. It makes those quiet games a disservice, and I’m totally ready to give that up.
Indie games aren’t the only ones affected, either. I maintain that horizon The series is one of the best games out there, but both games were overshadowed upon release. Horizon Without Dawn appeared within a few weeks The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildwhile its sequel is somewhat lost in outrage about Elen’s ring. I don’t have to say No dawn had better BOTW (Everyone put down the fork!). What I’m saying is that both are my GOTY for different reasons and choosing between them sucks.
On Thursday, the whole GOTY discourse will (perhaps, hopefully) culminate with The Game Awards, the industry’s Oscars. No matter what title is won, no one will be happy. Everyone’s favorite game of 2022 will lose anything else. penitent not even nominated for Game of the Year. But you know what? I do not care. this is not highlanders and I don’t have to choose just one.
