13 games I hope are announced and/or released in 2023

I need more games like I need a hole in the head, yet I can't help but hoping new ones will be announced all the same.

Speaking of which, here are 13 games (presented in alphabetical order) I hope are either announced or released at some point in 2023.

The Alliance Alive 2

Considering FuRyu went from The Legend of Legacy to The Alliance Alive, I doubt they're going to follow up the latter with a direct sequel. I'd take one, though, and in a heartbeat. I'd also take a direct sequel to The Legend of Legacy, actually, especially if it fixed some of the original game's flaws. Should the loopy bastards at FuRyu find a way to come up with something similar that also features an alliterated title, well, I suppose I'd take that, too.

The Alliance Alive

Bravely Default Collection

I'm sure most Bravely fans would prefer a brand new offering over a collection of the series' first two entries. I'd also welcome a Bravely Third or even a Bravely Second II (erm, or a Bravely Default III?), to be sure, but before any of those games are released, I'd prefer to get my greedy hands on a Switch compilation of Bravely Default and Bravely Second. I wouldn't even need anything fancy here; a "simple" remaster would more than suffice.

Deltarune Chapters 3, 4, and 5

I was a bit wary of Deltarune after finally playing and thoroughly loving Toby Fox's previous offering, the transcendent Undertale. I needn't have worried, if Deltarune's first two chapters are anything to go by. I've especially enjoyed Deltarune's brainy and exhilarating battles so far, though its characters and soundtrack have impressed, too. At any rate, I want more, and I want it as soon as possible.

Disaster Report 4

Disaster Report 5

The Switch port of Disaster Report 4 was a complete mess in many regards, but I loved the hell out of it anyway. I've heard even the best versions of the game paled in comparison to previous installments of the series, but since I haven't played any of them, all I can go on is my experience with this fourth iteration. It was tense, touching, and took me places I never saw coming. As such, I'd love to take another run at this long-running series sooner rather than later.

Dungeon Encounters II

This ask should come as little surprise considering the original Dungeon Encounters was one of my favorite games of 2021. How the development team of that game could enhance or expand upon their first effort is beyond me, but I'd sure like to see them take a stab at it. At the very least, I'm confident they could come up with a new cast of creative and colorful party members. That said, the existing Dungeon Encounters includes a caped pumaman, a sword-wielding dog, and a giant roly-poly cat, which could be tough to top.

Dungeon Encounters

Etrian Odyssey VI

I know the Switch, the most likely home for a new Etrian Odyssey game, poses some unique challenges for the makers of this previously dual-screened series, but even so I'm surprised it's taken this long for a sixth entry to see the light of day. Hell, we're not entirely sure a sixth Etrian Odyssey is being worked on, are we? A teaser of sorts hit the internet ages ago, but did it specifically name the Etrian Odyssey series? Regardless, I'll buy and play an Etrian Odyssey VI should it ever make it out of Atlus' secret underground laboratory.

Ghost Trick 2

Does anyone really think Capcom is going to make and publish a Ghost Trick sequel anytime soon, if ever? I doubt it. I have all the power here, though, so I'm going to hope for it anyway. As long as it's released for consoles and not just mobile, I should add. On a related and likely more realistic note, I'd totally buy a remastered release of Ghost Trick if it hit the Switch. The damn thing would probably only be sold through the eShop, but I'd grit my teeth and pick it up all the same. That's just the kind of Ghost Trick fan I am after adoring my virgin playthrough of it in 2019.

SaGa Scarlet Grace: AMBITIONS

A new mainline SaGa game

The last mainline SaGa game, SaGa Scarlet Grace, came out (in Japan, for the Vita) just over six years ago. An enhanced version released worldwide and for more modern systems three years ago. I'd say the time is right for a follow-up to appear, wouldn't you? Please agree with me, as SaGa Scarlet Grace: AMBITIONS is one of my all-time favorite games and I'd desperately like to play another game that's in the same vein. Of course, every SaGa game since Romancing SaGa 3 has been radically different from the one that came before it, which suggests the next release won't be anything like Scarlet Grace. I'll be OK if that comes to pass, too.

Onion Games' new RPG

I'll play anything Onion Games releases at this point, as long as it releases for a system I own (though I'd prefer for such a game to not be mobile-only). After all, I've already had a blast with Black Bird, Dandy Dungeon, Mon Amour, and of course Moon. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't especially thrilled that Onion Games' next offering will be another RPG. In particular, I love that I have no idea what to expect from this mostly unknown game -- though of course we all know it will be weird and dark and beautiful and probably will include kissing in some form or fashion.

Mon Amour

Opoona Remastered

Do I really want to return to Opoona's world? Yes, yes I do. I'm not entirely sure I want to return to it in its original form, though. After all, I got horribly lost, or at least turned around, pretty much every time I played Opoona on my Wii a few years back. To be honest, I don't have the highest of hopes that a remaster would fix this or any of Opoona's other issues, but I'd probably buy it anyway if it were made available for the Switch (and so could be played portably).

Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! console port

When I started writing this post a couple of weeks ago, I asked for a Pocket Card Jockey remaster or sequel here. Then developer Game Freak announced this reimagined version for the Apple Arcade service. As I don't currently own an iOS device, and I don't expect to own one anytime soon, I sincerely hope Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! gallops away from its iOS exclusivity and onto consoles (like the Switch, cough cough) as soon as is contractually possible.

Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!

Tobu Tobu Girl 2

Here's another unlikely announcement or release. I'm going to put it out into the universe anyway, as the original Tobu Tobu Girl thrilled me to pieces in 2018. If you've never heard of it, Tobu Tobu Girl is a fast-paced, high-score-chasing platformer that has you climb the screen rather than race to the left or right. The original was made to the GameBoy's specifications; honestly, I'd take more of the same here, but I'm guessing developers Lukas Erritsø Hansen and Simon Larsen would prefer to change things up the second time around. Sadly, I'm pretty sure they're not up for giving the world a Tobu Tobu Girl 2, but I guess it's possible they've changed their minds since I last chatted with them about the topic?

Tomodachi Collection 3

I had a wonderful time playing Tomodachi Life (the North American title for Japan's Tomodachi Collection 2) back in 2014. So much so I put nearly 130 hours into it that year. I've been daydreaming of a sequel, which I guess would be called Tomodachi Life 2 here and Tomodachi Collection 3 in Japan, ever since. Surely the devs at Nintendo of Japan are hard at work on this game, right? And for the Switch, not its eventual successor? Assuming that's the case, it'd better allow same-sex couplings this time around.

See also: 10 games I want to play in 2023

My favorite games of 2021

Although I played a lot of games in 2021, only about half of them were actually released this year. And even then, most were far from the AAA efforts that tend to fill similar GOTY write-ups. 

Still, I hope those who read this post will enjoy the thoughts I share below on what I consider to be my favorite games of 2021.

Something to consider as you scroll: I've sadly yet to experience a good handful of 2021 releases that I expect would've made this list had I gotten around to playing them. Among the games in question: Fuga: Melodies of Steel, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, NEO: The World Ends with You, Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi, and Voice of Cards.

Bravely Default II (PC/Switch)

You're probably already aware that the character models in this Bravely Default sequel are less visually appealing than their counterparts in the original. Bravely Default II's soundtrack doesn't hit the same highs as the previous game's either. 

Even so, I found Bravely Default II to be enormously compelling. The claymation-inspired, diorama-esque world is a joy to race around, and its battles exist somewhere within the same exhilarating realm as those found in the first Bravely Default and the oft-similar Octopath Traveler.

The cherry on top of this sadly divisive RPG: the bonkers story, which becomes more and more compelling--not to mention bizarre--the deeper you delve into it.

Deltarune Chapter 1&2 (PC/PS4/Switch)

I dragged my feet on plunging into the first two chapters of Deltarune until late this year because, frankly, I couldn't fathom how they'd even remotely reach Undertale's splendorous heights. Boy, was I wrong. I don't know that I could declare Deltarune chapters one and two to be better than the whole of Undertale, but I also wouldn't argue with anyone who makes such an assertion.

For me, the main area in which Deltarune bests its precursor is combat. Battles in Deltarune have more depth and are more strategic than those in Undertale. I also found them more fun, truth be told. I can't quite say the same about Deltarune's characters, story, or soundtrack. In particular, Queen and Lancer pale in comparison to their Undertale counterparts, Sans and Papyrus, though the former are by no means duds.

Whatever. All I know is I'm itching--desperately--to play Deltarune's remaining chapters, however many Toby Fox and crew decide to release into the world. For me, that makes the whole "which is better?" discussion moot. At least until the next time I play through Undertale (wink wink).

Dungeon Encounters (PC/PS4/Switch)

Dungeon Encounters offers up a terrible first impression, looking like one of Square Enix's lowest effort titles ever. Give it a whirl, though, and you're sure to realize, as I quickly did, it's a minimalistic Etrian Odyssey viewed from a decidely different perspective.

Even that sells this digital RPG short, though, as I enjoyed playing Dungeon Encounters more than I've enjoyed playing any Etrian Odyssey title to date. I also managed to finish Dungeon Encounters--something I've yet to do with Etrian Odyssey's many releases.

Why? The sense of mystery and exploration is strong in Dungeon Encounters. Not only do you map out floors of a dungeon, but you solve riddles to find new abilities, party members, treasures, and even the final boss. Also, the game practically begs you to break it in various ways. Once you've acquired certain abilities, you can jump around the 99-floor dungeon nearly at will. As you might expect, there's a risk-reward element to this play style, but that's yet another feather in Dungeon Encounters' cap.

All in all, if you're usually an RPG fan and you're up for tackling a tough one (though not unfairly so) that dares to stray from the norm, give serious consideration to Dungeon Encounters in 2022.

Gnosia (Switch)

Raging Loop was among my favorite games of 2020. One of the main reasons I loved Raging Loop so much was that it deftly blended aspects of the social-deduction game, Werewolf, into what is otherwise a spooky visual novel.

Gnosia also incorporates aspects of Werewolf into its gameplay. It's not a VN, though. Rather, it's more of a Werewolf simulator. The end result is every bit as gripping as you might expect if you've ever experienced Werewolf in some form or fashion. If you haven't, the gist here is that you're on a spaceship with a slew of extremely colorful characters (literally and figuratively) and you need to suss out which are Gnosia, alien-like creatures who will, without intervention, kill all humans aboard.

The thing is, you don't play through Gnosia just once. You play through it many, many times. A single loop may take as little as a few minutes or as long as a quarter-hour or more. While working your way through a particular loop, you'll regularly encounter event scenes that expand one or more characters' backstories. Only after you experience all of these scenes can you access Gnosia's true ending.

Really, though, the ending is the icing on this pixelated piece of cake. The real joy comes in the journey to that point--getting to know your crewmates, using what you glean there to your advantage (or their disadvantage), and figuring out what you need to move the overarching story toward its satisfying conclusion.

Mon Amour (PC/Switch)

After I played Onion Games' Mon Amour for the first time following its release, I thought, "this is cute, but I probably won't spend much time with it." I returned to it the next day, mostly to give it a quick second chance before moving on to something more my speed. Instead, I got wrapped up in its silly quest to rescue Princess Mona and her multitude of servants. I intended to only save a few of the latter, but by the time I'd done just that, I was hooked--or at least I was hooked enough to continue on rather than prematurely pull the plug on my Mon Amour adventure.

I'm so glad that happened. Because that's when I discovered there's more to this little gem than its Flappy Bird-ish gameplay, plethora of rescuable "mon-a-girls," and appropriately zany soundtrack. Notably, it's surprisingly strategic once you realize how your actions affect the playfield. With that knowledge in mind, you'll likely have as hard a time as I did putting down Mon Amour until you've saved every citizen, climbed the high-score list to an acceptable degree, or both.

SaGa Frontier Remastered (Mobile/PC/PS4/Switch)

I've been enamored with SaGa Frontier since first laying eyes on Japanese screenshots of it in some old gaming magazine or other in advance of its late-1990s release. For me, it was far closer to what I wanted from Square Enix (then Squaresoft) during the 32-bit era than Final Fantasy VII was.

I'm even more appreciative of what SaGa Frontier brings to the table today, thanks to the fact that it's now portable and sports a cleaned-up--and thus less confusing--localization. As it always was, SaGa Frontier remains thrillingly exotic, with locales, characters and battles that inspire awe while also getting the eyes popping and blood flowing.

True, SaGa Frontier can be brutal, with death lingering around nearly every corner. But even that is a positive, in my mind--considering how common it is for battles in RPGs to feel yawn-inducingly superfluous.

See also: my favorite games of 2020