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Let’s get this out of the way first: Mario (especially with the recent release of Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch) will always dominate must-have lists. But we’re not here to talk about him or Luigi for once. Here are a few other video games we’re loving and why.

Noteworthy for world-building, atmosphere, and immersive qualities are two games on serious platforms, “Ghost of Tsushima” and “Stray”. These two games have almost nothing in common: one is a high-drama action game, and the other puts the player right in the experience of a stray cat in the city. What they do have in common is both are beautiful, highly addictive, and complex. 

(Also read: The Video Game That Saves Our Sanity)

On the other end of the gaming spectrum is a casual little mobile “game” that caught Asia by storm in the first month of 2023 (but is already fizzling out). 

Here’s a closer look into what makes each of these games very special. 

Ghost of Tsushima

Platforms: PS4, PS5

“Ghost of Tsushima” borrows a lot of elements from filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s samurai films, “Seven Samurai”, “Ran”, and “Yojimbo”, and it’s thanks to those elements that the game feels like the player is in their own samurai film. 

The game follows protagonist Jin Sakai, the samurai nephew of Lord Shimura. One day their island is invaded by a group of Mongols, who become successful in raiding the land. 

“Ghost of Shimura” is a third-person stealth game with an open-world design that allows its players to explore the vast geography of Tsushima at their own pace, against a beautifully composed musical score. The game’s wind mechanism is a subtle way of “guiding” the player to their objective route, which can be traversed on a horse or  foot. 

Details such as cinematography and attention to visual elements are what make this game stunning to play through. Players can even opt to play the game in black-and-white mode, if they’re so inclined to live the Kurosawa samurai fantasy to the next level. 

The game’s emotional beats and philosophical questions surrounding the nature of war and who it ultimately impacts are what add to “Ghosts of Tsushima”’s depth and emotional weight. The game examines the conflict between honorable fighting and “dishonorable” (but perhaps more ethical) ways of fighting, as well as revenge. 

Players have described this game to be a captivating, mesmerizing experience that can get unexpectedly emotional at turns. 

As of July 2022, the game has sold almost 10 million units.  A feature film adaptation is also in the works. 

Stray

Platforms: PC, Steamdeck

“Stray” was a breakthrough title in 2022 that captivated many gamers and converted new ones, and it isn’t hard to see why. “Stray” allows its human players to experience life as a stray cat making its way through a seemingly abandoned cyber-city. What adventures await an ordinary kitty-cat, you ask? 

“Stray” starts innocently enough to get the player acquainted with its cat protagonist. Players go through the game as a small, ginger-tabby cat that goes on big and potentially even dangerous adventures after it gets separated from its tight-knit tribe of stray cats. The human player gets to gambol, climb, and jump through the game’s environs. The player can even meow and earn XP by scratching against objects. 

Once the game gets rolling, “Stray” puts the lead cat into an urban setting where there are no humans, only discarded robots. The cat gets to make friends with a robot named B-12, and soon the larger objective becomes clear: find out what happened to the city through a series of “memories” that become unlocked through the course of playing the game. 

Cat owners and lovers have fallen in love with “Stray” for obvious reasons, which means the game carries with it an authentic appreciation and love for the world of cats. There are even reported fans of the game who are actual cats! 

Another thing fans like about “Stray” is that it has relatively “low-stakes”. Even if there are many challenges throughout the game, there is no limit to how many times the game can restart at the point of every “game over”. There’s more to this cat than just nine lives! 

Bondee

Platform: iOS, Android

At the start of 2023, a simple little mobile “game” called Bondee became a buzzword among Gen Z, hipper Millennials, and a smattering of cool older people. It was like The Sims, but for social media, and mobile users downloaded it like crazy. 

A free app developed by a Singapore-based company Metadream, Bondee was dubbed “next generation social media”. Within two weeks of its release, Bondee was downloaded two million times.

Bondee allows its users to create their own highly personalized virtual avatars and equally highly personalized and curated virtual spaces and inviting fifty of their closest associates to be connected with them through the app. Users can then pay each other a visit, chat, and interact on the app. 

The customizability and fun of creating tiny little avatars in super curated, personalized little universes were the main draws of Bondee. A huge hit with creatives and artists, many in the field took to Bondee to network and add new contacts. It borrows a few things that made “Animal Crossing” successful: the feeling of community being on the game creates, as well as the ability to form customized and personalized worlds. 

It seemed almost too good to be true, though, as some controversy surrounding the game quickly followed. In January, users were asking if the game was even safe to play. Allegations about leaked credit card details of some of its users came out, which caused concern, and the safety surrounding app usage was called into question. 

As addictive and as buzz-worthy as it initially was, the hype surrounding the cute little app may have been short-lived, and the Bondee bubble burst not even six months into it being released on iTunes and Google Play. Players have now started to abandon the app, with the hashtag #ripbondee making rounds. After all, beyond its intensive avatar creation and customization, what else can it offer? 

Still, Bondee is available for download for free if one is still curious to explore it. 

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