In any given year there are so many games released it’s often hard to keep track of them all, let alone be aware of all the hidden gems and titles that might not fall under the “mainstream” or “AAA” banners. As seen in our Top 10 Games of 2022 countdown, there are out-of-left-field surprises like Tunic and Vampire Survivors that can comfortably sit alongside God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring in the accolade stakes.

And really, putting together a list of the best games in a given year is fun, personal, and subjective; a window into the games that we loved playing (and not all reviewed or even full release, ie Early Access titles). In whittling the 2022 list down to 10 we realised that there were several games and near-misses that we wanted to give a shout-out to. Some well known, some less so, and a chance to give you a few reasons as to why we enjoyed playing them as much as we did.

And with that here’s the list of AusGamers Best Games of 2022 - Honourable Mentions.

Nobody Saves The World

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A top-down co-op action-RPG that presents a fun and rewarding spin on the dungeon crawling genre. Transform, mix and match classes, and play how you want to play. From Our Review:

Nobody Saves the World’s hook, line, and genius lies with how transforming into various Forms leads to diverse builds and play style opportunities you can call on in an instant. The sort of setup where experimentation and clever combat-infused puzzles go hand in hand. One example sees you equipping a horse with a zombie-bite move and a rat’s poison passive to carve up foes and watch them melt away. Alternatively, you can equip the zombie with the horse form’s speed charge to plough through groups.

Elden Ring is currently available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and the Xbox family of devices. It’s also available on Game Pass.

The Quarry

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While the film and TV industry tackle new ways for viewers to enjoy watching experiences with basic Choose Your Own Adventure-style options, the games industry is on the cutting edge of crafting truly immersive interactive experiences. The type that blend games and traditionally passive viewing into memorable journeys full of agency, such as last year's The Quarry. From Our Review:

A lot of The Quarry is passive, in that you’re watching a scene play out as you would when watching a movie. The ten hour or so length also makes character development and the tension build in a way that feels more like, say, a season of Stranger Things, than the original Friday the 13th. So with that there’s a lot of setup before the “last night at Hackett’s Quarry Summer Camp” turns into a nightmare. It’s a style that is specific, but it’s also brilliantly executed. For those interested in the idea of an interactive horror movie, The Quarry feels like the new benchmark.

The Quarry is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, and the Xbox family of devices.

PlateUp!

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PlateUp! takes the organised chaos of the Overcooked series and injects it with some rogue-lite progression and randomisation. Part restaurant management, part cooking jam, but there’s also a dose of automation. After picking a dish, each run is all about seeing how many days your restaurant will last before closing down.

Between days you can purchase new equipment ranging from dishwashers to microwaves (running a turkey restaurant that sells microwaved turkey is apparently a shortcut to becoming a successful restauranteur) and even conveyor belts. A fun, chaotic, and addictive co-op cooking game that’s all about serving customers good/decent questionable food -- thanks microwave. And with its rogue-lite management spin, PlateUp! becomes a dish well worth cooking up time and again.

PlateUp! is currently available on PC

OlliOlli World

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Some games stand out almost exclusively on style alone. Mechanics and gameplay are important, of course, but when a game’s presentation and overall *vibe* elevate it above all else, you tend to stand up and pay attention. That’s the case with OlliOlli World -- a skating game with a difference that is charming, challenging and just cool AF. From Our Review:

And in the later stages of your journey, some levels feature Challenges that seem almost impossible. At least impossible where stringing them into both a run and a high-scoring combo are concerned, but such is the charm of OlliOlli World. By the time you’re powering through one of the many spots in Los Vulgas, the game’s final area, actually trying to work out what even happened in that last run you did, you’ll just be happy you made it through at all. Each and every part of the world feels alive and entirely against you once you’re armed with all the skating knowledge Radlandia and its kooky residents can impart on you, and you’ll need this armament to succeed. Especially in tackling the game’s second phase of Challenge completion.

OlliOlli World is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and the Xbox family of devices.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

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Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the epic third entry in Monolith Soft’s RPG series, a cinematic character-driven tale that delivers in all areas. From Our Review:

In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the story definitely keeps you on your toes, especially when you think you can predict what will happen next. The revelations and twists are not only well-handled, but all make sense in the overarching narrative. Split into multiple Chapters, some of which are quite hefty and full-game-like, each one always ends with a scene or series of events that can only be described as epic.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is currently available exclusively on Nintendo Switch.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns

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There’s always something special about teams that pivot from what they’re known for and throw a bit of innovation into what can often be described as a passion project. And that was certainly the case with Marvel’s Midnight Suns from Civilization and XCOM developer Firaxis who actually shared with us a lot about the project. From Our Review:

Again, there’s a lot happening and a lot more to it than playing skill cards and selecting ‘end turn’. Different superheroes fit different roles, some are better at crowd control whilst others are single-target damage dealers. There’s unit positioning, environmental damage options, defensive and offensive buffs, and little things like seeing who’s being targeted by whom so you can plan accordingly. It’s deeply rewarding, and playing non-story missions is a great way to learn new abilities, upgrade existing ones, and create bonds to further develop those battlefield options. Or to simply take a new trio out on the town.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and the Xbox family of devices.

Wylde Flowers

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Wylde Flowers was a bit stiff not to make the final Top 10, but it finds its way more than comfortably to our Honourable Mentions list. In part because it’s a solid “chore game” as our reviewer David Wildgoose declared it, but also because it does enough in that saturated genre to really stand out, and to really grab you because of it. From Our Review:

Wylde Flowers gets so many things right. Certain tasks must be performed daily–watering your crops, feeding your animals–but it doesn't burden you with a hunger meter requiring you to eat constantly. You have an energy bar that depletes over the course of the day, but only through demanding actions like chopping down a tree; talking to people, foraging items, cooking and other less strenuous actions don't require energy, alleviating much of the anxiety these game can induce when trying to maximise your efforts for the day.

Wylde Flowers is currently available on PC, Mac, Mobile (iOS) and Nintendo Switch.

Shadow Warrior 3

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Flying Wild Hog’s Shadow Warrior 3 was a delightful surprise, very different than the studio’s first to entries, and an experience that played like “What if DOOM Eternal, but as a theme-park ride”. From Our Review:

Although Flying Wild Hog and Devolver Digital first rebooted the ‘90s FPS relic Shadow Warrior in 2013, this new entry definitely feels inspired in part by the success -- and excess -- of DOOM Eternal. Which makes Shadow Warrior 3 both different and better than the first two titles in the reboot series. More focused, too.

This is said not to disparage past entries or this new game, or to chalk it up as a ‘DOOM Clone’ in the same way the original might have been back in the day. Rather it’s to let it sit alongside id Software’s efforts as an entertaining, vibrant, arcade-styled riff on one of the most explosive action games of the past decade.

Shadow Warrior 3 is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Dave the Diver

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We can’t wait to review Dave the Diver when it finally gets its full retail release. Largely because what’s already layered on to the game’s Early Access sushi roll is incredibly filling and super tasty. The game centres around a mystical Blue Hole and its ever-changing layout and marine migration (read: procedural runs), and a diver named Dave who unwittingly finds himself in the sushi business, but as all three fisherman, server and part business owner. Each time Dave enters the Blue Hole he finds new items to help build his business and even more produce from the ever-giving waters to have his perfectionist sushi chef whip up the most unique and most talked-about food on social media.

Part side-scrolling spear-fishing underwater exploration fantasy, part business tycoon and part server mini-game party affair, Dave the Diver just scratches an itch you probably didn’t even know was there.

Dave the Diver is currently available on PC in Steam’s Early Access program.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

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It’s an initial shock hearing Rabbids not only talk, but some of them coherently in this new Mario + Rabbids mashup that is an indirect follow-on from both Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle and Donkey Kong Adventure. And while much of the formula remains the same, Ubisoft tweaked just enough and even upped the challenge factor to 11 to make this a must-play Switch exclusive. From Our Review:

If themes exist across these games -- the first being Mushroom Kingdom-focused, and the second Donkey Kong -- then Sparks of Hope is a riff on the Super Mario Galaxy games. Featuring the Lumas of that series, only now Rabbidified and called Sparks, Sparks of Hope also carries with it planet-hopping for differential fun and a broad spectrum of environments to play within, derived from the Galaxy ilk and space theme. All of that] is really the aesthetic stuff, though. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope actually goes ahead and changes up a few key elements of the tactical turn-based gameplay of the first two games, removing the grid system in favour of a whole area of movement you can freely navigate your party within. This has also been amplified with new gameplay additions that work to empower players to combo each team-member’s turn to maximise their respective impacts on the Battle Course. And it’s all honestly for the better.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is currently available exclusively on Nintendo Switch.

/End

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That’s it for our Honourable Mentions. And there were more that just didn’t quite make it all the way. A huge congrats and thank you, though, to all the hard working developers and people behind the publisher and PR side of things that go to just getting these games into our hands. 2022 was definitely a standout year over the past few and helped bring back a sense of normalcy to the world.

Click here for the continuation of our Top 10 Games of 2022 list.