my 2021 goty and it's literally a dollar so i have to mention it. it's very short and simple but sweet
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1335230/Sumire/
tevi may be a net improvement overall but rabi ribi is still also one of my favourite games so i can't not bring it up
https://store.steampowered.com/app/400910/RabiRibi/
(obligatory posting every single oj game here)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/262240/SUGURI/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/265170/Acceleration_of_SUGURI_XEdition_HD/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1036370/Flying_Red_Barrel__The_Diary_of_a_Little_Aviator/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/282800/100_Orange_Juice/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/390730/Sora/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/390710/Acceleration_of_SUGURI_2/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/316600/QP_Shooting__Dangerous/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/335190/200_Mixed_Juice/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/560050/Xmas_Shooting__Scramble/
(on a non-localised note, there's also the first qp shooting, the xmas shooting expansion for it, and several april fools bonus games... and some ancient freeware games too. will say though that the orange juice circle made some stuff with standout innovations in the (usually shmup) genres its games fell under and all of them are totally worth it)
oft forgotten official spiritual successor to Syobon Action aka. Cat Mario. I adore its design philosophy where the traps aren't that hard to avoid, they're all just there as pretty much one-off pranks and there's just A LOT of them. I heartily recommend the indirect sequel, Magipon, as well (linked below, it's dlsite-only sadly)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/261700/Eryis_Action/
https://www.dlsite.com/home/work/=/product_id/RJ113364.html
i'm very biased since i was a big fan of this game long before i got a chance to play it, but it's a very nostalgic raising sim that was one of the only games the china-based indie team circle entertainment ever did before going all in on localising small japanese indie releases on various (mostly nintendo) consoles to global audiences and refreshingly even nz). this game's protag became the company's mascot so i'd been very interested in it for a long time, and it was pretty big for me when it got a steam release, as well as a localisation a few years later
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1268140/Lair_Land_Story/
path of the abyss just came out a week ago, i'd say you're best off waiting for it to exit early access before playing since there are a few issues presently and the translation could clearly be better (and will be) but it is probably the best wizardry-like game of 2023 (granted i only know about two and it's the only one i've actually played lol). While it remains in EA, it's only $7 and I'd definitely say it's more than worth that. Honestly, the music alone is worth more than that (hypothetically and also literally), it's a real contender for soundtrack of the year too.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1768650/Path_of_the_Abyss/
CaveFiction is a... weird game. It's quite short and really terrible but i also feel confident saying it was worth it at least. It's only about $3 after all during the current sale and even outside of it it's very affordable https://store.steampowered.com/app/1955490/CaveFiction/
Enjoy the diner is also a weird game, but a less hit or miss one. Secretly I kinda wish they hadn't gone and ported it to unity but besides that it's good.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2336980/Enjoy_the_Diner/
A lot of fans cannot stand the sacrilegious changes this game brought to the kawase formula, but for me I thought it was... actually, perfect. putting kawase in a big sandbox world (well, actually more like a small handful of them) metroidvania style while retaining the level structure in the form of missions was brilliant in my opinion. encouring extensive exploration of the world as a whole was something exactly up my alley for the series, and i was frankly smitten by the bright and fun aesthetic. hot take, this game is kind of like the wind waker of kawase. it's fresh
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1272680/Umihara_Kawase_Fresh/
and this is the even more frequently ignored smash clone. it's not exactly a party game you'll be able to get casual friends to tolerate with you BUT it is kind of fun.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1271620/Umihara_Kawase_BaZooKa/
this game's weirdly enough more connected to the above two games than any of the other cotton games that have been coming out or getting ports as of late, since it's actually a crossover title. has a superlatively good soundtrack, superlatively cool cameo characters and stages with brilliant gimmicks, and usually superlatively extreme pricing too, but fortunately it's dropped enough now thanks to (undeserved) poor sales that we're already hitting sub-10usd. oh yeah, also it's very beginner friendly for a shmup (infinite continues)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1364760/COTTOn_RocknRoll_SUPERLATIVE_NIGHT_DREAMS/
anyway this is the real best shmup of last year (and perhaps of the last several). it's flashy, it's crazy, it's... honestly relatively easy, but it's still an absolute experience
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1808900/GRAND_CROSS_ReNOVATION/
speaking of experiences, hellsinker remains a whole other beast
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1067720/Hellsinker/
and also one can't talk about it these days without also mentioning...
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1225610/kashicverse_Malicious_Wake/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1543310/Hymeno_Striker__kashicverse_minigame/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/857460/kashicforce/
with the release of their next game Astralbringer, now's a good time to dive into this surreal series of supposed shmups loaded with mechanics unlike any other
I haven't really been keeping up in a while but I think this is probably the best Suika Game clone on steam since it has multiplayer and a garbage block system like puyo puyo (also some neat growth/shrinking mechanics)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2661210/WhaleGameOnline/
This is untranslated, but one of the indie games from this year i was most interested in. In many ways it is probably the best roguelike time-loop adventure game this year, and I liked Loop8 tbh.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2348880/_/
This game's a pure homage to 80s japanese adventure games like portopia or famicom detective club. It's unfortunately very linear, but it's quite authentic (save for the use of smartphones). I had the untranslated version since a few years back but never got around to it, finally picked it up again on switch a couple of days ago though and enjoyed it quite a bit. Unfortunately though it's not on sale currently, but since it's 9.99usd by default i figured i'd mention it anyway
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2265440/Retro_Mystery_Club_Vol1_The_IseShima_Case/
speaking of retro indie stuff... ternox's games tend to be a little undercooked, but great value for their price, and this one is no exception. if you dig the aesthetic of the trailer, you will probably get this game
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1539140/STONKS9800_Stock_Market_Simulator/
it's definitely not perfect, with its
very
awkward cutscenes and all, and the soundtrack is I believe to this day
still
using unfinished versions of the songs... but it's still an excellent mega man clone
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1944060/Super_Alloy_Ranger/
wholesome little doujin vn with gameplay. the devs definitely deserve more support too so had to promote
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1647740/1f_y0ure_a_gh0st_ca11_me_here/
a fun more homage to more western classic adventure games, but really kind of its own thing aesthetically. i liked it
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810270/Blood_Nova/
going to continue on another post because i just realised i went well over the limit oops