I've had a long day, so here's a quick 5 games that didn't make the list!
Dead Cells
I know this is a bit unorthodox, but this is a game currently in early access, but I already love it. "early access roguelike metroidvania with souls combat" sounds like the nightmare of everyone who hates indie games, but this game is incredible with how good it is. The levels are so good that they feel hand-designed despite being procedurally generated. The combat is snappy and amazing. The progression feels satisfying. I love this so much already that I want to put it on my GOTY list so far. The weapons are great, the movement is great, the art style is fantastic, everything about it is awesome. It's already quite complete now and I can recommend it very strongly.
Clock Tower: The First Fear
Playing a point and click horror game where death is around every corner sounds like a miserable proposition, but it only adds to the terror. Clock Tower has a really unique formula, one that surprisingly hasn't been replicated to my knowledge. You are being chased by one omnipresent enemy that can easily kill you, and you must give it the slip while trying to survive, save other people, and escape. There are many endings you can reach, and many ways you can try to get rid of the enemy. The real horrifying aspect is that there is no one preset way the game plays out, the enemy appearances seem random and whether each hiding spot or trap you can lay will work or not is random as well. The end result is a terrifying experience.
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
I love Magic: The Gathering. I've spent over two decades playing it. Eventually I decided to quit, and in a very healthy, totally-not-addicted way, I replaced it with Hearthstone. I love HS, because I can play it anywhere, any time. The problem I had with MTG was that I had to travel a lot to play, and I didn't have the time for that. Sure, HS is less complex in some ways, but it's more interesting in other ways. I was very into MTG competitively, so it took some adjusting, but I enjoy HS for what it is and how polished it is.
The Witness
I said many times that I love puzzle games, especially ones where intuiting the solution is the point instead of executing it, and obviously The Witness is incredible for this. Doesn't hurt that the game is beautiful either. What I love about The Witness is that it's essentially a metroidvania. Instead of your character gaining new abilities, you gain new knowledge that lets you access different areas. Knowledge is power in this game, but brute force won't get you anywhere. Once you have the knowledge, you have to think very carefully and apply that knowledge. It's probably the most brilliant game ever made. This is to say nothing of the hidden puzzles, which really messed me up for a while, as I was seeing dots and lines everywhere in real life for a while.
EVO The Search for Eden
I almost forgot about this game when making my list! This one is one of my favorite SNES games. It's a platformer where you start as a prehistoric sea creature. You earn evolution points by eating other organisms, then you can evolve parts of your body to develop into different creatures. Obviously, there's a path that you take, some upgrades are mutually exclusive. You can develop a spear snout, but that's not compatible with some fins. As you fight bosses and traverse through undersea levels, you eventually grow legs and can move on to land. The game keeps changing along with your character. It's a pretty brilliant concept, and the pacing and progression always felt pretty awesome to me. An underrated SNES classic!
Dead Cells
I know this is a bit unorthodox, but this is a game currently in early access, but I already love it. "early access roguelike metroidvania with souls combat" sounds like the nightmare of everyone who hates indie games, but this game is incredible with how good it is. The levels are so good that they feel hand-designed despite being procedurally generated. The combat is snappy and amazing. The progression feels satisfying. I love this so much already that I want to put it on my GOTY list so far. The weapons are great, the movement is great, the art style is fantastic, everything about it is awesome. It's already quite complete now and I can recommend it very strongly.
Clock Tower: The First Fear
Playing a point and click horror game where death is around every corner sounds like a miserable proposition, but it only adds to the terror. Clock Tower has a really unique formula, one that surprisingly hasn't been replicated to my knowledge. You are being chased by one omnipresent enemy that can easily kill you, and you must give it the slip while trying to survive, save other people, and escape. There are many endings you can reach, and many ways you can try to get rid of the enemy. The real horrifying aspect is that there is no one preset way the game plays out, the enemy appearances seem random and whether each hiding spot or trap you can lay will work or not is random as well. The end result is a terrifying experience.
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
I love Magic: The Gathering. I've spent over two decades playing it. Eventually I decided to quit, and in a very healthy, totally-not-addicted way, I replaced it with Hearthstone. I love HS, because I can play it anywhere, any time. The problem I had with MTG was that I had to travel a lot to play, and I didn't have the time for that. Sure, HS is less complex in some ways, but it's more interesting in other ways. I was very into MTG competitively, so it took some adjusting, but I enjoy HS for what it is and how polished it is.
The Witness
I said many times that I love puzzle games, especially ones where intuiting the solution is the point instead of executing it, and obviously The Witness is incredible for this. Doesn't hurt that the game is beautiful either. What I love about The Witness is that it's essentially a metroidvania. Instead of your character gaining new abilities, you gain new knowledge that lets you access different areas. Knowledge is power in this game, but brute force won't get you anywhere. Once you have the knowledge, you have to think very carefully and apply that knowledge. It's probably the most brilliant game ever made. This is to say nothing of the hidden puzzles, which really messed me up for a while, as I was seeing dots and lines everywhere in real life for a while.
EVO The Search for Eden
I almost forgot about this game when making my list! This one is one of my favorite SNES games. It's a platformer where you start as a prehistoric sea creature. You earn evolution points by eating other organisms, then you can evolve parts of your body to develop into different creatures. Obviously, there's a path that you take, some upgrades are mutually exclusive. You can develop a spear snout, but that's not compatible with some fins. As you fight bosses and traverse through undersea levels, you eventually grow legs and can move on to land. The game keeps changing along with your character. It's a pretty brilliant concept, and the pacing and progression always felt pretty awesome to me. An underrated SNES classic!