A movie star, a priest, and Master Chief walk into a bar...

The year is coming to a close, and so it's time to look back at what 2022 held, particularly for Xbox f?ans. Microsoft had a seemingly quiet year, but this year's nominees for Destructoid's best-in-class Xbox games spoke volumes.

As a reminder, our awards season here at Destructoid runs December-to-December. So while Halo Infinite wasn't eligible last year, it is this year, and it's likely better off for it. While 343 Industries' FPS struggled right out of the gate, a series of updates have been gradually turning the narrative around. The recent Forge beta and quality-of-life improvements are starting to make Infinite feel a bit more like what folks might have hoped for at launch, and so it's worth notin??g that.

Obsidian wound up being the standard-bearer for Microsoft's first-party efforts in 2022, with not one but two games making our nominations. The first, Grounded, launched out of Early Access, and those at the site who checked it out really dug Obsidian's take on co-op survival in a backyard world. Pentiment, meanwhile, is a passion project with some stellar art, direction, and writing. It captures life in the 16th century through a thrilling, emotional tale of art and legacy.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyMlV5_HRWk

Of course, Xbox these days isn't just about the first-party offerings. Xbox Game Pass had some stellar games arrive on the service, and the rest of our list shows that, as they've all been on Xbox Game Pass this year. We start with Nobody Saves the World, an early 2022 hit from Guacamelee developer Drinkbox th??at we dug and didn't want to see fall out of our collective recollection ??come GOTY season. It's colorful, inventive, and its transformations are a blast to mix and match.

Tunic barely needs an introduction, as it seemed to capture many hearts and minds over the last few years. Underneath a cute action game was a FEZ-like? puzzle waiting to be solved. I also just like a game that has a manual in it, okay?

The latest from Sam Barlow and the Half Mermaid crew, Immortality, is one of the more innovative games on this list. The way it turned racking and reeling footage, like you were using an old film machine, to tell a spooky and resonant story about creation and art has stuck w??i??th me, months after I rolled credits. It's also, in my humble opinion, a game you absolutely have to play using a controller.

The many, many rodents of A Plague Tale: Requiem close out our Xbox ballot. It's a gorgeous, emotional adventure, and as our review details, it shows how Asobo Studio has ?found a strong beat in this tale of two beleaguered siblings. Check out the official ballot below, and come ??back later this month to see who takes the top prize.

Here are the nominees for Destructoid’s Best Xbox Game of 2022:

• Grounded
• Halo Infinite
• Nobody Saves the World
• Pentiment
• Tunic
• Immortality
• A Plague Tale: Requiem

The post Nominees for Destructoid’s Best Xbox Game of 2022 appeared first on Destructoid.

It's hard to walk away from a game at your peak

It's a simple question, but your answer might a bit more be complicated �do you typically do New Game+ runs? What do you need from them? Anything extra? Or are you? generally looking for an excuse to continue existing in this world for just a while longer?

Over the weekend, I circled back to Rogue Legacy 2, a game I've finished. Except, well, I'm not finished. Not yet! There are permanent character-boosting upgrades to unlock and tou?gher as-yet-unseen variant bosses to seek out and destroy, so my work isn't done.

I hopped back in this weekend for a few quick runs when ?I had some downtime, but I was spotted. As former Destructoid writer Brett Makedonski half-jokingly pinged me on Steam, "you're done with the review bro, you don't have to play anymore."

But I must! In fact, I'm actually playing New Game+ in another game side-by-side with Rogue Legacy 2. I've also been chipping away at Nobody Saves the World, a form-swapping action-adventure RPG that is a whole game about making progress �checking off lists of combat chall??enges �in order to open up new mix-?and-match character builds.

Like Chris, I'd recommend it. It's been a lovely grind.? That said, approaching the 20-hour mark, I was ready to hit the end. Little did I know there'd be a New Game+, though!

[caption id="attachment_321031" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Nobody Saves the World is a capital v, capital g Video Game. It's cool!}[/caption]

It could just be a completionist tendency

I'll admit, part of the appeal is the platinum trophy and the ensuing I'm-completely-done game deletion that's always so satisfying. Finishing Nobody Saves the World aga??in on New Game+ will get me the "A world so nice I saved it twice" trophy, which is the only thing standing in my way. That's a nice jolt of motivation to immediately hop back in.

It's also just enjoyable ?to start again with all of these character forms unlocked, S-ranked, and kitted out with wacky active and passive abilities. I spent ma??ny hours just getting a lay of the land, and even more time mindlessly grinding out challenges to rank up. I was stumped in a few spots, for sure. Now, in New Game+, I get to come back around with all of that hard-earned knowledge �it's fun to breeze on through as a missile-firing monk.

Of course, the ante has been upped to keep things interesting for round two. In New Game+, Nobody Saves the World?? scales up foes' levels and revamps all of the dungeons to have modifiers that necessitate well-thought-out character builds. The screenshot above comes from an early dungeon boss fight that, in New Game+, lasted a second. With the new rules, I would take �and dish out �9,999 damage. Everyone was a glass cannon!

[caption id="attachment_321010" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Rogue Legacy 2 has an admirable choose-your-own-difficulty system for New Game+.}[/caption]

Or the promise of enticing new content

Rogue Legacy 2, mea?nwhile, is as grindy as ever, which I'm into.

In New Game+, you'll flip on various difficulty-raising "burdens," and there are enough granular toggles that y??ou can really set yourself up for success (or failure). If you're a pro?? at avoiding spike traps and other obstacles, maybe crank up their damage output. If you aren't feeling threatened by common foes, bulk them up or boost the speed of projectiles.

I'm not interested in making this game even harder than it already is, Hades style, just to fail a bunch and ultimately (hopefully!) come out on top after a ton of practice. I mean, if I can, sure, that's cool. The higher your New Game+ "thread" goes, the better the gold grind, but better yet: you can also open ?up alternate new "Prime" bosses. That means more intricate boss attack patterns and even more lore, if you're into these backstories.

Without say??ing too much, so far, the Prime estuaries have put up such thrilling fights, I know I have to see them all. I'm only ("only") on New Game+3, so there's a long way left.

[caption id="attachment_310647" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Sometimes, it's best to take a break before diving into New Game+. See: Elden Ring. (For me, anyway.)}[/caption]

Elden Ring says "hello" (in a creepy voice)

Weirdly, in an out-of-character twist, I mostly glossed over a good New Game+ candidate that a bunch of you are likely digging into right now, or planning to soon: Elden Ring.

I've always loved New Game+ in the extended Souls family as someone who enjoys squeezing as much out of games as possible before shelving them. That said, with Elden Ring, my first-playthrough clear took so much time and energy that when the NG+ option presented itself, I knew I needed some space. If not for me, then at least for my fiancée, who was starting to think this obsession-inducing game would never end. I did savor it.

To get the best of both worlds, I backed up my endgame save file, started New Game+, then steamrolled the mandatory bosses and hoofed it to a much-later zone to pick up a missable weapon that I had, like many other first-time players, totally missed. The deed was done, so I deleted that run. Now I can pick Elden Ring back up when the time is right �though I think a fresh run with a n??ew Tarnished might be more fun? Thoughts on that?

In recent years, New Game+ has become a staple for certain players, and I am no doubt one of those folks. What about you? Do you need a NieR-style ongoing narrative carrot on a stick, or are you all about continuing your adventure for raw gains, like in Nioh 2?

Also, do you ever feel guilty ??about not moving on? You shouldn't! But do ??you?

The post Are you a New Game+ sorta person? appeared first on Destructoid.

Current platforms are getting a co-op update, too

Did you know the developers behind Guacamelee made a wacky action-RPG that's �no surprise here �really cool? I love Drinkbox, and its latest release, Nobody Saves the World, is worth playing, especially if you're in the mood for a co-op adventure. After launching on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, Nobody Saves the World is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5 on April 14, 2022 �along with local co-op supp??ort across ??the board.

//youtu.be/U8ljTOacBmU

As you might've gleaned from the trailer, this is a dungeon-crawling RPG with an overworld to explore, optional quests to complete, and a bunch of distinct forms for your "nobody" to morph into. One moment, you might be?? sliming up the terrain as a slug, raising an army of chomping undead as a zombie, or charging into demons as ?a horse.

Having recently checked it out on Game Pass, my favorite part of Nobody Saves the World is the challenge system, which pushes you to play as every class in order to expand them and also unlock further forms. It's fun in an "always making progress" completionist sense??, and it's pretty enjoyable to mix and match abilities to fit the given dungeon, too.

Though it's a nice podcast-and-grind experience, my big regret was not being able to team up locally, so knowing that a couch co-op update is coming to Xbox and PC is great news for anyone else in a similar boat. Those updates are expected to drop on April 14 (the same day as the Switch and PlayStation launch), so everyone's covered. Nobody Saves the World is fun, but ?I bet it's even better with a partner given the potential to combo abilities.

[caption id="attachment_315086" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{The Magician can pull more than just a rabbit out of his hat.}[/caption]

This is absolutely one of those games where you go in intending to play for "just a bit," then all of a sudden you come to, realizing how much time has flown by. It's a day derailer! Even if top-down action-RPGs are a bit outside of your wheelhouse and you're mostly here for the ol' Drinkbox charm as, say, a fan of Guacamelee, I'd still check it out.

Nobody Saves the World is up on the Nintendo Switch eShop and PlayStation Store, and there? will be a 10 percent discount for pre-order??s. Game Pass is swell if you have it.

The post Nobody Save??s the World heads?? to Switch, PS4, and PS5 with local co-op appeared first on Destructoid.

It's also a day-one launch on Xbox Game Pass

The latest game from Drinkbox Studios has a release date, and it's right around the corner. Nobody Saves the World w??ill arrive on Jan. 18 for Xbox and PC, and i??t's launching on Xbox Game Pass too.

The newest action RPG from Drinkbox, the studio behind Guacamelee! and Severed, takes the d??eveloper's penchant for outlandish, quirky characters into a top-down dungeon crawl. Starting off as a Nobody, you can pick up new forms like Rat, Ghost, Rogue, and Dragon to gain new mechanics and abilities. Plus, you?? can also mix and match abilities to create even more new builds.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ0j5maNZJ0

All? t?he forms have their own storylines as well, so you can help out the nice denizens of the world and chase your own form-based dreams. Online co-op is included too, so a friend can join in on the action.

Drinkbox also confirmed in a press release that Nobody Saves the World will launch on Xbox Game Pass, and it will also be cross-play enabled. So it really shouldn't be too difficult for wayward Nobody adventurers to find a pal to t??rek with through adventures and quests.

Our hands-on with Nobody Saves the World left an impression, with Chris saying the core loop was very satisfying. Drinkbox is certainly no stranger to the action or RPG genre, with both the Guacamelee! series and the memorable touch-based dungeon-crawler Severed on its resume.

If you were looking for a new game to play with a pal this month and you both have Xbox Game Pass, seems like this one's a lock. Nobody Saves the World hits Xbox One, Xb??ox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Windows 10 on Jan. 18, 2022.

The post Drinkbox’s Nobody Saves the World arrives later this month appeared first on Destructoid.

Add to that backlog

The Xbox Game Pass library has been ?great for accumulating access to a lot of games I need to get around to playing, and it's adding even more to? the list.

At today's Twitch Gaming and ID@Xbox showcase, over 20 games were confirm??ed for Game Pass at launch. This means they'll launch day one on the service, so if you?'re eagerly awaiting a bunch of these, that's an easy way to nab them all in one fell swoop.

It's an eclectic group of indie games too, ranging from newly announced games from the showcase like Astria Ascending, while others are previously announced indies like Sable or S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

Check out ??the full list below, as well as which platforms t??hey're coming to Game Pass on:

• Art of the Rally (Console, Cloud)
• Astria Ascending (Console, Cloud)
• Backbone (Console, Cloud)
• Boyfriend Dungeon (Console, PC)
• Craftopia (Console, PC)
• Dead Static Drive (Console, PC)
• Edge of Eternity (Console, Cloud)
• Hello Neighbor 2 (Console, Cloud)
• Library of Ruina (Console, Cloud)
• Little Witch in the Woods (Console, Cloud)
• Moonglow Bay (Console, Cloud)
• Narita Boy (Console, Cloud)
• Nobody Saves the World (Console, Cloud)
• Omno (Console, Cloud)
• Recompile (PC, Console, Cloud)
• Sable (PC, Console)
• She Dreams Elsewhere (PC, Console)
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (Console, Cloud)
• The Ascent (Console, Cloud, PC)
• Undungeon (Console, Cloud, PC)
• Way to the Woods (Console, Cloud)
• Wild at Heart (Console)

Looks like if you're using Game Pass, you've got some indies coming your way. Be sure to check out our preview of Drinkbox's upcoming game Nobody Saves the World for a glimpse of one of them.

The post Xbox anno??unces over 20 indies coming to Game Pass day one appeared first on Destructoid.

We went hands-on with the studio's latest

Even since Tales from Space: About a Blob, Drinkbox Studios was one to watch for me.

But it was in 2013, when Guacamelee hit, that they kind of became a "must watch" developer. You know the feeling, like when Thatgamecompany released Journey, or Supergiant gave us Bastion.

We sat down with a few people from Drinkbox recently, and embarked upon a hands-on preview adventure with Nobody Saves the World, their newest game. Oh yeah, that's a thing!

During my hands-on, I had the ?chance to interact directly with studio co-founder Graham Smith and lead designer Ia?n Campbell, who noted that this was what they've been working on "for the last year or two."

I started roughly 30 minutes into the game, eschewing the story setup and tutorials. Here's a quick primer: you're a little "white baby thing" (their words!) called "Nobody." You woke up in a shack with no clothes or memories, and an ancient evil has wrecked the world. A master mage named Nostromagus typically cleans things up (and saves the world), but he's missing. His protégé, Randy, found you, and one thing leads to another;?? and you now have access to a powerful wand artifact.

The wand and the magic therein is the main gimmick both in terms of the game's narrative and the underlying mechanics. As you may have noticed in the screenshots so far, Nobody can become a lot of different things. Now you can wander around as the little white baby thing! But at th??e start you can also transform into a rat (melee DPS), a ranger (ranged DPS), and a magician (a summoner type). All of these forms can be swapped to at will, and ranked up (you start at rank "F").

All of this is taking place through an old school Zelda-like top-down action RPG framework. Drinkbox says there's "around 25 dungeons" to conquer, and the "insides are randomly generated," with unique elements for each one of them. You'll spelunk in "Demidungeons," then branch off into more formidable "Legendary Dungeons." This story is told through a self-described "hand-crafted overworld," that is "similar in size to old Zelda games." I'm told it will take roughly 15-20 hours to complete. Drinkbox is "still working on the nature of? the postgame." At this time, it is "fully sing?leplayer."

To get stronger and aid the sense of progression, Nobody can also finish quests (which are more like challenges) to unlock new forms and upgrades. The core loop is very satisfying, and I found myself being surprised by it in real time. Essentially, while Drinkbox tells me that you can use the same few forms if you wish to great success, you're encouraged to swap c??onstantly, finish new challenges, and unlock more abilities and rewards. You can also combine abilities across classes, and mix and match your style (one example was granting the ranger's dash to someone else).

But how did this all come about? Smith says it was a "biproduct of how [they] select [their] projects." He elucidates: "We have single page pitches of 'here's a game idea.' For this project, everyone in the team pitched one or two ideas. We? sat in a big circle and just pitched ideas all day?. Eventually we narrowed it down to a couple of different projects, including this one. Ideas are being thrown around for how to change pitches. So the original pitch is maybe something different, but pulling in ideas from other pitches is something that happens regularly."

Smith goes on to explain, "We were working on three projects, mostly on paper, but eventually it kind of whittle down and this is the one we ended up making. The team likes to work on new things and work in new areas. We had never done a 'proper RPG,' and it's stretching our creative muscles in different ways. Severed was very much the same...?we wanted? to do something different."

The art direction for Nobody Saves the World is very much "something different." Campbell dove right in to acknowledge the notion that it was all gloriously unsettling, stating that "Unsettling is one of the primary words we're using in the art direction. We're trying to maintain the vivid colors from our other games. We're also looking to differentiate this game. It's definitely more grounded. There's much less memes for example. A lot of those jokes from Guacamelee would come in at?? the end of the project, anyway."

Nobody Saves the World will l?aunch later this year on PC (Windows Store, Steam), and Xbox One/Series X/S. Drinkbox says that it is "nearing the internal beta pe?riod," and is targeting "around the end of summer for launch." It is just a target, Smith says, and they aren't going to release the game until "they're happy with it."

Of course I had to sneak a cheeky Guacamelee question in. When asked about another sequel, Smith explained that "Guacamelee 3 is not off the table, but there are no plans" right now. So?? you'??re saying there's a chance?

The post Drinkbox’s new game, Nobody Saves the World, has flashes of Zelda meets Hades appeared first on Destructoid.