We had yet another awful year of layoffs and studio closures that have crushed the video game industry around the world. Thousands of people have been tossed aside, and those decisions will have knock-on effects for years to come as fewer and fewer major releases make it to market.

But even with unimaginable turmoil, we were still blessed with some outstanding games this past year. I'd be remiss if I didn't shout my recommendations from the mountain top, and beg you all to do the very same.

Let's all celebrate and support the games that mattered the most to us. I'll start.

Honorable mention: 'Senua's Saga: Hellblade II'

While this sequel loses much of the novelty of the original, the spectacle on display easily makes this short narrative adventure worth playing.

The performance capture in "Hellblade II" is second to none, and that helps players empathize with some deeply troubled characters as they go through much toil and suffering in the hopes of finding a better world.

10. 'Nobody Wants To Die'

Smashing cyberpunk and noir together works exceedingly well in this first-time outing from Polish developer Critical Hit Games. Reconstructing crime scenes makes up the bulk of the gameplay, and it encourages you to explore the lovingly rendered spaces of this futuristic New York.

9. 'Still Wakes The Deep'

The Chinese Room is arguably the originator of the so-called "walking simulator" genre, and you can see some of that DNA shine through, but this isn't a slow, contemplative experience like "Dear Esther" or "Everybody's Gone to the Rapture."

Instead, this game, set on an oil rig in the North Sea, whips back and forth between internal despair and adrenaline-pumping moments of fear as you try to escape an unknowable horror.

8. 'The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom'

This cutesy "Zelda" release is a wonderful example of what the series can become in a post-"Breath of the Wild" world. It marries many of the traditional elements of the top-down games in the series with the creative problem solving that we've grown to love in the recent releases.

Instead of simply moving blocks and swinging your sword as Link, players control Zelda, and spawn objects and enemies to solve problems as they arise. With any luck, we'll see a more robust iteration of these ideas in the next installment on Nintendo's new platform.

7. 'Indiana Jones and the Great Circle'

I'm a diehard lover of the classic LucasArts point-and-click adventure "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis," so it's heartening to see many of those ideas brought into a modern game with clear inspiration from the likes of "Hitman" and "Dishonored."

And since MachineGames, the developer of this "Indy" title, also made the recent "Wolfenstein" games, you just know that you're going to spend a lot of time thwarting fascists violently.

6. 'Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth'

Sega's Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is able to pump out lengthy "Yakuza" games year after year during an era where it isn't rare to see a decade between releases. Sure, they reuse a lot of assets, but there's always enough novelty to keep us engaged with these gangsters with hearts of gold.

Somehow, in this 80-hour JRPG, there's also a ten-hour sidequest that effectively asks you to play their version of "Animal Crossing" on an island of trash. If that doesn't grab you, nothing will.

5. 'Astro Bot'

"Astro Bot" is a rather simple 3D platformer in the mold of a "Super Mario," but the thoughtful design, unbelievable attention to detail and easter egg-filled worlds make this a standout title that punches well above its weight.

4. 'Harold Halibut'

This gorgeous German adventure game is best described as if you took an Ursula K. Le Guin novel, and adapted it visually in the style of "Wallace and Gromit." Somehow, it doesn't look at all like a video game, but a high-end claymation movie instead.

While the slow movement and iffy pacing might turn off some folks, the payoff delivered with the character arcs and the outlandish sci-fi world is transcendent.

3. 'Life is Strange: Double Exposure'

Gone are the days of angsty teens learning to rewind time at art school — now, they're angsty art school faculty jumping between different timelines. It's totally different!

While there is some dissatisfaction from fans of the series over how the developers have decided to move past the divergent endings of the first game, this is still a smart installment that's as fun to think about as it is to play.

Best of all, the long-term plans of this series are finally coming into focus, so I'm excited to see how all of these different characters end up crossing paths in the future.

2. 'Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth'

They did the damn thing. The lockdown-era release of the first "Remake" title gave us a small taste of what Square Enix was cooking, but "Rebirth" is a full meal on its own.

Surely, there are some that are frustrated that we still have years to go before this reboot trilogy wraps up, but I'm just so in love with how they've fleshed out the characters in this release. Even if they never stick the landing, I'm forever thankful for the time I got to spend with this crew from my misspent youth.

1. 'Dragon Age: The Veilguard'

It took almost exactly a decade for BioWare to ship this sequel, so there's no way that it could ever live up to the expectations of every fan. But even after years of confusing and disappointing stumbles like "Mass Effect: Andromeda" and "Anthem," BioWare has finally proven that they can still make me fall in love.

The combat is wildly different than the last "Dragon Age" game, we're in entirely different locations and a whole lot of time has passed within the fiction. It's no surprise that it doesn't click with everybody, but I'm so thankful that it did with me. Now, excuse me as I get back to smooching Taash and bullying a certain egg-shaped doofus.

Want to compare these to last year's best games? Check out my 2023 GOTY list.