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Nintendo Life Alternative Game Awards 2022

The best 3DS game ever

Winner: Fragrant Story

Winning only because it’s the only 3DS game released this year that we’ve reviewed, Fragrant Story still deserves a look. It’s a quirky micro-strategy RPG that made waves by being the last 3DS game released in North America, and while it’s not the best strategy RPG we’ve ever played, it’s worth a shot as a curiosity more than anything else .

Runner Up: Uh… hmm. Why not head over to the 3DS eShop and grab some non-2022 winners before they go unbought in March?

Best Soundtrack

Winner: tie

It’s a toss-up between Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Neon White, Splatoon 3, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, Signalis, Kirby, Sonic Frontiers, Cult of the Lamb, Bayonetta 3, and oh my, about 50 other games.

It’s been a good year for video game music. Let’s just share a few highlights:

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

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Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

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Neon white

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Signalis

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Kirby and the Forgotten Land

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Sonic Frontiers

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Frog Fractions Award for “Best Bait and Switch Game”

Winner: tie

Soooo, don’t you just love it when a game pretends to be one thing and then pulls the rug out from under you? We do, and that’s why we created this award.

This year the award is divided into three parts, with each third going equally to Inscryption, Tunic and Omori. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you why these games are profitable, only that they are. WINK.

Best “No thoughts, head is empty” game.

Winner: Dorfromantik

The Switch has always been a great place for games that let you get away, and 2022 was a great year for it too.

Our ultimate winner is Dorfromantik, a great cool game about building beautiful little vignettes in the countryside. Can’t you just feel the stress seeping out of your bones?

Runners-up: A Little to the Left, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Railbound, Dragon Quest Treasures

Ah, breathe. Flip the page to find our picks for the best Doom clone, the longest running Switch title and the hotly contested ‘It’s About Bloody Time’ award…