Hollow Knight (2017) 8.3/10. Hollow Knight is an extremely fun souls-like metroidvania with intricately-crafted game mechanics. The OST and sound design are phenomenal. When I first started playing it felt very over-hyped, but it got exponentially better the more I played. You can tell that the developers have put a lot of attention to detail in every area of the game. The game's base difficulty is relatively low for newcomers who just want to play the game while providing challenges that scale in difficulty for those who enjoy punishment. Here are my favorite bosses ranked:
Mantis Lords
Nightmare King Grimm
Watcher Knights
Failed Champion
Soul Tyrant
White Defender
Traitor Lord
Also, whoever designed the White Palace is going to hell.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023) 8.3/10. An objective upgrade to the previous game. On its own, it's an 8.3 but building off the previous game, it's a 9.4.
No Man's Sky (2016) 8.2/10. It's like Subnautica but in space. The Star Wars sci-fi realism is amazing.
Blasphemous (2019) 7.7/10. Yet another souls-like metroidvania that has great-feeling mechanics. The art direction is beautiful in a really gritty and grotesque way. It feels like Fromsoft made this game. The only dislike I have in this game is the instant-kill spike areas.
Esoteric Ebb (2026) 7.6/10. Esoteric Ebb is a comedic 5-session D&D campaign about a clumsy cleric investigating a political conspiracy just days before the election. The dialogue can be excessive and overwhelming and the time crunch is anxiety-inducing, but the core gameplay (combat, investigation, questing) is a load of fun. It's a game that makes you think hard about politics, morality, and the meaning of life in a wholesome and charming way.
Divinity: Original Sin (Enhanced Edition) (2014) 7.5/10. Mom: we have Baldur's Gate 3 at home. In all seriousness this is exactly what I was looking for in terms of turn-based strategy RPG combat mechanics.