Introduction
2024 is coming to a close, and just like every year that normally brings about a period of reflection.
Specifically, for video game professionals it's a time to look back at the happenings of the industry, and the games that were made. There's heaps to learn from playing a game - seeing what worked, what didn't, and trying to understand the inner workings that resulted in the game as it is.
2024 has been a pretty good year for games, and I'm happy that I got to spend some of my time playing them. By my count, I've played and beaten roughly 50 games this year. That's a lot of games! I think games are a wonderful hobby so I always like to recommend games that may cater to people's interests. Today I'll do something a bit different and make a list of games I played this year that catered to my interests, specifically.
This list is a celebration of good games, where I write what I liked about them and hopefully pique your interest to give them a try.
It's important to clarify this list is simply of games I've played this year and not necessarily titles that released in 2024. I'm not a professional game reviewer, I'm just a guy who likes games.
Without further ado...
Number 10 - Life is Strange: True Colors
Life is Strange is a game (and now series) near and dear to many, offering an exploration of people and their relationships, all through the lens of young adulthood in America. Throw into the mix mystery elements and a cinematic, heartfelt story and you got yourself a game that isn't for everyone - a lot more akin to a movie or a novel than an action game - but truly loved and appreciated by those who care for it. For better or worse, I am one of those people.
Since its development by Dontnod Entertainment in 2015, multiple entries in the series have been released, some by Deck Nine Games, all to relatively colder receptions than the original title. It was hard to recapture that 'magic' that made the original game work. I can assume part of the challenge stemmed from the fact that the original game was so different than anything that existed before, that it was kind of hard to nail what elements "made" a Life is Strange game and what were just set dressings.
Life is Strange: True Colors is a step in the right direction in my opinion. Developed by Deck Nine Games, it tells an interesting story about interesting characters that feel "real" and provides an experience that's half movie and half interactive story.
In it, you play as Alex Chen who moves to Colorado and tries to re-integrate into society while dealing with her troubled past.
It's a game that looks, sounds and feels like a warm cup of coco on a cold & snowy night. It pulls on your heartstrings and portrays interesting, three-dimensional characters that really sell the immersion factor of the game. It's a short, well-written and well-told story, and I'm glad I got to play it.
As a plus, it handles controversial topics of the modern world such as environmentalism, LGBTQ+ themes and drug use with grace.
Number 9 - Duskers
Duskers is a hyper-niche game that is played entirely via terminal commands. In it, you pilot a group of drones as you explore derelict spacecraft in an eerie, unforgiving universe. Developed by couple Tim & Holly Keenan who form Misfits Attic, it is an exceptionally unique game that captures the feeling of being alone in space, where your eyes and ears are all sensors.
Duskers is a very challenging game, and relatively unforgiving. While the base game is easy to learn, mastering it comes to understanding how the different mechanics weave together and how cautious you can be. The adrenaline rush as you urge your drones back to your escape pod whilst trying to avoid the hostile threat on board is second to none, knowing each false keystroke is a faulty command that will lead to catastrophic failure.
Its visuals, while simplistic, are very immersive and the gameplay is hard and addictive.
The main criticism of the game is that after a few hours you've mostly seen what it has to offer, and it sort of 'fizzles out', with no obvious, capital E ending.
If you ever wanted to see how you could game-ify controlling drones via a terminal, please look no further than this game.
Number 8 - Darkest Dungeon II
Darkest Dungeon II is the long-awaited sequel to indie hit Darkest Dungeon, which happily marries dungeon-delving RPGs with the dark and brooding world of Lovecraftian horror. It is developed by Red Hook Studios. The sequel took the known formula of exploring dark and twisted dungeons with a group of adventurers who slowly succumb to the madness of their journey, and twisted up the formula.
While the combat mechanics remain the same for the most part (which is a good thing because they're tight and fun), this sequel is now a roguelite, where you play in 'runs' and fail over and over as you slowly and incrementally progress to achieving your goals. This change has been met with mixed reception, with consensus largely preferring the original game over the sequel. I, however, really liked the change and found that it improved the game in a multitude of ways. Thematically it is very appropriate and really hammers in the feeling of hopelessness and gloom. Gameplay-wise, it encourages experimentation and trying out new things.
I loved the way the character's backstories would be slowly revealed as new abilities were unlocked, as it gave more room for the very talented writers to flex their muscles.
It is an unashamedly repetitive and difficult game, but one that I found strangely addictive and fun to play. Its immersive themes, visuals and sound design really sell the point home and make you feel like a part of an accursed story.
Number 7 - TUNIC
Tunic, a game developed by small studio Isometricorp Games and largely the brainchild of Andrew Shouldice, is a fantastic game that expertly deals in information. On the surface it is an action-adventure RPG that plays essentially like the classic Zelda with modern quality-of-life improvements thrown on top. Its big 'hook' is the fact that the entire game's rules, systems, mechanics and plot are largely told through an in-game manual that is mostly written in a fictional language. What's more, the pages of the manual are scattered across the world for you to find in order to slowly piece together the game. Essentially, it encapsulates the feeling of getting a Japanese adventure game and trying to gleam hints as to what is going on through the illustrations of a game manual in a foreign language.
It's a very novel concept and extremely rewarding in practice. Progressing in the game feels rewarding and it makes the secrets of the world all the more satisfying to interact with.
To top it off, it's a very pretty game with a relaxing soundtrack. The game's twists and turns are effective and fun to play through.
To me, Tunic is a masterful game that at this point in time is the pinnacle of the top-down adventure formula that started with Zelda. I love games where you have abilities at your disposal and the only thing preventing you from using them is the knowledge that they exist - which is why I love Tunic so much. It's a game that rewards exploration & out-of-the-box thinking, tells a compelling story, and is also just fun to play in the moment-to-moment scale.
Number 6 - The Forgotten City
The Forgotten City is a surprisingly rich and interesting game developed by Australian Studio Modern Storyteller and the brain child of Nick Pearce. It's a mystery adventure game, where the main reward of playing isn't a flashy sword or a high score - it's figuring out what's going on.
I kind of don't want to give away too much about the game because I think the mystery makes it even better. Just know it's a game mostly about talking to people, figuring things out, and trying new things.
The game is rough around the edges - the character models in particular look a bit odd, but the core game is incredibly tight and the plot is intriguing.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the layers of complexity hidden beneath this game. In general, I think any game that can pose interesting moral dilemmas, teach you about history, surprise you with mechanics and keep you guessing while still being fun to play is a strong game.
If you're looking for a 'detective' game with a twist, look no further than The Forgotten City, assuming you can turn a blind eye to some unpolished visuals.
Number 5 - Reus 2
Reus 2, developed by Dutch indie studio Abbey Games, is the sequel to the God-sim management game Reus. In this game, you control elemental gods that use their powers to assist humans as they develop their civilizations.
Everything in the game, from its graphics to soundtrack, makes it feel very laid back. It's a God-sim management game, but if you were to ask me it's primarily a strategy-puzzle game. The game's whole challenge and appeal comes from the fact that you have limited actions/turns to act, and because of that you can (and should) give great thought to what goes where. Combine that with interesting systems that intertwine in dynamic ways, and you get one of the most engaging games about creating cool, complex ecosystems.
Another great thing about the game is the amount of content - practically after every run you unlock new tools to play with, which in turn makes every subsequent playthrough slightly different. It's super exciting to see what you get next, and it's often very rewarding.
I've spent too many nights staying up late and playing this addictive game, and I hope that you will give it a try, as I doubt you'd be disappointed.
Number 4 - Disco Elysium - The Final Cut
Despite this list having many heavy hitters in the writing department, there is no doubt in my mind that Disco Elysium by ZA/UM wins that category by a landslide.
Its beautifully intricate and messy world, its complex, dark, funny characters, and its excellent voice-acting (in The Final Cut version) are all emboldened and brought to life by the fantastic writing of this game.
This is an RPG mystery game, which once again would be best to walk in to with as little knowledge or spoilers as possible. In very general terms - you're trying to investigate something while trying to learn about yourself.
This is a complex, thought-provoking game that acts as a mirror of reflection on our society as well as our own identity as the player. This game is not only a piece of art, but a masterful one at that. Its writing and characters have stuck with me long after I've beaten the game, and I'm certain some of its ideas have gone over my head.
I love games where the main character is not simply an empty husk avatar for the player, but a fully-realized personality with their own interests & goals, that the player simply gets to follow or control. While this game definitely allows you to take your main character's behavior many ways, there's no doubt that it is an existing character in their own right, and the narrative of the game is so much stronger thanks to that.
In short - this is an immersive, thought-provoking game like no other, and if you played it you'd be glad that you did.
Number 3 - Baldur's Gate 3
And there it is. The big kahuna. The Game of the Year 2023, meticulously crafted by Larian Studios, a legendary game that will surely be talked about for several years to come. Baldur's Gate 3.
There's no denying that by many metrics it is the 'best' game on this list. The amount of playable content, the depth of its many systems, the weaving & branching narrative happily married to fun & exciting gameplay, all make this title a standout hit that outshines most games.
Still, this is a subjective list in which I'm ranking how much I liked the games listed. And I liked Baldur's Gate 3 a LOT.
As a fan of Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition, it was inspiring to see how well Larian translated the complex rules of this tabletop game into a simple-to-run digital RPG. Encounters that would take hours of real time could be resolved within minutes through their in-game engine. This effectively breathed new life into the existing mechanics of D&D as it allowed them to be experienced in a completely new way.
The game feels like a living & breathing D&D campaign. Every decision you make, every nook & cranny you explore, has a whole bunch of content & lore to dive into - much like how a dungeonmaster would elaborate on the areas of interests of their players.
There's not much to say beyond that it's a stellar game, filled with hundreds of hours of content, memorable characters and exciting adventure. You would be remiss to not give it a try. I think the fact that it's easily a 100+ hour game and that I would happily replay it says it all.
Number 2 - We Love Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie
There are few games I can think of that are so in-your-face, unapologetically fun as We Love Katamari, the sequel to the iconic Katamari Damacy. It's a game that isn't afraid to be colorful, funny and quirky, blast energized Japanese music at you, and simply let you play.
That's what you do in the game. 99% of it you're in-game, controlling The Prince of All Cosmos as you roll your Katamari ball and suck up objects to make it bigger.
Something I really liked in the game is how it doesn't really gatekeep you from content. Most levels are very easy to beat, meaning that the game will rarely keep you from trying out new levels as you unlock them. On top of that, every level is fun and unique in its own way. Even the gimmickier levels are a lot more fun than the original title by aligning themselves with what the player would consider "fun".
That's all, really. It's simple, it's effective. We Love Katamari is one of my top games of this year by simply being extremely fun to play and replay. I can't really think of any game that would genuinely make me as happy playing it as this title.
Its level design is stellar, and it hits all the right notes of being fun and flashy without being annoying and too weird. It's great.
Number 1 - Animal Well
My top game of 2024 is the expertly crafted Animal Well by indie talent Billy Basso. It is a puzzle-platformer-metroidvania that is built out of layers upon layers of secrets.
Every nook, every cranny, every second pixel of this game hides some secret or collectible. Every time you're trying something and guess that the developers wouldn't have thought of that - they did think of that, because they're geniuses.
Animal Well is a challenging game conveyed without any dialogue and no conventional tutorial. You learn things via the expert game design of the rooms and the items, because the game developers are able to predict what you'll do and what you'll explore.
It's an absolute blast to play a game that really feels like it respects your intelligence, and it's so rewarding to play through & solve the dark & mysterious world of Animal Well.
One of this game's biggest strengths is how it is able to use & resuse its level design. As you progress through the game and pick up new items, they completely recontextualize your challenges and your environment, allowing you to shine a light (sometimes literally) on new aspects of the game.
It looks spectacular and it runs on a game engine developed by Billy Basso, which is even more impressive. The game size is a few megabytes.
This game is an amazing accomplishment by Billy Basso and an absolute victory for the gaming industry. It has learned from many games that came before it and elevated the world of puzzles, exploration & easter eggs to a new level.
I highly endorse playing this game.
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