by amlabella
Honorable mentions include Anthology of the Killer, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Minds Beneath Us, Minishoot Adventures, Rise of the Golden Idol, Tactical Breach Wizards, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, and Ultros.
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1000xRESIST is a game that stays with you long after you beat it. This story of generational trauma, Asian diasporas, world-altering pandemics, and the lasting impact of political protest is a truly singular experience unlike anything else I’ve ever played. Somehow it manages to tackle all of those heady themes while establishing one of the most confident sci-fi worlds across any medium. Its poetic prose in the opening hour seems strange and disorienting at first, but the talented folks at developer sunset visitor 斜陽過客 (many of whom had never worked on a video game before) give the story room to breathe and provide context for its more experimental moments. At the heart of the narrative, though, are beautifully flawed characters that are trying their best to navigate a broken world full of clashing philosophies and messy contradictions. Though it’s set thousands of years in the future, 1000xRESIST is very much a project of our time and stands out as the defining game of 2024.
Perhaps it’s serendipity that UFO 50‘s release coincided with my renewed interest in retro games in 2024. I started a blog series chronicling missed PS1 games, guested a few times on my friend’s retro game podcast Smashing Bricks (the Tomb Raider episode is my particular favorite), and happily purchased a MiSTer Pi. There’s a certain magic to scouring the depths of old console libraries, discovering hidden gems or encountering nostalgic classics for the first time. UFO 50 captures that magic with a fictional console from the 80s. I didn’t grow up with an NES or Sega Master System, so the inherent appeal of the 8-bit presentation isn’t there for me. But it doesn’t matter, because the homage to the 8-bit era mostly exists as a gentle limitation to really push the creativity of this mammoth project. There are 50 full fledged games in this thing, and so many of them feature brilliant modernized mechanics or ideas. Whether it’s Mooncat with its head-scratching controls that soon become second nature, or Warptank with its genius use of teleportation to best clever puzzles, UFO 50 constantly generates awe and wonder. I spent 100+ hours with this game and have yet to even touch 15 of the games. “Play forever” indeed.
“The Balatro demo alone might be my favorite game of the year so far. I’m going to spend SO much time playing roguelike poker in 2024.” That was a social media post I made back in February after playing the Balatro demo on Steam, and it’s pretty accurate: I played a lot of roguelike poker in 2024! The simplicity of the phrase “roguelike poker” provides an adequate elevator pitch, but Balatro really shines in its emphasis on brain-tickling synergies and run variety across the different deck types. It also captures the spirit of the “one more run” mentality perfectly and I had a hard time putting it down early in the year. There was an innate desire to try to unlock everything, beat every chip stake, complete all of the challenges, the list goes on and on. Though I didn’t actually do all of that, I got pretty close (only two more jokers to unlock as of this post!) and I imagine I’ll be revisited the game even more in 2025. Oh, and the way the score catches fire and the sound effects speed up when you get a really high score on a single hand is in the running for best video game… thing of 2024. So good.
Nine Sols captures the frenetic, parry-focused combat of a game like Sekiro in 2D form brilliantly. There’s something about the lack of a third dimension in a single-player action game that implies an inherent simplicity when compared to their 3D counterparts, but Nine Sols emphasizes spacing, defensive maneuvers, proper use of abilities, and plenty of other combat considerations as well as any game I’ve played in recent memory. Challenging for sure, but a joy to play. The boss fights in particular are true standouts; knockout slug fests and wars of attrition that test the player and really push those mechanics to their limits. My hands were definitely shaking after I defeated the true form of the final boss. Nine Sols also features a surprisingly poignant narrative that I was truly invested in and some of the most gorgeous 2D art in recent memory – talk about icing on the cake.
Astro Bot exudes so much joy. I know there’s been some cynicism about its intense promotion of PlayStation franchises both old and new, but it does it with such reverence and creative flare that it’s hard for me to see that as a negative. I grew up on a lot of those PlayStation games, so the little nods and featured characters always put a smile on my face. It’s also just a damn good 3D platformer that mostly stands toe to toe with a lot of Nintendo’s best work in the genre. I was reminded of the Super Mario Galaxy games regularly while playing due to the inventive level design that switches up themes and mechanics on a pretty frequent basis. It also looks gorgeous and features a fun and vibrant soundtrack. I’m so happy that developer Team Asobi has been able to develop Astro Bot into an entire series, and I’m excited to see what’s next for that cute little robot.
A metroidvania with secrets – be still my beating heart! But seriously, as a fan of games like Environmental Station Alpha, Tunic, Fez, and The Witness, I’m always on the lookout for intriguing mystery games that promote discovery in a big way. Put that formula in a metroidvania, one of my favorite genres, and you have game that I’m guaranteed to like. Animal Well does so much within that structure though. This isn’t a game with a double jump or dash. Instead you get power-ups like a disc that you can ride or a bubble wand to create impromptu platforms. It oozes atmosphere that doesn’t quite lean into horror but flirts with it a little. It promotes distinct “layers” to its puzzle-solving enigmas, allowing the player to go as deep into the rabbit hole as they’d like (note: I did NOT solve the rabbit puzzle – that’s a bit too cryptic for me!). I was intensely captivated by Animal Well for the 12 or so hours I spent with it, and though I didn’t uncover all of its secrets, I appreciate that there’s an entire community out there that unraveled it all collectively. Sometimes the internet can be used for good.
Ok, so I didn’t play a ton of Caves of Qud this year. In fact, its full release was on December 5 (though it had been in Early Access for a number of years before). But in just a few short weeks this wonderful roguelike shot up my GOTY list. Sometimes you play a game for just a little while and already know it’s special. Caves of Qud is special. It marries procedural generation and authored narratives seamlessly, allowing players to craft their own stories while also presenting poetic descriptions of history and strange landscapes. Its sci-fi fantasy setting is incredibly unique, and the neon-lit visuals and atmospheric soundtrack lend it a strange coziness that you might not expect from this kind of game. I also appreciate that Caves of Qud features a roleplaying mode that saves your progress in towns. That coupled with fantastic Steam Deck support has made an often impenetrable genre very user friendly for someone like me. I wouldn’t be surprised if I update this list at some point in 2025 with Caves of Qud ascending even higher on the list.
I did not expect developer Simogo to follow up the “pop album video game” Sayonara Wild Hearts with a (mostly) black-and-white, nonlinear puzzle game. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is kind of the antithesis of Simogo’s previous release, and yet it’s distinctly… Simogo. They have a penchant for nailing a particular tone, and Lorelei is no exception. It’s creepy, absurd, mysterious, and darkly comedic all at once, and it helps propel the game forward. Of course the puzzles are the real star of the show, and there’s a bounty here in terms of both quality and quantity. I’m not always the biggest fan of “get out your pen and paper” games, but I gladly took notes while playing Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. The a-ha moments were frequent and satisfying, and the sprawling layout of the mansion allowed for more player agency that I’d like to see in a lot more puzzle games going forward.
Plenty of games feature a Western setting, but few of them have the essence of the genre. Arco truly feels like a Western, not just a game in that setting. It’s the bleakness of its world. It’s the abundance of violence in a cruel world. It’s the subdued, sparse script that still manages to deliver emotional gut punches and meaningful character development. It does all of this within a premise that tackles the horrors of colonialism and so-called “conquest.” It’s a messy tale that is both beautiful and unsettling, and it stood out as one of my favorite video game stories of 2024. Though the narrative had a large impact on me, most of the game focuses on the unique turn-based/real-time hybrid combat. It’s strategic with plenty of opportunities for player expression within the skill trees, and it provides a hefty challenge with minimal punishment for experimentation. Some of the later battles led to more frustration than I would have liked, but ultimately Arco is one of the most unique games of 2024 in its mechanics.
Final Fantasy VII was an important game to me in my youth. I still remember my brother printing out hundreds of pages of a walkthrough from GameFAQs as we played together (my dad was NOT happy). I don’t have a strong emotional attachment to it nowadays though, so I was fully in favor of a “remake” that takes some creative liberties. Though 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake has flaws, I largely enjoyed my time with it and found myself intrigued by the narrative changes. I thought the story would be the driving force as I played through Rebirth this year, but that was not the case at all. In fact, I’d argue the story is one of the weaker elements of Rebirth (to be fair, I have yet to beat the game as I write this). It moves at a glacial pace and takes far too long to introduce seminal moments and characters. Instead, I found joy in the open world and the impactful additions to the combat system. Rebirth does deal in excess and bloat, and that’s why it’s lower on my list, but there’s no denying the joys of Queen’s Blood – mini-game of the year for sure!
