My Favorite Games of 2024

For the “new”, hopefully less formal Brainscraps, I’m going to do a different format for my end of year games roundup. Everything here is a game I beat and/or completed in 2024 (the full list of those games is here). Other than that, this should be pretty self-explanatory, so let’s get to it!

Games I Really Liked

Pushmo – The platforming is a little fussy, but the puzzles are lovely, and sometimes devious. Sadly, unless you already bought this on the 3DS eShop, there’s no (legal) way to get it anymore.

Pupperazzi – A chill game about taking pictures of dogs, with a nice variety of locations, film stocks, and much more. Charming as hecc.

YEAH! YOU WANT “THOSE GAMES”, RIGHT? SO HERE YOU GO! NOW, LET’S SEE YOU CLEAR THEM! – All those fun-looking minigames from mobile game ads are now real, and playable! Some of them are harder than they appear to be as well. Also, there’s now a sequel with even more such minigames, including some from my Steam review’s wishlist!

Transiruby – Skipmore, of Fairune fame, made a metroidvania, and as you might expect, it’s really good! Would definitely be down for a sequel.

NieR:Re[in]carnation – This gacha game ended service in 2024, but the main story’s ending was handled masterfully, and didn’t feel rushed or compromised. Rather, it seemed like Yoko Taro did everything he had set out to do with this game. Featured some of the best writing in the entire DrakeNieR canon, and a suitable conclusion to the NieR series as a whole.

Severed – I will probably not finish Guacamelee! 2 due to its difficulty and bullet spongy (fist spongy?) enemies, but as for the other Drinkbox game I played this year, I completed the whole thing. The combat was a bit chaotic at times, but otherwise, wow, what a wonderful treat to play during Spooky Season.

Gundam Breaker 4 – A fun bit of action RPG goodness with an absorbing Gunpla building system that is miles cheaper and less time-consuming than the real thing. I have yet to touch the Season Pass DLC missions, but may do so in 2025.

Games I Loved

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – The best Zelda I’ve played to date. Returning to the A Link to the Past Hyrule is novel enough, but the flexible tool rental system opens up the game in a fascinating way. Even the Maimai collectathon is enjoyable. My favorite part, however, is the ending, which even now puts a smile on my face.

Slay the Spire – The first roguelike deckbuilder I became addicted to this year. I’ve played enough to finish runs with the three main classes, but don’t know if I’ll go back to it at this point.

Dungeons 4 – After the disappointment of Tropico 6, returning to the world of the Absolute Evil was like settling into a comfy chair (or throne). As the campaign is a direct continuation of the story from Dungeons 3, I highly recommend playing that older game first if you have any interest in its sequel.

Balatro – Like every other gamer on the Internet these days, I’ve played too much of this. It’s as good as its reputation implies, and as addictive, too. Protip: you will get bored of the minuscule soundtrack; turn it off and play your own tunes in the background.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon – Turn-based Yakuza! How wonderful that turned out to be. While it’s true that I didn’t get most of the little references to the series sprinkled throughout, having previously only played Yakuza 0, I still had a great time. If only the PC port had been better optimized, and the kart racing more fun to play.

Dungeon Encounters – An experimental dungeon crawler by Square Enix which I really enjoyed. More like this, please!

Dog Sled Saga – Just a great little game all around.

Trombone Champ – A weird, funny rhythm game for anyone and everyone. New songs are still being added every so often as well.

Gotta Protectors – Holy crap, was this amazing. Tower defense with an 8-bit look… but given the number of animated sprites on-screen at any given time, this would’ve been impossible to have been made for an actual 8-bit system. A bit tough at times, but addictive as hell, and the Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack is the icing on the cake.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana – Speaking of amazing, I wasn’t prepared for Ys VIII. It doesn’t run the best on the Switch, but aside from that, this is an outstanding Adol Christin adventure that makes the best use of its castaway storyline and mysterious island setting. A must-play for fellow Ys fans.

I played a lot of good games this year, but the ones listed here are far and away my favorites of the bunch. For 2025, I have a bet going that I can beat twenty RPGs. Wish me luck!