Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus from developer Squid Shock Studios is a beautiful game that features all the right magical moves to make this a challenging precision platformer but stumbles badly with imprecise controls that make what would be a good experience frustrating.
Flock from developer Hollow Ponds is a unique, relaxing, and fun adventure that doesn’t require too much effort to enjoy. The game is slanted towards discovery and environmental positivity through simplistic controls that allow the player to focus on finding and identifying animals while traversing a large landscape. The only bump in the road is the occasional feeling of a lack of content.
Stray Gods – Orpheus from developer Summerfall Studios falls short of the original game Stray Gods. The DLC is a shorter game that contains a more compact and less meaningful narrative, while still featuring great music and wonderful gameplay elements like the original release. If you accept those terms, you might like Stray Gods – Orpheus.
Neon White from developer Angel Matrix and publisher Annapurna Interactive is a unique and fluid speed-running shooter that uses gameplay elements methodically to create a game filled with strategy and fun.
The Tribe Must Survive from developer Walking Tree Games GmbH is a fun survival game that is difficult as it is addictive.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble from Sega is a good game that brings more of the same Monkey Ball fun with its single-player experience, but switches it up in a fun way with its online gameplay modes. It’s a solid party game that needs more baking on the server side but delivers when it counts.
TSUKIHIME – A piece of blue glass moon from developer Type-Moon is a stunning game that weaves a deep and terrifying tale reinforced by strong main characters and good narrative flow.
#BLUD from developer Exit 73 Studios is a gorgeous game that contains a familiar and goofy 80s/90s horror movie narrative theme but falls short in handing the gameplay control completely over to the player. The boss fights and selfie moments do make up for some of its shortfalls and also help to keep #BLUD more entertaining than not.
Zet Zillions from developer OTA IMON Studios is an addictive roguelike deckbuilder that doesn’t quite reach the likes of Balatro but certainly proves its worth in replayability and thick strategy. While it isn’t completely perfect in some elements of its design, it’s still one of the better games of this genre that I’ve played in 2024.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II from developer Ninja Theory and publisher Xbox Game Studios proves there is more story to tell from Senua’s journey, and that the story is still centric to the game. The sequel extends and expands Senua’s character, opens her world to more possibilities, and maintains its quest to replicate and address mental health issues and disorders caused by trauma. The gameplay mechanics and action are still essentially the same as the first title, although those elements appear to be far smoother in their execution and less of a drag to the story.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes from developer Simogo and publisher Annapurna Interactive is a strange and wonderous new direction for Simogo’s post-Sayonara Wild Hearts success. It’s a beautiful mixture of thick narrative and difficult puzzles that ask a lot of the player but deliver an equal amount by the end. Some players may get frustrated by the beginning of the game as it gives you little direction on what you should be doing, but once they’re on the progression rails, the game rolls and gets better.
Open Roads from developer Open Roads Team is a personal and powerful journey that is driven by a solid story and fantastic acting, and supported by small amounts of interactive moments.
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley from developer Hyper Games is an adorable adventure led by a driven main character who is trying to protect his friend while keeping the environment around him free from nefarious control. While the gameplay only lasts about five hours total, the game is an easy treat to fall into and garnish a healthy amount of positivity from. It isn’t for everyone but younger gamers will enjoy the experience.
Balatro from developer LocalThunk is a marvel of a poker experience. While its base-level design is poker, the game’s complicated layers of beautiful strategic ridiculousness driven by upgrades, buffs, and jokers make for a unique experience that is both stimulating and challenging.
Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior from Sand Door Studio and publisher Spotlight by Quantic Dream is a fun action game that is driven by strategy and a sprinkle of good storytelling. The gameplay’s unique ability to offer the player several ways to succeed in a fight keeps the gameplay interesting and engaging, while the challenge to complete said fight in X amount of time will ensure the game’s longevity and replayability.
Helldivers II from developer Arrowhead Game Studios is a team-driven experience that is goal-driven fun wrapped in a goofy Starship Troopers tip of the hat. While the gameplay can get repetitive, the reward system helps to balance it out.
Airhead from publisher HandyGames and developers Octato and Massive Miniteam is a gorgeous and challenging puzzle platformer that will put your brain to the test, as a good puzzle platformer should. The difficulty at times might frustrate some players, but the juice is certainly worth the mental squeeze.
FOAMSTARS from Square Enix is an interesting competitive game that borrows its surface-level gameplay concept from Splatoon while offering deeper and more intriguing gameplay underneath led by solid upgrade and buff systems. Unfortunately, the lack of meaningful solo missions does hurt the game, as it feels like half a game made it to launch.
Racket Club VR from developer Resolution Games nailed the racket-based sports VR experience with perfect mechanics and equally good physics. This game was built for the competitive sports type and did a great job of bringing the racket-based sports experience to life in virtual reality. One can only hope that more Meta Quest 3 games take this type of care in their design.
The Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy from Capcom is an outstanding release that shows off some of the best games in the Phoenix Wright series, as well as some extra goodies that make the return journey worth your time. The trilogy also highlights the high points of new gameplay tools in relation to the logic puzzles that separate this trilogy from previous games in the series, while also showing some of the gameplay tools that didn’t work. Regardless, it’s still a solid trilogy.