zenless zone zero billy wallpaper

Anson Chan's Top 5 Games of 2024

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Published: January 17, 2025 12:05 PM

Looking back at all the games of 2024, it would be cliched to say that there were too many good games to decide which would be the best. It would be far more accurate to say that there were too many interesting-looking games to try instead.

Indeed, 2024 might have been the first year to make Xbox Game Pass feel like a trip to the buffet after already consuming a full dinner with dessert and appetizers. Thus, while it would be easy to say that the following games have made an impression, it is by no means a comprehensive list of games that everyone should sample.

Zenless Zone Zero

zzz lycaon in character selector
The classiest werewolf butler that you ever did see

While there were a lot of (or more accurately, too many) excellent games released in 2024, Zenless Zone Zero is probably the one that I am the most fond of. Unsurprisingly, ZZZ's combat mechanics are the star of the show. In a nutshell, it's a fighting game that doesn't require you to memorize dozens of combo attacks mixed with a hint of Dark Souls damage scaling. Throw in some flashy visuals and sound effects and you've got a winning gameplay recipe.

Of course, gameplay isn't the only thing that's important. Storytelling and style matters just as much, and while good storytelling is somewhat subjective, oh boy does ZZZ have style. Among Hoyoverse's existing games, it's hardly a controversial statement to say that ZZZ has the most interesting and unique roster of playable characters from a design perspective. There's robots, humans with animal characteristics, animals with human characteristics, and everything in between.

The thing that pushes Zenless Zone Zero to be my personal favorite of the year though is the Bangboo. It would've been easy to have these silly mascots do cute things in the background, but the developers went above that and integrated them into the gameplay in meaningful ways. Recent updates introduced a tower defense and platforming mode exclusive to the Bangboo, they are active participants in combat and the story, and they are varied enough to be consistently visually interesting.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess

kunitsu gami demon spawn portal
So maybe it would be a good idea to close that freaky face door in the back

Who could've guessed that one of the most emotional narratives of 2024 would come from a tower defense game where the story, which draws heavily from Japanese folklore, is told more or less entirely through interpretive dance. It sounds silly on paper yet it works for Kunitsu-Gami, a game that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Indeed, one would be hard pressed to recommend Kunitsu-Gami's based on any singular aspect of the gameplay. You need the game's creative enemy design, the interpretive dances, and the sound design to work together in unison to provide such an excellent product. If any of those aspects are lacking, then the game fundamentally changes, and likely for the worse.

That being said, it would be interesting if the developers decided to expand upon Kunitsu-Gami, whether it be through a spiritual successor or otherwise. After all, it's not often that you get to banish demons with power of dance (and extreme violence). Plus you could theoretically take the game's concept and apply it to other cultures.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

eiyuden chronicle forest quest
Would've preferred it if the characters from Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising had a larger role in the story, but the new main party is good too

While most RPGs prefer to limit your roster of playable heroes to dozen characters at most, presumably due to practical reasons, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes does what the title says it will do by giving you over a hundred characters to interact with. The kicker is that the vast majority of these characters are playable and everyone has some meaningful screen time, brief as it may be.

In spite of the obvious limitations, having such a huge cast of characters does make Eiyuden Chonicle's story a little bit more grounded. Having legendary warriors and mages on your side means little when you don't have cooks, lumberjacks, farmers, and all the other logistical staff needed to keep the party fed and clothed. Thankfully the game does handwave the actual logistics in the interest of compelling gameplay, but it's a nice change of narrative pace.

The fact that the developers clearly put no small effort into the side quests associated with the supporting characters is a nice added touch. The cook's side quest is particularly memorable, as are the optional plays that you can perform at the theater. If anything, it is the focus on these traditionally minor characters that help Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes stand out from its turn-based JRPG peers.

Botany Manor

botany manor's plants in a display room
It's like a Bob Ross painting!

Sometimes it's nice to take a break from games where you have to save the world or eliminate a million enemies in three minutes with a min-maxed character, and this is where a game like Botany Manor shines. The stakes aren't particularly high in the Manor--it's just you, some plants, and a fancy house. Frankly, the puzzles aren't exactly challenging either. In other words, the perfect game for escapism.

That's not to say that Botany Manor isn't a good puzzle game in its own right. Growing individual plants is the goal, and the solutions tend to involve collecting some clues and messing around with the environment. Fairly basic stuff compared to what other puzzle games might offer, and it admittedly makes the game somewhat short, yet it's competently and creatively executed each and every time.

As one would expect from such a game, the art direction and sound design are positively stunning. At the conclusion of each puzzle, the associated plant blooms to life in a spectacular display of color. Some of them affect the environment too, adding even more color to an already colorful world, more than enough proof that games are a form of art.

Little Kitty, Big City

little kitty sitting in big city
The kitty is plotting something, or about to take a nap, it's hard to tell which.

Little Kitty, Big City is another relaxing game where you're just a cat who's trying to get home. There's platforming and puzzle elements involved, and an unexpected amount of dialogue between animals as well. While there's some narrative urgency to the game, you can go at your own pace and admire the adorable cat animations as much as you want.

Obviously, Little Kitty, Big City is more than just a game where you do cat things like knock over objects and climb into places where you probably shouldn't. Ultimately, it's a competently made sandbox game. Regardless of if the protagonist is a cat, a dog, or a tiny Mario and Luigi sprite, the scale of the world and the degree to which you can interact with it makes the game so amusing.

Again, Little Kitty, Big City is on the shorter side, and it's somewhat lacking in replayablility considering the genre, but in all honesty these kinds of shorter games are a perfect complement to the seemingly endless stream of current and upcoming games that will likely demand dozens of hours of playtime for a single playthrough.

Hello there! :)
| Staff Writer

Anson is a Writer at TechRaptor and has been playing games for as long as he can remember. As far as he's concerned, games are one of the greatest forms of… More about Anson