Top Games of 2024 Austin Suther TechRaptor

Austin Suther's Top 10 Games of 2024

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Published: January 17, 2025 12:05 PM

Last year, I made the brazen claim that "2023 will go down as one of the best years for game releases in a long time." I might have to eat my words after seeing what 2024 had to offer. I played the most JRPGs I ever have, and that's most definitely reflected in this list. I also had to cut a few things out of my list, which hurts, but I'd like to give honorable mentions to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Stellar Blade, Lorn's Lure, and Mullet MadJack to name just a few.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake visuals.

10. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

I feel like Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake fell a bit under the radar. Admittedly, it released during a tumultuous time, with other blockbusters taking the limelight. I'm a glutton for HD-2D games, though, so I was all over this when it released.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D is also my first time playing the series, and needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting 2025's HD-2D rendition of the first two games, as well.

Dragon's Dogma 2 magic archer.

9. Dragon's Dogma 2

Dragon's Dogma 2 is an incredibly imperfect game, but I'd be lying if I said this wasn't one of the most fun games on the list. The long-awaited follow-up to the 2012 cult classic didn't disappoint me, at least, with its wildly immersive world and addicting combat.

Enemy variety is somewhat lacking, but tackling a new monster in Dragon's Dogma 2 was always an exciting moment. Climbing on a cyclops' face to stab his eye is immensely satisfying. Unlocking all of the different vocations lead to myriad ways to tackle different monsters, which made experimenting with builds a rewarding experience.

Unicorn Overlord gameplay image.

8. Unicorn Overlord

So, no Fire Emblem release this year? Fine, I'll find another strategy game to play. Unicorn Overlord might not be the same gameplay-wise, but it still scratches that tactical itch. Creating squads of powerful soldiers and fine-tuning their tactics is delightfully fun.

The story is also somewhat similar to that of Fire Emblem -- an ousted prince must reclaim his conquered kingdom. It's a familiar narrative, for sure, but conquering territories and gaining many allies along the way is a satisfying loop. The characters are diverse with its wonderful, undeniably Vanillaware art style. All things said, it is a fantastic package from start to finish.

Persona 3 Reload anime image.

7. Persona 3 Reload

My Spotify playlist has a bunch of Persona 3 Reload songs. Every once in a while, the credits theme will play and I'll start feeling all depressed. Persona 3 Reload hit me in the feels like few games do. An incredible cast of characters accompanies a darker story, making for a somewhat somber but nonetheless fantastic playthrough.

This was also my first time playing Persona 3 in any form, so I was spared the arduous task of navigating pre-Reload Tartarus. I found the dungeon-crawling gameplay to be quite therapeutic, so climbing to the top was a breeze for me.

Zenless Zone Zero Cunning Hares

6.  Zenless Zone Zero

As you can probably tell by the number of JRPGs on this list, I've played some long games this year. Yet, if I had to guess what game had my highest number of hours played, it would probably be Zenless Zone Zero. Since it's launch, I've played it every single day. The power of gacha is strong in this one.

Zenless Zone Zero's hook isn't just the admittedly addicting gacha, though. It's the art style, a surprisingly compelling story and cast of characters, and its simplified Devil May Cry-style combat that keeps me coming back. With a steady stream of content every few weeks, I won't be dropping Zenless Zone Zero in the foreseeable future.

Indiana Jones screenshot image.

5. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

It seemed like the internet was out to get Indiana Jones and the Great Circle -- like people wanted it to fail. Well, surprise, it's actually quite amazing. I had hope that MachineGames would knock it out of the park considering the studio's pedigree, and I was happy to see Indiana Jones get critical acclaim from critics.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle captures the essence of what makes this franchise so beloved. The iconic music, quirky story, and supernatural elements come into play and create a game as good as any Indiana Jones movie.

I'd like to give props to the level design, as well. The Vatican is a full-blown immersive sim level, like a more grounded-in-reality version of Dishonored. With a DLC along the way -- presumably later this year -- I'm hoping the excellent level design carries over.

Astro Bot gameplay image

4. Astro Bot

Praise be the DualSense, with its haptic feedback and a bunch of other bells and whistles. Astro's Playroom took full advantage of the controller's capabilities when it launched with the PS5, and Astro Bot takes it a step further. I truly believe the future of gaming is not in higher graphical fidelity, but in the way a controller can enhance gameplay.

So yes, Astro Bot's utilization of the DualSense is mindbogglingly good, but the world design and platforming are even better. Many compared Astro Bot to Super Mario Galaxy, and they're definitely similar both in theme and in design. Team ASOBI found the secret formula that made Super Mario games so great, and made their own incredible platformer with it.

Tsukihime remake image

3. Tsukihime -A Piece of Blue Glass Moon-

Soooo, technically this game came out several years ago, but only in Japanese. In 2024, we received an English translation for Tsukihime. It's my list, so I make the rules.

I already talked extensively about this absolutely fantastic visual novel. This was, in fact, my first true visual novel I've ever played/read, and I was gripped by its powerful storytelling and prose. If you want to read why Tsukihime turned me into a visual novel fan, look no further than this opinion piece I wrote in July.

I'd like to give a quick shout-out to the fate/stay night Remaster. The Fate franchise is now a household name among weebs, and this is the first official translation for the visual novel that started it all. Check that one out too!

Screenshot from UFO 50

2. UFO 50

Curse the word limit my tyrannical editors thrust upon me. Had I more words, I'd write a novel on why UFO 50 is so great. It's a collection of 50 separate games, many of which are quite lengthy. This isn't just some mini-game collection, it's like the equivalent of having 50 physical games on a shelf you can plop into your system at any time.

So yeah, while I could go on and on about UFO 50, I'll instead give a shout-out to some of my favorites in this retro-inspired collection: Mooncat; Warptank; Elfazar's Hat; Pilot Quest; and Mini and Max. In fact, Mini and Max is so good, it could be a game of the year contender by itself. To find out what I mean, you just need to play it for yourself.

Metaphor Refantazio image of gameplay

1. Metaphor: ReFantazio

If you didn't scroll down to this list right at the start of the article, then it's probably a pretty easy guess that Metaphor: ReFantazio is my Game of the Year. It's not just the best JRPG I've played this year, it's just the best game, flat out.

Unparalleled visual design (even if the graphics themselves are somewhat dated), compelling characters, a well-written story, and an addicting combat system coalesces into what I might consider a masterpiece.

austin
| Staff Writer

Austin cut his teeth writing various  fan-fiction stories on the RuneScape forums when he was in elementary school. Later on, he developed a deep love for… More about Austin