Alright, let’s get this out of the way first: 2024 was awful. Absolute dreck for everyone involved unless you were a constantly gambling on whether we'd deal with the worst-case scenario. With that said, for me personally? This year was not without its merits. It was a year of discovery, introspection, but most importantly, I got a new PC.
Now the floodgates have well and truly opened. Worlds upon worlds, unrecognized and underseen, which is what I hope this list emphasizes more than anything else. It’s not just about quality, it’s the opportunity, the journey taken, the struggle reborn as your vision, so on and so forth. Without further ado, let’s take one last look at this naff year.
HITM3
One thing that 2024 amplified was the wake of “wholesome” becoming more of a buzzword defined by toxic positivity. What your world is, is defined by what you want, whether it’s love, admiration, or even comfort, and yet, it’s hardly recognized unless you remember the effort before it. The denial, the fear, or even the possibility that this never could’ve happened were it not for happenstance.
Xiri’s HITM3 is toxic wholesomeness. It’s the love that is feared as wrong, it’s the community that is described as degrading, and it’s the world that simply isn’t ready for you. For every kiss planted on your body, there was a fist before it, and HITM3’s world building, through Chilean culture, avant-garde filmmaking nods, and aggressive low-poly fidelity, is nigh unmatched. It’s both queer fantasy and queer reality.
Man I Just Wanna Go Home
It’s always raining. It’s always bloody raining. Raining like a bastard, and God’s a bastard for allowing it. JZPS Games' Man I Just Wanna Go Home is anti-noir, reinforcing the 1930s perceptions of trench coats and a fedora stopping any storm coming your way with the fact that, hey, sometimes you work minimum wage and the world isn’t about you.
Despite its color, Man I Just Wanna Go Home is black-and-white in more ways than one. You’re just as much a protagonist as you are an NPC, and its unflattering depiction of a schlub caught in the rain is a light refreshment depending on just how willing you are to accept that sometimes you’re not the hero. Sometimes bed is better than being buried.
Daemonologie

2024 was a year for little things. Minute experiences, short glimpses into the minds of those who, with a penny more, could achieve bigger and better things, springboarding into masses with an unwavering talent. Katanalevy’s Daemonologie, were it a minute longer than intended, would be broken up into pieces of condemnation which would otherwise ruin its depiction of dubious deeds and demons we choose to blame.
Through some excellently directed stop motion sequences and haunting mini-game sequences, Daemonologie’s witch trials glimpse into the rare albeit common fear of the unknown not seen in a while. The more things change, the more they stay the same, and as you lead a potential antagonist into the gallows, it does well to highlight just how far we’ve stomped this circle into the ground.
Tetrachroma
Most of my 2024 was spent playing Davemakes’ Mixolumia between work and other projects, and while I can’t credit it for being one of 2024’s best – as it was released in 2020 – Davemakes isn’t the only one looking to provide a new formula for the endlessly addicting qualities of Tetris. Indeed, sparsevectors has done absolute wonders with their release of Tetrachroma.
Returning 12 years after their debut Super Amazing Wagon Adventure, sparsevectors has come out with a sophomore effort which makes it look like they were simply perfecting as much of Tetrachroma as they could since 2012. An absolutely mesmerizing combination of Tetris and Reversi with enough brute force allowed to bypass alienation, and enough strategy to encourage some monstrous big-brain plays. A true feat of puzzle gaming.
The Mildew Children
Recently, I was invited by Diego Argüello, founder of Into The Spine, to write a short piece alongside tens of other talented writers to showcase the games that defined 2024. I chose The Growing Stones’ Mildew Children, for a multitude of reasons, but primarily in that it’s been a while since a game has managed to showcase such an unsettling atmosphere without a single example of standardized horror tropes.
Something’s very clearly wrong. Something’s very clearly coming to get you, but when and where that happens is left up in the air until the very last stretches of the game. As you attempt to stop the end of your world, everything is fighting against you, through prejudice or otherwise, and even though the writing can be heavily dense at points, it’s enough to absorb you for its entire runtime.
Sker Ritual
I miss the days of simpler Call of Duty: Zombies experiences. Enough of this pixel hunting, “easter egg” excuse nonsense, I wanna be trapped in a room with a horde of endless undead, and I wanna fight until I’m dragged down into hell, or the consoles gotta be turned off. With Sker Ritual, Wales Interactive haven’t just provided that, but improved on a tried-and-true formula in some ways.
Yes, there’s easter eggs, but the game recognizes that obfuscation isn’t a necessary mechanic. Feel like you’re being led by the hand too often? Sker Ritual still recognizes the new-school, so remove those parameters and truly lose yourself in a fight against the devils spawn. It’s a throwback with forward thinking, a thankless offering that sees arcade gameplay nearly perfected in short bursts.
STRAFTAT
As I attempted to grasp several multiplayer efforts this year – the new Call of Duty, VALORANT, and Counter-Strike 2, to name a few – I came to the realization that my age was catching up with me. I’m aware I’m no longer the spring chicken I once was, but there’s no time for nostalgia on these new battlefields anymore.
With STRAFTAT, Sirius and Léonard Lemaitre have trawled through the history of multiplayer dueling with careful precision, and emphasized every important element in their own product. Enough variety in combat to make every battle brand spankin’ new, more arenas than you can shake a stick at, and of course, hats.
So many hats.
Aaero2
While my PvP talents have escaped me, my adoration and proficiency at rhythm-action games hasn’t, and this year, reformed royalty returned to roost. It’s no small secret that I personally champion the original Aaero as one of rhythm-action’s shining gems, but with Aaero2? Mad Fellows’ appear to have occupied the entire crown.
Everything is improved, the mechanics, the aesthetic, the tracklist is more varied than ever, and now there's a co-operative mode included for anyone and their friend to imbibe the vibes together. It’s an absolutely astounding package that focuses on replayability and an audio-visual experience more than most, and it’s as close to perfection as you can get in the genre.
Mouthwashing
Originally, I wasn’t interested in this. Seemed a bit too kitschy for my tastes, as the PS1 low-poly aesthetic in the horror genre was starting to run its course. But after close consideration, and a recommendation from one or two trusted sources, I went to see if Wrong Organ came out swinging with Mouthwashing. The result is a narrative I’ll be thinking about for years.
That isn’t to say it’s flawless. Gameplay-wise, there’s certain decisions and sections which drag on for far too long, but when it hits, it’s with precision. It’s nice to have your feelings hurt, and the response being something so apathetic and cold. It’s nice to have your protagonist hurt, in the wake of characterization which unfolds so brilliantly.
When you’re being told a story, sometimes it’s nice to know that this is going to hurt.
Balatro
Throughout all of 2024, only one thing was consistent for me. I’d wake up, I’d browse the internet for brand new music to listen to, and as the album played, I’d load up LocalThunk’s Balatro over the course of the album’s runtime and soak it all in. If I’m being honest, I couldn’t think of any other game that would best fit the scenario.
It’s been a while since a game has so effortlessly rocked the entire gaming space with a gameplay formula that’s as objectively close to perfection as this. To bounce off it is fine, but that still wouldn’t undo the simplicity, the addiction, the bottomless pits of depth that Balatro hides behind the joker. The house always wins, and in Balatro’s case, it’s more than welcome sharing its wealth with the player.
And that’s 2024 done and dusted. There’s several other titles worthy of a shoutout, but are currently in Early Access state right now, like Joeveno’s BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER 3 and Rosune’s Shell of a King. As it stands though? I’m sure 2025 will be their year, as I’m sure it’ll be ours.
Shoot for the stars. There hasn’t been a ceiling for years.