2024 has been a massive year for great video games, even if it’s been a terrible year for the industry – and me personally. While I want to be done with 2024, in hopes that 2025 could be better, there are plenty of amazing video games that deserve to be celebrated for their incredible artistry.
Before diving into the top ten, here are a few honorable mentions:
The first is Hades 2, an early access title so packed with amazing content that I didn’t spend enough time with it to give it a spot on the list. However, if it reaches version 1.0 next year, I’m confident it will earn a place. Another honorable mention is Persona 3 Reload, a phenomenal remake that updates the weakest parts of the original game while preserving all of the excellent aspects that make it a must-play RPG. It missed out on this list purely because another entry outshines it in almost every way, and the omission of the female protagonist route felt like too much of a missed opportunity to consider this a truly definitive version of Persona 3.
I also want to shout out Diceomancer, an incredible roguelike card game that allows you to change any number on the screen to the result of a dice roll. This mechanic offers incredible depth and strategy, complimented by great decks, engaging cards, and a striking cartoon first-person art style. While I haven’t spent enough time with it to include it on the list, it would be a mistake not to acknowledge something this special.
10. Fields of Mistria
James Carr
I love farming simulators. From Harvest Moon: Magical Melody on the GameCube as a kid to Stardew Valley which felt transformative for the genre, I’ve played as many of these games as I can. With that experience, I can say Fields of Mistria feels like the next big evolution, even if the best features are minor changes.
It introduces wonderful quality of life improvements, like being able to shop at any store even if the owner isn’t present. The characters are full of personality and the character design is incredibly cute while still maintaining simplicity. I’m excited for its many early access updates and eventual 1.0 release because I will be playing this for a long time.
9. Marvel Rivals
Another game I hope to play for a long time, Marvel Rivals surprised me as the Overwatch competitor that finally has the potential to go toe-to-toe with one of the most popular hero shooters. It features a striking art direction and a great starting cast of characters, including some deep cuts from Marvel lore.
The modes feel snappy and combat feels great, if a bit chaotic. It also nowhere near as balanced as Overwatch, which feels like a positive, since Overwatch has sometimes balanced the fun out of itself. Any game that lets me play as my favorite Marvel character Magik will earn my praise, but Marvel Rivals has made all the right decisions to keep me away from Overwatch, hopefully permanently.
For more, check out my Marvel Rivals review for GameSpot.
8. Unicorn Overlord
I’ve never fully connected with a Vanillaware game, despite their incredible art style, but Unicorn Overlord changed that for me. I enjoy tactics games, even if I’m not great at them, and the mix of real-time movement and action with Fire Emblem-like tactics felt incredibly fresh.
Creating units with a mix of different characters and classes offered so much depth, and engaging with this system was rewarding thanks to the tough fights, especially in the later stages. The story isn’t among my favorites this year, but the characters were memorable, especially the tall arena lady, and this game looks like a painting at almost every moment.
7. Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 is one of those games you heard about, even if you haven’t played it. I was too young for the original version, but the remake from Bloober Team feels like a perfect modern iteration of this classic horror title.
There are plenty of examples of survival horror games with better combat and monsters, but nothing compares to the oppressive feeling of Silent Hill 2. The abundance of locked doors might have upset some, but I always felt relief when I realized there was one less room I might have to enter, leading to a new horror.
The basis of real trauma and the awful acts people commit only enhance the pervasive malaise. The resulting tension creates an unforgettable experience. Check out my review for more on Silent Hill 2.
6. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Ichiban is perhaps the pinnacle of video game protagonists, with Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth solidifying his status. A character this determined to be nice and trusting can be annoying, but Ichiban brings such a deep level of empathy to every situation, that you can’t help but be on his side. It doesn’t matter who betrays him or how badly, there is nothing that could cause him to do a heel turn, and that makes him special. For a cast of characters that are essentially just real adults, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth masterfully defines and delivers on each personality, leading to some incredible emotional beats.
Not only does Infinite Wealth have an incredible amount of content, from a pretty engaging Pokemon-like mode and the island management of Dondoko Island, but it also manages to build on the combat system from Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Adding positioning, which allows for follow-up attacks or extra damage, adds a nice layer and the new classes offer a wide range of abilities. The main narrative is a bit of a mess that doesn’t find a satisfying conclusion, but there are far too many amazing character moments to let that drag this down.
5. Mouthwashing
Mouthwashing is a short, narrative-focused experience about five people on a cramped cargo spaceship. What it’s really about, is how many bad actions it takes for someone to be a bad person, and how much inaction can make someone bad.
It’s about how easy it is for someone to be monstrous, even if they don’t immediately seem like a monster, and how those actions can snowball into true horror if someone in power doesn’t push back. The visual direction and short bursts of gameplay add to the dread, and the realizations of just how deep the awfulness goes create an incredible horror experience that deserves to be played by everyone.
I hope this hurts.
4. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
With Uncharted and Tomb Raider serving as pillars of action-adventure games, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle seemed poised to sit in their shadows, taking an IP that hasn’t had a beloved entry in decades and moving it to video games. Instead, MachineGames chose to focus on archaeology and discovery far more than bombastic action sequences, although it still delivers a few of those too.
The combat certainly has some jank to it, but the ability to use almost any object in the environment to beat down fascists is incredibly satisfying, capturing the slapstick nature of the movies as well.
Troy Baker delivers a spot-on performance as Indiana Jones and the supporting cast of Gina and Voss deliver iconic performances. The mystery delivers in full and the stunning detail in each environment makes the exploration one of the best parts of the adventure. Not only is this game a masterpiece, but if this hasn’t convinced you that MachineGames is one of the best in the business, you might need to do some self-reflection. For more, check out my Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review.
3. Balatro
James Carr
The roguelike genre gets redefined by standout releases every couple of years, but Balatro still feels like a magic trick even among the best. Built on a simple deck of cards, poker, and math it took over the year for many including myself.
The Joker cards, which offer special powers and changes to your played hands, offer not only incredible depth, and creativity, but strategy as well. Despite spending over 70 hours, I still discover new combinations and strategies on each run.
The focus on math almost makes losing feel less frustrating, as it’s clear that you could have won if you had the right pieces, compared to combat focused games, where you might need to just play better. This feeling makes it easy to boot up a new run, and the overhauled difficulty levels add to the strategy. Making it so Jokers only last a certain number of rounds or can’t be destroyed changes how you should think about each round, adding even more depth, instead of just increasing the numbers to make it harder. I haven’t stopped playing Balatro and I probably won’t any time soon.
For more, please check out my feature for GameSpot, Balatro’s Secret Sauce Is Not Requiring Perfection.
2. Astro Bot
Astro Bot is the best 3D platformer to date, and frankly, it isn’t close. Not only does controlling Astro Bot feel incredible, but it’s also precise without requiring precision. You can do some incredible things with the movement as demonstrated by the speedrun levels, but it never takes that much effort to move effortlessly. Every level in Astro Bot feels like it could be the best level in the game and the creativity shown is mind boggling. If any other game made a shrinking mechanic as polished as the one that appears in Astro Bot, it would be the entire game, instead of a single level. The collection aspects of finding bots and secret exits encourage you to look at every corner and Team Asobi made sure there would be something delightful to find in every corner.
Perhaps its most impressive feat is the inclusion of old video game IPs and PlayStation franchises, something that should be off-putting and gross. And while it’s still marketing, there is no cynicism here. The game isn’t pointing to them and winking, promising a future Marvel movie while pointing out it’s stupid how excited people get. Instead, every character has been placed with love, because the people who made this game love video games in a way that comes through as pure.
Yeah, PlayStation does want me to buy God of War and Horizon Forbidden West, but nobody is trying to sell me Ape Escape, and that got just as much love and affection. I understand the cynicism from players, but there’s nothing cynical about Astro Bot. So many of the characters included are from dead franchises, with games made by studios that don’t exist anymore, and this feels like a far more loving tribute than any game company has given in a long time. It’s a little sad that so much of it feels like an “in memoriam,” but at least these games have been given their flowers by someone who loves and respects them beyond their corporate value.
You can read my Astro Bot review for more.
1. Metaphor: ReFantazio
I love the Persona series, but I was nervous about Metaphor: ReFantazio. I don’t like fantasy settings all that much, and I wasn’t sure a shift in the formula would be welcomed, but I’m happy to report that every expectation I had was blown out of the water. Metaphor: ReFantazio is the culmination of years of turn-based expertise, creating a flexible and deep job system with the Archetypes. The combat still features weaknesses and getting more turns, but the flow now requires your entire team to fit the strategy, or you might get your teeth kicked in. Being able to take abilities from one Archetype to another is great, but being able to change on the fly is the real magic, letting you always evolve and change for the battle ahead.
There isn’t a single bad character in the Follower list, and the streamlined stories of each character make it so no time ever feels wasted, without those character’s stories feeling rushed. Between Heismay’s touching and devastating story about his role as a father and Eupha learning how dangerous religious institutions can be without losing her faith, Metaphor: ReFantazio shows love and care for characters with complicated emotions.
The main story has this depth, although it does take its time to show it. When it does though, not only does Metaphor: ReFantazio say all the right things about racism, social structures, and the dangers and pitfalls of government and democracy, it knows that saying the right things is meaningless without action. While it might feel like Metaphor: ReFantazio puts a nice bow on its messages at the end, it knows that the work isn’t easy and the work is never done to reach those ideals, but without those ideals, we would all spin our wheels until we destroy each other. It’s imperfect with its politics and some of the simple solutions it provides for complicated topics, but it’s so much more about working with like-minded people towards a better world, regardless of how futile it may feel in the moment.
Ultimately, Metaphor: ReFantazio wants to know if art holds enough power to change the real world, and some days it’s easy to say no, but I think it boldly delivers on that question, unwavering in its desire to influence and encourage people to strive for a better world, even if giving into the hate and frustration would be easier to do. I don’t know if it will resonate with everyone the way it did for me, but I do know that its excellent character work and deep combat system will be more than enough for anyone who remotely likes turn-based games to see its conclusion, and maybe even buy into the hope it’s offering.
