2024 has been one of the best years for gaming for the player and one of the worst for the industry. The latter isn't fact-based, but scrolling through a now-deleted X account, my feed would frequently mention another studio closing or a publication shutting up shop.
The same goes for me. AI killed off the freelance work, and the same is true for written articles, as they're either constructed from a ChatGPT bastardisation or outperformed by video content. Granted, the latter is great for gameplay footage, but review-based sites - irrespective of scored or not - are dropping. There's a flip side to all the good that happened in 2024. Transitioning back to being a gamer, I'm hopeful of a bright 2025, albeit I'll be playing significantly fewer games!
The GOTY 2024 Picks
PRIM
Tim Burton, black and white aesthetic, point this way, point that. PRIM is a tickboxer for adventure fans looking for a witty tale about death, boasting some beautiful presentation throughout - both artwork and voice acting.
As Death's daughter, Prim, you shift between two realms to save your friend and learn of your rather unfortunate inherent power, a not so Midas death touch.
Jeitaro
Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town
Not a GOTY contender, but well worth the look, Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is a low-demand RPG where you take the titular 5-year-old on an adventure in the Japanese countryside and a parallel mining town.
There are no boss battles or health stats to focus on (though there is an unusual karting mini-game). Instead, Shintaro can explore nature, go fishing, collect bugs, and make inappropriate comments to cougars. It's ok, he's 5. It's 'cute'.
Jeitaro
Phoenix Springs
Arty, cerebral, one-of-a-kind. Phoenix Springs has been the goblin's treasure located at the peak of Mount 2024 and would always feature in the GOTY. Of course, there's scope for this to have been a turkey, but the chances were low.
What we have is a bespoke detective adventure that drops all the bloat and swaps it for concise dialogue, a stripped-down inventory system that puts the humble dictionary at the top of the list, and a gorgeous art style that reinvigorates the genre. What is that genre? Point and click? Detective yarn?
Jeitaro
Grunn
Grunn felt like a GameJam moment featuring a dev collective that wanted to 'try something different'. A garden simulator with an obvious twist - that twist being something quite surreal and sinister, the real twist is how replayable and engaging this is.
The gardening mechanics of snipping away overgrown blades are as addictive as any first-person simulator, as are the seemingly neverending narrative paths and hidden gems throughout. Add in a timer to complete each playthrough, and Grunn is by far one of the most immersive experiences of 2024.
Jeitaro
Mouthwashing
In fear of pretending to be an indie snob and earning some kudos for a diamond in the rough, my top picks tend to be the lesser-known titles, though the runner-ups, perhaps triple-As and whatnot. Mouthwashing isn't a triple-A but a massively atmospheric psychological thriller.
A long-haul space freighter crew are stranded following an accident, swiftly descending into madness and all respect for time continuity. Aesthetically pleasing in every sense, Mouthwashing gets under your skin early on and stays there until you've experienced every single memory. For a bit of Mouthwashing foreplay, give How Fish Is Made. It's free.
Jeitaro
The Holy Gosh Darn
Hilarious is often overused, but it's a fitting definition for The Holy Gosh Darn. As a fan of the developer's earlier title, Helheim Hassle, their latest is the best so far.
Existence is about to end, and as a lowly angel, you have the power of time manipulation to undo the calamity and save the day. The following events, in particular the genuine belly-laughing dialogue from a protagonist who is in the know yet surrounded by idiots, is genius, and to top that, the time-travelling premise is innovative.
Jeitaro
Apartment Story
Apartment Story is my kind of story. Taking place entirely in an apartment, this is essentially an indie darling that would be showcased at Raindance to receive much acclaim. Instead, it's a game, meaning it's interactive, and players call the shots.
That said, we wind back into the indie darling comment in that this isn't an epic QTE-packed adrenaline fest. Instead, it's a sleepy, weed-smoking, five-knuckle-shuffling exposure into the human psyche and a reminder of what most of us did during the lockdowns, except for the exes.
Jeitaro
Not For Broadcast: Complete Edition
Words are meaningless if I didn't include Not For Broadcast. Granted, it's not officially a 2024 release, but the Complete Edition came out this year and remains one of the best FMVs ever made. While it's far from a competitive market, it's great that the bar has risen.
Take control of a VHS editing deck for a low-level TV station and effectively weave a narrative thread for political groups, contact the dead in a live documentary feed, or have a simple boogie session and create your own live music video. The second 'genius' used in this list.
Jeitaro
Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged
This list isn't already running out of steam - this is a remaster, don't you know? Correction: reforging. In 4K, revitalised visuals and sounds, Broken Sword is the definitive point and click adventure that's neither LucasArts nor Wadjet Eye Games, but the pioneers behind Beneath a Steel Sky and its successor.
As American tourist George Stobbart, you befriend a French reporter and uncover the secret society that spawned many imitators: the Templars. Travelling the world via fantastic cinematic setpieces, if you haven't experienced the game the first time or want to relive the magic, this is a no-brainer.
Jeitaro
Caravan SandWitch
With its gorgeous colours, laid-back atmosphere, lo-fi beats and adventure with zero fall damage, Caravan SandWitch will appeal to a broad audience - notably casuals due to the low-demand/pleasant rewards.
Naturally, it garnered a lot of hype, and some will say it was the best thing ever on release, whereas I'd say it's all very... nice. At the time, I was invested and keen to revisit sooner rather than later. Since the review in September, I haven't played it. That said, it's worth a look, with a satisfying style of play and a decent amount of return.
Jeitaro
Supermoves
It's quite an unusual recommendation from someone who isn't keen on online multiplayers, but Supermoves is decent. An innovative take on parkour, it essentially plays out as a Fortnite/Fall Guys playground of infinite playability, and the current price drop is simply insane.
Again, this isn't my type of game, but once I got a handle and saw those online leaderboards, it had a lot of appeal and far more substance than these pesudo mini-games seen in titles like Fortnite. This game defeinitely needs more exposure.
Jeitaro
ODDADA
While ODDADA didn't make me pick up an instrument to start learning again, it did play a part in purchasing a new set of drum pads. To some extent.
Initially, playing this toy music maker on the Steam Deck felt intuitive and got those creative juices flowing. You don't need to be able to play an instrument to get into ODDADA. All you need is to be willing to experiment, bash out those mixtapes to the local AR fellas and have a top tune on streaming. At least, that's the plan...
Jeitaro
Minds Beneath Us
You might not have heard much about this one, but it was really good. Waking in a future... dystopia, man and machine and exchanging fluids, you find yourself sharing your subconscious with AI.
It's a narrative-driven experience when you infiltrate a corporation and then decide how you will morally play it once you're in. It doesn't help that your fiancee is already working at the same place, so expect some important decision making.
Jeitaro
Conscript
As good as the demo tape, this 7-year(?) development is a love letter to classic survival horror, only set in the trenches of WWI. It's already an unsettling scenario.
Catering to the die-hards and the not-so-casuals (despite a fair amount of options), Conscript is a challenging but rewarding game. Thank god it's only fiction. Right?
Jeitaro
Midnight Ramen
While some games will get an instant recommendation for its portrayal of sex and violence, Midnight Ramen makes the shortlist with its reference to one of the best dishes on the planet: ramen.
Though a diet of street ramen served with an ice-cold beer might not be the healthiest, the wholesome stories and interactions will be much better for you, melting your cold heart and reinstilling some faith in the human condition. A lovely, lovely experience.
Jeitaro
Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip
Ha! This was as good as it was meant to be. Part The Simpsons Hit and Run, part Crazy Taxi, Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip knows precisely how to hit every cylinder in pure sandbox.
Do as you please, as and when, and how you like it, with no cheat codes necessary. Terry is immensely likeable in every way; the quirky dialogue, world-building and setpieces also hit the mark - as does the extensive hat collection. If only it were a little longer. Still, setting one's goal of driving into space is a remarkable feat.
Jeitaro
An English Haunting
The creator of Nightmare Frames is back again; this time, it takes place in Victorian England. With your partner shafting you after receiving a grant, using concrete evidence, you have a limited time to prove that the supernatural exists.
Cue some excellent adventuring and quirky customs of us Brits. An English Haunting is yet another recommended point and click adventure that needs to be on your wishlist but is better suited to your playlist.
Jeitaro
Cryptmaster
There have been a handful of games in the past that have used typing as their gaming interface. Most fail or appear gimmicky, but Cryptmaster is neither of those.
A dungeon crawler where you earn letters and experiment in a Hangman environment to learn new commands and some background checks on your heroes, this is easily one of the best games of the year, and as we reach the midway point, perhaps decade?
Jeitaro
Minishoot' Adventures
How can you take a title seriously that abuses the apostrophe in that manner? Considering how well it fuses a top-down shooter with an old school RPG, one might be able to forgive the grammar. You're accepting mine, so why not dismiss the title?
Setting out to rescue your friends, you play a spaceship trying to rid the land of corruption that encapsulates the locals in a crystal stasis. It's not ridiculously hard, but it is still a bullet hell experience so that you can add that to your list.
Jeitaro
SUMMERHOUSE
...and continuing with grammar, let's pick at the ALL CAPS chillbox SUMMERHOUSE.
I don't have much more to add since the odd feature and original review, but this sandbox is lovely and has endless possibilities. Whether you'll be playing it into 2025, it's still installed on my Steam Deck and will remain for the foreseeable future.
Jeitaro
The Night Is Grey
Was this released in January 2024? I'm not going to do the research, but I do recall this being one of the first games I reviewed this year, and it was decent.
This was a key point and click adventure I'd never heard of; the dev said, 'Check out my game' I did, said nice things, and featured it on the Steam page, and then everyone else saw and reviewed it, and the nice stuff disappeared, as did all contact with the devs.
Regardless, it's a decent game - challenging in places, but still going to get a recommendation from me, despite being forgotten by all these folks I've done my best to promote, like many of the games listed here. It has been one-sided and one of the factors for my decision to put this all to rest, but I have to reiterate: these reviews were all about sharing opinions on what to play next, not views, subscribers or money. Actually, I'll take the money. And the hookers.
Jeitaro
It's A Wrap
Feeling a combination of fatigue, having not written so long, and also feeling somewhat bitter in doing more promotional work for people who don't know this website exists/care for it, I can't be arsed to write any more. It's effectively a bit of closure for me in sealing away 2024 and sharing a few recommendations - as has always been the motivation for having a website in the first place.
So... after casual deliberation and reviewing the list again, if I were to pick a title out of all the above that I've enjoyed the most (and isn't Elden Ring), it would have to be...
GRUNN.
There you go, my GOTY 2024: Grunn.
Job done, have a good 'un.
