Games I played in 2024
(I wish it was) Sponsored by Xbox Game Pass
It’s the season of giving, and there’s no better gift that giving more video game opinions.
Indeed, it is that time of the year where I reflect on all the games I played this year. Surprisingly, I played more games than past years, and even revisited a couple of old favorites. Also surprisingly, many of the games I played actually came out this very same year.
Without further ado, and in no particular order, the games I played in 2024:
Starfield (2023)
I spent half of 2023 playing Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. This year, I dedicated almost half of it to Starfield, and I think that says a lot about this game. It is, first and foremost, a first person (shooter) RPG where you get to create your own character and explore the vastness of space.
I had a ton of fun getting submerged in the lore and story of Starfield. Bethesda dedicated so much time and care into this world and its cast of characters. Even when space exploration was extremely limited, there was plenty to find and do in this game.
It’s not a perfect game, and it sometimes relied too much on its shooting mechanics, but for every problem I have with this game, there are a dozen things that made me love it even more.
Little Kitty Big City (2024)
It’s a rare occurrence to find a game that appeals so much to me on paper. A sandbox indie game with witty writing where you play as a cat? sign me up right now!
But alas, Little Kitty Big City is not a good game. It tries to do many things at once and doesn’t succeed at a single one. Mechanically, the game is painful to control. The writing fails to be funny or interesting in any way. It pains me to say it, but it is simply not fun.
It has everything to be purrfect for me, but it ended up being a catastrophe.
Sonic Colors (2010/2021)
We rarely get Sonic remakes or remasters, but thankfully Sega graced us with a game that has been stuck on the Wii for almost 15 years.
I felt at home replaying Sonic Colors, mostly to reassure the opinions I had back in high school. Is it the perfect Sonic game I remember from my teenage years? no, but it’s still a great time.
The writing has aged considerably, so have the controls, but it’s still one of the best 3D Sonic games out there.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (2020)
One of the most beautiful and artistic games out there… which also happens to be an incredible metroidvania.
If you’re not mesmerized by Ori’s stunning art style (you should go to the doctor to get your eyes checked), you will be with it’s perfectly crafted world and outstanding level design. Movement in this game is as smooth as butter, the abilities are easy to understand and fun to master, and the heartwarming story is just the cherry on top.
Both Ori games are available in Xbox and Switch and are 100% worth your time.
Jusant (2024)
I just loooooooooove environmental storytelling. It’s kind of a meme these days, but video games are a perfect medium to leave clues in the world for the player to piece together a story. Jusant, on top of being a fun puzzle-y climbing game, it manages to also tell an compelling story without a single line of dialogue.
If you need a relaxing time and love unconventional storytelling, I recommend you play this game.
Phoenix Write: Ace Attorney (2001/2012)
I’ve been playing this series in the worst possible order. Started with the fourth game, Apollo Justice, in 2020. I then shifted my attention to the last games in the series, the Great Ace Attorney saga (becoming one of my favorite games, ever). And now I’m going all the way back to were it all started.
Playing the first game right after playing the last game is quite the shock. Of course hardware limitations didn’t allow for much visually in the GBA/DS, and, while the writing is nowhere near as masterful as it was in the Great Ace Attorney, it’s still very damn good.
The Ace Attorney franchise is famous for creating great characters and telling compelling stories, and it all can be traced back to this one. I’m happy to finally experience where it all started.
A Little to the Left (2022)
This one is just an adorable puzzle game. The main concept of A little to the Left is to organize things. The game presents you with items of different colors, sizes or properties, and your job is to make them cohesive. As an insane person for organization, this game is perfect for me.
There is enough puzzle variety here, though I feel some of them provide simple concepts with too many steps, where the solution is less about figuring it out and more about dedicating time to arrange dozens of items, which takes a lot of time.
Cult of the Lamb (2022)
My fiancée played this game couple of years ago when it had a free demo on the eshop and raved about how much she loved it, and this co-op update was the perfect opportunity to jump right in.
And it is so much fun! It’s a management sim and a rogue-like at the same time. You go on procedurally generated dungeons, save animals that can then join your cult. But these animals have needs: shelter, food, and a place to poop. The game becomes this balancing act of making decisions for your cult, keeping your members happy, while also gathering resources from the dungeons you visit.
It is a great game, and playing it with my fiancée made it 10 times better.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (2004/2024)
This game is a masterpiece. Presentation, gameplay, writing and charm, this game is a 10/10 in all of them.
I really, REALLY enjoyed my time with TTYD. Being my first Paper Mario game, I had no idea what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised that these games are much more than just Mario made of Paper. From the hilarious writing to the dynamic RPG battles, this game has so much heart and love. Literally the only bad thing I can say about this game is that it is a product of its time, in terms of backtracking and inventory space, but it’s so minor I wouldn’t even consider knocking it down for that.
Stardew Valley (2016)
Yes, again. I tried to give Stardew Valley another chance, starting a new file and playing it more casually. It is still quite a fantastic game that for some unexplainable reason I simply cannot stick to.
It is the epitome of farming sims, with enough mystery, characters and, well, farming, to keep you entertained for life. The fact that I always forget to keep playing it is completely a ‘me’ problem.
I love you Stardew Valley, I wish I could finish you one day.
Mister Antonio (2024)
A new game from Bart Bonte, one of my favorite mobile indie game devs. This time, instead of a color-centered game, this one is focused on one mechanic only: bringing a cat some balls in a specific pattern.
It is silly, it is short, and it is extremely fun. It is also free on iOS and Android, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Game Dev Tycoon (2012)
Tycoon games have never been appealing to me. I understand what makes these games fun, but I never seem to get hooked… well, with one exception.
Game Dev Tycoon, as the game implies, is a sim game where you start your own video game company. You start in the mid 80s coding text-based games in your garage, and slowly but surely build a large successful company.
On top of being a great Tycoon game that gives you insight into game development, it is also a trip down memory lane, allowing you to see how the gaming industry evolved throughout history. It has a fictional counterpart to most real companies, so you’ll see plenty from “Ninvento” and “Vonny”
This is my third time playing this game, and every time I fall in love with it again.
Baldur’s Gate III (2023)
Ohh boy. This was probably the most talked about game last year, and I can see why. Baldur’s Gate is the closest you can get to playing a D&D campaign, it lets you create a character and follow a (mostly linear) story across several environments.
It has a thousand mechanical problems: late audio cues, terrible menus, runs like crap most of the time. But it does ten thousand things so right, from interesting characters, to surprisingly branching storylines, this game gives you so many options to make it your own, and I love it.
And one day I will finish it.
Lil Gator Game (2022)
Lil Gator Game is a whimsical, charming adventure about a Lil Gator and their sister. The game is set in a large sandbox area, and your only objective is literally making friends along the way.
It’s very reminiscent of A Short Hike (my fave game ever), so playing this one was an easy decision.
Open Roads (2024)
This game was a perfect palette cleanser after playing several action-heavy games. On the surface, it’s a simple visual novel story about a mother and her daughter, but the game puts so much emphasis on their dynamic that the plot is simply an avenue to explore this relationship.
I don’t want to say more because this game is best experienced fresh. It is very short, but completely worth your time.
Pokemon Sleep (2023)
I tried Pokemon Sleep as soon as it came out, but stopped playing due to the risk of having my phone plugged in right next to my face while I sleep. But hey! they finally did the update to sync data from my smartwatch, and I’ve been playing it ever since.
Pokemon Sleep is silly, and the best thing it offers is having you go “awww” after seeing a cute Pokemon sleeping. But gosh darn it, they look so cute and that’s what keeps me going.
Super Mario 64 (1996)
Again? yes, again.
Super Mario 64 is so important to me, it is my comfort game. I was having a really bad week in September so I decided to start a new file and beat it with the minimum amount of stars required.
And what can I say? I’ve beaten this game countless times and every time I fall in love with it all over again. It was genuinely difficult to restrain myself from collecting all 120 stars.
Dungeons of Hinterberg (2024)
This was my favorite game this year. I had low expectations from trailers, but it promised interesting puzzles so I decided to jump in.
And I did not expect how much it was going to hook me. Dungeons of Hinterberg segments your gameplay in days with a limited amount of activities you can perform on each one, like a Persona game. Your objective is clearing 25 dungeons, which are very reminiscent of Zelda games, filled with puzzles and action-packed battles.
While it takes the best from these two franchises, it is so much more than that. It has a fantastic cast of characters and an incredible overarching plot that entices you to keep playing.
What a wild ride! I can’t believe I managed to play through all of that, with a Bethesda RPG in the mix too. Granted, I haven’t finished all the games listed here, but I plan to!
2023 offered a large variety of AAA games from huge studios; we got to see a new Zelda, Final Fantasy, Spider-man, Alan Wake and even the long awaited RE4 Remake. While 2024 was more mellow on that front, it did offer so many new original indie experiences I’m going to be thinking about for a while.
Time to turn the page and brace ourselves for 2025, and see if Nintendo will force me to buy a new console on release day once again…