Games

Introduction

Here we are at another years end, with many games that have released this year and 2024 feeling like it would be a much quieter and mellow year by comparison to 2023, where it felt a new release would drop every week. However, 2024 has been quite a strong year, especially if you're a fan of JRPG's and a plethora of Indie games that we'll be talking about for years. There is a lot to talk about and a lot that I didn't get to play, and some that just feel shy out of the list, so before we get into my top 10 Games, I want to talk about 5 games that I want to play in 2025, and some honorable mentions that just fell shy of making the list. So let's get into it.

5 Games I want to Play in 2025

So before getting into the games that I played and made the list of my favourite games of 2024, I'd like to preface the games that I'm wanting to cross off the backlog and experience, and talk about in 2025. So without further delay here are some games that I'd love to circle back around in the new year.

Nine Sols

The first on this list is Nine Sols, a stylish Metroidvania with a focus on combat and some souls-like elements too. The hand-drawn artstyle alone has been enough to keep me interested on this one, and I'm keen to see how it plays out in the new year

Animal Well

Next is Animal Well the first game from Big Mode Dunky's new Pulishing joint, and I've heard nothing but great things about this one and I'm keen to get around to experiencing all the secrets of what Animal Well and it's solo developer Billy Basso have in store.

Soul Reaver Remastered

The next game I want to get around to is Soul Reaver Remastered from the Legacy of Kain series and I remember borrowing these from the video shop when I was a kid, yes, for those unfamiliar we used to have stores we would go to where we would borrow physical copies of the latest video games that would release. I remember playing both Soul Reaver 1 and 2 on their respective Playstation versions, and despite never finishing them, Razeal's badass design and the cool underworlds always stuck with me. I'm looking to right the wrong of never finishing these games in the new year.

Neva

Neva is the new game from Nomada Studio the talented team behind Gris a platformer based around a girl who uses her voice to bring color back to the world exploring themes surrounding grief, loss and relationships. Neva looks to be telling a different story with some more combat oriented aspects, and the soundtrack also being done by Berlinist too is another boon, that sets Neva up to be one that I am definitely excited to experience.

Pacific Drive

The last one on the list that I want to play is Pacific Drive, one which I was really intrigued by when I saw the trailer drop back at one of Playstation's showcases all those years back. I currently have this loaded up on steam and I'm eager to dive into it at some point, it looks to have an interesting bend of survival mechanics, and exploration all coupled together in an asetheic that derives itself from that Stalker and and zone style experience.

Honorable Mentions

Lastly there are a few games that I feel deserve an honorable mention, as games I would have had on this list at some point in the year, but slowly were knocked off the list. The first one and most easy one to make this list was Stellar Blade a fantastic hack-n-slash game with some lite souls elements that borrowed a lot of influence from the narrative beats of Nier Automata. I loved Stellar Blade the closer it drew closer to its final act, as that is when the game began to come into its own, and seriously whilst it didn't make this list, it was a ton of fun to play, and I'd love to see more from the new to the triple A scene studio Shift Up, and I feel Eve's journey is far from over.

The next game that just fell shy of making this list is Warhammer 40k's Space Marine 2, as I have put a solid few hours into this game to say that I absolutely love this, but unfortunately not enough yet to give a proper review or enough to have it make the list, but believe me, I am loving this game, and it has coincided well with my recent kick of diving into the world of 40K and diving into the vast world of the grim-dark future.

The last honorable mention on this list is another game that I've placed a solid amount of hours into, but haven't yet finished and that is Mullet Madjack, a fps game that takes from games like Post Void but lives in the aestheics of an 80's anime neo-future setting and some lite rogue-like elements that make the experience feel like a ton of fun to play. I want to make this known in this video, that I am working on proper videos for both Space Marine 2 and Mullet Madjack, so there is that to look forward to, but now onto the main event.

Number 10: Indiana Jones and The Great Circle

To kick off this game of the year list the first game that makes this list is one that came around at the tail-end of the year and really surprised many of us, myself included and that was Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which was developed by Machine Games and man, this game was an incredible action-adventure game that places Indiana Jones in a first person perspective prioritizing hand to hand combat along with your trusty whip and improvised weapons that you find in the sandbox. The open-hubs, and semi-open world levels make side content feel worthwhile, and the side quests that you take part in all neatly thread their way back into the overarching narrative of The Great Circle. There is a wealth of platforming, puzzles, and action that fines its cadence early on and rarely ever falters in its pacing, and delivers such a satisfying Indy adventure that captures the magic of the original trilogy.

Number 9: Persona 3: Reload

Next up we have Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the original Persona 3 and man this one was a ride, and what a way to kick off the year. Reload in my eyes is a near definitive way to experience Persona 3, with all the flourishes and polishes that would arrive to its base story being found in this game, along with many of the new features and functions that would come in future Persona games. The fully voiced social links and cast, along with the new visual style make for a modern adaptation of Persona 3, that I feel mostly serves its purpose and does the game justice, despite some of the more brighter color choices feeling like they take away from the more moody atmosphere and aesthetic of the original.

The new songs introduced like Color Your Night and It's Going Down are still on regular rotation in my gaming playlist and the combat and overall way that they've redesigned Tartarus makes it feel more distinct and interesting to traverse compared to the original, which could get tedious at times. Persona 3 Reload if anything was a reminder to me why I loved Persona 3, and why I should be looking forward to whatever Atlus puts out next, which surprisingly wouldn't be too far away, but more on that later.

Number 8: Balatro

Next up we have one of the heavy hitters for 2024 for a lot of people, and that was the rogue-like deck builder, that combines the world of poker and makes for a game that sinks its claws into you and becomes an absolutely incredible. Balatro is also one of these games that is easily accessible and despite looking like there are many different variables that shake up the experience, it still remains comprehensive and easy as a non-gamer to get into and addicted too. In my review for Balatro, I talked about the underlining genius that plays into Balatro, where it is essentially two games that are neatly threaded together into one experience, and I don't want to re-tread old ground, but the way that this game accomplishes this is absolute genius, where it provides short bursts of excitement with its round-based card games, and another game in its long form rogue-like deckbuilding mechanics.

Balatro is one those games that I've picked up and I return to even now after I've put a video out and talked about what I love about it, I swear the endless mode and watching people who are much better than me rack up insane points, and create some crazy builds, it keeps me invested, and it's fun to revisit and play. On top of that too, there are regular updates with new jokers that make the experience exciting too and overall the experience is unreal, and if you haven't checked out Balatro 100% worth it, and it's on steam, consoles, and even mobile, so it's pretty accessible and trust me, you'll get addicted.

Number 7: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Next up we have one of the best expansions to release this year and in recent years and that is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree which ultimately culminated in providing players with more Elden Ring at a large scale. It's crazy to think that Miyazaki said that this expansion's size would only cover the size of Limgrave from the base game, like man is underselling his DLC here and thinking none of us would notice. Shadow of the Erdtree whilst I don't think qualifies for a Game of the Year spot, does in many ways redefine, what an expansion is and what it used to represent, and whilst it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it provides Elden Ring fans, more of everything that they love, it's size, scale, and challenge are all amped up to a new degree with lore that ties a neat bow on some loose ends and sheds further light on this world. I think there is something fantastic in Erdtree and jumping back into the lands between two years later, I still can't help but gush at the amazing art direction that brings every location, every biome, every enemy or boss encounter to life. Whilst I do wish that there was something that we could have seen them do to elevate the means of progression a little more, outside of the fragments, I do feel like the amount of content that is on offer, it's hard to really complain about what you're getting here. It's such an incredible experience, and a great send-off for one of the finest games released so far this decade.

Number 6: Black Myth Wukong

This next one I haven't spoke about on the channel, but I've been playing and really quite enjoyed in many respects, and that is Black Myth Wukong. Now this game took the internet by storm back when it released, and since I've started playing this I've been having a lot of fun with it. But I feel like a lot of what makes Black Myth such an exhilerating experience stems from the world, the environments, and sheer amount of variety in the enemies that you face. The mythos that comes to life in this world, and the sheer spectacle of it all, harkens back to that feeling of seeing Kratos face off against the Greek pantheon back in the mid 2000's, except here we're getting an extension to the classic Chinese tale of Journey to the West, and we're getting exposed to the Chinese mythos. It's absolutely incredible, and different. The game has its drawbacks in how it handles some of its exploration, and its pacing of different chapters, plus I do feel whilst the progression can seem robust, the combat can feel like it leaves me wanting a little more. But overall, for a studio as fresh to the world of Triple A video games, Game Science have absolutely delivered a game that has provided me so far, at 30-40 hours of entertainment and I'm turning over every stone, trying to find any boss I can and experience as much of Wukong's world and mythos brought to life, because that is when this game really does shine the brightest.

Number 5: 1000xResist

Editor's note: With this game, I really can't stress enough how special it is to me, and the more time has passed since completing it, the higher I would rank this game on this list.

The first game that falls into my top 5 games of 2024 is none other than 1000xResist. This game immediately hooked me, and is an incredible video game, and honestly is one of the best narrative experiences I've had all year. Seriously there is so much with how this game delivers many of its plot points, the mechanisms and ways in which is story is told which really to articulate the creative outlets of expression that are unique to video games. The studio sunset visitor have done an exceptional job with this experience and have crafted an unforgettable experience, that will stick with you, once you have completed it. I absolutely adore this game, and the only reason I am keeping this segment brief is because to get into the nuts and bolts of how this game functions or its narrative beats feels like I am robbing you of an experience. All I can say is this game never left my mind after picking it up, and hasn't since completing it and putting it down, and my one advice is to check it out, and go into it as blind as possible.

Number 4: Astro Bot

On the flipside of everything that made 1000xResist shine to me, is Astro Bot, an Action Platformer from Team Asobi that you all know now as 2024's game of the year, which honestly is one of the most wonderous and joyful games to grace us in the year of 2024.

It is crazy to consider that in the month of August Sony would release a game that would go on to be one of the biggest commercial flops of all time Concord, a live service game that peaked with a player count of 697 around launch, which we are all familiar with at this point. But it’s what happened in the next month that will truly shock you because Sony would go on to release Astro Bot one of the best games of the year and a new modern mascot for Sony, that celebrates the consoles long running history of iconic characters.

Astro Bot is one of those games that is oozing with creativity, character and is one of the few games that tales full control of the DualSense controllers capabilities at every chance it gets. If you played Astro’s Playroom and enjoyed it, Astro Bot is a complete evolution on what that bite sized tech demo accomplished. The levels, the gadgets and the different array of levels on offer are so brilliantly designed and never feel remotely dated or old. Seriously Astro Bot to me felt like a throwback to the sense of wonder and joy I had playing platforms on the PS1 and PS2 as a kid, with all the new bells and whistles.

Number 3: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Next up at number 3 we have one of the games that kicked off 2024, and that was Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, this is seriously the game that kept on giving, and saw both of our favourite two protagonists in the series, Ichiban and Kiryu get up to new antics in the tropical backdrops of Hawaii. There is so much content in this game and it feels like one of RGG's most expansive experiences in terms of the sheer amount of content on offer here. There is a Pokemon battler mini-game, tons of different hubs and areas to explore, and a story that will make you shed a manly tear or two, before washing them away with a plethora of exciting mini-games and side hustles. The turn-based combat see's a return here too, and whilst I do feel like it can become a little grindy towards the back-end of the game, there are so many different classes, and ways to engage with the combat that I feel like overall the game kept me entertained. I think the Like A Dragon series has only been growing in terms of how it is recognized in the broader gaming landscape, and in the department of creativity with what RGG can pack into their games. Whilst it may be up for debate as to which game has the most content, I can't deny there is an Infinite amount of wealthy and worthwhile combat here in this game, and a story that is worth experiencing at least once, for any fan of the series.

Number 2: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Between this and my number 1 it truly was a neck and neck and without a doubt for the majority of this year Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was my Game of the Year. There is something special that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth did for me, having replayed the original FF7 the year prior and also replaying through both Remake and Crisis Core, I couldn't help but worry with the direction they would take the story, how they would handle that open world, and seriously that replay of the original FF7 in 2023 enshrined it as one of my favourite RPG's and video game worlds.

Rebirth felt like it brought all of the different landmarks of Gaia to life and not only recaptured the magic of the original Final Fantasy 7's world, but added a ton of new content that further explores the characters and Cloud's relationships with the party. Rebirth adds new quests that further depict the juxtaposition between the bustling mega city of Midgar and the rest of the world, and my god does it add one of the most enjoyable card games into a Final Fantasy that rivals that of Triple Triad. There is so much in Rebirth, that some would even go as far to say it is TOO MUCH game. But for me, this was something truly special, it was one of the first new releases I've played on day one where I would sit there endlessly for hours trying to complete everything and it really brought me back to a different time man. I absolutely loved Rebirth, and I feel like when it is all said and done if the third part delivers a satisfying conclusion, people will look back kindly on this trilogy, and Rebirth for me is definitely one to remember.

Number 1: Metaphor Refantazio

If my thumbnails are anything to go by my Game of the Year for 2024 is pretty obvious and that of course is Metaphor ReFantazio. Atlus have had an exceptional year kicking it off with Persona 3 Reload, having SMT V: Vengeance release mid year, and Metaphor ReFantazio ending the year on a strong note. It's important to mention Altus's other two core IP's because Metaphor feels like a true evolution of the Turn-Based JRPG's combining the strengths of SMT with the strengths of Persona. Everything in Metaphor is so expertly crafted, and feels intentional in its design. The sense of both Art and Game Direction are so intentional and thought out in there design, what they're meant to express, what they want the player to feel and the sense of style and substance that seldom go hand in hand.

But there is something more that I feel that Metaphor speaks to and that is to me as a fan of the style of games that Persona engender, Metaphor feels shorter, that isn't to say that it isn't long, but more compact, fine-tuned with the type of content it presents the player. The various main and side dungeons make more a more awe-inspiring globetrotting adventure across the world of Euchronia and pulls away from tedious tropes often found in JRPG's.

Which ultimately is where I think the distinction between Metaphor and Final Fantasy Rebirth for me is established Rebirth is an incredible modernaization of what JRPG's were and it adapts it across to a modern audience, with systems that lean into the realm of action, whilst preserving tenants of its JRPG roots. But Metaphor to me is an evolution of what JPRG's can be. It brings out the sense of wonder, adventure and thrill that the old school fantasy RPG's would invoke and provide its own unique spin on the gameplay from its approach to turn-based combat, it's gameplay systems and finely crafted world of politics and ideals. It embodies and marks an evolution that makes Metaphor feel like a modern Final Fantasy 7 in a way that I don't feel Rebirth can replicate, there is something special that Metaphor represents for a place in time and the type of game that it is, a turn-based RPG, and a damn solid one at that, and I think that the journey that the Traveler and his companions set out on to build a world based on the ideals of a better world.

Metaphor is my Game of the Year, because of what it represents for a genre I adore, but more importantly for how succinct and compact of a video game it is, with stunning visual presentation that feels like no menu, no city, no monster or moments was left unturned. The audio soundtrack with Metaphor's rapping monk, grand chants and orchestral pieces, and at the center of it all, a narrative that was compelling and rich full of a thematic core of ideals, the power of fiction and the impact that fiction can carry onto our world, and man, Metaphor makes a strong argument for the impact and influence can carry on those who consume it, and that is why Metaphor ReFantazio is my Game of the Year.

Conclusion

I've been thinking a lot about how I would close out this video, there are so many different things that have happened this year, so many memorable experiences, and it has been a huge year of growth for me and the channel. So if you're are someone who as subscribed a week ago, or two years ago when I started making content, I want to say thank you for supporting the channel, commenting on videos and showing up and viewing any of my videos, it means a lot to me and I truly do love just yapping away about video games, and I'll be back in the new year doing more of the same, and have plans to explore some new things too. I hope and wish everyone a great holidays, and I'll see you in the next video!

Thanks for watching.