Throughout the year, I’ll be documenting all the games I’ve played, providing honest feedback and thoughts on whether you should consider trying them too.
The list will be update regularly, so tune in every month to hear my thoughts on the latest releases, old classics I’m playing for the first time, or hidden gems found on a whim. And who knows, you might find your next favourite game in the process!
- Cocoon
- Palworld
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Madden 24
- Balatro
- WWE2K24
- Slay the Spire
- Bastion
- Dungeons of Hinterberg
- Hades II (Early Access)
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- American Arcadia
- Escape Academy
- Flintlock: The Seige of Dawn
- Doom (2016)
- Party Animals
- Deadlock
- Marvel’s Midnight Suns
- Dave the Diver
Cocoon
After claiming various awards during the 2023 awards season, including Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards, Cocoon was one of the many indie games I wanted to get around to playing this year. After a year full of AAA blockbusters taking up most of 2023, I wanted to get one of these games out of the backlog, before it was too late!
After deciding to download Cocoon via Game Pass, it didn’t take long to feel bewildered and amazed by the game’s stunning environments and mind-bending puzzles. Despite the lack of dialogue or any traditional story beats, Cocoon somehow manages to take you on a whirlwind of emotion, simply by showing off its lovingly handcrafted world.
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Palworld
Palworld – aka Pokémon with guns – felt like the only game people could talk about at the start of the year. Whether it was due to controversies over its strong similarities to one of the most popular franchises on the planet, or the refreshing gameplay that made many question why we hadn’t seen a game like this before, Palworld was in the mouths of almost every gamer in January 2024.
In my opinion, its somewhat harsh to reserve Palword to nothing but a clone copy of other pocket monster games, as the survival aspects and tones of satire throughout offer a fresh lease of life to an arguably stagnant genre of games. And quite frankly, it’s embarrassing that Pokémon -one of the biggest media franchises in the world- can be so easily outshone by an early access title from a smaller company.
That being said, this survival-based title is by no means perfect. The game is riddles with game-breaking bugs and has been lacking in content since its early access launch. Whilst the primordial state of the game can excuse this slightly, major updates will need to be made promptly for Palworld to keep some of the huge momentum it once had.
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Ghost of Tsushima
After years of not having access to PlayStation’s array of world-class single-player titles, I have made it my mission to catch up on the great titles I’ve missed. After finishing the exceptional God of War reboot in 2023, Ghost of Tsushima was next on the list.
As a fan of Samurai tales and the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Ghost of Tsushima’s stealthy open world adventure based in feudal Japan sounds like the perfect title for me. After sinking over 30 hours into the Ghost of Tsushima so far, it’s safe to say I haven’t been disappointing.
Jin Sakai’s story is one that balances simplicity with elegance and exploration, of both the world and the morality found within it. Some of the more tiresome open-world traits rub off onto this title, but for the most part, Ghost of Tsushima is a great example of how to forge an open world experience that feels freeing and fun, but also remains grounded in the world and story being told.
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Madden 24
One of the many sports games released on an annual basis, Madden has become a part of my yearly gaming repitoire over the years. When the title entered EA Play in the lead up to the superbowl, I decided to walk onto the field once again.
Anyone that has played a Madden game in the past decade or so will know what to expect with the 2024 version, as little has changed over the years. Whilst the realistic simulation is satisfying enough to provide that ‘Friday Night Football’ feeling, the lack of innovation in these yearly releases is always a bitter pill to swallow for sports fans craving a new way to replicate the thrill of their favourite pasttime.
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Balatro
Possibly the most surprising and addictive game I’ve played in a long time, Balatro is a prime example of how subtle tweaks to an existing format can lead to hours of fun. Taking the fundamentals of poker and throwing them into a roguelike structure, Balatro evolves this traditional card game into a single-player experience.
At face value, the concept can be easily overlooked as a simple adaptation, but one full run reveals the intricacies and maniacle tricks this game has up its sleeve, all in the attempt to stop you from defeating all the Blinds and claiming all the chips.
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WWE2K24
Despite being a part of the aforementioned collection annual sports games, recent WWE2K games have been one of the few titles to offer significant revisions to the tried and tested format each year. After the series reset in 2022, WWE2K24 provides enhancements across the board, leading to non-stop electrifying battles.
Along with widespread improvements in each of the established game modes, such as MyGM and Universe, WWE2K24 also includes a new showcase that celebrates 40 years of Wrestlemania.
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Slay the Spire
After being hooked by Balatro, I wanted to explore other deckbuilding roguelikes. With Slay the Spire being considered one of the best games within the genre, it naturally popped into my recommendations.
Taking a more combat-focussed approach, Slay the Spire provides an intricate progression system that is challenging to conquer, leading to hours of intense gameplay that requires plenty of thought -and sometimes luck- to reach the summit.
Despite the challenge to ‘Slay the Spire’, the mechanics are relatively simple to understand, with the game encouraging experimentation and mastery. And while there isn’t much of a story, small hints are enough to keep you captivated and let your imagination run wild!
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Bastion
In anticipation for the release of Hades II, I decided to take the time to venture back Supergiant’s first release, Bastion. Acting as the foundation for the studio’s future endeavors, fans of the Hades franchise will be able to identify the sublime soundtrack and chaotic action the team would become famous for.
However, this tale is thrilling in its own right, and is considered an all-time classic within the Indie genre. While rather breif and sticking to a linear structure, this isometric action-adventure is full of incredible level art, a story with multiple twists, and polished combat. After playing through Bastion, it’s not very surprising to see why their subsequent titles were so successful.
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Dungeons of Hinterberg
One of the most underrated releases of this year is Dungeons of Hinterberg, an action-based dungeon crawler and not exactly what comes to mind when you think of a ‘Cozy Game’. That being said, this title manages to merge the two styles using a day/night cycle. By day, Luisa is slashing her way through dungeons, then at night, she’s exploring the town of Hinterberg and developing life-changing friendships.
This juxtaposition and some of the artistic choices won’t be to everyone’s liking, but I enjoyed being able to take out some frustrations on monsters without the need to focus too much. Also, I think most people can relate to Luisa’s thoughts of leaving her mundane day job to follow her passion.
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Hades II (Early Access)
My most anticipated game of 2024 was undoubtedly Hades II, a high-paced action roguelike based on Greek Mythology. The previous game was one of my favourite games of all-time due to it’s refined combat, gripping narrative and layered progression system.
However, Hades II is arguably even better than the original. The sequel develops on the foundation of the original in every way, culminating in a fascinating gameplay hook that is hard to put down. This game only becomes more impressive when you consider Hades II is still in early access.
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Horizon Zero Dawn
The next PlayStation Classic on my list to complete was Horizon Zero Dawn. This futuristic primordial setting follows the story of Aloy, an outsider who must make her way through fields of mechanical beasts in search of answers.
Initially, I was having fun with the archery-based combat, as it was a slightly different experience from other third-person action titles. However, the slower pace and sporadic story beats failed to captivate me long enough to complete this story.
Given the moves that PlayStartion have made with this game after announcing the remaster earlier this year, I’m glad to have tried this game when I did. However, I don’t see any reason to go back and complete this game anytime soon.
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American Arcadia
From the makers of one of my favourite indie games of all time – Call of the Sea- comes American Arcadia. This fascinating tale shares similarities with The Truman Show, as the town of Arcadia is a futuristic paradise with plenty of dark secrets.
While this story-based platformer is brief, it manages to cram in plenty of twists and turns, leading to a thrilling narrative that will have you second-guessing every character’s intentions, building up a desire to finally unravel the truth. Those looking to follow a dramatic story that’s slightly different from classic TV dramas, American Arcadia is well worth a playthrough.
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Escape Academy
Escape rooms have become a popular activity for couples, families and friends. However, they are often pricey and force you to go out the house! Fortunately, Escape rooms translate well into games, with the likes of Escape Academy providing these experiences at home.
I played this game in one sitting with the help of my girlfriend and we loved the variety and theming of the game. Despite the restrictions that would expect from an academic setting, Escape Academy work around this in rather inventive ways. For escape room fans, this game is certainly worth picking up.
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Flintlock: The Seige of Dawn
Undoubtedly the most disappointing game I’ve played this year was Flintlock: The Seige of Dawn. What was amongst the 2024 releases I was most excited for, it only took a few hours to realise this title wouldn’t live up to expectations.
With a complicated narrative, frustrating level design and multiple technical issues, Flintlock: The Seige of Dawn failed to convince me this game was worthwhile. There were some positive aspects, with the progression system, exciting combat and imaginative traversal, but they were heavily overshadowed by the multiple downsides.
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Doom (2016)
The Doom franchise is iconic. It is arguably the franchise that is singlehandedly responsible for the first-person shooter boom during the late 90s, leading to some of the most popular titles to date. The 2016 reboot brought enhanced graphics and set the foundations for a new series of games with refreshed story and gameplay.
Featuring intense action with plenty of gory encounters, this game might not be for the light-hearted. That being said, the combat feels incredibly smooth and the thoughtful level design results in plenty of challenging close-qaurters encounters.
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Party Animals
Good party games that are fun for all involved can be a challenging find. With various skill levels, experience, and tastes to account for, it often leads to one member enjoying themselves less than the others. However, Party Animals has become a pretty good solution this year.
This game takes the ragdoll mechancics made popular by titles like Gang Beasts, adding more variety to the challenges and arenas. Instead of simply brawling it out, players will have to avoid being sucked up into a black hole, catapult bombs over a cavern, and play violent versions of your favourite sports.
The ragdoll mechanics leads to plenty of laughs, no matter if you’re winning or losing. Because of this, Party Animals is a great game to pick up when family and friends are over.
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Deadlock
It’s been a rollercoaster year for multiplayer gaming, with multiple flops and major success throughout the last 12 months. One of the best examples of this occurred during the summer. While Sony’s Concord became one of the biggest failures in gaming history, the worst kept secret reached an active player base of over 100,000.
Despite still technically being in an invite-only beta, it seems like most PC gamers have now gained access to Valve’s new MOBA – Deadlock. Best described as a mix between Overwatch and League of Legends, this game is full of challenges and goals, allowing even noobs like me to feel like they are contributing to the team’s efforts to overthrow the enemy base.
With a flurry of interesting characters and a supernatural theme, Deadlock looks set to continue growing in popularity when it officially releases in the near future. But for now, most will have to wait for more details before trying this game out (or ask a friend for some help!).
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
After Balatro reignited a passion for card games, Marvel’s Midnight Suns seemed like a logical progression. Unlike most virtual deckbuilding games, this title was developed by AAA studio Firaxis and published by 2K. Because of this, Midnight Suns features an amolgamation of semi-open world exploration and strategy-based combats.
This game brings a lot of niche concepts together, resulting in a truly enticing experience that sets itself apart from other blockbuster titles. Admittedly, this would significantly harm the appeal of Midnight Suns if it didn’t have the Marvel tag attached to it, but the familiar story and characters makes this a great gateway for casual gamers into more niche genres such as deckbuilders and turn-based strategy games.
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Dave the Diver
As of the most successful games of 2023, Dave the Diver has been on my wishlist for a long time. So when it was majorly discounted on Steam, I decided to pick it up and see what the fuss was all about.
Before playing the game, it’s difficult to uncover its premise. But as soon as you start playing Dave the Diver, it immediatley engrosses you by offering thrilling twists and turns, along with an array of fun activities.
In some ways, this game is exactly what it says on the tin. You play as Dave -a diver- who gathers fish by day and serves them in a Sushi Bar by night. On the other hand, the constant flow of surprises makes this game an absolute must-play as most gamers will be able to find fun in at least one aspect of Dave the Diver.
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