There are a ton of caveats to this list. Did the game come out in 2024? And what do we really mean by “come out in 2024″…? What if, like the olden days, the game actually “came out” the previous year in Japan, but the localization came out in 2024? What if it came out on previous platforms, but then got a PC release in 2024?
Well, I make the rules around here, and therefore I can break any rule I want! Here are my top 10 video games of 2024, by any definition I feel works and thereby creates a list I’m happy with.
I don’t think there will be too many surprises if you know me and my gaming preferences, but hopefully I can surface at least one hidden gem for you!
A couple notes up front
There are a some explanations and clarifying tidbits that are probably worth noting before getting into the list…
- Despite being all-in on the Yakuza / Like a Dragon franchise these last few years, I didn’t get around to playing Infinite Wealth yet.
- I didn’t play Persona 3 Reload (I’ve played P3P and don’t feel the need or drive to play this remake).
- I didn’t play Metaphor: ReFantazio (but I’d like to).
- I’m upset for a variety of reasons that there’s a big Journey to the West game that I’m not playing (but thankfully there are tons of other options).
- No, Sparking! ZERO was never in contention for this list in any way.
- I wish I put more time into UFO 50, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Dabbled in about the first half-ish of the games. I just got to the tower defense game last night…!
- There are a million other incredible looking indie games I picked up at the end of the year that I haven’t sunk enough time into yet, but I’m psyched to check out soon! I just wrapped up Mouthwashing after writing up this whole list, for example (but I don’t think it changes any placements).
#10 — Dragon Ruins
Despite being old enough to have done so, I never got into PC dungeon crawlers as a kid. It wasn’t until Etrian Odyssey IV on 3DS that it finally clicked with me (and probably more due to Yuzo Koshiro’s incredible soundtrack than anything else).
The description on the Dragon Ruins Steam page reads: “A dungeon crawling microgame for tired people.” I forget where I saw this recommended (somewhere on Bluesky I assume), but it was with that tagline, and I knew this would be for me the minute I read it.
You set a team of four heroes (two ostensible “tanks” in the first two slots and two others), and drop down into a giant vector-looking dungeon. Battles are automatic, and mapping is automatic. You can return to town up the ladder any time you can get back to it for full health recovery, or you can purchase a teleportation item. There is no real penalty for defeat; a certain amount of in-universe time simply passes and you’re told about it. Any gold earned from battle can be put toward leveling up your heroes if they have enough experience, or purchasing better gear. There’s nothing else to worry about: you either level up or you buy gear, and the respective number goes up. There are no other choices to make!
Over the course of four hours, I revealed the entire map, fought untold numbers of horrible monsters, defeated the dragon… and then did it all again to see how fast I could get through without needing to return to town. The game does exactly what it sets out to do, and at $3-4, it’s a steal for that experience. The other thing to note about this game is that it’s funny — there’s barely any text (really just when exiting the game and some incidental dialogue), but it’s perfect.
Anyway, I’m probably going to lose my life to Shiren now, aren’t I? Oh, and there’s a sequel to this game due out in 2025…?!
Platform: Steam
Price: $4.99 (PAID: $3.49)
My Play Time: 4 hours
Steam Deck Compatibility: “Playable” (I had no issues)
#9 — Franzen
This came out in 2023, but my list, my rules!
A Final Fantasy VI-ish-looking JRPG-inspired story about politics, community, relationships, etc.? It’s only 6-ish hours long? It’s free?
I have a few minor qualms with the game. I think people need to learn when to use commas and when to use semi-colons. Sometimes it’s hard to see certain sprites when contrasted against certain background elements. I wish the individual musical tracks were a little longer. I know there’s a little hand cursor, but even still, it was near impossible to tell which character was active during battle at any given time.
But the story is so damn strong, the characters are incredibly likable, the writing is so damn punchy in all the right ways… I had an absolute blast with it.
You literally have nothing to lose (other than maybe an evening or two). Hugely recommended.
Platform: Steam
Price: Free
My Play Time: 6 hours
Steam Deck Compatibility: “Playable” (while docked, occasionally the wired controller would stop responding, forcing me to quit and reload; this happened maybe three or four times across my play time)
#8 — Balatro
I’ve put a handful of hours into Balatro so far (only just picked it up in early December), but that’s enough to know. Anyone who’s played it at all knows that’s enough.
I like poker. I like numbers go big. I like Balatro. I’m going to keep playing this for a long, long time.
Platform: Steam
Price: $14.99 (PAID: $12.74)
My Play Time: 8 hours
Steam Deck Compatibility: “Verified” (no issues)
#7 — Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
On Episode #0516 of our podcast over at Kanzenshuu, I went into a bit of my history with Dragon Quest. The long and short of it with this particular game is that I’ve started it on Super Famicom, I’ve started it on Game Boy Color, I’ve started it on mobile… and made it a little further into the game every time… but never actually finished it. Considering the legacy and status of this specific game (and who I am!), that’s all a bit embarrassing! I made it a point to finally start and finish the game this time around.
I’m glad I did, but there are a few caveats here. Without knowing it at first, I could tell some of the game balance was disrupted with what I later learned were additional status effects and items (pulled form later games) retro-fitted here. You’ve also likely seen complaints about the expanded map size, and how slow traversal can be. That’s all true, and that’s all important to note.
But goddamn, it’s still Dragon Quest III at its heart, and it’s both impressive for what it was at the time of its original Famicom release (all the spirit of which is still here, fully intact)… and still a great run all these decades later.
Soul of [REDACTED] can shove it, though.
Platform: Steam
Price: $59.99 (PAID: $47.99)
My Play Time: 40 hours
Steam Deck Compatibility: “Verified” (no issues)
#6 — Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
This is one of the technicalities here on the list — the game first came out on the Switch in 2023, but it received a full-featured (DLC-included) international PC port in 2024. I was initially interested when the original Switch version hit, but I heard about the performance issues and I had plenty of other stuff to play. When the PC port was announced with a lower price point (and a good pre-order discount), and I had the Steam Deck by that point, I finally bit.
That said, I’ll admit that it’s a bit scandalous to have this game ahead of what was just previously on the list, but that’s how my honest-to-goodness feelings shake out this year.
Every few years I find myself absorbed in one of the random “Monsters” games (Joker 2 and the 3DS remake of Terry have been minor past obsessions). I’m also a big fan of Dragon Quest IV in particular with its chapter system and different characters all coming together, so to see another side of that world realized here in a piddly little “Monsters” game was actually kind of exciting.
As I stated on social media upon rolling credits, it felt like a very Put-The-Junior-Team-On-It kind of game… but with insane heart and love underneath it. The main characters are nothing to write home about, that level design truly is awful (with one late-game dungeon in particular giving “Water Temple” trauma a run for its money), but the world is so fun to run around and be a part of, and the actual monsters themselves remain so charming (and a little addicting to synthesize together) that I found it pretty impossible to put down.
With regard to the aforementioned performance, it’s definitely worth noting that the Steam Deck will push this game no problem, so don’t feel locked in to the default 800p. That goes for a lot of games on the Deck, but the resolution bump is a significant upgrade here in particular.
One last thing to note is that the Japanese voice cast in this game is unnecessarily legendary, with Atsushi Imaruoka in particular acting his heart out as a giant giraffe monster in a role that literally seven people are ever going to hear.
Platform: Steam (also available on Switch)
Price: $39.99 (PAID: $32.79)
My Play Time: 52 hours
Steam Deck Compatibility: “Playable” (only one issue where upon plugging in and waking from a portable session to a docked session, all the buttons seemed to have rotated 90 degrees in functionality; a reboot fixed that)
#5 — Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Look, I was 15 years old when I played the original Final Fantasy VII at launch in 1997.
There’s nothing else of value I can add to the conversation here.
Platform: PlayStation 5
Price: $69.99
My Play Time: 80 hours
#4 — Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid
This is another of the other technicalities here on the list — the game originally came out on Switch in 2023, but only with a Japanese language option. The full English localization was patched into the game as a sort of soft-relaunch with the PC version in 2024. I say that fits the bill.
You’re a young kid spending a summer vacation in a new location, meeting new friends, learning the town and surrounding area, getting into hijinks, solving mysteries, climbing things… it was a joy beginning to end.
There’s a lot more to say about the subject in general (stay tuned…), but Natsu-Mon never had a chance of living up to the hype. And yet, here it is. To be able to play a Kaz Ayabe joint more or less contemporary with its release was really special. (OK, I did play Attack of the Friday Monsters roughly at release, but I didn’t really grasp the importance of that at the time).
Please play Natsu-Mon.
Platform: Steam (also available on Switch)
Price: $39.99
My Play Time: 36 hours
Steam Deck Compatibility: “Unknown” (no issues; played beginning to end on Steam Deck)
#3 — 1000xResist
I’m terrible at critique, so I’ll keep it short. That also allows me to conveniently side-step around saying too much about the narrative itself, which is basically all this game is — there’s some exploration, and a little bit of almost Control-style lurching/hopping/flying in certain points… and while I couldn’t always personally identify with some of the story beats and emotions represented on screen, the RESONANCE was so strong that…
I’ve said too much. Play 1000xResist.
Hekki Allmo.
Platform: Steam (also available on Switch)
Price: $19.99 (PAID: $15.99)
My Play Time: 11 hours
Steam Deck Compatibility: “Playable” (no issues, other than a little framey)
#2 — Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (7.0 + 7.1)
Speaking of “there’s no way it will live up to expectations”… here’s Dawntrail, which is nowhere near Endwalker (nevermind Shadowbringers), and I still loved it every step of the way.
I really enjoyed my journey across Tural, learning about all the different people and places alongside Wuk Lamat. I’m terrible at predictions and I’m easily faked out, so I never would have guessed where the second half of the MSQ was going to take us. Bakool Ja Ja is an absolute boss. I love that we’re just doing a straight up fighting tournament for a raid series.
I love this world, and I love this game. I’m not playing as often as I used to, but that’s to be expected in a game that’s over a decade old. I think what’s most impressive is that, without fail, it still calls me back every single patch.
In conclusion, Honey B. Lovely.
Platform: PlayStation 5 + PC
Price: $39.99 (PAID: $34.39)
My Play Time: Untold hours
#1 — Minishoot’ Adventures
This game was made for me. Thank you!
It’s easy to describe Minishoot’ Adventures as “Zelda plus twin-stick shooter” but that’s selling it short. The team understands exactly what specifically makes a 2D Zelda game such a blast to explore, as if they were sitting there with me back in the late 1980s taking notes about my specific preferences. The ease of piloting the little ship around is an absolute joy, and each new upgrade just made it even more fun. I wanted to see everything, know everything, do everything… so I did (hah!).
This is another case where I don’t want to say too much more, because I really think that if you sit down with it for a couple minutes, you’ll be completely absorbed.
Absolute triumph of a game.
Platform: Steam
Price: $14.99 (PAID: $11.99)
My Play Time: 14 hours
Steam Deck Compatibility: “Verified” (no issues)
Best DLC of 2024 — Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide
I don’t really know what all DLC that I really played in 2024 (I guess it’s worth mentioning that I haven’t gotten to the Castlevania pack for Vampire Survivors yet), but I just wanted an opportunity to plug this FF16 content.
I have complicated feelings about FF16 as a whole. All of the critiques out there are absolutely correct. At the same time, I liked a lot about the game in spite of itself, even as I was shaking my head at it basically the entire time.
But man, the two DLC packs — Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide — were kind of a step up from even the base content. This is probably spoilers to some degree, but the “in case of emergency, press FF14 button” button was pressed. For The Rising Tide in particular, its all-new area truly felt alive, and (this isn’t an original thought at all) the sheer fact that it was colorful compared to where the main story ended up was such a welcome change. I really fell in love with the new village and the small cast of characters, and of course it was a joy to spend a little more time with Ben Starr’s performance.
Look out for that DPS check and enrage during one of the final boss phases. Took me a few tries…
Platform: PlayStation 5 (Also available on PC)
Price: $24.99 (season pass)
My Play Time: 60 hours for full game + both DLC packs
Late-2023 Game of 2024 — Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
It would be fair to levy some complaints about convoluted story bits and forcing the continued Kiryu story… but goddamn if it didn’t do exactly what you wanted it to do in relation to Like a Dragon, if the new gameplay mechanics weren’t incredible, if we didn’t get Sega Racing Classic 2 as part of the package, and if Takaya Kuroda didn’t turn in one of the best performances (namely during the ending…) in franchise history.
Platform: PlayStation 5
Price: $49.99 (PAID: $41.24)
My Play Time: 21 hours
Actual #1 Game Played in 2024 — Boku no Natsuyasumi 2
I came to Boku the way I imagine a lot of folks my exact age and with my exact set of interests came to it: vicariously through Ray (and then later via Tim), and then cheering from the rooftop when Hilltop’s translation patch for the second game was released in late 2023.
I bought my Steam Deck in November 2023, and this was the first game I played on it. I played roughly two days of in-game time any given evening of play time. I completed the game on January 5th, 2024 (thereby making it eligible for this list in whatever way I feel like making it eligible). I cannot imagine a better experience for playing this game. (OK, maybe sitting on the floor playing on an actual PlayStation 2 in summer 2002 is the ideal scenario, but this was pretty close.)
Every screen is its own perfect little diorama. Every character is a perfect little human being. Every story beat endears the perfect little town to you. Every emotion is conveyed without hyperbole, so succinctly, as if there’s a direct Wi-Fi connection to your soul.
It’s perfectly idealized, and perfectly realized. It’s a goddamn masterpiece that I’m still thinking about a year later. Plenty others have said more, and have done so better, so I’ll just leave it there.
Platform: PlayStation 2
Price: Free translation patch via Hilltop
My Play Time: 15 hours
Miscellaneous Honorable Mention — Control
I’m finally catching up on the Remedy-verse, and I just wanted to mention how rad Control was and to share this spectacular screenshot.
Fan Translations Are Awesome
It’s been a golden era of all-new-official-old translations these last few years (see: LIVE A LIVE, Trials of Mana, Moon…), but fan translations haven’t let up either. I’m incredibly appreciative of the spectacular work from a bunch of groups. Some of these I played to completion, and others I just dabbled in for education’s sake, but here’s a small sample of what I checked out in 2024 (obviously including Boku 2 as well):
Dr. Slump — PlayStation / Hilltop
Kurohyō: Ryū ga Gotoku Shinshō — PSP / TeamK4L
Tengai Makyou: Ziria — PC-Engine CD / stargood
If you’re interested in this kind of stuff, I recommend keeping up with Wes Fenlon’s “Read Only Memo” newsletter as a nice centralized clearing house for up-to-date, concise, helpful emulation and fan translation news.
So now if you’ll excuse me, it’s right back to the gaming grind… and first up is something that was actually just mentioned moments ago…!
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