Starting things off, Animal Well takes a genre that already has plenty of competition in terms of identity and originality, and makes itself stand out above the rest. Taking the puzzle solving aspect of the genre and putting most of the focus on it makes it such a great time. You feel like a genius in most aspects, and that mad the game really stuck out to me, and earned the #10 spot. 

Now for this one, I was on the fence about whether or not to place it. It’s a weird mix between a remaster and a remake, and I had already played this game before, and I purposely didn’t include second playthroughs in this year’s list. I included it because this playthrough was different. Firstly, the updated version of this game means quality of life stuff, which really helps this game a lot. And second, this is the first time I ever 100% this game. I feel like that alone made this worth putting on the list. I already love this game, but playing it in a new way I never had before (with new visuals and new approach too), it makes me appreciate it more than I already do. We know the story, characters, music, battle system, all that makes this game what it is, but going for 100% gave me more of an affection for this game.

This game makes me remember how important and how necessary top down Zelda games are. Taking elements of the open world Zelda games and putting them in a top down game with Zelda as the playable character really just writes itself. We need more of this kind of overlap with where the Zelda series started, and this was a great first impression. Sure the menu is rough and some echoes are clearly better than others, but this is still such a great game from start to finish. 

This is the first game mentioned that is a game that I’ve been meaning to get to for years. I played this through the Master Collection, and with no reference as to how other versions play and perform, I thought this game was so ahead of its time. It’s so impressive how topics and themes mentioned here are still present and relevant. This is a visionary game, and sure MGS1 and MGS3 are masterful as well, but personally, MGS2 was the one to stand out the most for me. I am still so impressed with this game months after I played it. 

It’s me, playing the sequel to Yakuza Like a Dragon. What else do you want from me? It’s obvious this would be here. Infinite Wealth does the “take the first game and make it even better” trend that most modern games do. Embellish on the characters, the story, the scope of the game, the gameplay, the minigames, the side stories. This game does it all and it does it the best that it can, which is so impressive considering how huge this game is in content. This absolutely goes into this list, but it also goes into the Top 5 Yakuza Games list. 

Who is Emio? This is what we would’ve asked at the start of the year because we were not expecting an entirely new Famicom Detective Club game. Emio: The Smiling Man might be the biggest surprise this year. A first party M rated game straight from Nintendo with the mind behind Metroid definitely was on no one’s bingo cards. What makes this even more unexpected is how GOOD it is. Not only does the story last in the suspense factor, but it’s oddly such a vibe? It’s got a great art style, great cast of characters, and is just a game that will stick for years to come. For my full thoughts on the game, you can click here.

Where to even begin with Alan Wake II. I started the first game for the spooky season, and it really blew me away. It had its sort of jank from that era of games, but it was a great experience. And then Control came afterwards, and continued to blow me away with its Metroidvania-esque exploration and puzzle solving. But when it was time to play Alan Wake II, that was when my socks had been blown off. Alan Wake II takes its storytelling, and branches out through other media like live action and music, it just really brings out its uniqueness and really was a game that was like no other game I’ve played. 

Metaphor is a game that rarely comes to us. It takes the familiar Atlus formula, but takes it in a new and fascinating way. The gameplay is the definition of “familiar but new.” That’s great and all, but the real value is in this game’s narrative. The world and the setting and the situation these characters are in feel real. You feel as if you’re in this alongside them, with the heroes fighting for what they believe in, and the villains fighting for what they believe in just as much. The push and pull of this game is insane, and it really lasts with you. And since it’s an Atlus game, you can guarantee that any aspect about a game will be done to the best it can be. Yes, including the music. 

What hasn’t been said about this game already? Its Video Game: The Video Game. It’s the best platformer in recent years, dare I say of all time. It reminds us why we play video games. It provides so much fun for any sort of gamer out there. It even deserved the GOTY win that it got at the Game Awards this year. I love this game a lot, and I hope there’s more Astro in the future. This little robot, with his iconic levels, retro yet modern music, charming graphics, unique power ups, and everything in between, deserves all the praise it gets. 

HEAR ME OUT. I know this game gets a lot of flack, so why did I give this game the honorable mention placement, essentially over Elden Ring, Tekken, Hellblade, or Control? Well it really is just because this is my “junk food” game. Despite the bland modes, the questionable voice acting, lack of any strategies, or any other problems this game definitely has, I just had to keep coming back to it. It was a guilty pleasure. The art direction is so fun, the music has nothing but bangers, the multiplayer makes it more fun because you can rag on the game together; it’s just a guilty pleasure, and one I’m not ashamed to admit. 

As you can see from the list, this has been the catch up year. Many games I finally played for the first time that have been on my radar for years, Paper Mario: Sticker Star being one of them. This had been the only game in the series I haven’t played, and with The Thousand Year Door coming at the time, I figured, why not! …Yeah this game is as bad as people say. It barely has any sort of gameplay loop, no charm, not a single spec of fun. The whole time you ask yourself: “why am I continuing to play this game?” Unrelated to the game, but I played this in January, and this was the catalyst for how the entire year would pan out. My 3DS screen grew dead pixels while playing this game. The game crashed as it was loading the credits, and I had to refight the awful final boss. It was just a nightmare, and I blame this game for making my year start off on the wrong foot. 

Yeah you saw this one coming. FFVII Rebirth does everything right. Provides a new take on a story everyone knows and loves, keeps the expected unexpected, and gives so much depth to its combat, characters, traversal, and even its side content. It’s so good, that even after the first 100+ hour playthrough, I needed to go back in and tackle hard mode/ the second playthrough. It builds so much off of FFVII Remake, and 100% is my game of the year for 2024.