GOTY 2024: Lyle Pendle
We’ve now finally reached my favourite time of year: the time for my GOTY 2024 list. Not only are we now all full of festive food and joy, but it’s time to talk about the best video games of 2024. GIAGGOTY season is coming to a close, and it’s time to celebrate all those gaming moments that made this year special.
2024 has been a pretty huge year for me personally, with all sorts of highs and lows. I got married, changed my name, and developed an exciting new allergy to birds. Throughout all these mammoth life events, there was a constant flow of exceptional video games to keep me busy too, and as is the new normal it was practically impossible to keep up with all the new releases. Across thousands of hours though the following games stole my heart above all else, so let’s stop the waffling and get to the good stuff shall we?
Honourable mentions
Minishoot’ Adventures: Slightly baffling apostrophe aside, Minishoot’ Adventures was a game that got the year off to a cracking start with a twinstick Metroidvania experience that was hard to put down.
Unicorn Overlord: Back with another gorgeous game, the latest game from Vanillaware was a tactical masterpiece that was wildly different to any other strategy game I’ve ever played.
Still Wakes the Deep: This sensational horror game snuck onto my list fairly late in the year, but its eerie atmosphere, horrific monsters and gorgeous environments made it a game I won’t forget in a hurry.
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus: I was hugely looking forward to this striking Metroidvania this time last year, and it didn’t disappoint thanks to its fluid movement and ridiculously tough boss fights.
Promenade: I didn’t really know what to expect when I was sent this game to review, but I couldn’t have been happier with the 2D collectathon platformer that I ended up adoring.
10. Thank Goodness You’re Here
A game that I called the funniest game ever made in my review, and I stand by this. Doing silly errands in this ridiculous fictional northern town was an experience I enjoyed so much I played it twice, and with impeccable voice acting and instantly recognisable British accents (including everyone’s favourite Matt Berry) Thank Goodness You’re Here made me laugh out loud more than any other game I can think of.
GOTY 2024: 9. One BTN Bosses
I fell in love with this game from the first time I played a single browser based stage of it in a preview session. By pressing only one button that you can use to dodge, One BTN Bosses features epic multistage boss fights and screen loads of bullets that will really get the adrenaline pumping. With a campaign, leaderboards and a Roguelike mode you could play this game for hundreds of hours, and I am living proof of this.
8. ANTONBLAST
The most recent game to break into my top ten, ANTONBLAST is a destructive Wario Land style platformer with attitude. Taking the time to master the movement abilities of Anton was one of the most rewarding gaming experiences I had in 2024, and coupled with the immensely creative stages and ridiculously intense boss fights that made up the game it truly was an explosively good time.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
After multiple years of assuming the Zelda games were no longer for me thanks to the open worlds that everyone else loved, I was content in replaying the classics and finding comfort in other series. Then Echoes of Wisdom came along and reminded me why I loved Zelda. The dungeons were properly back, and were those more structured experiences that hooked me all those years ago. Alongside this was the ability to create copies of all manner of enemies and objects, leading to inspired combat where creativity was rewarded. It’s a little rough around the edges in some ways, but for making the little kid inside me squeal with glee it absolutely belongs on my list.
6. Animal Well
In a year full of exciting and engaging Metroidvanias, none were more unique than Animal Well. Featuring no combat, completely wild ways to get around the world and a subterranean aesthetic, Animal Well captivated me from start to finish. That’s without even mentioning the plethora of secrets hidden after the credits in weird and wonderful ways that have to be experienced to be believed. Packed full of puzzles and peril, there’s much more to Animal Well than meets the eye. And I couldn’t get enough of it.
GOTY 2024: 5. Cryptmaster
What do you get when you combine dungeon crawling, word puzzles and a gleefully silly narrator? You get the first game in the top half of my list – Cryptmaster. Nothing could have prepared me for this bizarre blend of RPG, crossword puzzle and player involved improv, but it gave me a whole lot of joy when I finally covered its console port. A hidden gem just waiting to be discovered, Cryptmaster demands to be played for its creativity alone.
4. Metaphor: ReFantazio
Going into this brand new Atlus JRPG it was hard to imagine it being quite as good as the Persona games, and in many ways it actually surpasses them. Games as long as this epic adventure rarely feel as fast paced as Metaphor, but this globe-trotting tale never lets up. The battle system is just sensational too, with the change from the demon fusion of Persona to specific classes with all sorts of customisation making the game that much more engaging. The eventual Persona 6 will have a lot to live up to when it finally arrives, because Metaphor: ReFantazio is the total package.
GOTY 2024: 3. UFO 50
I’ve been excited for UFO 50 for so long, and in 2024 it finally arrived. Featuring fifty “retro” games spanning every genre imaginable, UFO 50 exceeded my expectations massively. Whether I was playing an open world golf RPG, a submarine Metroidvania or an RTS about ants, the one constant in UFO 50 was that I was having a great time. Most developers would be happy to have a single one of the clever ideas featured among this fictional catalogue of eighties games, but Mossmouth and company decided to pack all these imaginative ideas into one mammoth throwback to the good old days instead. It’s baffling that UFO 50 exists, but I’m bloody glad it does.
GOTY 2024: 2. Balatro
Although just missing out on the top spot on my GOTY 2024 list, Balatro is easily the release I’ve played the most this year. By blending poker, deck building and a whole lot of randomness, LocalThunk created one of the most accessible Roguelikes ever and has become a global phenomenon in doing so. The fact that thousands and thousands of people that don’t regularly play video games have this year become obsessed by a deck building Roguelike is a testament to the master craftsmanship of Balatro, and with so many layers of strategy to dive into I never want to stop playing it. It’s a game that’s hard to recommend because it might just take over your life and leave you destitute as you’ll be unable to stop playing it, but you’ll at least be having a great time doing so.
1. Astro Bot
The sheer joy of Astro Bot ensured that it was always going to be my personal Game of the Year. I’ve always been a huge fan of 3D platformers, but no other game in the genre has made me as happy as Astro Bot. Every single level of this glorious game features something new and exciting to discover, from climbing around a pirate wonderland with monkey arms, to using time powers to explore a casino. Even just the little things in Astro Bot made me grin like an idiot, like uncovering a hidden room full of diamonds and spinning around to spray them everywhere as the DualSense tinkles and rumbles. Even more impressive than all this though are the collectibles in Astro Bot, which take the form of fellow Bots dressed up as all your favourite video game characters. Astro Bot made me a happier person every time I jumped into its charming world, and making it my GOTY 2024 was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made.
