Matthew Gallant, game director

1000xResist is the most impressive narrative game I’ve played this year. It uses a unique science fiction setting (with giant alien visitors and an oppressive underground cloning society) to tell a heartfelt family story about generational inheritance and diaspora. It also reflects the feelings of isolation and alienation we have all experienced during the global pandemic. The creators of Sunset Visitor have a background in theater and visual arts, which is reflected in their bold artistic direction, beautiful music, and excellent dialogue.

Anthology of the Murderer, Thecatamites

Josh Reyes, tester/Development support

I love narrative games and atmospheric games, especially when they are character driven and experimental in nature. Imagine how excited I am to play the surreal comedy horror game Anthology of the Killer! With a charmingly low-fi art style that looks like it was made with an old ’90s painting program and a dialogue style that’s strange and funny but also grounded and human, it feels like a hidden gem Discover gem in the form of a zine found in a box in the back of an old record store. I know a game is special when I don’t want to leave the world or characters behind and think about them long after I’ve finished playing.

Astro Bot, Team Asobi

Matteo Potenza, system administrator

This one is easy. Astro Bot is a relentlessly cheerful and entertaining game that was the first PlayStation game that our ten-year-old son really got into. It reminds me of some of the more whimsical, colorful and playful entries I grew up with in the PS1 days. It’s a flawless platformer that lit up our living room for weeks. Even when I wasn’t playing, I would often stop to admire what was on the screen and of course enjoy the music that was blaring through my house. Admittedly, our son played it a lot more than I did, but the passing of the torch itself was emotionally significant. It gave me great joy to see him play Astro Bot like I did when I was his age in the 90s! I can’t help but applaud Team Asobi for this great achievement, which not only shines on its own but also serves as a sort of celebration of PlayStation’s 30th anniversary and its rich and vibrant history!

Balatro, LocalThunk

Derrick Pemberton, game designer

Send help! Jimbo the Joker has been holding me captive since Balatro was released at the end of February. However, this isn’t necessarily a complaint as Balatro is easily my favorite game this year. Deceptively simple on the surface, Balatro contains countless strategies and discoveries. With each playthrough of this poker-inspired roguelike deck, new jokers, booster packs, card upgrades, and combinations of all of the above are revealed.

In my opinion, the essence of Balatro lies in this moment: I have a final hand of a brutal boss blind. I might succeed, but I’m not entirely confident. I play the hand. Suddenly time slows as I am hypnotized by dancing cards and calm music in the dreamy void of uncertainty. Will I make it big? The chips and multipliers continue to increase as the flames grow larger and brighter by their values. “So close, but not this time,” Jimbo laughs. “Well… just one more run wouldn’t hurt. “

Corekeeper, Pugstorm

Victoria Law, technical artist

Core Keeper is my favorite game of 2024. Gameplay focuses on exploring procedurally generated worlds and different fighting styles using skill trees and equipment types. The multiplayer aspect is fun and offers a great opportunity to share entertaining gaming moments with friends. Customization is also very deep for a game of this size, and the visual design, sandbox structure, and character classification give the player a tremendous sense of agency in their gaming experience. With all of these core elements – along with constant updates from the development team – I look forward to many more future playthroughs.

Cryptkeeper, Kyle Thompson

Brian Sanders, Digital Assets and Accounts Specialist

A cozy but challenging metroidvania in which you play as a cat forced to be the caretaker in the afterlife – this premise, combined with charming art and music, makes for a very entertaining experience. The cute charm of Crypt Custodian offers a sophisticated challenge with traversal puzzles and unique bosses. The game balances the difficulty without feeling punishing (aside from the whole janitor forever thing). The map is now huge and offers a wide variety of biomes. It’s worth coming back to as you improve your skills and traversal. It was a joy to see the afterlife grow around me as I made more friends, and uncovering memories and lore rounded out the experience beautifully. The developers placed a lot of emphasis on the gaming experience, adding some nice accessibility features and a speed runner mode that allows players to customize their gaming experience (I increased the puzzle timer support). I would highly recommend Crypt Custodian to anyone who wants to spend time cleaning up.

Dragon Age: Veilguard, BioWare

Mariah Clawson-Simons, producer

I waited TEN YEARS to get my revenge on the Dire Wolf and I loved every minute of it! Dragon Age has always been a franchise that I have admired for its courage and Elven God-level storytelling, which has inspired me in a way that no other game has. BioWare really knows how to make us feel like heroes and I’m so happy to add this to my shelf this year!! <3

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Square Enix

Jared Miller, programmer

A beautiful game, an incredible soundtrack and more than 15 mini-games in a package that not only managed to reproduce a game, but took it to a higher level that was difficult to live up to in modern times. Not content with doing “just enough,” the developers rose to every challenge on a scale and scope that I never expected from the remakes.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, MachineGames

Scott Mattes, tester/Development support

MachineGames’ releases may be few and far between, but they never disappoint. From the diegetic main menu screen to the shot-for-shot intro of Raiders of the Lost Ark to awarding adventure points for photographing stray cats… This game is full of surprises and I haven’t been able to put it down since its release.

Lorelei and the laser eyes, Simogo

Thomas Barrett, senior dialogue coordinator

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes One of my favorite puzzle games I’ve ever played! An absolutely ideal game for an atmospheric puzzle atmosphere until late at night. Everything about this game, from the art to the puzzle design to the soundscape, is simply beautifully executed. I’ve never really interacted with a game like this before. I took my time exploring the game world, and when I encountered a puzzle, I would put down my controller and start scribbling notes, which to an outsider would seem like I had lost track. I absolutely love this game, it’s my new Outer Wilds (aka the game I’ll keep recommending to people).

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Ubisoft

Yang Liu, Cinematic lighting artist

The latest Prince of Persia strikes a wonderful balance between stylish, anime-inspired combat and beautifully designed vertical levels. And one of my favorite elements is how stunning the lighting and visuals are. The clever use of negative space gives the world an incredible sense of depth and extends the visual impact beyond the gameplay without ever being distracting. I love the customizable difficulty levels; It’s great to tweak things when a boss fight feels overwhelming, but the tricky level design keeps the game worthwhile. There’s a real joy in failing a difficult jump over and over again, knowing that the designers probably had fun imagining my struggle. It brought back so many childhood memories of playing classic platform games and enjoying every moment. This game is a wonderful mix of nostalgia and fresh ideas, making it one of my favorite gaming experiences this year.

Satisfactory, Coffee Stain Studios

Rica Feng, Technical UI Designer

My favorite game released this year is Satisfactory! I found the core cycle of researching, creating, automating and delivering articles incredibly exciting. What impressed me most, however, was how committed Satisfactory is to immersing the player in its world. Almost every mechanic and feature in this game is contextualized within the environment. Instead of giving tutorials through non-diegetic notifications, tutorials and occasional “encouragements” are read to you by a sarcastic AI companion. The exploration of new technologies is presented in a much more interesting way, involving the search for hard drives and alien artifacts. Instead of playing as a nondescript avatar, you are instead a FICSIT employee who has supposedly been given an extremely important mission that could have repercussions for all of humanity (or so you’ve been told). I also really like the user interface, it is both functional and easy to use. There are lots of little aesthetic things to appreciate, like the switches you press or flip to perform certain actions, or the locked panels on some buildings that open when you research the right technology. Since Satisfactory also features multiplayer, different world starts, alternate recipes, and seasonal events, playing the game again offers just as much excitement as when you started. About 250 hours ago, to be exact.

Until then, Polychroma Games

J DietrichAccessibility/Development Support Quality Assurance Tester

A beautiful story about the different types of grief and how it affects us and those around us, set in a fictionalized version of the Philippines. “Until Then” features stunning graphics with well-executed pixel art that will draw you in and won’t let you go. The story hits right where it belongs, in the head and heart, and made me cry many times. A slow buildup in the lives of people inextricably linked by tragedy and hope.