2024 is almost at a close, which is exactly how every "Game of the Year" article starts. But this is not just any end of the year list. This is my end of the year list, which means it's inherently better. As we all know, my opinions are fundamentally correct and completely undeniable.
According to my Backloggd page, I have played 65 games this year, and completed 29 of those. I played 13 games released in 2024, and only completed 3 of those. This list is likely incomplete, as there are a number of games I'm sure I failed to log entirely. But it's the best we've got.
The good thing about writing my own list is that I get to ignore all sensible categorization techniques and do whatever the hell I want to. So without further ado, here are Some Awards I'm Giving To Games I Played This Year, Regardless of the Year They Were Released.
The "Fell Out Of Another Dimension" Award:
Balan Wonderworld
I cannot tell you how confusing this game is to me specifically because I've played so many 3D platformers. I'll quote my Backloggd review:
This game is the opposite of Yooka Laylee. YL weaponized nostalgia to move copies of a mediocre game. Balan Wonderworld weaponizes nostalgia like a tactical nuke. Every design hallmark that has been established by over 30 years of platforming was completely ignored in the design of this game in favor of something opposing, or usually just orthogonal. Every instinct I've developed for these kind of games was wrong in a jarring and surreal way. It feels like a dream that's verging on nightmare but never quite getting there.
Much like Hyper Demon, it feels like this game was cooked in an alternate dimension where none of the rules apply, then just dropped back into our world like nothing happened. Except instead of a perfectly designed gem of a game, it's a mishmash of gonzo game design, bizarre visuals, frankly unsettling cut scenes, the least interesting virtual pets of all time, and also one very terrible minigame. It is baffling, strange, annoying, delightful, and totally unique.
The best example of how alien this game feels is probably the second level of chapter 1. Here's a timestamped video that I encourage you to peek at for at least a few seconds:
(Sorry for the raw link, the embed didn't keep the timestamp for some reason)
See how the ground sorta curves up and away the farther it is from the player character? That's an effect that shows up exactly twice in the whole game, and has no impact on the gameplay whatsoever. It feels like the director (Yuji Naka of Going To Jail For Tax Fraud fame) discovered a shader that could do this, told someone to put it in the game, and then nobody ever thought about it again. It's nauseating and pointless, and it doesn't even thematically serve the level!! It's incredible!!!
I streamed this to friends in a Discord and it was a huge hit. I really think this game is special, even if it's not traditionally "good." I wouldn't trade this big budget weirdo disaster of a game for anything.
The "Am I Supposed to Be Here?" Award:
Pseudoregalia
Pseudoregalia is a 3D precision platformer + exploration game set in a low poly, near-deserted dream world. It seems to take inspiration from games like Mario 64, Celeste, and 3D platformers in general. It's got a gorgeous aesthetic, dreamy music, a lonely atmosphere, and possibly the best controls of any game in this genre.
It's not a hot take that this is maybe the only proper followup to Mario 64. That said, I think that's not a complete view and is giving Pseudoregalia short shrift. It's not a one-to-one recreation of the formula or some sort of improved version with more features. Instead, it takes what it wants to from that game, adds its own flavor, and makes more than a few interesting decisions that complicate the relatively simple and well-understood platforming of Mario 64.
Specifically, this game has such a diverse and powerful moveset that the real game is discovering the myriad ways in which you can break the regular sequence of events. I was regularly unsure whether or not I had just done something "unintended", and it really made me question what "intended" even means in this scenario.
Honestly, this complicates my understanding of 3D platformers as a genre, and specifically Nintendo's output here. We live in a world where Nintendo has tightened up their designs so much that breaking outside of the intended path is often punished or patched away entirely.
Pseudoregalia offers a different view, where player expression through motion is of paramount importance, and "intended" paths through levels are much less clear. It thrives on mystery, and is anything but the highly curated diorama-garden that Nintendo favors.
Upon replaying Soul Reaver, I also think that game was potentially a huge influence. It too has weird, mostly abandoned low poly dreamscapes with platforming that often feels bizarrely unintended. Its no-map exploration is also echoed in Pseudoregalia, although they did add a map in a later patch. So there's an interesting connection as well.
If you ever feel like getting lost, Pseudoregalia is the champion of that feeling.
The "Everyone's Laughing but I Genuinely Think This is the Best Game Released in 2024" Award:
20 Small Mazes
Look. I finished this game in 45 minutes. But it's the best continuous 45 minutes I've had with any video game I played that was released this year. I am going to buy literally anything this guy makes for the rest of his career, it's that good.
This game has 20 small mazes in it. Each of them is unique and has a twist, and there's some cute interaction between a couple of them. Once it's over, it's over. There's no post-game, no secret mazes, no unlockables, no extra achievements. It's just done.
Also, it's free.
Of all the games on this list, this is the one that I recommend you play the most. It's free!!! It takes 45 minutes!!! Go play it right now!!!!!
The "Not the UFO Game You're Thinking Of" Award:
UFO: Unidentified Falling Objects
Look at this frickin game:
It's so cute, right? I initially bought it because my favorite video game composer, Landon Podbielski, composed the music for this game. I guess it's a followup to Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe but I never played that so that's the last I'm going to talk about it!
Instead my frame of reference for "little guy in a falling block puzzle" was Wario's Woods, and this game could not be more different. Where Wario's Woods is focused on making sure the screen doesn't fill up, this game is focused on making sure your little guy doesn't die. And hoo boy is he fragile!! Falling blocks, enemies, spikes, and projectiles are all at play here, and our little friend can only take two hits before he eats shit forever.
And keeping him alive is super important, because this is a game about building massive combos. Particularly, you get the most points for clearing lots of the same color of blocks at once, a feat that's way easier said than done. It takes a while to build up that many blocks, and all the while the game is trying to kill your friend and mine, The Little Guy.
What surprised me about this game is how robust the single player is. It features multiple worlds, each with different quirks and enemies. Each world has its own goals, and those rewards will help unlock new worlds and equipment.
And yes, this game has loadouts, a thing I didn't know I needed. For example, your default guy can kick nearby blocks, shoot them with a gun to break them, and has a floaty jump. My favorite loadout lets him pick up blocks and throw them instead of kicking them, has a gun that instantly clears blocks but is very slow, and has a high jump with a ground pound. You can even customize which powerups you get in the level, including saying "I just want this one over and over".
It's a robust little game, and a perfect Steam Deck permanent install. It's not exploding my brain or anything but I've really, really enjoyed my time with it.
The "Did You Know Rampage Could Actually be a Fun Game?" Award:
Terror of Hemasaurus
I hate to break it to you but Rampage is an incredibly boring game. Imagine making a game where you play as King Kong, tearing down buildings and eating people, and it's boring as hell. That's Rampage.
Terror of Hemasaurus is a good game, despite being inspired by a boring one. There are a few key things it does that make it into a very good and fun time:
First of all, buildings are physics objects, and it's always a joy to watch them collapse. You can tear down their first story and watch them crumble, throw cars into the side of them, cause buildings to fall into each other and collapse together, etc. etc. This never got old for me - I just want to watch the world burn, I guess!
Second, it has gimmicks. The campaign levels are often radically different and have things like trampolines, buildings you have to keep safe, super weapons, playing as a UFO, and more. The base formula would not even sustain a short campaign without mixing it up at least a little, and this game understands that.
Third, it's actually funny. Like, not laugh-to-death but it has lots of weird quirky dialogue and strange characters, including scammer cults, aliens, insane politicians, and more. It's a weirdly honest game too, and you can really feel the dev's frustration with the state of the world. The Hemasaurus lives as a result of global warming, and there's no happy ending or magical solution to the problem in sight. It's a bit of gallows humor.
Is this game life-changing? No. Did I enjoy every minute of it? Almost - the endless mode is boring. But the campaign was an absolute joy from beginning to end. I have wanted a game like this since I played a Rampage ROM in Nesticle 20+ years ago, and it feels kind of like a dream that I finally got it.
The "I'm Sorry For Your Eyeballs" Award:
Catacombs of Solaris Revisited
This game is impossible to capture in a screenshot. The idea is that it messes with your ideas of perspective and motion. It does this by...well, it's hard to explain, so just watch this video instead:
If that doesn't immediately sell you on this, I don't know what will. It's more of a toy than anything, as there aren't any objectives (thank god) but there are endless possibilities in terms of output. I really like this kind of machine-aided creativity, and I took more than a few screenshots of things I think look great:
There are lots of weird optional filters, and it's not obvious at first what many of them do. Generally, they warp the pixels as you're moving into different arrangements or slowly drift the colors into different hues. Some are trippier/more nauseating than others, and you can combine all ten of them in any way you wish to make some really wacky stuff. I love how much it encourages exploration and experimentation.
Honestly, I just think this thing is amazing and I had a great few hours messing with it. I bought it at full price on the Catacombs of Solaris itch.io page but you can also get it on Steam if that's more your speed, and it goes on sale sometimes too. This is just a sales pitch at this point, but if you have the stomach for it I think this game is worth it.
That's it???
Yep, that's it. That's all I could think of when looking at the games I'd played this year. I liked a lot of them, even loved some that I didn't list here! But in terms of things that were remarkable, weird, or surprising...that's what I've got. I also avoided talking about games you probably already know about because That's Boring.
Anyway, thanks for another year of hanging out! I didn't post at all this year, except this! So now I can say I posted in 2024!!!
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