It has been quite a year for gaming, but frankly quite a year for the Lunch Break Blog team as well. Whether we were working on securing a new house, starting new positions at work, or working feverishly towards a PHD, we got a lot done this year. That is except playing as many video games as we typically manage in a year.
Are we apologizing for our list before we even get started? Maybe? Who am I kidding, yes. There were so many hits that we didn’t get around to tackling this year. So to avoid ire of the reader, we’re just going to put that collection of games we didn’t get around to playing but still very much want to before we get into our actual list.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Tekken 8, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, Black Myth Wukong, UFO 50, Crow Country, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, 1000xResist, Lorelei and the Laser Eye, Probably About 20 More We’re Forgetting Damn What A Year For Gaming?!
Needless to say, our Christmas lists are filled with Play Station gift cards, and Steam wish list requests, but even despite not tackling an impressive chunk of what we at least have heard to be the “best games of 2024”, we did manage to collectively tackle ten games we really thought did actually deserve a place on our top ten games of the year list!
So even if it might be updated in the months to come, let’s get into the top ten games that Lunch Break Games Blog team actually played from 2024!
10. Tales of Kenzera: Zau : Electronic Arts
While unfortunately Zau got plenty of bad press from simply being a game set in the realms of Bantu mythology and culture, those who actually played through it got one of the most powerful stories concerning grief ever committed to code. And its titular character’s journey alongside god of death Kalunga is brought to life specifically from the game’s absolutely phenomenal voice cast.
Zau’s dual mask system and combat encounters are also pretty great, with snappy movement, aggressive and altering enemy types that require differing types of attack. And while we could’ve used quite a few more, the boss battles (Gagorib was probably our favorite) and escape sequences are really exciting, even if they don’t quite measure up to other Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight or Ori.
Our biggest complaint is just that some of the backtracking got a bit old, and for as fun as the combat can be, the enemy variety could’ve been a little deeper. But regardless it’s exciting in those combat moments, and easy to get through because of its moving story.
9. Another Crab’s Treasure: Agro Crab
Blending Soulslike action with an acerbic wit, Another Crab’s Treasure is an incredibly tough adventure filled with plenty of sass and hilariously depressing environments.
Krill, the crab in question, has plenty of options and special moves depending on what he’s wearing as a shell, which makes for some fun customization on how you’ll tackle the tough as nails combat. The movement speed and dodge rolls feel a bit more akin to the Sekiro end of the speed spectrum, which sometimes gets the game really chugging along and dropping some frame rates. Combat still feels really satisfying in the boss battles, but the frame rate problems do become more of an issue when navigating and battling more run of the mill (and oft painfully challenging) common enemies.
Luckily the game’s environments and world building really make this such a memorable experience. Whether its using microplastics as literal currency, or failed kingdoms and cities helpless to actually stop the true onslaught of man-made environmental disaster, its dark and goofy comedic moments really help the game to pop.
8. Peglin 1.0 Release: BlitWorks Games
While it might feel a bit cheap to put a game that was initially released for PC in 2022 on this list, Peglin’s full version now on the Switch was easily one of the two most addictive games to come out on a console this year.
Building a Plinko style rogue-like, Peglin offers all sorts of variety on upgradable bouncy balls. You’ll fire these balls and score damage points and multiplyers anytime your projectile hits any of the pinball bouncers, which then works towards damaging the enemies overhead. It’s satisfying in the way knocking over a careful crafted lineup of dominoes is, though often much less predictable.
Some of the more custom balls will do lightning or aerial damage. Other times a ball might heal your little goblin hero, or trigger some of the explosives on the battlefield. Needless to say there’s a lot of variety on how to approach a map, with plenty of that slot machine luck on how your balls will bounce or load in. And best yet, that luck will also spill into the paths you get, with everything from individual stops, to end of area boss fights being random each time.
Peglin’s only real issue is that it does not always do the best job at teaching a player exactly what everything on the board will do, and we found ourselves having to look up specifics from time to time. But that also made discovering combos or preferred items all the more exciting when we stumbled into a game winning set.
7. Elden Ring: Shadows of the Erdtree DLC : From Software
The irony of having this on our list is that only one of our staff actually got around to playing the actual DLC, with the rest of us just falling back into our most recent play throughs of Elden Ring. But that one staff member can attest that it’s rare to receive DLC of this size and scope, making it in some ways feel more like a fully fledged sequel.
Regardless, those of us who are still working to get to the actual DLC admitted that hearing Bayle the Dread shouting in battle in a review, or seeing Radahn in his full glory on a YouTube clip has us all racing to actually experience these moments for ourselves. Even if that means having to find an oddly large amount of collectibles, and totally restructure our characters to get there.
Despite yet another astronomical difficulty curve, Ben has assured us, it’s well worth the effort. And we believe.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: Nintendo
Echoes of Wisdom is one of the most daring moves 2D Zelda has ever taken. Even if some of the game’s echoes or controls don’t always feel the most polished (or simply break a lot of paths in the game), it is just endlessly fun to explore this world via whatever item or creature that’s available at the end of your staff.
Things like avoiding a tunnel and simply climbing a mountain by making a bunch of blocks of water, or solving a dungeon gap simply by creating a floating slab, gives players that extra layer ingenuity. Where once a dungeon item was needed, it’s now up to the player’s imagination on how each barrier should be hurdled.
Also we’ve gotten to paragraph three without even mentioning how delightful it is not only to play as Zelda, but to have such a cute and cannon story where she’s in the limelight. Sure some of the observations from the game’s companion Tri are a bit cheesy and obvious. And things like the Zora kingdoms becoming friends again, or the new Goron leader learning self confidence were frankly about five scenes more than they needed to be. But even so, Echoes of Wisdom is a colorful and cute delight that really taps into a players ability to think outside of the box.
5. Ys X: Nordics: Nihon Falcom
4. Helldivers 2: Arrowhead Game Studios
While trying to figure out my first sentence here, all that played through my head was the orchestral hits of “BUM BUM BUM BUM” that blast the moment your hell pod launches into a mission. I think that’s the highest praise I can give Helldivers 2
Whether it’s the biggest explosions you’ve seen in a game, fire tornadoes and other absolutely whacky over the top weather changes in the environments of its planets, or just the hilarious shouts about democracy while you’re mowing down enemies and teammates alike, Helldivers 2 punches players in the face with a sense of pure obnoxious awesomeness. And this over the top nature is as obviously intentional as its clear inspirations from satirical anti-fascist films like Starship Troopers.
As of now we’ve even gotten to play the most recent update where the Illuminate have arrived and are taking over colonies, zombifying former citizens and using them as battle fodder against the hell divers themselves. And not only does this game continue to grow mechanically, adding in vehicles, city scapes, and more. There’s still that rich overt text of making fun of your divers for being pawns of fascism. This game is rad as hell.
3. Astro Bot: Team Asobi
We get it, it’s a big ole ad for Playstation. That doesn’t take away from how hard Team Asobi worked to make Astro Bot a delight to any of the palpable senses when it comes to playing a good old 3D platformer.
Pulling all the good stuff from Mario Galaxy, Ratchet and Clank, and plenty of other 3D run and jumps through the years, there’s no gristle on this game. One moment you’ll be platforming with a series of skates, jumps, hovers, and dodges in the most intense gamuts of the game. Other times you’ll find yourself spinning gleefully around in waterfall of jewels, just because you can. Whether it’s at its calmest or toughest moments (or anywhere in between), Astro Bot never stops oozing joy and excitement.
And while there’s something to be said about players frustrations with how corporate the core “story” is, that didn’t stop us from gleefully giggling on levels like the Loco Roco slide, or the icy God of War axe throwing exercise. They even make riding play station controllers in the game’s final Star Fox adjacent shooter feel original and delightful. Criticize the industry all you want, but Team Asobi has payed jubilant homage to so many games and reminded us that games can just be pure unadulterated fun.
2. Animal Well: Billy Basso
There’s a bit of irony going from the bombast and recognition of so much of our number 3 choice, into our second favorite game of the year. Animal Well is one of the most cryptic games ever delivered, but it simultaneously pokes and prods players with unique oddities that lead to constant new discoveries. Many of its environmental clues are even just hidden in plain site and really just require the player to study the screen, and later the map.
Its eerie soundscape, beautiful watery pixel design, and use of light patterns in cave like pastels and muted neons equally immerses players, with each screen more captivating than the next. It’s easily the best looking game of 2024, which is good because players will have to really study each new landscape to beat even just the core game.
But as beautiful as the game is, its horror elements really cement it as possibly the most memorable title this year. Whether you’re dodging a charging ostrich, escaping a ghostly wolf in pursuit, or weaving around blasts from an eldritch cat with laser eyes, Animal Well isn’t letting you soak in those environments without some anxiety inducing sequences ready to take you out.
But amidst the dread, there’s a playful sense of whimsy in it’s dark passages too. You’ll find delightful secrets, small animal friends where you’d least expect them, and don’t even get us started about unexpected items like frisbees and slinkies.
Spooky, mysterious, intriguing, and expertly designed mechanically, Animal Well is a delight and horror all in one.
1. Balatro: LocalThunk
It’s not all that often the most addictive game of the year is also the best game of the year, but Balatro is the greatest deck builder since Slay the Spire. Hell it might be even better.
Runs are quick and easy to get into, with a vast set of options on how to build your deck. The game’s sense of risk and reward fluctuates wildly, back and forth, but it somehow still feels balanced with the wild diversity of joker options, as well as the harsh blinds to punish easy mode building. Also the constant rewards of new jokers, decks, and other secrets makes coming back run after run exciting and fresh. And despite all the game throws at you, picking up new cards is quick and easy to learn, even if fully mastering how to combine your deck takes a number of runs.
Toss in the game’s absolutely vibin’ sound track, and just perfect lava lamp color scheme, and you’ll find yourself losing hours at a time to this game. But rather than fully zoning out, players will find a sense of thought provoking zen that is much more memorable than some average addictive game fodder. Balatro‘s balance is so good, it doesn’t just transcend the stereotypes. It transcends to the best game of 2024.
Well that’s our list, with likely a number of corrections on the way in about 6 months once we’ve got the funds and time to hit the games we missed. Any you think we should play first? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
We also almost had Mario Party Jamboree on here, so we’ll shout that out as a great honorable mention we’re looking forward to tackling with friends and family this season.
Thanks as always for being a part of the LBG community and we can’t wait to see what 2025 brings!
