As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time to take stock. 2024 was like a diesel engine: it started off slowly, but once it hit top speed, it was unstoppable.
The final quarter of the year, in particular, was of an insanely high quality. In my 25+ years of gaming, I’ve never seen a month as incredible as October. With Metaphor: ReFantazio, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, it felt like there was a new hit release almost every day.
In this overview, I’ll highlight my personal favorites of the year, my favorite gaming moment, and much more. However, some games are notably absent. I’m still making my way through Final Fantasy VII Remake so I didn’t get to Rebirth, I haven’t mustered the courage to tackle Silent Hill 2 yet, and I skipped Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. As much as I’d love to play them all, my time and budget are limited. Unfortunately, these games won’t be competing for any (non-existent) awards. Hopefully, they won’t lose any sleep over it.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s kick off with my 4 favorite games of 2024, starting with the number 4.
The Best 4 Games I Played this Year
4. Stellar Blade

Honestly, it’s a wonder that Stellar Blade made my top four. My all-time favorite games usually rely on a strong story with engaging characters. Stellar Blade’s story and characters are, to be frank, quite weak.
The plot is generic, and the characters never captivated me. Adam, in particular, often felt more like an obstacle (sometimes literally) than someone I could appreciate.
But the gameplay itself delivers undeniable fun. Developer SHIFT UP Corporation offers fantastic combat. Parrying and dodging attacks feel consistently satisfying and never get old. The cutscenes and soundtrack are spectacular, and the difficulty level hit the perfect balance for me. It’s tricky to nail the right level of challenge. Too easy or too hard can both be major turn-offs, and the sweet spot is different for every player. For me, Stellar Blade hit that sweet spot perfectly. Most boss fights took multiple tries, but they never felt frustrating, and it always felt satisfying bringing down the amazingly designed enemies.
In my review of the game, I asked the question ‘Does the Game Offer More Than Just an Attractive Protagonist?’. The answer was a resounding yes.
3. Metaphor: ReFantazio

The top three are very close. Metaphor: ReFantazio is not only one of the best games I played this year; it’s one of the best I played in recent years. In many other years, Atlus’s game could have easily taken the crown, but the competition was brutal in 2024.
The tried-and-true formula of alternating between combat phases and free time, similar to the Persona games, again works brilliantly here.
Challenging combat, a fantastic cast of characters, and an outstanding soundtrack combine into a winning recipe that gave me around 150(!) hours of enjoyment.
Unfortunately, I did have some issues with the balancing, particularly in the opening and closing sections of the game. You can read more about that in my review.
2. Dragon Age: The Veilguard

In a turn of events, BioWare’s creation takes second place, rather than the first. This highly anticipated entry in one of my favorite franchises delivered almost everything I hoped for. The combat was solid, the characters were charming, and the game gave me chills multiple times.
Dragon Age: the Veilguard still has the power to make me leap off the couch in excitement during epic sequences. I’ll definitely return for a second playthrough.
That said, I can’t claim the game was flawless. Despite enjoying it immensely, there were some downsides. In my review, I noted that the combat grew repetitive, especially due to enemies being damage sponges.
Some quests also felt like chores. These aren’t major complaints, but in the end they were enough to make Astro Bot edge ahead in terms of pure enjoyment.
1. Astro Bot

For those who follow me on social media, this might come as a surprise. I spent a long time declaring that Dragon Age: The Veilguard was my Game of the Year. But sometimes, when you reflect on your experiences over time, your perspective changes.
For me, it came down to this: no game in 2024 brought me more sheer joy than Astro Bot. And ultimately, it’s all about fun. Considering I’m not usually a fan of platformers, this speaks even more to the brilliance of Team Asobi’s masterpiece.
As much as I enjoyed other games, there were always a few weaker moments or a little drop in pacing. But with Astro Bot, I was entertained from start to finish. I constantly had a smile on my face and felt like a kid again. When writing my review, I could hardly find a single flaw. So, I can’t help but say Astro Bot deserves the top title this year.
The Most Pleasant Surprise of the Year
Star Wars Outlaws

I still vividly remember seeing a trailer just before the release of Star Wars Outlaws, where a particular explosion reminded me of the PlayStation 2 era. Like many others, I had my judgment ready and was immediately skeptical. But if you’re a blogger, you commit to the role, and I felt it was my duty to try the game and write a review about it.
This is exactly one of the reasons I’m glad I started this blog. Otherwise, I probably would have never tried Star Wars Outlaws and remained stuck with my hasty first impression. Ubisoft’s creation deserves better than that, and in the end, I had a thoroughly enjoyable adventure with it.
Even before the main quest properly kicked off, I had already spent twenty hours exploring the beautiful and engaging open world. There’s plenty to do and discover (read: Sabacc). Of course, the game is far from perfect—the stealth mechanics could occasionally be frustrating and feel unfair—but these are minor flaws in an otherwise solid game.
Even as someone who isn’t a Star Wars fan, I had a great time playing, and I believe the game has received far more hate than it deserves.
For more thoughts on Star Wars Outlaws, I kindly guide you to my review over here. I also had some fun writing about the hate Ubisoft receives. This is one of the articles I enjoyed writing the most this year: Ubisoft is the Punching Bag of the Class.
The Best Combat
Stellar Blade

As I mentioned in my top 4 games above: the combat in Stellar Blade was incredible, and this choice was a no-brainer for me. In my opinion, it’s easily number one. I can still hear that satisfying parry sound in my head. Each boss battle was a thrill. The visual and audio design were excellent throughout the entire game, but they especially shined during combat.
Black Myth: Wukong and Hellblade 2 also crossed my mind. The former is comparable because it also features challenging and fast-paced combat. The difficulty level is higher than that of Stellar Blade though, and without a parry option, in Black Myth you mainly rely on dodging. There’s nothing wrong with that, but personally, I prefer a mix of both styles.
Hellblade 2 is especially impressive from a visual standpoint. The first time I encountered a battle, I was blown away by the spectacle of it. The combat is highly cinematic and thrilling to watch. However, the gameplay itself is fairly simple and not particularly remarkable.
The Best Indie Game
Minds Beneath Us

Unfortunately, I haven’t played too many indie games this year. Because of this, I can’t include games like Neva in this overview, even though I have high expectations for it and it’s high on my wishlist.
One of the indie games I did get the chance to play, is the fantastic Minds Beneath Us. Right from the very first moment — featuring one of the most intriguing intros I’ve ever experienced — the game by BearBone Studio grabbed my attention and never let go.
Minds Beneath Us is a narrative-driven sci-fi game set in a dystopian future where human brains are exploited to power an AI network. A particularly intriguing aspect is that you don’t play as a human — you control an AI inhabiting the body of Jason Dai. Jason remains conscious throughout all of this, and can sense when you make choices that conflict with his own feelings or thoughts. Together with Jason, players investigate the morally complex system that fuels this world.
This game has a lot of text. The gameplay primarily involves talking to other characters and making (very difficult) choices. In text-heavy games, my attention tends to wander at times, but not with Minds Beneath Us. The plot was so incredibly compelling that I was constantly eager to discover what new surprises the game had in store for me.
Minds Beneath Us is a must-play. You can find my spoiler-free review here.
The Best Soundtrack
Persona 3 Reload

Stellar Blade and Metaphor: ReFantazio also made serious bids for success in this category, but in the end, the honor goes — by quite a wide margin — to Persona 3 Reload. And I’m incredibly relieved that it didn’t disappoint.
In my opinion, the soundtracks of Persona 3, 4, and 5 are among the best in gaming. They’re always filled with catchy, delightful tracks (there’s a reason Atlus was my most-listened-to artist in my Spotify Wrapped).
So, I was a bit apprehensive when I heard that Persona 3 Reload would be reworking the original soundtrack. Surely they wouldn’t ruin the beloved tracks that give me such a strong sense of nostalgia?
Of course not — this is Atlus we’re talking about. How they managed to make an already amazing soundtrack even better is beyond me, but they did it. The modern twist they’ve added to the original tracks enhances them without losing the nostalgic essence. They couldn’t have handled it better, and that’s why the Persona 3 Reload soundtrack is my favorite of the year.
The Best Protagonist
Max Caulfield (Life is Strange: Double Exposure)

I hoped to include Life is Strange: Double Exposure in more categories, but unfortunately it fell a litte bit short of my expectations. The very first Life is Strange still ranks among my favorite games of all time, so I had high hopes for Max Caulfield’s new adventure.
The game started off strong, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first three chapters. The last two chapters took a turn for the worse in my opinion though, and it ultimately didn’t quite meet my lofty expectations.
Thankfully, Max Caulfield isn’t to blame for this. She remains as charming, witty, and compelling as she was in the first game. Her thoughts on objects and people in the world are still entertaining and relatable.
Full credit to voice actress Hannah Telle, who still portrays the character just as brilliantly after all these years. No matter what plot Life is Strange comes up with, as long as Max is in the game, I’ll always play it.
The Best Antagonist
Louis Guiaburn (Metaphor: ReFantazio)

For me, the best antagonist of the year was Louis from Metaphor: ReFantazio. The best antagonists are those who stand in direct opposition to the protagonist’s values and ideals, and Metaphor nails this concept perfectly.
From the opening moments, it’s clear who the antagonist is and why. This ambitious contender for the throne will stop at nothing to realize his vision. He is unwavering in his resolve, and if you momentarily overlook his ruthless nature, you might even find him somewhat charismatic.
There were times when I found myself thinking, “Hmm, he does have a point,” which makes it all the more believable that he can influence those who are far removed from the truth. Additionally, Louis has a well-developed backstory that explains how he became the person he is in the game.
Add his striking design and great voice acting (by Joseph Tweedale for the English version) to the mix, and you have an antagonist you’re eager to bring down.
The Best Supporting Character
Heismay (Metaphor: ReFantazio)

YOU THINK YOURSELF EQUAL TO A EUGIEF’S AGILITY?
Once again, a Metaphor: ReFantazio character takes the win. Heismay isn’t just my favorite supporting character of the year — he’s one of my all-time favorites.
Not only is this man an incredibly swift and agile party member who carried me through critical battles with his dodging, but outside of combat, he’s even more impressive.
The Eugief is full of wise advice, which he eagerly shares with the group. Thanks to his life experience, he understands the world and its inhabitants, serving as a mentor to our protagonist.
For me, Heismay’s Follower Bond was the best in the game. I’m not ashamed to admit that his emotional storyline touched me so deeply that it nearly brought me to tears multiple times. The respect he eventually develops for the group — and for the protagonist — is heartwarming. When he expressed that he was proud of me, it felt as though I was a little kid again, making my father proud.
Since I played with the English dialogue, a huge amount of credit also goes to voice actor Philippe Spall, who did an amazing job.
Heismay is a character I won’t soon forget.
The Best Lore/World Building
Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Before the year even began, Dragon Age was already leading 3-0 in terms of best lore. Metaphor: ReFantazio managed to pull off a respectable 3-2, but in the end, I can’t help but award the title to Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
When Dragon Age: Origins was released in 2009, it was one of my first true fantasy experiences. I used to be somewhat close-minded when it came to gaming, mainly playing “realistic” games without strange creatures, sci-fi, fantasy, or horror (I know — that doesn’t leave much).
Dragon Age played a huge role in expanding my horizons. The detailed lore and rich world captivated me, and that trend continues all the way through to The Veilguard.
The world and its people and creatures are intricately designed, with well-developed backstories. The laws, cultures, and rituals of Thedas are all incredibly engaging. It’s one of the few games where, every time a new codex entry appears, I eagerly dive in to learn more.
And it’s not just the codex entries that fascinate; Thedas itself — specifically Northern Thedas in this case — looks breathtaking. It’s the perfect setting for an epic adventure.
The Best Gaming Moment
Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Without a doubt, my gaming highlight of 2024 was the final act of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Players who have completed the game will surely know what I’m referring to, and for the rest, I’ll avoid spoilers. What I can say, though, is that it was the absolute pinnacle of the game, evoking memories of the legendary Suicide Mission from Mass Effect 2.
It was the perfect conclusion to the narrative, where all elements came together in an explosive climax. The ending of a game is crucial to how you reflect on the entire adventure. A game can be 90% great, but if the final 10% leaves a bad taste, it can cast a long shadow over your experience. Just look at Mass Effect 3 — to draw that comparison once again.
The music, the dialogue, and especially the montage of events unfolding in The Veilguard’s conclusion gave me chills. It had been a long time since a game hyped me up so intensely, and I was thrilled to see that BioWare still has it in them.
That wraps up my 2024 retrospective! I’m already eagerly looking forward to what the coming year has in store because there are so many incredible releases on the horizon. I can’t wait!