2024 was a stellar 12 months for video games, with a ton of standout releases. You had indie video games made by small groups dominate the trade, in addition to AAA video games polished to a excessive sheen. So many genres had unbelievable releases, so nearly everybody had one thing new and superior to fiddle with.
Listed here are the nominees for TechRaptor’s 2024 Recreation of the 12 months Award for the perfect recreation of the 12 months, whose sum of its components is larger than another.
- Animal Nicely
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Closing Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Helldivers 2
- Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- UFO 50
Try right here for our different award classes.
Fifth Place – Closing Fantasy VII Rebirth
Developer: Sq. Enix | Launch Date: Februrary twenty ninth, 2024
Written by Andrew Stretch
The reimagining of Cloud’s legendary journey took its second large step this 12 months. With the escape from Midgar and quest to hunt Sephiroth, the doorways of the world flew open and Sq. Enix managed to take core components of what made Remake so nice; enhanced fight, compelling performances from the solid, and unbelievable visuals and enhance on them much more.
This journey made additional deviations from the unique story, persevering with to remind followers of the unique recreation of what made the journey so nice, whereas additionally offering new thriller all resulting in an unbelievable and action-packed finale.
Try our interview with Brianna White about bringing Aerith to life.
Fourth Place – Astro Bot
Developer: Group Asobi | Launch Date: September sixth, 2024
Written by Austin Suther
Astro Bot took Recreation of the 12 months at Geoff Keighly’s The Recreation Awards, so it’s no marvel this pleasant platformer makes an look on this record. Astro Bot is pure childhood pleasure molded into online game kind, creating an expertise that’ll have you ever smiling from begin to end.
Although Astro Bot contains a myriad of PlayStation mascots and different gaming characters, the true spotlight is that this platformer’s stellar stage design. Every stage is a brand new expertise to take pleasure in, as Group Asobi made positive to include as many enjoyable concepts as they may into one online game.
Its use of DuelSense is one other marvel in recreation design. It’s not simply an auditory and visible expertise, however a tactile one as nicely. It’s one thing you’ll simply need to expertise for your self, and when you do, you’ll see what makes Astro Bot such a triumph.
Third Place – Balatro
Developer: LocalThunk | Launch Date: February twentieth, 2024
Written by Blair Bishop
When The Recreation Awards introduced the nominees for his or her awards present, some noticed Balatro not simply because the token indie decide, however as one thing that took a extra deserving spot from one thing like, say, Silent Hill 2 or Helldivers 2. Not solely had been they flawed, nevertheless it was the primary 12 months the place the token indie nod had a professional likelihood to upset the whole trade and are available out on prime.
Whereas it wasn’t meant to be, that also doesn’t detract from the sheer energy Balatro possesses. Since its 1.0 launch in February of 2024, it’s solely grown larger and greater, a supermassive black gap which sucks up your free time. A real indie powerhouse, it’s an unbelievable time-sink, a deceptively welcome expertise, and a hovering entry into the higher echelon of roguelikes.
Second Place – Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle
Developer: MachineGames | Launch Date: December ninth, 2024
Written by Andrew Stretch
Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle is the Indiana Jones journey of the 80s we by no means bought. This recreation options an virtually good mix of exploration, puzzle fixing, and fight that lets you get invested not solely within the larger thriller of the sport, however on this planet as you stumble into fascinating aspect quests and puzzles alike.
Most spectacular of all is how the character of Indiana Jones is carried out so faithfully with a mixture of nailing Harrison Ford-esque facial expressions and a stellar efficiency by Troy Baker. We’re transported to the previous whereas additionally attending to benefit from the evolution of action-exploration video games.
Winner – Metaphor: ReFantazio
Developer: Atlus | Launch Date: October eleventh, 2024
Written by Veerender Singh Jubbal
Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Bond system improves upon current mainline Persona video games’ Social Hyperlink mechanics to expedite the relationships your participant character has with the solid and permits extra participant selection in constructing groups the best way you want to. With the ability to defeat lower-level enemies within the overworld to not set off an encounter or having the ability to simply restart any battle, so you will get the perfect outcomes pushes you additional in tackling the sport’s robust enemies even on the Regular problem setting.
One in all Metaphor’s important theses early on is: can fictional media change the views and ideologies of actual individuals for the higher? Can fictional illustration in tales result in real-world change? The sport handles the matters of racism/xenophobia straight and poignantly with hopeful lenses, but in addition doesn’t draw back from showcasing that hatred/discrimination/despair to the participant by means of degradation and ostracization in an impactful means from NPCs exuding microaggressions, refined racism and/or unapologetic racism—all of varied ranges, sorts, and intricacies.
A exceptional and all-new mental property that showcases colourful type with its cutscenes, suave UI, devoted substance, and a very good soundtrack with easy, however efficient gameplay mechanics ushers in a brand new age not simply of JRPGs, however RPGs as a complete is TechRaptor’s 2024 Recreation of the 12 months.