The video game industry had a great challenge before them in the task of following up the momentous year of 2023, which boasted games such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, they somehow managed to knock 2024 out of the park, solidifying the golden age of modern gaming that we find ourselves in. From small independent games created by solo developers such as Balatro to new releases from industry giants such as Fromsoftware’s Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, 2024 was a fruitful year for gaming. Whether you want a casual and lighthearted game to eat up the empty hours of your day or an artistic masterpiece that will bring you to tears, the games of 2024 have something for everyone.
B is for Balatro| LocalThunk’s Extremely Satisfying Poker Roguelike
LocalThunk, a solo game developer from Canada, proves that one doesn’t need a huge budget or a team of industry experts to create an addictively fun game. Developed over the course of three years, Balatro was released on February 20, and it quickly rose to stardom thanks to its accessible gameplay and the satisfying sound effects. This deck building game puts the player in the shoes of a poker player that must score an increasing amount of points each round in an increasingly absurd game of poker.
From turning every card into a king to destroying almost your entire deck, Balatro offers the player a dozen different routes to reach victory, each equally absurd. Described by CORE Butte junior Dorian Dietz as “The most fun game of 2024”, Balatro is a must-play masterpiece that shows just what independent developers can accomplish.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree| The Epic Finale to FromSoftware’s Greatest Hit
When Elden Ring hit the market in 2022, gamers were shocked by the scale and depth of the game. Two years later, Fromsoftware one-ups their own game with a game expansion that feels much more like a sequel to the base game than any simple form of downloadable content. Following the events of Elden Ring, the expansion whisks the player away to a parallel world known simply as the Land of Shadow, where they must thwart the villain’s ascension to godhood. In typical Fromsoftware fashion, the player fights all sorts of foes throughout their journey, from monstrous dragons to wicked conquerors.
While Fromsoftware has built quite a reputation for their compellingly difficult boss fights, they blew it out of the park with Shadow of the Erdtree. The bosses don’t only feel like monumental enemies, but also a form of environmental storytelling themselves, their features and attacks reflecting the horrific tragedy that sundered the Land of Shadow.
Returning Fromsoftware fans and newcomers alike will revel in the depth and beauty of Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. The breathtaking artistic direction and the epic gameplay make Fromsoftware’s latest installment an absolute must-play.
Helldivers 2| The Funniest Game of 2024 is a Slapstick Galactic War
Almost an entire decade after the release of Helldivers, a top-down shooter game that failed to find widespread market success, Arrowhead Studios released Helldivers 2, which became an immediate staple of multiplayer gaming. The success was so significant and unexpected that Arrowhead Studios lacked the server infrastructure to match the vast player demand, having millions of players seeking to log on at once. Everyone wanted to enjoy the gameplay and join in on the great galactic war.
After numerous updates, including the introduction of an enemy faction styled after American urban mythology surrounding U.F.O sightings, Helldivers 2 has taken over the multiplayer gaming scene, winning the associated award in the 2024 Game of the Year Awards. The gameplay is humorously absurd, with squads of one to four players confronting impossible odds against either the autocratic bugs, the socialist automatons, or the fascist squids. Armed with weapons of mass destruction, with few defensive measures in place, players will just as often take out themselves with their ordinances as their enemies. For players seeking an absurdly immersive experience of galactic warfare in the pursuit of spreading “managed democracy”, Helldivers 2 breathes new life into the stagnant genre of shooter games with an explosive success.
Astro Bot: Sony’s Love Letter to Gamers is a Marvelous Platformer
Created by Team Asobi under Sony Interactive Entertainment, Astro Bot is nothing less than a technological marvel, taking advantage of the Playstation 5’s hardware to create a gaming experience unlike anything else. From breathtaking sensory feedback to puzzles that require you to physically blow into the device in order to advance, it is no stretch to say that Astro Bot not only shows you a vibrant world, but also brings you into it.
On the story side of things, Astro Bot is relatively weak, lacking a concrete and satisfying storyline. The player is put in the shoes of a small robot, conspicuously colored in the iconic Playstation blue and white, who must free different robots themed after characters from various video game franchises in a series of planets, each with their own unique mechanics and platforming challenges.
However, it is with the joyful gameplay that Astro Bot really shines. While the platforming is the perfect blend of simple and fun, Team Asobi’s unique takes on the classic genre make the game a masterpiece. As previously mentioned, the Playstation 5’s hardware is on full display with Astro Bot. In one memorable level, which takes place on a stormy beach, the haptic feedback from the controller mimics the feeling of raindrops hitting your palm.
Furthermore, Astro Bot is one of the most ambitious collaborations in recent video game history. Yes, even more ambitious than whatever is happening in the swirling chaos that is Fortnite. For, out of the over 300 bots that you can free, almost all of them are from different video game franchises, including some rather obscure ones. Gamers can look forward to seeing their favorite characters brought back to life in this vibrant platformer in a way that could have never been imagined. As a diehard Bloodborne fan who is still delusionally wishing for a sequel, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Sony had included a character from my favorite game.
