“Lovely and lively, this marvelous first-person puzzler nurtures an enthralling mix of accessible yet cerebral puzzles and Gone Home-y storytelling. Gorgeous visuals, music, and level design.”

“If you were yearning for a Hades-esque retelling of Greek mythology but with even better queer and neurodivergent representation in a spectacularly written text RPG, then FoA here is the ticket.”

“Aggro Crab have done it again, delivering a colorful, cunning, delightful, and accessible entry into the Soulsborne genre. Smooth action/platforming too, and the anti-pollution themes fit so well.”

“Sure to be one of 2024's finest narratively focused titles, 1000xRESIST serves up gracefully poetic writing with gutting visual storytelling, incredible environmental design, and great cinematography.”

“Providing worthy competition to Two Point Hospital, this hilarious sci-fi riff on Theme Hospital boasts tight design & controls, witty dialogue, phenomenal voice acting, and charming cartoon visuals.”

“Sometimes, you just desire a laid-back idle game to while away minutes between other matters. And RR absolutely provides, with the cute distinction of existing at the bottom of your desktop.”

“Do you want moar QUICKERFLAK, but you get a fuck-off huge sword and with an even more breakneck pace? Then QF2 will provide all of the badass combat and spartan design QF is known for.”

“Juicy roguelite action with groovy, energetic tunes and ample bullet time. Its simple, clean, hand-drawn aesthetic allows for a surprisingly readable mayhem to its bullethellish extremes.”

“Lovers of short, cute investigative adventure titles will find plenty to enjoy with DD:TSS. It's clever, it's fun, it's adorable, and it doesn't outstay its welcome. Does what it says on the tin.”

“One of the year's finest action roguelites sees the affable Turnip Boy goin' full heist mode with a cleverly designed, hilarious, and cute gungeon crawler. Wonderful tunes and pixel art too.”

“Lovers of short, morbid, indie story games will find much to appreciate with Sunflower Pie. It's strange, affecting, creepy, and pulls no punches.”

“Offering a more involved experience than your usual garlic-like, Frontline Survivors is a thematically consistent garlic-like with twinstick controls and batshit builds. It's clever and very fun.”

“Hook this exhilarating, Akira × Duke Nukem × [post void] FPS straight into your veins for a brilliant time. Let's call it early: this is doubtlessly the #1 FPS of the year. It goes so hard and fast!”

“It does not take long for Balatro to sink its hooks into you, being one of the freshest roguelite deckbuilders yet. Psychedelic visuals, magnificent music, and insatiable gameplay.”

“Despite its appearances, Hoversteppers is much closer in terms of gameplay to the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games than Jet Set Radio, and it's a welcome THPS spiritual successor in a world bereft of 'em.”

“Try to name a twinstick that is as mesmerizing as Dead Petals Bliss already is—you can't. This trippy twinstick combines forces between the devs of Dead Petals and satryn deluxe, and they NAIL IT.”

“Jetpacking is always going to be a joy in video games, and Jett Rider capitalizes on that fact—while heaping on top some great tunes and humor too. One of JanduSoft's finest releases yet.”

“Psychedelia and Metroidvanias are IN in 2024, and this banger with spectacular art by El Huervo (of Hotline Miami fame) synthesizes these two crazes with style, refinement, and more style.”

“LK,BC channels decades of cute cat pics into one indelibly delightful ball of an open world collect-a-thon. To say that it is effortlessly endearing would be tautological, but it still bears praise.”

“Hauntii is not your typical twinstick, thanks to its emphasis on possession and artful handcraftedness. Few games this year can contest its beauty, or its sense of awe and wonder, with such tightness.”

“Hotline Miami 3 ain't happenin', hon, but its legacy lives on in Anger Foot—albeit now in first-person and bathed in Free Lives' offbeat personality. Few games are as exhilarating AF as AF is.”

“A barn-burner of the highest caliber, delivering a genuinely fresh riff on the saturated garlic-like genre: you're driving through the onslaughts like a bat outta hell, slamming into them.”

“Every year, Devcats drop another banger entry into their A ___ Full of Cats series, and the outstandingly robust ATFoC is no less cute, charming, or clever than its predecessors.”

“Excellent humor, boundless style, exceptional voice acting, and intriguing mechanics make for one of the coolest, freshest games of the year. It's a typing dungeon crawler after all!”

“Despite completely sucking at it, I cannot dispute that Slidemagi is a robust, kickass tactical RPG with an inventive control scheme and design around it, as well as a cute claymation aesthetic.”