“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.”

“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.”

“Regardless of your familiarity to Moomin, this handcrafted delight will whisk you away to its wondrous world for a heartfelt and effortlessly charming tale all the same. Gorgeous in every sense.”

“Roguelite deckbuilding that's a biiiiit of a different beast from Slay the Spire and the like, but still with incredibly tight mechanics, superb gamefeel, and bugfuck powerful runs.”

“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.”

“Dan and I were pleasantly surprised by just how damn rad The Fate of Baldr is as an Orcs Must Die!-esque melding of co-op third-person shooting and tower defense strategy. Gorgeous environments too.”

“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!”

“One of the most unique and gorgeous deckbuilders so far, offering a fresh and intuitive battle system as well as a monster-catching flair. Plus, the music and creature designs totally own.”

“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.”

“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!”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Touting some of the tightest melee combat of the year, this stylish blend of Katana ZERO and Cowboy Bebop had me on the edge of my seat beating mfers up and volleying across platforms.”

“Blistering combat is decisively ATME's big selling point, as few action roguelite contemporaries tout such exhilarating fights with such buttery smooth controls. Looks and sounds great too, though.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“For those who seek a great new Metroidvania that hews heavily towards the first half of the term, Rebel Transmute is a must in 2024. Tight and robust as hell.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“One of the greatest mobile games of all time (and that is no hyperbole) has just now hit Steam—so, if you scoff at the prospect of mobile gaming, finally check this characterful puzzler out.”