Game Of The Year 2024 Jerel Levy’s Pick

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 17, 2024 4 Views 9 Min Read
Game Of The Year 2024 Jerel Levy's Pick



When it comes to Game of the Year discussions, I’m always looking for games that are not only good, but that evolve the genre, creating moments you’ve never seen before and leaving you with something to think about long after its completion. A caliber that’ll really change your perspective and experience.

The best games this year have enhanced their genres and left lasting impressions, and some of them are just plain fun. Some stellar games were on display this year, but here are the ten that really took it home for me.

Animal Well

Atmospheric Horror Disguised As A Tiny Metroidvania

I’m not a fan of Metroidvania titles, so the fact that Animal Well is in my top ten should tell you just how impressed I was with this indie. I couldn’t believe just how atmospheric this game was upon booting it up. Frustrating in a good way, discovering new power-ups and evading giant animals while being creeped out by creatures with glowing eyes was an engrossing and compelling experience I’ll never forget.

Infinity Nikki

Ridiculous, Intriguing Story Coupled With A Fun Refreshing Gameplay Loop

Everyone has a stylist in them, and Infinity Nikki pulls that out. Unlike the similar ilk (Genshin Impact etc.) that drag and I could never get into, the story, gameplay, and visuals of Nikki instantly drew me into a world where fights are solved via stylist battles and you’re investigating coma incidents while also incorporating the cozy collection and crafting aspect.

Nikki does it better than any other cozy gacha in the genre, with a quirky story and a great dress-up time that surprised me to the point of happily logging in for dailies and talking to the only character with real sense, Momo.

Marvel Rivals

The New King Of Hero Shooters

Overwatch has been the reigning champion of the hero shooter for too long; Marvel Rivals represents what it feels like to make the genre enjoyable. This game finally feels like a successor to the original formula, expanding on it where other titles have failed.

Providing unique aspects like team-up abilities, smooth gameplay, a supported community, and an incredible art style, culminating in some of the most fun I’ve had all year. I’ve found the innovative next step in the hero shooter genre, and I can’t wait to see what heroes and abilities come next.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Will You Make The Right Choices?

With compelling character interactions, consequences for your actions, gorgeous graphics, and an evolution for the series, Veilguard proves to be the game that shows what the series is capable of.

Dynamic combat options, in-depth storytelling, and high quality prove it’s a game worthy of the praise it has received, and it’s also just great to see old characters return.

Visions Of Mana

A Delightful RPG Surprise

I’ve never played a Mana game, and I’m not sure I regret that, but I’m so happy I gave Visions a chance. Visions of Mana is a breath of fresh, invigorating RPG air. Understanding why a bunch of kids wanted to kill themselves willingly kept me playing to uncover their understanding of their own mortality.

Couple that with individual jobs for each and every character, where you can mix and match and customize so much of how you want to play. It’s got everything: visuals, combat, a robust job system, and a story that’ll keep you interested through its entirety.

Honorable Mentions

Unicorn Overlord

Tactical Perfection

If someone tells you tactical RPGs are a thing of the past, you can pass them a copy of Unicorn Overlord. Innovation is the key here, and from its character designs to all the plethora of options available for every team you build take the genre to the next level.

Constant decision-making, coupled with the satisfaction of finding the perfect combinations while considering strengths and weaknesses from class types and abilities bestowed on the group based on party leader, will put you in the driver’s seat of the tactical ride of your life.

Neva

An Engrossing Story Told With Only A Single Word

I would do anything for Neva. Incredible art and audio direction tell a compelling and devastating story that will wrap you in its complexity from the beginning. The marriage of the art style, gameplay, and audio create a game that will leave you breathless.

From the gameplay playing with perspective in the winter levels to the growth of Neva from beginning to end, it is a game that simply cannot be missed.

You’ll Be Changed For Good

It almost hurts to try and condense all that Metaphor is and does into a couple of paragraphs, so instead, I’ll focus on what truly makes this game a must play. The story alone does something only few games ever try, and even fewer succeed at, and that’s changing you as a person with its message.

Improvements on the Atlus formula, though great, play second fiddle to a cast that you’ll grow to love through your adventures, giving you a sense of belonging as you travel with them. A lasting story for the ages, you’ll never play another game quite like Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Ichiban Is Back With New Friends And Even More Fun

This series continues to throw ordinary people into extraordinary and fantastical situations in which we all wish we could be a part. Ichiban and company are once again out to make the world a better place, one helpful gesture at a time. The smile you’ll get on your face when seeing the old crew and attaining new party members is one no other game on this list can replicate.

I haven’t mentioned swimming in the ocean, playing Crazy Taxi on a bicycle, running a hotel on a remote island, becoming a Pokemon (or Sujimon) master, and so many more references and easter eggs that’ll keep you entertained while you get to split up for even more shenanigans with two separate parties to use.

Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth

A One Of A Kind Experience

There’s just no way any other game this year can top the marvel that is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Aside from the quality of every aspect, from the visuals to the music, Rebirth focuses on connections with witty writing, inclusive world-building, and relationships that are tested and tried to prove just how strong the bonds of friendship are.

Stellar cast performances, unique combat with options for team-up abilities, a card game that broke the internet, and the evolution of a party I hold dear to my heart without the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia, Rebirth just has the whole package, so it has no choice but to be the best game of 2024.

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