Unabashedly unique, Animal Well blends raw exploration and discovery with secrets in every corner of it’s intricate, hand crafted map. It’s without a doubt the best game created by a single person ever made earning a place in my favorite experiences ever.
Who would have expected a poker rogue-like to be the most popular game of 2024? Featuring an addicting mix of solatiare, poker, and deck-building, Balatro master class in game design and game feel, making every hand against the house feel dramatic and punchy.
Unexpectedly, this quirky turn-based, tactics game about a team of misfit wizard SpecOps taking down a global conspiracy of PMCs & drug dealers has some of the best writing, dialogue, and character development in a game released in years.
Blending Y2K Style with Cyberpunk inspirations, it perfects the formula of cult-classic JetSetRadio, expanding on it by adding skateboards & BMX bikes round out a trifecta with roller skating. Land high scores while painting every inch of New Amsterdam with vibrant graffiti to a masterful Breakbeat sound track.
Change the rules and flip the script on puzzle games, literally. The rules of the world are pushable blocks that can be arranged however necessary to win. Can’t cross the water? [Baba] [is] [fly] and now you can cross. Lava kills you? [Lava] [is] [floor] and now there is no lava. The possibilities are endless!
As a boarder guard in the fictional communist Republic of Arstotzka, you must process would be entrants into the country balancing your job and your families well being in this compelling commentary on duty, choice, politics, and ethics.
Wander mesmerizingly, beautiful, fractalized, 4D worlds where you can walk on any surface you can see as you rebuild it and return color. Remains one of the most intensely creative experiences I’ve ever experiences, that can’t be replicated in any other medium.
This deeply beautiful and poetic minimalist platforming game will leave you wondering: Did I just start crying for a square?
Somehow, Mike Bithell’s writing has managed to capture more character development and humanity in a handful of rectangles than the entire Call of Duty Franchise, making this a modern masterpiece of story interactive telling.
An ghost ship, formerly of the East India Company, floats into port with only skeletons left onboard. The insurance company has sent you to investigate what happened with just a portrait of the crew, a list of names & a magic watch. Return of The Obra Dinn perfects the detective game format started in 1990s and is a must play for fans of the genre.
Cuphead is a love letter to 1920’s animation complete with hand drawn, rubber hose animations and bespoke, studio recorded big band jazz sound track. A fiendishly hard run and gun platformer, it features a co-op mode perfect for battling characters right out of Betty Boop on the couch with your brother or significant other.
Have you ever wondered, “what would it be like if I woke up in the tower of babel and needed get to the top to get home?”, because that is the premise of this language deciphering puzzle game. The world building & puzzle design of Chants of Sennaar kept me enthralled from start to finish.
A surreal parody of cold-war era spy thrillers, Jazzpunk’s unabashed embrace it’s oddball humor is a breath of fresh air among the current trend of over serious triple AAA live service & esports titles and their forced quips. When you just need a good giggle at a stupid joke after a rough day, play this.
A poignant exploration of the effects of war on civilian population that perhaps is the only true anti-war media ever made. Rather than glorifying the rugged individual’s struggle with morality, it focuses on a group made desolate by a fictional Balkan conflict struggling to survive. You’re forced into impossible decisions and are not in control of your fate, but caught by circumstances, making this a modern classic.
Another box pushing pushing puzzle game sounds boring, until you push a box into another box and then another and then another, finally coming out back in the box you started in. This mind bending 4D, recursive puzzle game keeps me coming back with it’s smart puzzle design and unexpected mechanics.
What happens when you mix Tony Hawks Pro Skater, Roller Derby, & Guns? Apparently, Rollerdrome inspired by campy 1980’s movies like Rollerball & The Running Man, where you have to do tricks to reload and beat enemies in an arena to advance in a blood sport tournament.
“What would it be like to be a 2D being that suddenly is aware of and able to traverse the 3rd dimension?”, is the central premise of Fez’s exploration focused puzzle gameplay. One of the original indie games, Fez is a modern classic with some of the most beautiful worlds and environments I’ve ever played.
Widely regarded as the best platformer ever made, Celeste tells a striking story of self discovery as Madeline climbs the mountain. With some of the tightest, most refined controls of any platformer, this is a must play for fans of classic games like Mario & Donkey Kong.
Fall into a world where optical illusions are real, if something appears bigger it is larger. This leads to incredibly unique and fun action puzzles and emergent gameplay scenarios. A must play game for fans of the Portal series.
This brilliant Greek Mythogy infused roguelite beat’em up is a masterpiece of non-linear story telling. Play as Zagreus, son of Hades as you try escape from Tartarus, and discover the secrets of the underworld and Olympus.
Have you ever wanted to walk into a picture? In Viewfinder, you can walk into any picture you take allowing you to create new paths or solve puzzle in completely unique ways. Another highly recommended game for fans of the Portal series.
A surrealist master piece, everyone’s favorite post-apocalyptic, dystopian, cyber-punk, poultry cooking simulator will capture your heart with it’s charming, quirky writing and world building.