This was a real up-and-down year for the games industry. There were some sweeping layoffs and surprise failures from big publishers. However, there were also a few triumphs and pleasant surprises worth celebrating. To highlight some of the bright spots in a tumultuous year, we present the 2024 edition of Geek to Geek Media's Game of the Year Awards!
Some notes:
- Any games our staff members played released between Dec-01 2023 and Dec-09 2024 were considered for awards.
- This year we took a break from the Spooky and Map game categories due to limited nominees. In their place, we introduced the Pleasant Surprise and Mobile game categories.
- The links in this article will take you to our prior coverage of the games nominated.
- This article was a collaborative effort with contributions from Jay Caplan, Steve Wittkamp, Troy Dunham, BJ Keeton, and David Erickson.
Best Action Game
Minishoot' Adventures
Minishoot’ Adventures came out of nowhere with one of the worst titles and best elevator pitches we’ve ever seen: what if Zelda was a bullet hell? The core gameplay feels excellent with the standard dual-stick control or the simplified style with auto-targeting. When Troy played Minishoot' for review, he found himself zipping around the world aimlessly fighting enemies and grinding experience just because it was fun, even when he was way overpowered for the final dungeon. Minishoot Adventures is a fantastic action-focused take on the Zelda formula!
Other games nominated: Iron Meat, Cygni All Guns Blazing, Tekken 8, Yars Rising, Children of the Sun
Best Platforming Game
Astro Bot
It's admittedly easy to look at Astro Bot and see a shiny exercise in PlayStation brand marketing. But from the very first level, it's clear that that's just one outer layer of a remarkably well-crafted platformer. Every jump and multi-purpose glide feels reliable, its intuitive power-ups never outstay their honeymoon period, and while it may not be introducing any revolutionary ideas, each and every level feels like a first-rate effort in visual design and that ever-crucial “game-feel”. Astro Bot is a true all-killer-no-filler adventure, where even its more white-knuckle levels never frustrate thanks to its impeccable execution of platforming fundamentals.
Other games nominated: Princess Peach Showtime, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Best Adventure Game
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
At long last, Princess Zelda got a starring role in the franchise that bears her name! Echoes of Wisdom does an excellent job balancing the structure of traditional Zelda games with the exploration and creativity of the Breath of the Wild duology. By leaning into creative problem-solving instead of combat, it succeeds as a clever adventure game as well as a showcase of the princess's role as the Sage of Widsom.
Other games nominated: Mika & the Witch's Mountain, Indiana Jones & the Great Circle, A Twisted Tale, Silent Hill 2 (2024), Star Wars Outlaws
Best Turn-Based RPG/Strategy
Unicorn Overlord
Hot off the success of 13 Sentinels, Vanillaware has shown once again why they’re one of the most unsung Japanese developers with Unicorn Overlord.
It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a game inspired by Ogre Battle, and fans couldn’t have asked for a better spiritual successor. Unicorn Overlord boasts beautiful art (a staple of the developer), a rousing soundtrack, and most importantly, a challenging and varied tactical RPG experience.
Customize your army’s squads with a variety of fantastical classes and creatures and embark on a thrilling adventure filled with political intrigue in one of Vanillaware’s best games yet!
Other games nominated: Persona 3 Reload, Eiyuden Chronicle, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, Metaphor Refantazio, Like a Dragon, Classified France '44
Best Action RPG
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Considering that this game's predecessor, FF7 Remake, easily won this category award back in 2020, awarding Best Action RPG to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth may be the least surprising result in 2024. While our staff was a bit divided on Rebirth‘s pacing and emphasis on mini-games, we just couldn't resist its intense combat and updated take on classic characters and locations. This entry also offers a surprisingly satisfying ending considering that it's the middle game of a trilogy.
Other games nominated: Dragon's Dogma 2, Ys 10 Nordics, Dread Delusion, Zenless Zone Zero
Best Tabletop RPG
Dreams and Machines
Dreams & Machines is one of those games that takes you by surprise in the best way. Modiphus uses its proprietary 2d20 system (also used in the Fallout RPG among others) to create a setting in an emerging genre called hopepunk. Think of it as actively working against the nihilism of grimdark stories. It's basically what happens after a cyberpunk world gets to the end and people start to rebuild beyond it.
It's really cool, the 2d20 system is fun and really active with players and the game master being able to augment rolls using an action point system. On top of that, the art in the game is simply beautiful—the hardcovers are some of the most enjoyable TTRPG books we've read through in years solely because every page is filled with hand-painted pictures that make the world feel real. And hopeful. Which is something all of us need right now.
Other games nominated: Chains of Asmodeus, Mini-Dungeon Tome 2
Best Mobile Game
Balatro
Balatro‘s fusion of poker and Rogue-like is so addicting that it may be illegal in your region; be sure to check your local laws before installing it on your phone (just kidding, mostly). In all seriousness, LocalThunk and Playstack have managed to create something really special from such a simple concept. As a testament to Balatro‘s allure, several of our staff members found themselves drawn to this game despite disliking poker or having a phobia of clowns!
Other games nominated: Zenless Zone Zero, Pokemon TCG
Best Cozy Game
Mika and the Witch's Mountain
Mika and the Witch's Mountain is one of those weird games where the individual aspects of it are only okay, but the overall game is really good. Totally and unashamedly inspired by Studio Ghibli's Kiki's Delivery Service, the game lets you play as Mika as she learns to be a witch by delivering packages and fighting corruption all around the island. BJ enjoyed this game by watching his wife play, zoning out during a lot of the dialogue, but helping out and playing the parts of it she didn't enjoy and/or couldn't get past herself without a lot of frustration. But here's the thing—those parts were still incredibly fun for them, despite the janky controls. This is certainly a game that is greater than the sum of its parts, and it's hard not to recommend because it's so freaking cute all the time. Even though it's definitely our Cozy Game of the Year and worth playing if you're that kind of gamer…we still recommend grabbing it on sale just in case any of the individual parts that may rub you the wrong way (read: the janky flying controls) make you put it down early.
Other games nominated: Farming Simulator 2024, Balatro, A Twisted Tale
Best Multiplayer Game
Helldivers 2
2015’s Helldivers was a fun little isometric twin-stick shooter that took more than a little inspiration from the 1997 film, Starship Troopers. The sequel runs with the military propaganda-lampooning tone while upgrading the gameplay to that of a fully 3D behind-the-shoulder squad shooter, resulting in one of the most addictive cooperative multiplayer experiences in years.
Your interstellar bug-and-bot-busting campaign will result in the loss of hundreds of Super Earth soldier lives (and countless more limbs), but it’s difficult to be frustrated when you and your buddies are too busy laughing at the ridiculousness of the carnage.
With enough practice, you’ll be executing complicated Strategems (code sequences that can call in airdrops/strikes) while fending off relentless foes and protecting your squadmates. Just don’t be TOO upset if you lose a limb or two to friendly fire while hectically pulling off that juggling act, and remember – “the only good bug is a dead bug!”
Other games nominated: Mario Party Jamboree, Marvel Rivals, Pokemon TCG, Chained Together
Best Writing
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
While the pedigree of Machine Game's Wolfenstein games suggested we should expect a good story from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, what really pushed it over the edge was all the extra stuff. Sure, the main plot is great, but the secondary and even tertiary beats tell their own little stories. Even reading reading documents while sneaking through Nazi camps lend to a narrative structure that is strong at every level!
Other games nominated: Eiyuden Chronicle, Metaphor Refantazio, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Unicorn Overlord
Best Retro Throwback
UFO 50
Despite being a purely modern work, UFO 50 is the epitome of a “Retro Throwback”. Presenting a collection of faux-8-bit games from a fictional game studio, UFO 50 puts a unique spin on every genre that was prevalent in 1980s gaming. If you have any nostalgia for the heyday of the NES, DOS, Sega, or Atari, then you owe it to yourself to take UFO 50 for a spin.
Other games nominated: Yars Rising, Minishoot Adventures, A Twisted Tale, Dread Delusion
Best Soundtrack
Princess Peach Showtime
With sweeping orchestral pieces, jazzy little numbers, and catchy disco grooves, the music in Princess Peach's solo outing is as varied and charming as her various outfits in the game. We highly recommend picking up Princess Peach Showtime, especially if you have little ones in the house, and turning the sound up high!
Other games nominated: Iron Meat, Yars Rising, Heaven Burns Red
Best Pleasant Surprise
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
We did not go into Indiana Jones and the Great Circle with high expectations. The last few Indiana Jones movies have been a mixed bag and we had our doubts about the first-person perspective of this game. To top it all off, the Great Circle has someone other than Harrison Ford playing the title character! Somehow, despite all these obstacles, the Great Circle managed to win over every member of our staff who played it. Not only is it a great game, but it's also arguably the best entry in the Indiana Jones franchise since the 1980s!
Other games nominated: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Yars Rising, UFO 50
Jam of the Year
“Crash Site” – Astro Bot
“Crash Site” from Astro Bot
With a driving beat and whistle/fiddle sections reminiscent of classic spaghetti Westerns, Astro Bot‘s “Crash Site” is one heck of a jam! Furthermore, its use of a springy-sounding jaw harp got us excited to hop and bop our way through this cute platformer. Even members of our staff who've never played Astro Bot found themselves exclaiming “Let's go!” after listening to this one.
Other pieces nominated: “Disconnection” – Yars Rising, “Burn My Universe” – Heaven Burns Red, “Main Theme” – Balatro, “Assassin Disco” – Princess Peach Showtime, “Driving Around Sprankelwater” – Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip
Game of the Year
Astro Bot
Astro Bot is a truly gaming-centric game, through and through. Yes, its extremely social-media-worthy cameo game is strong, but it goes so far beyond that, wowing us as the highest-functioning platform game of 2024. Its characters and scenery are utterly charming, the pacing is brisk without feeling breakneck, and it does everything its power to sand away pain points. Astro Bot is designed to ensure that the player is always having a good time at every possible moment. And if our favorite game of the year had to be console-exclusive, we're glad that it's one that takes such thorough advantage of its hardware, from a modest sprinkle of very functional motion controls to haptic features that offer some fresh sensory delight with each new level. Every inch of Astro Bot is just fun, and it's hard not to be in love with a game that so effortlessly puts play at the front and center of every moment.
Other games nominated: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
This year's awards emphasized that for all the bells and whistles a modern game can have, games with a well-executed gameplay concept will always rise to the surface. Whether we were bouncing around as Astro, playing expert hands in Balatro, or blasting bugs in Helldivers 2, mechanics that just feel good are what really spoke to us.
What about 2024's slate of game releases spoke to you? Let us know in the comments below!
Thanks for joining us for another year of gaming and Happy New Year from all of us here at Geek to Geek Media!