The rabbit hole goes down deep in Grunn, and I couldn’t stop myself from digging deeper and deeper in search of answers. In a game like this which rewards players for paying attention and experimenting, secrets feel like gifts. This is one garden path you should walk down.

In the end, the title’s glittering potential was blotted out by its somber execution.

Honestly, I just wanted to live in Magical Delicacy‘s world for as long as I could and I’m sad to have no more discoveries, friends, or food to make.

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is another must-play for 2024 — which is unfortunate. Mostly because once you pick it up, it’s hard to stop playing long enough to get through those other must-play titles.

The Star Named EOS‘ moments of exasperation paled in comparison to its radiant artwork. Its puzzles, when it dawned on me what I needed to do, had me glowing with a sense of achievement. Narratively, the game plays strikingly with mystery and expectation. Perhaps the best summary of the experience comes from the game itself. “When you gaze at the stars, the stars also gaze at you.”

Dungeons of Hinterberg‘s resolution is less compelling to me than the rest of its question-inspiring, eye-capturing experience. However, the hours spent pondering over a vista, uncovering tucked away loot, roaming the beautiful world, and discovering more about each character more than makes up for that.

As with many remarkable games, interpreting Until Then‘s ending will lie with every individual player. I sat with it a while — swirling the bitterness and sweetness around in my mouth. Its mystery, finally revealed, is so human I toyed with the idea of feeling unsatisfied with its mundaneness. Ultimately, I landed on admiring how unfortunately relatable life after the end of the world felt.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes has me questioning everything about its reality, even after finishing it. It had me solving murder mysteries. It had me playing memory games with ghosts. And it had me burning to track down the final truth in the center of the maze. The journey through its many paths included rewarding puzzles, thrilling points of no return, and a story that looks fascinatingly in on itself. The prize at this maze’s center is well-worth claiming.

Little Kitty, Big City, for all its adorable looks and antics, is not just fluff. Its various and interlocking reward systems, playful and genuine characters’ problems, and endlessly explorable concrete jungle gym make it a worthwhile game.

Animal Well surprised me around every turn. What I expected to be yet another Metroidvania quickly became one of the most memorable gaming experiences I’ve had in recent years. Its a game that you’ll get out of it as much as you put in. If you want to see credits and be done, you’ll have a great time. However, if you want to see how deep the well truly goes, you’ll be embarking on a journey you may not have been prepared for. I assure you, the twists and turns and conundrums you will come across are well worth your time.

With more polish, Another Crab’s Treasure might have been an all-time indie gem. Its sometimes tedious physics and less-balanced early bosses don’t overshadow the game’s beautiful world, creative levels, sincere cast, and thoughtful themes, but do pollute the otherwise sparkling water.

Sucker for Love: Date to Die For, from concept to execution, is darkly spellbinding. Forces beyond my control kept me climbing back into its narrative branches to find every last fruit — whether sweet or acidic. I wish so much that I could say more about some of its twists and turns, but you’ll have to pick this one up for yourself to unlock its secrets.

Open Roads has the writing and narrative most games only dream of. I felt for and felt like the protagonist and her mom throughout the journey, sympathizing with their human struggles. The hand-drawn art blended with 3D environments is flawless, even if that’s sometimes hard to focus on with the game’s few technical rough patches. The title, though short, is full of twists, turns, and authenticity.

Where many games structure themselves in terms of runs, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is more of a stroll. And it’s not a long one, considering I completed everything there was to do — something I normally don’t strive to accomplish — in less than five hours. And for almost five hours, I found myself wandering an enchanted world brimming with dazzling visuals, animated mischief, irresistible personalities, and the kind of serenity you deserve to experience.

The wonderful and terrible thing about Balatro is that, unlike with other roguelikes, I never got frustrated getting bounced back to the start. I almost always felt like I’d had the slate wiped clean of the web of synergistic collectables governing my ill-fated moves and this time, I was sure to succeed. Especially as my efforts in the game unlocked new perks or decks I could use when jumping back in. The combination of simple drag-and-drop controls and a continuous flow of numbers-go-up dopamine hits is irresistible. You’ve been warned.

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is good, dumb fun held up by intelligent design choices. Don’t be afraid to pick this game up if you haven’t played the first because it does a good job of getting players up to speed. It’s also my favorite of the two so far.

Transforming environments and climbing mechanics keeps Jusant from sagging in the middle of the adventure and the ending had me hurling urgent encouragement at my screen as I frantically scaled the final heights. The meditatively-paced action throughout the rest of the game didn’t quite prepare me for the finale’s surging stakes, but I’m glad I stayed the course long enough to see it.

It’s one of those games you have to experience in order to understand. The developers insist early on that the title is a love story, and I can’t argue with that...Though, somehow through all the layers and twists, decisions and realizations, the game’s core really is as simple as the title suggests. I’m here to slay the princess. I can only awe at a team that can make something so simultaneously simple and complex.

Cocoon is one of this year’s brightest gems — both form and function dazzle. I can only begin to guess at what its conclusion means, but that didn’t hinder my appreciation in the slightest. Masterful design, stunning environments, brilliant concepts, intuitive gameplay, it all adds up to an unmissable experience.

I’ve already hinted as much as I dare about Gunbrella’s ultimate outcome, though I suspect some details will change depending on how you play. Its overarching narrative might be a small rain cloud, but everything else in the game shines so brightly it hardly overshadows the game’s brilliance. I look forward to seeing it in this year’s best of 2023 discussions.

Throughout the adventure, Sea of Stars stands on the shoulders of the giants that came before it, building on a grand lore set in motion by The Messenger and wonderful characters worthy of spending tens of hours with. Between finishing the game and writing this review, I’ve played another ten hours post-credits, attempting to see everything Sabotage put in the game. It’s not because I’m compelled to say I checked every box Sea of Stars has to offer, but I simply don’t want to say goodbye to this inviting world and my good friends in it just yet.

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical‘s most distinctive aspect, namely the singing, is my least favorite part of the experience. However, the game is music to my ears when it comes to molding contemporary forms around ancient gods and absolutely hits all the right notes with its murder mystery.

It’s easy to finish Venba in one sitting, but the game’s complicated narrative, it’s exploration of family relationships, identity, and hardship, will linger in my mind for so much longer than it took me to play through it.

Even though its driving motivation didn’t resonate strongly with me, this might be one of the most refreshingly inventive puzzle adventures to come out in recent memory.

Even though I am satisfied with the way my adventure wrapped up, it’s difficult to resist the urge to jump back in for another round to watch the pieces fall into totally different places.

Dordogne‘s narrative doesn’t dive too deeply into darker topics, but hints of hard themes abound. The game’s final message boils down to: Take time to look around and be mindful of life. The sentiment permeates every moment of the short experience. It makes for a lovely, contemplative adventure players shouldn’t miss.

The game’s ending is as strong as its beginning. Rightfully for so haunting a game, the conclusion leaves me pensive but better for the experience. I didn’t expect Decarnation to launch itself into my favorite games of the year and might easily have overlooked it. Don’t make that mistake.

Golden Idol Mysteries: The Spider of Lanka is a worthy follow-up to one of last year’s greatest games. Its setting was fraught with reflective commentary, its cases offered more unparalleled sleuthing, and its narrative gave more context to the original game. I wish I had more riddles to solve but I’m holding out hope fans can look forward to more Golden Idol Mystery titles in the future.