It’s finally here! I have worked towards this day since January 1, 2024. Every time I completed a game this year, one of my first actions was to open up a notepad document I have saved and start updating various ranks. Those ranks are what you are about to see.
As I’ve said in past year-end content, all of this stuff is my way of trying to honor all of the video games that I really enjoyed this year. With all the great games that came out this year, it’s easy for very good video games to get forgotten about, even if they really excelled in various ways. This list is my way to bring those games into the fold in some capacity, as well as to honor what my favorite games were great at.
There is a lot of year-end content out there, but I’m not sure if anyone else goes as crazy as I do with this stuff. I hope you enjoy it. If you like what you read, sharing is always appreciated on your social media platform of choice!
Also, if you want to see my (slightly less intense) version of this from 2023, you can check that out here.
My Other Year-End Content So Far
BigNerdGaming’s Top 10 Indie Games Of 2024
AndresPlays Top 10 Games of 2024
BigNerdGaming’s 2024 Honorable Mentions
Best Story
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Silent Hill 2
- Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
- Harold Halibut
- 1000xResist
- Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth
- Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes
- Indiana Jones and The Great Circle
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Infinite Wealth
Metaphor: ReFantazio’s story is such an achievement. It tackles some of the most important themes of any video game this year. It has one incredible character arc after another. It has the best villain this year, and it manages to stay interesting every step of the way. The payoffs to some of the biggest plot threads are fantastic, and the stakes always feel appropriately high. It’s so tough for an RPG this massive to not have some serious lulls in the plot, but Metaphor has almost none. This is one hell of a story and one of the best in several years for me.
Silent Hill 2’s story is not one I expected to love at all, but once it sinks its hooks in, it doesn’t let go. It has you wondering what the hell is going on the entire time. The last 10% of the game or so delivers one absolutely insane cutscene after another. This is one of the best survival horror stories I have ever experienced, with maybe only The Last of Us being better.
There might be some years where Banishers was #1 on this list. There are a lot of great moments throughout, and additionally, the small side stories the game has are absolute bangers. Red and Antea’s journey is one very worth experiencing.
Harold Halibut and 1000xResist are indie narrative games with weirdly opposite flows for me. I thought the first half of 1000xResist was incredible and then was less interested in the second half. I thought the first half of Harold Halibut was unremarkable, and then the second half was incredible. Closing strong beats opening strong for me every time, but these are still two tremendous stories.
Rebirth is a weird one, as the overall plot is kind of meandering. Not much actually happens in terms of world events here. It’s mostly a lot of setup. But the journeys that the characters themselves go on are consistently compelling. The entire crew all have some truly powerful moments of growth here, and that has to be commended.
Eiyuden Chroicles has some pretty big lulls, but it also hits some incredibly high highs. Especially during the big war battles.
Indiana Jones and Star Wars Outlaws both have movie-esque pacing to their stories. I was never absolutely all in on them, but I felt like I was having a good time almost the entire game when it came to the story for both.
Infinite Wealth will be much higher for a lot of people. I personally thought the Kiryu sections and general over-reliance on nostalgia got annoying. I also hated the ending more than any other ending this year. But there are a few highs in this game that are freaking unbeatable. The game also has one of my favorite plot twists of the year. There was just enough amazing stuff here for me to overlook my issues with it.
Best Exploration
- Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
- Unicorn Overlord
- Silent Hill 2
- Cat Quest 3
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- Dungeons of Hinterberg
- Animal Well
- Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
- Little Kitty, Big City
I’m sure Rebirth will be a controversial choice for this one. The game doesn’t have a lot of organic exploration. I think the critiques that the open zones are a bit too Ubisoft-esque are fair. But I really don’t care. Every open area in this game was so breathtaking from a visual and audio perspective that I was constantly in awe everywhere I went. I also really enjoyed how each area in the game has different traversal methods that mix things up a bit. I just loved spending time in these worlds.
Unicorn Overlord was a big shock for me. I’m not sure if I’ve ever played a strategy RPG that also lets you explore a big open map like this. It is so satisfying to slowly watch the map unlock the more you explore the overworld. And they hide away so many fun little secrets, side quests, and optional battles. I suddenly want every strategy RPG to have an open world map like Unicorn Overlord. This was such a cool achievement.
Cat Quest 3 has some of the most shockingly organic exploration this year. The game literally plops you into the world and lets you go wherever you want. All of that exploration is very rewarding as well, as there is tons of loot out there, and money always stays useful, which I can’t say for every game out there.
I checked the map in Silent Hill 2 more than 1000 times over 22 hours. Part of this is because it is easy to get lost, but it was also because of a very addictive map mechanic. It was very fun to slowly see the map update as I checked every possible door. This game is also classic survival horror, so of course, finding any restorative item or ammo was very rewarding as well.
Indiana Jones and Echoes of Wisdom are both much more open games than I expected, with exploration that doesn’t hold your hand. I think both games don’t always reward you well enough for exploring, but there is still a lot of cool stuff here.
Dungeons of Hinterberg doesn’t have tons of exploration, but the open zones are very manageable and have a lot of fun rewards tucked in them.
Animal Well is a Metroidvania with very open exploration that lets you go wherever you want. I didn’t feel like that exploration was as rewarding as I’d like, but there are definitely secrets tucked away everywhere.
Banishers and Little Kitty, Big City round out the top 10. They are both packed with secrets everywhere, though navigating can get a bit annoying in both.
Best Graphics/Art Direction
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Harold Halibut
- Neva
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth
- Dungeons of Hinterberg
- The Plucky Squire
- Helldivers 2
- Persona 3: Reload
I’m still stunned that Hellblade 2 didn’t get an art direction nomination at The Game Awards. That game is gorgeous for reasons beyond the fidelity. The environments are so perfect. Everything from the open fields to the caves looks amazing for all the little details that are placed throughout. This was something like a 7 hour game, but one of those hours was just me in photo mode. I’m not sure if any game in the next few years is going to surpass this one for me in terms of graphics.
Harold Halibut has to be commended for its bold claymation design. I was also shocked at how good it looked and at some of the variety in environments they threw out there with it. The character designs are also excellent. Harold Halibut was unlike anything else for me this year.
It’s no shock that Neva was phenomenal looking with how great Gris looked from the same studio.. Every moment in that game could be a pretty screenshot. Nomada studios are truly masters of the watercolor art style.
Star Wars Outlaws and Dragon Age: The Veilguard both have some of the best environments this year. I give Outlaws a slight edge because I don’t always love the art design for the characters in Veilguard.
Despite some weird technical issues that had with Rebirth‘s character models at times, I still thought this game was freaking gorgeous. Every open zone in particular is such a joy to explore, and that has stuck with me all year.
Dungeons of Hinterberg and The Plucky Squire are two indie titles with incredibly interesting and cool art styles. I utilized photo mode in Hinterberg quite a bit.
Helldivers 2’s art direction just sets the scene on everything so perfectly, and I love the Persona 3: Reload refresh on the visuals. The UI in that game is so good looking.
Best Music
- Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes
- Astro Bot
- Stellar Blade
- Unicorn Overlord
- Persona 3: Reload
- Legend of Heroes: Daybreak
- Crypt Custodian
- Star Wars Outlaws
It should be no surprise from anyone who follows me that Rebirth is my #1 for music. I actually went to the live concert a few months ago. Of course. the remixes on the classic songs are awesome. No Promises to Keep is also incredible. But going to the concert, I was struck by how much of the random music in that game is amazing. The theme for Queen’s Blood was a bit of a show stealer as an example. You can say whatever else you want about this game and the Final Fantasy series in general, but the music remains pretty much untouchable.
Metaphor was a strong runner-up with many memorable songs throughout the game (I’m partial to “The Lost City” personally). Eiyuden Chronicles was the biggest surprise for me, with music that might just surpass anything from the Suikoden series of the past. The song that plays while you are in the base is absolutely fantastic as well.
Astro Bot’s soundtrack is hella catchy and a lot of fun. That is not a game where I expected much from the soundtrack, and it delivered in so many cool and quirky ways.
I love how Stellar Blade mixes up the usual action music formula with jazzy elements and some softer female vocals. But it also has some pretty badass music when it wants to as well.
Unicorn Overlord is just perfectly epic throughout. I’m not sure if Persona 3: Reload’s soundtrack was remixed all that much off of the original game, but it still has a tremendous soundtrack.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is another one that really surprised me. This game was made by a small team, but there is just a lot of catchy music here.
Crypt Custodian’s music is probably the main one on here that I wouldn’t necessarily want to listen to on Spotify, but it sets the mood incredibly well. It’s just that perfect mix of sad and chill that this game needed. Star Wars Outlaws is Star Wars music, so it’s probably not shocking that it is great stuff.
Best Character
- Red XIII (Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth)
- Barrett (Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth)
- Heismay (Metaphor: ReFantazio)
- Antea Duarte (Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden)
- Red Mac Raith (Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden)
- Aerith (Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth)
- Hulkenberg (Metaphor: ReFantazio)
- Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle)
- Van Arkride (The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak)
- Buddy the Postman (Harold Halibut)
Red XIII is probably not a character you will see on most lists. I just love the juxtapositions of this character. He’s this wise, almost sage-like figure in some ways, but in reality, he is mostly an insecure and immature pup. I love it when his wise facade breaks a little before he comes out and reveals who he truly is. He is a fascinating, funny, and very likable character. I’m a Red XIII guy.
As a father, Barrett’s journey was one of my favorites this year. I love it when he talks about Marlene. I also love when he kind of takes Red XIII or Cloud under his wing at points. He has been through arguably more pain than anyone, but he is also the funniest character in the game. He rules.
Heismay is the main guy that won me over in Metaphor: ReFantazio. I guess I’m a sucker for the father characters. His tragic past, as well as his relationship with the main character, are both top-tier stuff.
It’s tough to separate Antea Duarte and Red Mac Raith, since they are together 24/7 during Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. I appreciated how badass Antea was and how compassionate Red was. They are a fun pair in a lot of ways, despite the tragic circumstances that the game is built around.
Aerith is such a fun mix of flirty, sassy, and smart. I love how her persona seems to kind of change depending on who she is hanging out with in any given moment. The spots where she mocks Cloud are so desperately needed in this game. She is a really fun character (though I still think Cloud-Tifa is the proper relationship).
Hulkenberg was my other standout from Metaphor. I think she gives the most comic relief of anyone, but she also has one of the best character arcs in the game.
Indiana Jones is a classic character, but The Great Circle was actually my first exposure to him. He won me over pretty quickly. I was afraid he would just feel like a 1930s Han Solo, but I was impressed that there are enough subtle differences for him to be compelling on his own.
Van Arkride plays the edgy anti-hero with a heart of gold in Trails through Daybreak. I was worried that this would get tropey and a bit cliche, but it just works. Van is cool as hell, and he does a lot of work carrying that game. While I haven’t finished it yet, he makes me want to.
Buddy is part of perhaps my favorite side quest this year in Harold Halibut. He is an absolute gem, and anyone who has played it will agree. He’s that ultimate old dude that is kind of a father figure of sorts to anyone he meets.
Best Performance
- Britt Baron as Tifa (Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth)
- Troy Baker as Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle)
- Max Mittelman as Red XIII (Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth)
- Philippe Spall as Heismay (Metaphor: ReFantazio)
- John Eric Bentley as Barrett (Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth)
- Briana White as Aerith (Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth)
- Amaka Okafor as Antea Duarte (Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden)
- Russ Bain as Red Mac Raith (Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden)
- Humberly Gonzales as Kay Vess (Star Wars Outlaws)
- Melina Juergens as Senua (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2)
I actually didn’t even have Britt Baron on here when I originally ranked performances after playing Rebirth. It was only when I started rewatching scenes for my top 25 favorite moments in Rebirth article that I realized I had missed something. Baron’s performance is understated and yet so powerful. She isn’t over the top, but she delivers on every emotional peak in the game. From her conversations with Cloud after his various incidents, to when she says that Jesse looked so beautiful in her performance in Loveless, she just nails every line. And since Tifa is 100x more “normal” than any other cast member, I don’t think it’s easy to stand out the way she did with her performance. But in every major scene in this game, she is there and delivers perfectly. I loved what Baron did here.
It’s such a shame that December games can’t make an appearance in The Game Awards nominations for that year. But I’ll make an early prediction and say that despite the long layoff, Troy Baker will still get a nomination for his performance as Indiana Jones at the 2025 Game Awards. His performance is that good. It’s not just that he sounds exactly like prime Harrison Ford, but his actual delivery of those lines is fantastic, too. Indiana Jones isn’t a character with tons of range, but he nails the emotional moments and the snarky moments equally well. This was an amazing performance, and it’ll be tough for any 2025 performance to top it.
Max Mittelman really impressed me because he has to do two very distinct voices, and he pulls it off really well. I’m sure there are many who won’t enjoy the “childish” voice for Red XIII, but it fits the character perfectly. He nails all of his comic relief lines, and I am just a huge fan of what he has done for this character.
Heismay’s voice is badass as hell. I’m not great at picking a VA’s voice out of the crowd the way some people are, but this voice is just unmistakable.
Eric John Adams is once again perfect as Barrett in Rebirth. He delivers many of the funniest moments in the game, but he also has almost all of the most serious ones too. He somehow straddles that line of being an absolute goofball, a hothead, and a caring father figure and makes it all feel natural. I feel like this performance has been way too underrated in the discourse this year.
Briana White is the one Rebirth actor who got a nomination at The Game Awards. While I prefer other Rebirth performances, I still can’t be mad about it. She is a big focus in this game, and she also delivers on all of the big moments that she is put in. She really pulls off the playfulness and snarkiness towards Cloud incredibly well, too.
It is once again tough to separate Antea Duarte and Red Mac Raith, so both Amaka Okafor and Russ Bain are back to back for me here. They have a great script to work with and execute on it fantastically.
Humberly Gonzales is another one who received a nomination at The Game Awards, and I was happy to see it. I really thought Kay was set to mostly be a female version of Han Solo, but her performance helped distinguish her and make her a unique character that doesn’t fit into any one box so neatly.
Finally, we have the winner at The Game Awards, Melina Juergens. I’m certainly not mad that she won, as she has yet another raw and visceral performance here. She excels with both her voice and with her motion capture.
Best Optional Content
- Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth
- Banishers
- Unicorn Overlord
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Indiana Jones And The Great Circle
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Harold Halibut
- Dungeons of Hinterberg
It’s probably no shock to anyone who has played it that Infinite Wealth is my #1. That game has so many minigames, and almost all of them are a blast. I’m a sucker for plenty of returning ones, like golf in particular. But the new ones are some of the most impressive achievements in the history of the franchise. Dondoko Island goes on a bit too long, but my first 6 hours with it, I thought it was the best minigame of all time. Sujimon’s battle system is legitimately more interesting than Pokémon’s for me. And of course, the substories continue to be a great mix of funny and heartfelt (though they can get a bit predictable). Infinite Wealth has some great stuff going on with its main story, but the optional content really is the game for me in so many ways.
Rebirth was equally easy to slide in at #2. Queen’s Blood might be one of the best minigames of all time. I also absolutely adored Chocobo Racing and the piano. Almost all of the minigames are at least fun for a few tries as well. Rebirth definitely has some checklist-y type tasks in its open worlds, but I thought most of the side quests were also really well done. There is more than enough greatness here for me to be able to overlook a few weaknesses.
Banishers has some of the best side quests this year with its “hauntings.” These are basically Law and Order episodes except with ghosts and such. There are tons of fun twists and choices to be made at the end of each one. These were awesome.
Unicorn Overlord makes the list for the same reason it made “best exploration.” This world map is a blast to explore, and there are so many secrets and extra battles to be found by doing so, I had a great time with it.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown doesn’t really have “side quests,” but it does make almost all of its toughest platforming challenges optional. And these challenges absolutely cook. They are the ideal level of challenging and creative in my view. The Lost Crown has some of the most enjoyable platforming that I have experienced in years, and those optional challenges are a big reason for that.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has “fieldwork” that, at times, can even surpass the main quest. Honestly, there were times when I questioned if the fieldwork was actually optional, as it fits in with the main story so well. Any time you have side quests that feel like main story quests, you did something right.
Metaphor makes it thanks to its social links, which have some of the most powerful moments in the game. A good chunk of them legitimately feel like they should be mandatory.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an interesting one, as it has a lot of relatively ho-hum side quests. Early on, I can’t even say I was all that into the companion stories either. The more I play, though, the more I have been getting very engaged with these stories. It takes some time, but Veilguard does have some great side quests.
Harold Halibut makes it on the list with the strength of one side quest where you look at old forgotten letters and deliver them. That quest is so fun, and touching that it was enough to make it here. Dungeons of Hinterberg fills the final slot with its social links, which I enjoyed a fair amount.
Best Combat
- Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth
- Unicorn Overlord
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Rise of the Ronin
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Helldivers 2
- Nine Sols
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Crypt Custodian
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Rebirth tops my list in what was a very fierce battle. I just love this combat system. It feels like the perfect push into the future while paying homage to the past. I like that the game de-emphasizes its MP system, which means you can mostly use whatever strategies you want in any battle. The action combat feels great, especially in performance mode. Pausing the game to strategize and pick moves is a lot of fun. The ability to play as so many completely unique feeling characters is very awesome. I never got tired of the combat here, and this is a game I put 80 hours into.
Unicorn Overlord feels like the new king of strategy RPGs to me. It is so well balanced and has next to no flaws. I loved planning out my movement and trying to make sure I got the right matchups with each battle. The ability to easily construct all of your formations is also a lot of fun as well. This game is awesome.
Metaphor: ReFantazio comes in with what is probably my favorite turn based system since Chained Echoes. Metaphor manages to give you a lot of moment to moment decisions to make, as you balance several risk/rewards mechanics. But it also isn’t overly complex. It’s easy to jump into, but it has more depth than you think. I always love a system like that.
Rise of the Ronin has perhaps my favorite parry mechanic this year. The combat is so fast-paced, and enemies don’t get as predictable as some other games in this genre. The sound design and animations are great, too. Rise of the Ronin has flaws, but almost none of them have anything to do with the combat.
The Lost Crown also has an excellent parry mechanic and some great boss fight designs. I feel like even I overlook this combat sometimes because of how awesome the platforming is. I need to be better. This is me trying to atone for my sins.
Helldivers 2 is so intense. I’m not sure if I’ve played a game this year that had me this on edge for such long stretches with its combat. This would probably be top 3 if I enjoyed it solo a little more.
Nine Sols is another game with, you guessed it, an excellent parry mechanic. Enemies are very tough but not unreasonably so. And everything is so responsive and feels so good.
Hellblade 2 might be one of the more controversial choices here, but once again, I loved the parry mechanic. The response windows are very tight, and the execution animations after are incredible. It’s a little off-putting to start, as it feels a bit on the rails, but eventually, you adjust, and it feels unlike anything else out there. That isn’t always a good thing, but it mostly is here. This combat has surprisingly stuck with me all year.
Crypt Custodian just has some great top-down combat. The sound design is excellent, and the bullet hell elements give it a unique twist. I love the difficulty balancing, too.
Finally, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which has very few weaknesses. It doesn’t feel quite as impactful as the very best in the genre, but it still performs very well. The sound design is great, and I have not gotten sick of dropkicking people off of ledges after dozens of hours so far.
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Coming Friday, my top 10 games of 2024.
Big Nerd Gaming 
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