GamerEscape

And once again, we find ourselves at the end of a year. Time to toss out the old calendar, pop a bottle of the sparkling beverage of your choice, and make some resolutions that you’ll inevitably drop within a month. But hey, I swear I’m totally going to start going to the gym once the new year begins. Totally.

It’s also a time of year for tradition, and what greater tradition is there than visiting your friendly neighborhood Gamer Escape for one last dose of games writing goodness?

Earlier this month, I gathered up the review team here at GE and tossed them into an arena to duke it out over what games they reviewed were the best of the year. It was an entertaining fight, a clash for the ages, but as the dust settled, we were left with five specific games (and thankfully few casualties) that were the true standouts. The five games we believe everyone in our community should experience at least once.

Sticking with tradition, we have brought back the original reviewer of each game to give their final thoughts of the year. Also to tradition, the only games in consideration for this list are the ones we reviewed here at Gamer Escape in 2024. So unfortunately, whilst Balatro destroyed the lives of a number of our writers this year, it and others won’t be found here.

And so, without any further ado, we present to you, dear Gamer Escape readers, your one and only New Year’s Eve event…

Gamer Escape’s Top 5 Games of 2024!

5: Neva

Reviewed by: Josh McGrath
Release Date: October 15th, 2024
Systems: PC, iOS, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, Switch
Reviewed Version: PC
Gamer Escape Score: 8/10

Nomada Studio had some big shoes to fill with their sophomore outing, and while I don’t believe they quite surpassed their first title, Neva still managed to stick the landing as another absolutely beautiful experience from the studio. Stunning visuals telling a story without words, accompanied by a gorgeously heart-wrending soundtrack from Berlinist, this game is a must play both for fans of Gris and those new to Nomada’s games.

Just don’t make the same mistake I did and boot this up on a Steam Deck while waiting for an oil change. Holding back tears in a car dealership is certainly an experience.

4: Tetris Forever

Reviewed by: Aaron Botts
Release Date: November 12th, 2024
Systems: PC, PS5, PS4, XSX|S, XB1, Switch
Reviewed Version: Switch
Gamer Escape Score: 9/10

Game compilations are a natural fit for preserving gaming history in an easily accessible way. However, Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master Series was kicked off with the intent of merging the documentary format while also being a game compilation in its own right. With Atari 50 being their first successful stab at the concept, it only made sense for them to tackle another gaming icon when they decided to release Tetris Forever.

Tetris as a franchise can and has been malleable. The games included in this compilation make that point pretty clear. Using the timeline format to tell Tetris’ story from inception to the modern day was something I really enjoyed as a lifelong fan of the block-dropping juggernaut. Some might be a touch puzzled (heh) about the omission of some of their favorite titles at launch, but DLC expansions that add more entries seem like a foregone conclusion at this point.

Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master Series is still young, but I think that there’s plenty of ammo left to the unique concept that they’ve created. It’s the perfect fusion of their retro-focused porting skills and giving gaming’s greatest icons the flowers that they richly deserve. I’m confident that whatever franchise or company they choose to tackle next will get the respect and love that Tetris Forever lent to Alexy Pajitnov and his timeless creation.

3: Granblue Fantasy: Relink

Reviewed by: Eliot Lefebvre
Release Date: January 31st, 2024
Systems: PC, PS5, PS4
Reviewed Version: PS5
Gamer Escape Score: 9/10

Something I noted about this game in my review is that left on its own, this is the sort of game that had every reason to be a real disaster. It was a long-delayed title that swapped developers over to a relatively inexperienced studio at making this sort of game… and yet instead of being a miserable slog, it turned into a fun and genuinely engaging action RPG the likes of which we just don’t get very often, with a plot that’s engaging and fun.

Oh, sure, I have some criticisms here and there, but I still feel like the game is a really good example of how much can be done with the property and the series and it still looks gorgeous and feels fun. If you’ve never played the original game it’s based on, you can follow it just fine – and if you have, you can appreciate the connections. Fun times all around.

2: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Reviewed by: Eliot Lefebvre
Release Date: February 29th, 2024
Systems: PS5
Reviewed Version: PS5
Gamer Escape Score: 8/10

Every so often I have a game that I feel like I should have scored higher, and this is one of them. Oh, I did score it well and clearly enjoyed it, because the game is good. But replaying it off of Work Mode I enjoyed it even more, and I find myself feeling like it deserved even more praise than I gave it. The side activities in the open world are even more fun than I thought. It became a delightful experience and a real high-water mark, and honestly I feel like I was holding too much over from its prior installment (which lowered in my estimation on replay).

I won’t say that Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is the best Final Fantasy game in a long while or even my personal favorite, but it is a really good game that’s a lot of fun for fans of the original and newcomers alike. I enjoy it more each time I slide back into its world, and it’s going to be a tough act to follow for the third and final portion of the trilogy.

1: Metaphor: ReFantazio

Reviewed by: Grant Dotter
Release Date: October 11th, 2024
Systems: PC, PS5, PS4, XSX|S
Reviewed Version: PC
Gamer Escape Score: 9/10

For me, Metaphor was the RPG that broke my streak of RPGs I got distracted from midway. I’ve played many RPGs in the past that I quite enjoyed, but due to the long playtime required, I would end up getting distracted by some other game coming out or something along those lines.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is the first RPG I’ve played in quite a long time where I was able to persist, as its story remained compelling throughout and the gameplay was also solid, which offered up much more resistance to distraction, even with a pretty long completion time. Any game that can do that deserves to be on this kind of list if you ask me. I’ve left so many RPGs unfinished, and that doesn’t mean those games are bad, not at all. But this illustrates how Metaphor went above and beyond.

Screenshots sourced from original reviews.