We’ve made it! Another year, another set of awesome games reviewed for SFG. That, and me fiddling around and playing a bunch of other cool things in my spare time. You should know the drill by now; ten games I feel you should check out and buy however you can, and some honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the list, but I figured you might make note of if you already haven’t. Some of these were games that might have gone on the main ten, but I didn’t have the time to fully play them enough to make sure!
Without further ado, making this a quick and seamless transition, let’s get into the big ten… (Not the sports league)
10: Gimmick! 2 (Steam)– This game conflicted me for a while. The idea of a sequel to a very beloved Famicom game being made without the original creator having input was a mixed one, to say the least. But once I played it, I was delightfully surprised to see a shift to more puzzle-focused stages work out pretty darn great.
The puzzles are clever, the star mechanics of the original are brought over to still reward creative shortcuts, and most importantly of all this has a brand new soundtrack from David Wise, and speaking as one who isn’t the biggest fan of his compositions, I can proudly vouch for Gimmick 2’s OST being outright incredible, with the Ice theme still being in my head all these months later.
It does have some levels that are pretty darn long, and overstay their welcome a bit too much for my taste, but at the very least there wasn’t a level I encountered which made me feel like the game took a nosedive in quality, and the more I got to figure out those physics puzzles, the more satisfying the overal experience was for me! Still not better than the original by any means, but respectfully close and definitely worth a look if you loved the original.
9: Berserk Boy (Steam)- Here’s a game that slipped through the radar! While I did have some gripes with the general progression loop, this is an excellent action platformer with an outstanding soundtrack to match. I still stand by my earlier statement calling the title theme a godly composition, and it remains one of my favorite VGM tracks to come out of the entire year.
Still, this game did end up being one of my favorites that I reviewed during 2024, and that fact this one went under the radar despite the excellent BGM is a huge shame; seriously, if you’re a Mega Man Zero fan, you owe it to yourself to play this one!
8: The Hokkaido Serial Murder Case: The Okhotsk Disappearance ~Memories in Ice, Tearful Figurine~ (Switch)- This one is an oddball, and almost made the honorable mentions list due to how I haven’t come anywhere close to finishing this one; yet the bits I have played so far, and the bits I’ve compared to the Famicom original, really do impress me with just how well done of a remake this is, especially with a pretty solid localization, yet despite all the hard translation work, almost nobody in the west is giving this remake the due it deserves!
That’s a big shame, since Hokkaido happens to be one of the big mystery adventure games, and was also another part of Chunsoft’s legacy, since they did the Famicom port that this remake is based on. But the original game hadn’t ever been reissued in Japan, so why not remake it fully from the ground up?
Well that’s what G-MODE decided to do, and they did a damn good job. Even more impressive, we got that aforementioned localization, and so far I’ve been really digging this one. It still is a retro adventure game at heart, but it introduces some newer scenario elements that ties together in a promising way. All in all, I’m just more excited to play this further in 2025, and I really am including it here for the sake of recommending it for adventure game fans, since this remake flew completely under the radar for the western market, and that’s a gargantuan shame! Lots of work was put into this localization! It’s a Japanese classic! So you should really pick it up if you have any interest in these kinds of games or Yuji Horii/Chunsoft history as a whole.
7: EGGCONSOLE THE SCHEME PC-8801mkIISR (Switch)- I usually end up really liking an Arcade Archives game enough to put on the main list, but this year nothing quite reached the threshold for that line. So, how about the more recent retro reissue line?
Yes, EGGCONSOLE is a means to put out a bunch of old Japanese computer games over on Switch, and they’ve really ramped up their output over 2024. The big issue with EGG compared to Arcade Archives, is that a bunch of their games were reliant on Japanese text, being how a lot of older PC88 games leaned towards the Adventure or RPG genres. And alas, D4 Enterprise didn’t go through the process of translating in-game text for their reissues, even though all of these have also came out on both Japanese and American eShops, including some Japanese heavy text adventures. Yeah, so some of these games do not work well for the average consumer.
Well, don’t fret, as I found that one of my personal favorite EGGCONSOLE reissues for the entire year is absolutely enjoyable no matter what language you can read or speak, as The Scheme is a Metroidvania with barely any text outside of a few Japanese lines once you beat the game. Sporting one of the earliest OSTS from Yuzo Koshiro, these happens to be one of this best soundtracks, and I used the plural form there since there’s two full soundtracks to pick from upon starting the game. Yes, Yuzo really did so go out of his way to compose a full score for the entire game twice.
But yeah, The Scheme is an early example of a Metroidvania, and a pretty simple one, especially comparing it to other similar exploration games from the time. You still have no map, but the game world is sized just right to not have you get as aimlessly lost as say, Metroid, and you even have a fun EXP system to play around with. Your main character can shoot orbs as means of attack, and you’ll eventually gain a couple of upgrades to make that progress easier, and it really just makes for a pretty easygoing, fun experience all around.
The sort of simple fun earlier computer games were known for, and to make things better you have one of the best gaming soundtracks ever made blasting in the background as you go around and explore the game world. To make things even easier, the EGGCONSOLE wrapper has a speedup feature, which makes the grinding for EXP you might have to do off and on a complete non issue, and honestly has this be well worth the entry fee.
EGGCONSOLE isn’t a line that’ll have the most accessible games for the western market, but if you wanted to ever try it out, I can easily recommend The Scheme, and the outstanding OST and fun metroidvania gameplay is what got it to sit at a decent spot on my list.
6: Ufouria The Saga 2 (Steam)- See, while Gimmick 2 is an excellent physics puzzler, it still didn’t feel as if it had the same juice as the previous installment in the Sunsoft franchise, despite being a very good game. Lo and behold, my reasoning for that was due to just how much fun Ufouria 2 was for me, being a sequel to the NES Metroidvania classic.
Sporting an adorable artstyle ala that of the recent Yoshi games, Ufouria 2 just oozes personality right from the get-go, being one of the most visually unique games of the entire year, and one that easily proves you don’t need to burn millions of dollars for the best graphics imaginable if a creative looking game can still get the job done.
Ufouria 2 takes some of the aspects from the original NES game, adds in some semi-randomization elements to the mix, and leads to a really darn fun experience I just couldn’t put down until I rolled credits and unlocked everything I had the patience to. Just a pure charming delight from start to finish, along with being packed with very funny dialogue that kept the characters memorable.
Really when my only lingering gripe is that the game isn’t too tough even on the higher difficulty toggle, and I wished it had more of a challenge to it, Ufouria 2 as a whole ended up being just a big joyful experience, and one I felt nailed the overall vibe of being a Sunsoft sequel more than Gimmick 2. Both are worth playing, but if you have to pick one, go with Ufouria 2.
5: Sonic X Shadow Generations (Xbox Series X)- Now this one really surprised me! I wasn’t a fan of the original Sonic Generations hardly at all when I streamed it many years back, and that was in part due to how clunky and imprecise it felt, especially if you were playing it on a PS3 like I did.
No, I never did play it on Steam in the years since then, despite that being the most popular and critically acclaimed version, so for years my experience with that poor PS3 port tainted my overall perception of this game. So when a remaster of the game plus a brand new Shadow campaign got announced, I was mostly confused. On Xbox Series, the original game would give you 60FPS if you popped in the 360 disc! On PC, people pretty much loved that version as-is, and it was to be delisted in favor of this remaster. So outside of the PS versions, what was the point of buying a seemingly redundant remaster for the sake of a few more levels starring the edgy Hedgehog who had mostly become a meme in the past decade?
Well, upon seeing it go on a discount sale at QVC, I decided to take the plunge and buy it on Xbox Series X anyhow. Maybe the 60FPS boost would make me enjoy the Sonic side even more? Well, I decided to have it be my test case for my Twitch channel as a means of streaming games on it, and managed to get a good six streams out of the experience, and after clearing both campaigns in full, I really, really underestimated this game, which is why its placement on this list even surprises me.
Yes, you have the original 2011 Sonic Generations back on modern platforms with this reissue. Yes, two of those platforms had a perfectly fine version of the original game. But this one just adds on a few extra collectibles, polishes it up real nicely, and upon playing it in full, gave me a bigger appreciation for that original Sonic campaign. Turns out once you know what you’re doing and aren’t dealing with playing it on a blurry Composite signal on PS3, Sonic Generations is a lot more fun! I still find it a little clunky with some weird moments here and there, but the second time around was much, much more enjoyable than when I played it all the way back in 2016.
So that by itself would make this a pretty good remaster, but then we have the brand new Shadow campaign, which honest to god took the best part of Sonic Generations I was currently digging, and just made the best possible set of stages in the modern boost style. Every darn level in Shadow’s story is immensely fun, and to make things better, you even have a mini open-ended zone to go around and explore, finding various collectibles like rocket bolts and chests with concept materials between the stages.
It even made the mandatory challenge stages a whole lot more fun, somehow stitching the entire campaign together well enough to be an outstanding Sonic experience from start to finish. I’m not even joking when I say that Shadow Generations might just be my favorite new Sonic thing since Sonic CD’s 2011 port, and if this is how modern sonic games will be going forward, consider me on a full hype train for the next entry! Sonic Generations was probably the initial selling point for most people, but it really should be Shadow’s campaign; the short and sweet nature of that plus a lot of replay value from trying to 100% it makes Shadow Generations the perfect game length, and combining that with a pretty good game from 2011 makes this a great package overall.
4: Castlevania Dominus Collection (Switch)– Here’s a collection that came out of nowhere, and introduced me to the three remaining Metroidvania entries in the Castlevania series I had no prior experience with. Also Haunted Castle was there with a great remake, even if it paled a bit compared to Adventure Rebirth. Still, as a newcomer to these three games, two of them were just absolutely phenomenal and well worth the price of admission alone, while Order of Ecclesia was certainly a video game that I need to fiddle around with more to see if it’ll finally click for me. I can definitely see why it was the last metroidvania, at the very least.
Nevertheless, one big long metroidvania is great for the price as is, but two of them, perhaps even three if you can get over OOE’s weird combat system and strange level design? Definitely worth it, and the addition of Haunted Castle Revisited is one I’m pleased with for the sake of Konami finally making a new Castlevania after so, so long. Gives me just a bit more hope the glorious Rebirth games will be reissued, which would make for a great companion to Revisited.
I may review this set in full in the distant future as I covered the other Konami compilations, but for now, know that this definitely got a lot of my playtime and made me a big fan of the DS era of Castlevania. The only downside is I don’t know what else Konami could reissue like this, outside of the 3D games, I suppose.
3: Tetris Forever (Switch)- Oh hey, the big compilation I spent tons of time writing about in a massive review! That review covers all my gushing better than if I were to repeat it here, but what I will add on here for the sake of the GOTY list is that they did fix the SNES stuttering, and that you still have a wonderful batch of Tetris games in one package that gives you plenty of hours of puzzling action. If you like Tetris, then you should already have this collection by now, but if you aren’t sure if you’d like a ton of variations on the same game, then you probably may want to wait for a sale.
Still, it has Tetris 2 + Bombliss and Super Tetris 3 here, which I’d consider to both be pretty darn high up on the overall Tetris rankings, so thus that’s why I’m pretty fond of this set and still playing this frequently a month and a half later.
2: Pampas & Selene: The Maze of Demons (Steam)- Did you know this also came out on Nintendo Switch this month? You should probably pick it up there if Steam isn’t for you, since good lord, this Metroidvania blew me away.
What’s meant to be just a throwback tribute to Konami’s Maze of Galious, ends up being a really open and incredibly fun Metroidvania. It still does a lot of the basic metroidvania tropes, but very, very well, with a character switching mechanic that makes both main characters worth using. It also has local co-op, which adds an extra fun layer to the gameplay, and with plenty of routing potentials and some really fun boss fights, this is just a simplistic Metroidvania that manages to be really, really polished and open-ended.
I can’t really add much else that isn’t just what I gushed about in my review, but if you’re wanting a Metroidvania that isn’t meant to be ultra hard and instead more of a throwback to the older MSX era of games, this one hooked me immensely, and I still can’t stop recommending it to anyone I can who’s seeking a metroidvania more inline with a retro theme. Sure, it may look like yet another pixel platformer, but this one is worth picking up, especially if you’re happening to be in search of one to play co-op. Seriously though, check this out if you have a Switch!
Honorable Mentions:
There are a couple of honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the list. The most immediate one to me was Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown which god I need to get back to playing. This was another Metroidvania I heard great things about, and my initial play session with the game was magnificent. Sadly, it didn’t end up selling well, which is a huge shame considering the sheer amount of polish and critical acclaim I saw in those first few hours. Still, while I wasn’t sure enough on if it would make the main list, I am sure enough to say if you like metroidvanias, you’ll probably like picking up this one for literally any platform. Yes, even the Switch version has been well-received, and there’s even cross saves via Ubisoft Connect, so whichever platform you have access to is well worth picking up this gem on, even if you’ll need a lot of time you may not have to fully appreciate it.
Next up is Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble. I literally just got this game days before writing this list, and I’m quite surprised by how well it plays despite being chained to the Nintendo Switch. Why it isn’t multiplatform, I dunno, but this one is a really fun time. If you liked Banana Mania, this is basically the concepts from that remake but way more refined, with adjustable deadzones, extra options, new challenge modes, and tons and tons of original, new levels that are actually good and worth playing.
My main reason for not putting it on the list, is that it still just feels like even more Super Monkey Ball. And I really dig Banana Mania and the original SMB, but it still is a concept that wears thin very quickly for me. Very impressive effort for fans of the series, but I still wish this IP did a bit more with some of the ideas it throws around.
Lastly is Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. This almost was my No 10, but thinking about Gimmick 2, I felt that had longer staying power and wasn’t just reliant on online speedrun stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore this time and easily did absolutely everything possible in this game, as you can see here!
Bragging rights aside though, I was more disappointed by the post-launch lack of support. Not that I expected new challenges and games to be added to a $30 title, and for that $30 you get a great deal as-is if you’re a time attack fanatic, but considering how this game hypes itself up as being a tribute to the NWC, only to pretty much just get ignored and given less after-launch attention than other online centric games Nintendo puts out, I couldn’t help but feel bummed.
Even now, after 100%ing everything in NES Edition, I stopped playing it. When the player pools decreased more and more, and there’s not much of a discord community that loves the game as much as I do, along with anything to show you how you did compared to a friend, it really feels like Nintendo wanted to sabotage this game, which is a huge shame. Indieszero nailed it, and I’d love to see a Game Boy edition sometime down the time.
The Game of The Year! (That everyone saw coming)
1: Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island (Switch)- Who could have seen this coming! Well to be fair, Pampas/Selene made a serious strike at Shiren’s early gain to the top spot, and if it wasn’t for the fact that it was still trying to imitate another game from back in the day, (even if I felt it was way better than Galious) it might have barely nudged out Shiren for the GOTY award. But obvious to anyone who both knows me and has played this particular entry, Shiren 6 is just peak for Mystery Dungeon fans, and serves as the perfect bridge from other subsectors of Mystery Dungeon like the Pokemon series to the main MD franchise which continues on to this very day.
So, what makes Shiren worthy of being my all time favorite game of the year, besides company bias? Surely that’s the biggest boost in securing a comfy spot at the top of my GOTY list since February, right? Not exactly! I wasn’t a fan of Shiren 5, and even going back to that entry a bit after beating the main story of this game, I just found Shiren 6 way, way more enjoyable in every possible manner. The gameplay systems have been refined to the basics of the earlier games without the weird day/night gimmicks of 5.
The core loop is quicker and easier to get into than in some other entries, making jumping into a dungeon for another run quick and easy to pull off. And most importantly for me, the difficulty was excellent for the main story, just serving as a wonderful tutorial for the grueling challenges of the post-game that would come, and likely crush you if you’re anyone like me.
And yep, that means I still haven’t finished the post game; with what time, after all, and thus I haven’t even touched the DLC, so I can’t even judge the game with the DLC included. Even without the paid expansion however, I can absolutely say the base game of Shiren 6 is packed with so much content and challenges that any MD fan, whether you’re from the Pokemon side of things or just wanting to try out your first Mystery Dungeon installment, really owes it to themselves to give this entry the support it needs. I can only really think of the SFC/N64 entries as coming close to this one in terms of simplistic, yet challenging fun, and I really, really hope Shiren 6 catches on more now that it finally received a Steam release for PC.
I sure know I plan to pick up a copy on PC with the DLC, even if I likely won’t see the end of those DLC dungeons until I’m way older in age. Nevertheless, this is without a doubt my new favorite MD from a gameplay standpoint, and comes very darn close to toppling my all time favorite MD period! Well worth the 14 year wait for a new Shiren, and absolutely a roguelike everyone should own.
So that was my semi-simple list for Game of the Year! The 2024 pick is probably the least surprising for me out of any year in the past decade, but the fact Pampas/Selene really tickled my metroidvania cravings in all the right ways made it come damn close to toppling the Mystery Dungeon king. Seriously, if you aren’t a MD fan, I at least implore you to pick up Pampas and Selene since it’s incredibly affordable and a magnificent entry in the metroidvania genre. But hopefully, my other picks here give you some fun ideas on new games to play in the new year! I sure know I’m gonna be delving into these games more in 2025 with the time I can, but I gotta also get to finally finishing that queue, too. The finish line is closer than ever after all!
So tomorrow, we’ll discuss that finish line… Maybe a bit closer to the wire than I expected. Join us tomorrow for a piece covering some future plans for SFG, and a new set of predictions!