2024 has been an incredible year for video games. From the marvelous 3D platformer “Astrobot” to the difficult bosses of “Elden Ring: Shadow of The Erdtree”, there has been a great game for almost every type of player. I wanted to compile my 5 favorite games I played this year, creating a list of tiles that maybe not everyone has played already or heard of. Coincidentally, every game on this list is an independent game, created by only a small team of developers making new and innovative tiles that push the industry forward. Whether you’ve been playing video games for years or are a newer player, I hope you try one of these incredible games over winter break and support each of these independent developers. 

“Lorelei and the Laser Eyes” 

On the surface, “Lorelei and The Laser Eyes” presents itself as a simple puzzle adventure game, similar to classic point and click puzzle games like “Myst” or “Grim Fandango.” Under the surface, however, the game is a commentary on art, those who strive to make it, and the many mediums it can take. The game showcases a wide array of artistic mediums from movies, to paintings, music, and more. The game’s creator, Simogo, has been making puzzle games for over 10 years. The first game I played from them, “Device-6,” was an absolutely ingenious puzzle book. With all of the experience the small team has, “Lorelei and The Laser Eyes” consistently surprised, challenged and kept me engaged. While this was one of the hardest puzzle games I have ever played, it also never felt unfair to the player, constantly giving hits pointing towards the right solution. If you love puzzles, escape rooms, or experimental art I highly recommend giving Lorelei and The Laser Eyes a play. 

“The New York Times Simulator” 

While many of the games on this list are longer titles made by a large team of people, “The New York Times Simulator” is made by a single developer, Molleindustria, and can be played in only a few minutes. I’ve been following Molleindustria’s work for a while, a developer that almost entirely creates political games and uses their game development as a form of activism. They have created “Democratic Socialism Simulator,” a short experience around implementing environmental policies around the US and “The Best Amendment,” a game focused around how the idea of “a good guy with a gun” is flawed. My personal favorite, “Casual Games for Protesters,” a list of games that play at protest actions to learn how to better organize the group. Their newest project, “The New York Times Simulator,” puts you into the role of Editor-in-Chief of The New York Times. The main goal is to change the titles of articles given to you to better support the newspaper’s interest groups. It is an excellent satire and commentary on how The New York Times and similar newspapers edit article titles to support their own interests. In only 10 minutes, the game says more than most of the games I have played this year. Plus, the game is free online, so you can play it online right now!

“Animal Well” 

From the moment you begin playing “Animal Well,” it’s clear the game is a product of love for metroid-vania’s, 2D platformers, and puzzle games. In the game, you explore a well, trying to figure out the mysteries within by using many toys and contraptions you find on your journey. While the base game can be finished in only a few hours, the well holds so many mysteries that it would be a disservice to not go back and try to solve every mystery that the game has. And there are a lot of them! Every time I thought I had reached the true end of the game, I found a whole new layer of the complex puzzle to solve, many of which had me frantically looking at every pixel, every background, and using tons of pages of my notebook just to find what I was missing. The genius of “Animal Well” is not only its incredible puzzle designs, but also its incredible art and audio work. Every bit of the game reacts to your every movement, creating an incredibly immersive experience I didn’t know was possible with a pixel art platformer. If you love puzzle platformers, I highly recommend checking out “Animal Well.” 

“Webfishing”

Over the last few months, “Webfishing” has become an online sensation and meme, especially on Tiktok. This is for good reason, because I’ve never felt as relaxed as playing “Webfishing” for the first time. The game itself is very simple, you play as a cat or dog that goes around and catches fish in a short mini-game, selling them to get upgrades. There are tons of fish to catch as well as tons of rods and bait to catch them with. While this is fun on its own, the real joy of webfishing comes from the connections you make with other players. As an online game, the majority of fun comes from meeting others, hanging out, showing off your fish, and helping others learn the game. There are tons of props for players to use with one another, from placing down a green-screen to make online videos to pulling out a guitar and playing music for everyone in the lobby. This mix of simple and relaxing gameplay with a chat room makes for a perfect combination that reminds me of my childhood playing “Animal Jam” and “Club Penguin,” meeting other players online for the first time. If you need a relaxing game for the holidays, I highly recommend trying “Webfishing.” 

“Balatro” 

Every once in a while I find a game so addictive that I stop playing any other games and entirely focus on it. For 2024, “Balatro” was that game. The premise is simple, through each run you must make larger and larger poker hands to beat progressively larger scoring thresholds. If you ever don’t make a large enough hand, you must restart and try again from the beginning. The fun of the game comes from strategizing how to make these hands better by getting score multipliers known as Jokers that will make your hands even better. Jokers can do anything from make it so every spade in your hand gives extra score to multiplying your score but destroy other jokers in the process. Playing a hand and watching your score count up complemented with bright visuals and sounds is exhilarating, almost as if you’re watching a rube goldberg machine in action. Balatro is a great example of how pushing a concept as far as possible can take something simple and turn it into something incredible. For both PC and phones, what are you waiting for?

No matter what types of games you typically play, there is something new for everyone on this list. Here’s to a great year of games, and to whatever great releases come out next year in 2025!