Notable Games I Played in 2024

This time I'll be adding to this section during the year rather than writing everything after 2024 ends... is what I wrote here when I first started making this page at the beginning of last year. Needless to say, I Did Not Do That. Well, I tried, but failed miserably. So here's a recap of some of the standout games I played in 2024 - mostly written at the beginning of 2025. Now let's see how much I remember...

new-to-me games

A Little To The Left (2022)

This puzzle game caught my attention even before it was released. I tried out the demo during one of the Steam fests and immediately wishlisted it. I’d been itching to play it ever since, but the thing is, this game is quite pricey and in the year since it was released I don’t think I’d ever seen it on sale! I finally bought it as a Christmas present for myself recently – and now, having played it, I think I somewhat understand why the price is so much higher that I would expect (disclaimer: I actually know nothing about pricing games + I would still probably wait for a sale, if it ever goes on any).

A Little to the Left is a cozy puzzle game where you sort household objects. Some levels are easy and/or have only one solution; some have several solutions of varying difficulty. Sometimes your cat disrupts your sorting. But it’s all very calm and mellow, and with great art style. It may not sound like something one would want to pay a lot of money for, but, a). the game isn’t at all short; and b). there are Daily Tidies – small puzzles that are released EVERY DAY and are free to play. There are also three holiday expansion packs - I've played all of them and they are great.

To Hell with the Ugly (2023)

This is a detective adventure game based on the novel of the same name by the French writer Boris Vian. I've actually read it, even – I suddenly remembered I had an old copy just after I started the game and thought: why not check out the source material? The book is a parody of hardboiled detective fiction popular at the time and, in my humble opinion, not a very good one (sorry Boris Vian, maybe I’ll read your Serious books someday). Interestingly enough, I thought it was a good source material for a game regardless and I can see why the devs thought so too. It’s a noir about this young, handsome guy who gets kidnapped and escapes, and the plot takes some truly Wild turns at times.

The art style of this game is GORGEOUS!!! Easily the best thing about it. It manages to convey the noir aesthetic with bright oranges and yellows that aren’t typically associated with the genre. The puzzles aren’t difficult either, which is nice. I think this game could do without the combat parts (though I can understand why they are there, as, iirc, our main character likes boxing + these scenes add variety to the gameplay), but they are easy as well, so I wasn’t too bothered. It’s a good game for when you want something short and uncomplicated yet fun and engaging.

Over the Alps (2020)

А gorgeous narrative game/visual novel about a British spy in Switzerland on the brink of WW2. Beautiful visuals and engaging adventures in the spirit of 1930s Hitchcock films – particularly, The 39 Steps comes to mind. There are two stories about two different characters (a man and a woman), but I’ve only played one so far, so I have no idea if they are intertwined or completely separate, or how similar they are to each other.

The story itself is pretty much what you would expect from a WW2 spy flick: full of chases and adventure and beautiful blondes that may or may not be dangerous. The visuals are very bright and reminiscent of retro travel posters. As a postcard enjoyer, I also appreciated the way the story is told through interactive postcards.

Dreams in the Witch House (2023)

This one was a real standout for me! Based on the H.P. Lovecraft short story of the same name, this game joins To Hell with the Ugly to form my unofficial Great Games with Dubious Literary Source Material that Significantly Improve It duo. Like many other people, I enjoy Lovecraftian concepts and despise H.P. Lovecraft as a person (and I’m not particularly fond of his writing style either tbh), so I always appreciate quality re-imaginings of his work. This is definitely a very good and, in fact, quite faithful adaptation of the story. It’s a point-and-click adventure game with RPG elements where you play as Walter Gilman, a student who moves in to a boarding house that used to belong to a local witch. As well as solving the main mystery, you need to make sure Walter is fed, healthy, has studied enough to pass his exams and doesn’t go insane because of the Horrors. There are several difficulty levels. I played on the easiest one because I'm not the biggest fan of RPGs and it was perfectly manageable: just a hint of a challenge without being distracting. This suited me just fine, but that’s not the only way to play: you can focus on your studies or fail the exams completely, or ignore the weird happenings altogether. Or go insane! There are several endings and quite a lot of achievements that add replay value.

Further reading (in this case, listening): Dreams in the Witch House: A Lovecraftian Rock Opera - a cool rock opera adaptation of the story that wouldn’t have ended up on my radar if it weren’t for the game

The Excavation of Hob's Barrow (2022)

This 3rd person pixel adventure had been on my radar for quite some time. It’s a folk horror set in Victorian England about a female archeologist who arrives to a small remote village to excavate a local barrow and all the strange things that happen to her there.

This is quite a bleak game, in terms of content as well as visuals. The colors really evoke the gloomy, damp feeling of being in the moors in the English countryside, and the cutscene animations are as intricate as they are unsettling. In fact, the whole game is increasingly unsettling, morphing into full horror by the end, but still mild enough for me (a baby) not to shit myself while playing. The story is great, the creepiness is top notch and the voice acting is superb. It’s also a very sad game for a number of reasons, one of them being the inevitability of all the bad things that are going to happen in the story. I must replay this with the dev’s commentary soon.

Further reading: The Gnostic Horror of The Excavation of Hob's Barrow (spoilers!)

Sucker for Love: Date to Die For (2024)

Such a good time!! This game was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and it DELIVERED. This is the second game in the Sucker for Love universe (see also: best games I played in 2023) and it has a different protagonist (who is asexual!), more complex story and gameplay than the first game, as well as more characters. It also leans into the horror genre much more than the first game – there’s even an accessibility setting that turns on jumpscare warning. It was a lifesaver for me because during certain parts the game relied on them quite heavily. With that feature turned on I was able to experience the horrors ™ in a “cozy” way without having a heart attack every two minutes. The aesthetic was also on point with the purple-green color scheme, the grainy VHS-esque filter and the 90s anime aesthetic I loved since the first game.

I loved how complex the story was, but I was kinda underwhelmed by the dating aspect. In Date to Die For, most of the main relationship develops behind the scenes without the player’s direct interference. The relationship itself is lovely, but there’s no dating in this dating sim! It didn’t affect my overall enjoyment – if anything, it made me wish for a third game that would strike the perfect balance between the first and second games – but it’s bound to be frustrating for players who are looking for datesim mechanics specifically.

Sticky Business (2023)

Another rare break from story-driven games for me, Sticky Business is a cozy sticker shop simulator! You create stickers from hundreds of available elements, sell them in your online shop and pack orders. The more money you make the more elements you can purchase. There are also options to customize your packaging and a selection of purchasable treats to put in each box. Oh, and it’s not just about creating and packing: your customers can interact with you by adding notes to their orders and you gradually unlock their stories as you create more stickers. My favorite thing about this game is that it’s very, very wholesome and completely stress-free: there’s no running timer, no angry customers, no repercussions for making a mistake in an order. And I think that’s beautiful.

I browsed through the stickers people post on r/StickyBusiness and the creativity is seriously mind-boggling! The ideas people have! They inspired me to create more elaborate stickers and use the available elements in more unconventional ways. I feel like sharing some of my favorite creations here, so I created a page for just that! P.S. The game has an option to save a sticker sheet to your computer to print on your own and I will definitely be using that in the future.

DLCs and
revised editions

Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut (2024)

The Pristine Cut is a massive free update to Slay the Princess, an incredible visual novel released the year before (see also: best games I played in 2023). The update includes three new chapters, significantly expands three of the already existing paths and adds a new ending. There’s also a new Memories function which allows you to track which Princesses you’ve already met and view the artwork you’ve unlocked. I felt like the absence of something like this was pretty much the only flaw of this game, so I’m glad they added it! At time of writing, I’m still in the process of playing through all the paths and collecting the achievements, but the content update is clearly for the better. Those updated paths feel more fleshed out than before and the new chapters add more depth as well.

Lake: Season's Greetings DLC (2023)

The original game was once again one of the best games I played in 2023, and at the end of that very year they released this Christmas DLC. It’s a prequel that takes place a few months before the events of the main game, but this time you play as Meredith’s father. You still deliver mail and meet the inhabitants of the quaint little town, except everything’s covered in snow and the radio playlist is now peppered with Christmas songs (my one complaint is that it’s still mostly the same playlist as in the main game – I wish the songs were different). This DLC is a fun addition to the main game, has the same cozy vibe, and the snowy landscapes make it a great game to play around Christmas/New Year’s Eve!

demos

upcoming releases

Of Sense and Soul

This is one of my most anticipated releases of 2025, a queer Victorian visual novel about two men who connect to each other through a misunderstood lonely hearts ad. The devs promise A Lot of gay pining, multiple endings and well-researched setting, among other things. I’m so excited for the full game! The demo already gave me such a warm, fuzzy feeling ♥ It’s beautifully drawn and written. I also think one of the main characters might be autistic-coded, which is nice too.

Tom the postgirl

A point-and-click walk-and-stalk game where you play as a weird girl who really likes spying on people. You deliver packages around the village while peeking at people through their windows and seeing strange things you shouldn’t be seeing. The graphics are hand-drawn and I really liked their creepy/cute vibe. I think this game has potential! Not to mention it’s also kinda about mail, which is my favorite thing :D

Tiny Bookshop

A game about, well, a tiny bookshop on wheels! Customize your tiny shop, recommend books to customers, get to know people, learn about the history of the town. The demo was short but very cozy. I’m excited by the fact that apparently we will be able to collect stamps in the game AND by the fact that the town has a lighthouse. Mail AND lighthouses?? Sign me the hell up.

released

All of these are out in full now, but I have to shout their demos out as part of my 2024 gaming year.

An English Haunting is an adventure game about a guy who has 72 hours to prove ghosts really exist, otherwise his metaphysical research university department will be shut down. The game is set in England during the peak of the spiritualism craze and features actual figures from that era, such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini. Ghosts and the spiritualist movement in particular have always been a special interest of mine, so I’m super excited to play the full game.

Cabernet is an RPG narrative game about a 19th century Slavic girl who has recently been turned into a vampire. RPGs are not usually my cup of tea, but the demo was AMAZING. The story was compelling and the tiny bit of it I saw in the demo made me want more. I don’t know anything about the devs, but based on the depiction of some traditional stuff surrounding death, I’m pretty sure they are Slavic themselves.

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is a short mystery game about a ducktective (you know, like in Gravity Falls?) who is hired to investigate reoccurring lunch theft at a call center. It’s a really fun parody on noir clichés, complete with dramatic off-screen narration. My favorite thing about this demo was the juxtaposition of stereotypical noir stuff and bright cartoony visuals with animal characters.