It’s that dreaded and delightful time of the year: should I make my Year in Review post? Should I make and share my New Year's Resolutions? Should I obsess with Christmas New Year mood or just Subnautica?
Here’s something I’m sure of: my rather short top list of a person who’s got just 1 hour of free time per day (and sometimes plays at work for research): what I have enjoyed and discovered in 2024:
Person of the year
Everyone I got to interview for the book: I feel privileged and honoured because every conversation was a master class in interactive narrative and a new facet in my own approach to it. I will do my best to share it with you when we finish the book in 2025!
Comfort game of the year
“Subnautica”, since I played “Death Stranding” for the first time last year, so it doesn’t count. Ok, I’m playing on “Freedom”, so it’s a bit more comfortable than the main mode but still feels properly challenging. Is it narrative-driven? Is the narrative just gently supporting the mechanics? Love this
The perfect normal game of the year
“Deathloop”: it’s not an auteur title, not an experiment, yet it’s inventive, innovative, and perfectly weaves the narrative into strong mechanics.
Yebanina* of the year
What else, but 1000xRESIST, that combines rather very simple mechanics and seemingly simplistic graphics with the constant “WTF was in the authors’ heads when they were making this???” My personal reference for how I’d like my own game to be made.
A Russian expletive meaning “fucking weird” — here, in a good way.
The game I can’t continue (yet) of the year
“Cyberpunk 2077”. Right, I know the story will become great later, but the first couple of hours just don’t… captivate me? Where’s my hook, guys? Sure, I’ll get back to it sometime later, just out of the pure sense of duty, but this is something to take note of for myself.
The game friends don’t let friends play (or you’ll be responsible for their rehab)
“B-latro”, you evil genius localthunk. My best achievement in this game was not reinstalling it on my new phone.
The game I’m looking forward to playing the most
“Death Stranding 2”, don’t let me down, Kojima-san!
The industry and the whole world are changing to never be the same, and I feel like we’re going to have some very different year-end results next December. Not necessarily bad; it’s just apples and oranges. I wish you to tell your story in 2025 and share it with as many people as you like; to make an experience that will tell us more not just about you, the author, but mainly about ourselves.
Ready Player 2025.