Games of the Year

RPGFan Games of the Year 2024: Best Graphic Adventure or Visual Novel

1000xRESIST - Best Graphic Adventure or Visual Novel of 2024

Winner: 1000xRESIST

Writeup by Aleks Franiczek

One of 1000xRESIST’s most impressive achievements is how thoughtfully it is structured, leveraging shifts in its presentation to support its storytelling. It’s not really an adventure game. It’s not really a walking sim. And it’s certainly not an RPG. But it learns from narrative design techniques used in titles from each genre to craft one of the most stylistically cohesive and emotionally engaging games I’ve played.

The gameplay is mechanically barebones, but there’s quality throughout its dressing. A beautifully melancholic soundtrack. An expressively sterile visual style. Trippy perspective-shifting. Ambiguous dialogue choices. It all coalesces into a gameplay experience driven by various feelings over challenges. Videogames can be a good bit of fun and express some interesting ideas about the world while doing so. Games like 1000xRESIST show how much untapped potential there still is when focusing on the latter.


Runner-Up: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection

Writeup by Niki Fakhoori

It’s risky to release a new translation of a game 13 years after its original release, but the payoff can be game-changing. Ace Attorney Investigations 2 was infamous as the only remaining Ace Attorney game not to have an official translation, despite fans “in the know” generally considering it among the best entries in the series. In 2024, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection arrived, with both an HD remaster of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and, finally, an official translation of Ace Attorney Investigations 2, now given the subtitle Prosecutor’s Gambit. At long last, more fans than ever can experience the charming heroes, dynamic rivals, and diabolical villains of this top-shelf series entry. This is one successful gambit worth celebrating.


Readers’ Choice: Best Graphic Adventure or Visual Novel of 2024

Winner: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (28% of votes)

Runner-Up: Life is Strange: Double Exposure (16.1% of votes)

Aleks Franiczek

Aleks Franiczek

Aleks is a Features writer and apparently likes videogames enough to be pursuing a PhD focused on narrative design and the philosophy of player experience. When not overthinking games he also enjoys playing them, and his favorite genre is “it’s got some issues, but it’s interesting!”