I feel that 2024 was one of the strongest years for RPGs and puzzle adventure games in recent memory, and as a result I played way more new video games than I originally planned to, enough for a list of my ten favorite RPGs released in the calendar year.
Missed Connections
Black Myth: Wukong, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Granblue Fantasy: Relink, SaGa: Emerald Beyond, Unicorn Overlord, and others. These are a mere few of the games from 2024 that I’m 100% interested in eventually playing, but 0% willing to spend my limited video game budget on at this time. Maybe next year.
Retro Encounter of the Year – Kingdom Hearts II
I played so many excellent games for the Retro Encounter podcast in 2024 that it’s impossible to pick a favorite, but only one of those playthroughs had me rethink everything I assumed about a series I disdained for many years. Kingdom Hearts II is good. Great, even. I get it. You can stop sending emails.
Pleasant Surprise of the Year – Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit
Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is a 2011 DS game that I frankly gave up on seeing an official English release of years ago. To see both AAI titles in a spiffy new 2024 collection is a treat, both for newcomers that want to experience the entire Ace Attorney saga and series veterans that probably already played the fan translation.
Non-RPG of the Year – Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
The Lost Crown is a stellar non-linear 2D action game with gated exploration and RPG elements (I’m trying to avoid saying the M-word) from Ubisoft Montpellier, the studio behind the fabulous Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. Sargon (who isn’t a prince, amusingly) runs, jumps, and slashes his way through an ancient temple and palace complex in a setting steeped in Iranian folklore, but sadly lacking enough RPG sauce to receive a review on this website. It’s a shame that the Montpellier studio has since disbanded (blame Ubisoft), because these challenging corridors and bodacious boss fights are worthy of a sequel.
Top 10 RPGs of 2024
10. For Excellence in Translating the Minutiae of Detective Work into Puzzle Mechanics – The Rise of the Golden Idol
The Rise of the Golden Idol is a solid follow-up to 2022’s outstanding The Case of the Golden Idol, but between the corporate intrigue and serial murders, I was often frustrated by tedium. I really like most of the puzzles in ROTGI, but not when I had to switch between different case scenarios to translate tribal dance moves or check inventories for bracelets. But despite finishing 10th, this is a great game and I harbor no regrets.
9. For Excellence in Character Recruitment and Urban Development – Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
I struggled to connect with the story and characters of Eiyuden Chronicle, which is a bit surprising since Yoshitaka Murayama’s Suikoden games have incredible writing. But one thing that Eiyuden successfully inherits from its spiritual predecessors is the feeling of satisfaction from recruiting a large army of characters and building your castle town one tier at a time. By the end, I cared much more about the minor struggles of optional recruits than the political machinations of the League of Nations.
8. For Excellence in Fast-Paced Movement and Combat on Dry Land Only – Ys X: Nordics
Ys X has likeable characters and a very fun gameplay loop — explore a sea full of islands, rescue innocent captives from an undead armada, hang out with your crew, upgrade your ship, then do it all again — and exciting action combat to go along with it. But only on land. My least favorite part of the game is how long it takes to get anywhere in your ship, which is an unfortunate blemish on an otherwise rock-solid action RPG. Adol and Karja are delightful, the story eventually has real stakes and thrust, and the overall vibes are fair winds and following seas.
7. For Excellence in Reviving a Long-Dormant Series – Visions of Mana
The first four Mana RPGs are certifiable classics, but it was a little hard to be a Mana fan from 2001 to the present day, with several duds and disappointing ports; the very good 2020 remake of Trials of Mana is a notable exception. But in 2024, Square Enix and Ouka Studios (RIP) released Visions of Mana, a charming action RPG with bright colors, spunky heroes, and lots of Mana flavor. I’m discouraged by Ouka’s closure, but also hope that Visions isn’t the last Mana effort of the decade.
6. For Excellence in Square Enix Not Fixing What Isn’t Broken – Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
This is the new gold standard for modern remakes. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is unmistakably the same 8-bit RPG that caused a spike in student truancy in 1988 but has modern conveniences and elements from later games that make Dragon Quest III more approachable than ever. I’m not sure if I enjoyed DQ3 HD-2D more because it was already great or because the changes significantly improved it, but I had such a good time that distinction doesn’t matter.
5. For Excellence in Shattering Expectations and Glass Ceilings – The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
It’s refreshing to see a Legend of Zelda game that stars Zelda over Link, but it would’ve been a wasted opportunity if Zelda played just like Links of the past. Fortunately, Echoes of Wisdom gives us a Zelda that’s versatile, expressive, and only resembling Link in her taciturn manner. Zelda and her Tri-Rod summoning beds, blocks, monsters, and trampolines make Echoes of Wisdom a unique (and great) Zelda experience, perfect for 2D-over-3D Zelda fans like yours truly.
4. For Excellence in Character Creation – Dragon Age: The Veilguard
I don’t want to acknowledge The Discourse surrounding The Veilguard; played on its own merits, this is an incredible fantasy RPG that gives the player six origins, four races, and (at least) nine class specializations that shape gameplay and narrative in a hard-hitting RPG. I played through as a dwarven Mourn Watch Reaper, and every part of my character, from their tattoos to which teammates I befriended, let me influence the game’s final confrontation, and I loved almost all of it. I’m already thinking about how to handle Veilguard in a second run, choosing a different background, class, and romantic partner. That’s as good an endorsement as I can give.
3. For Excellence in Square Enix Breaking That Which Needed No Fixing and Rebuilding it into Something Special – Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Final Fantasy VII is one of the most iconic RPGs in history, so for its reimagining in three acts, Square Enix couldn’t execute half-measures. Just like in 1997, once the team leaves Midgar the new setting feels like Dorothy first setting foot in Oz, but the 2024 version is so vibrant that one common complaint is that there are too many minigames, side quests, and optional tasks. That’s a pretty good problem to have, and frankly one that I never had. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is one of the liveliest, best-looking, and best-sounding Final Fantasy games this side of Eorzea, and still has the original FFVII’s goofy personality. That’s a remarkable achievement.
2. For Excellence in Honoring the Past While Anticipating the Future – Metaphor: ReFantazio
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a diamond of an RPG in its own right, with fantastic turn-based combat, compelling characters, gorgeous art and sound design, and story motifs of justice, progress, and idealism that all ring true. Metaphor is also called “a Persona game in all but name” or similar quite often, which I think is unfair. Metaphor has Persona-like character relationships and time management, but also Shin Megami Tensei-like Press Turn combat, Etrian Odyssey-like dungeons and maps, and enemy designs inspired by the art of Hieronymus Bosch.
Metaphor wears its influences on its sleeve (most of which are earlier games made by the same developer) but pulls it off so well that it shouldn’t be treated as a patchwork quilt of Atlus games, but as a brilliant RPG in its own right. I don’t know what Studio Zero’s next game will look like, but I’m already hyped for it.
1. For Excellence in Finding Your Chosen Family and Understanding that Accepting Help is a Sign of Strength – Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon was the beginning of Ichiban Kasuga’s journey, but there was something missing. Ichiban briefly encounters Kazuma Kiryu, the original Like a Dragon hero, in his debut adventure, but it was a little strange seeing Ichiban interact with Kiryu, who players assumed was retired from Like a Dragon-ing after Yakuza 6.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku 8 in Japan) delivers on two fronts — a continuation of Ichiban’s story and a better ending to Kiryu’s. Ichiban brings nearly all of his Yokohama homies along for the ride when he journeys to Honolulu in search of his estranged mother (justice for Eri), and Kiryu comes out of hiding to help Ichiban while also thwarting what could be an international incident. We see Ichiban’s endless compassion bring more former enemies into his orbit, and Kiryu’s stubborn solitude melt away as he discovers how many lives he’s affected in positive ways, through exciting turn-based combat and a rollicking job system, in one of the most fully-realized open-world environments ever built for a video game.
Infinite Wealth is my favorite game experience of the year for every reason other than its ending (which… isn’t great). The action, music, side content, and playable spaces are all top-notch, but really, it’s about these loveable characters and their interactions. Both Like a Dragon protagonists deserve better than what their hard lives gave them, and they teach us that the real Infinite Wealth is the friends we made along the way.
