It’s been a great year for RPGs, and I’m always trying to keep up with the great titles of this year, last year, the previous year, and so on. Last year, I hadn’t beaten Baldur’s Gate 3, and here I am, a year later, and I still haven’t beaten it! Anyway, that was last year. Here’s what I played this year and (mostly) beat.
A 2023 RPG I Beat in 2024: Atelier Marie Remake
Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg launched on July 13th last year, but sadly I didn’t pick the game until much later. While we technically did get a new Atelier game in 2024 with the mobile title Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy & the Liberator of Polar Night, the Atelier Marie Remake transported me to a simpler time in the series where it was just a girl, her caldron, and a few (in-game) years to become the best alchemist she could be. Along with some of the cutest graphics I’ve seen and a more forgiving day schedule, I absolutely love this game. And heck, I beat the game in roughly 20 hours, a short and sweet experience in comparison to recent juggernaut RPGs. The short experience also tempts me to give the game another spin to unlock a different character path or achieve a different ending.
Penny Blood is Real: Penny Blood: Hellbound
I know it’s an anxiety-inducing time for Shadow Hearts fans as the promising spiritual successor, Penny Blood, has run into publisher woes, culminating in a lawsuit with Dangen Entertainment. But let’s talk about the positives: Penny Blood: Hellbound hit Early Access in January of 2024 with a full release on December 17th. You might be skeptical about a spin-off that exists without a base game, but let me assure you that this roguelite is a bloody good time! The game follows the baddies of the main game, the Hellhounders, as they try to escape a magical prison controlled by the evil (?) Celestial Rainbow gang. One feature setting it apart from other roguelites is the ability to splatter enemy blood across the ground, allowing your chosen Hellhounder to slip and slide across the map to create a narrow escape or build up momentum for a special attack. Given the macabre setting mixed with the humor you’d expect from the Shadow Hearts series, Penny Blood: Hellbound is a surprisingly fun game that will (hopefully) tide you over until the main game launches.
I Would Watch a Series/Movie: Harold Halibut
I didn’t expect to fall in love with Harold Halibut, but here we are. Just glancing at the screenshots, you may mix the game up with a claymation film in the vein of Wallace & Gromit or Chicken Run. The adventure follows (you guessed it) Harold Halibut as he assists the various residents of Fedora I. Fedora I is a generation ship on its way to a new home for humanity that lodged into a water planet by mistake. While the gameplay is incredibly simple, with puzzles that feel “baby’s first adventure game,” the story and characters sucked me in. If team Slow Bros had followed a movie or TV show route instead, I would have loved the experience all the same. Seriously, check out the game’s website for a behind-the-scenes look at how the team crafted the world of Fedora I and its inhabitants.
Sleeper Hit/Game of the Year: Megaton Musashi W: Wired
Have you heard of Megaton Musashi W: Wired, the giant robot action RPG created by Level-5? Sadly, not many have based on the number of players who take part in the game’s online mode. However, those who gave Megaton Musashi a chance experienced not only a solid action RPG but a wild plot that rivals the zaniest mecha anime. Heck, there is an anime based on the game! With a story presentation reminiscent of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim with an arcade-y mecha game thrown in, I can’t gush enough about this game. There are only two bad things: 1) You get materials, equipment, and weapons through a gacha system, but it’s really not that bad since you can get pretty good drops through missions. 2) Not enough people are playing to populate the online modes, even with the more recent modes that were added in November. Please play Megaton Musashi W: Wired! I beg you!
Special Mentions
I played a few more games this year, but either I’m not finished or there was just something missing that didn’t categorize the game as GOTY for me.
- Fantasian: Neo Dimension – I’m still early in the game, but I’m digging the overall vibe. With the UI, music, and overall feel of the game, it almost feels like a sequel to Final Fantasy IX if Final Fantasy X never existed. I’m loving everything about Fantasian!
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – The game is a fantastic continuation of Final Fantasy VII Remake, but with one problem: I’m drowning in all of the content! I’m over 50 hours in, but I’m still nowhere near the end of the game.
- WitchSpring R – Like with Atelier Marie Remake, WitchSpring R feels like a simpler Atelier experience, but the sim elements building Pieberry’s stats set it apart. That, and Pieberry is such a cute and funny protagonist. The game technically released on PC last year but the Switch release hit in 2024.
- Unicorn Overlord – I had a fun time with Unicorn Overlord, but I wasn’t as gripped by the story as I was with Vanillaware’s previous magnum opus, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. However, the combat, a beautiful blend of Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy XII’s Gambit System, made it fun to test different combinations of classes.
