The end of the year is here, and with the spanking new 2025 just kicking off, I would be remiss to not sigh with slight forlorn nostalgia for the year that came to an end. It was quite a year for gaming, after all. When Triple A showed us its weak underbelly, sliding over with many titanic flops of epic proportions, the Indie scene kept flexing its polished muscles, having a strong showing across the year and in countless genres. It is a rather insurmountable task to pick the best game of the year in that vast ocean of titles. And so, it will have to be a very subjective, personal list. And of course, it would be a shame to celebrate only one game amongst the throng - so I have decided to create a few fun categories that sounded just right for me.
The explosion of cozy games was rapid and expansive, to a degree, that recently I saw some people flash their jaded side and announce publicly their loathing of the genre far and wide. I hold no such disdain and to this day love a little warm game about feeling good, embracing calm vibes, and enjoying some digital tranquility. After a long day of work and a stressful time, it is nice to have a little corner of feel-good, specifically curated to cultivate peace of mind. And here are the nominees!
Tiny Glade
Minami Lane
Flock
Tavern Talk
The whole core idea behind Tiny Games as a platform to talk about games stemmed from titles like those below. Tiny. Games. In every aspect of their design, games that you can consume over an evening, games that will steal only a few hours of your time. But the deal is that they will do their darn best to transform those precious minutes into pure, unadulterated fun. I had played quite a few small, short titles this year, but had to nominate a few that managed to stay with me and made enough of an impression to bring a smile to my face whenever I recall them in my Mind Palace. And so, the nominees are:
Thank Goodness You're Here
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
The Operator
Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip
A game that lingers with you for the years to come, a title you gladly return to. It can be thanks to a stellar story you want to witness again and refresh your memory. Or it can be this kind of game when there's always a next goal to reach, a modicum of perfection to chase after. A game that gnaws at the back of your head and somehow finds a way to pull you back in for a session or two - and even once you complete it, its siren call can make you install it all over again! 2024 was for me a year of the many roguelikes, so no wonder they dominate this category - and so, here are the nominees:
Diceomancer
TerraScape
Pyrene
Magicraft
The big one. The grand title, the champion, a game that blew me away this year and will leave a lasting impact on my mind. One I can fondly recall for years to come as something unique, and special. It can be for many reasons - from stellar execution to brilliant ideas, it just had that magical something that made my eyes glimmer and my mind willing to talk about it to everyone I know, trying to sell it and sell it hard. Squeezing out only four nominees for such a strong year of stellar gaming experiences was a tough task, so I broke the mold a little here and decided to include one more, for completion sake - here are the five champions of 2024!
Dice Player One
Frostpunk 2
Closer the Distance
Cryptmaster
Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop
Now that you know the nominees, over the week, day after day, I'll be posting a write-up in detail for every category and announcing a winner for each! It is a tough decision to make, and I am sure every developer is riveted by the very idea of getting a Golden Tiny (a perfectly virtual trophy—we like to stay green here!). So let's get ready for a great 2025 of Indie Gaming, starting by celebrating the best titles from 2024!
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