The Games of Not This Year

At the dawn of each new year, when I look back at my gaming journey through the previous one, there's always a common thread: most of the games I played weren't released that year. I'd wager this is true for a lot of gamers, whether due to a lack of time, the high price of Day 1 releases, or an ever-expanding backlog thanks to copious digital storefront sales. A good problem to be sure, but one that isn't usually reflected when the annual tradition of Game of the Year awards rolls around.

For that reason, I wanted to give some shine to my NoTY (Not of This Year) favorites, the best games I played last year that weren't released in 2024.

Cyber Shadow

It's no surprise that Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games would publish an excellent retro-styled side-scroller. Cyber Shadow is another wonderful example of classic ethos with modern trappings, a 2D actioner that plays as we remember them, not like it actually did in the 8-bit days. It controls wonderfully, with spot-on platforming, challenging combat, and levels filled with traps and enemies that are as fun to watch as to kill. The difficulty is sometimes laughable; forcing players to go several screens between checkpoints feels punitive, but I always feel that endorphin rush after getting through it on the 60th or 70th try and keep coming back for more. What could be more reminiscent of the 8-bit era than that?

Jusant

Filled with dizzying heights, meditative gameplay, and a wonderful soundtrack, Jusant quickly brings to mind Journey and Shadow of the Colossus. The gameplay mechanics live up to its billing as an action-puzzle climbing game. The majority of the game will find you climbing up sheer rock faces, finding the best (and sometimes only) path forward. It all feels very authentic to actual climbing, and the moments when you must swing across the rock faces and leap to the next handhold are quite exhilarating. It suits the game's calm demeanor and style that there are no crumbling ledges or even the possibility of death, but it doesn't drain any of the thrill away. 

Jusant is one of my favorite experiences, not just in 2024 but the past several years. I beg you not to just take my word for it; play it for yourself.

Oxenfree 2

Oxenfree 2 lives up to the hype set forth by its progenitor, full stop. It takes everything that was good about the original and improves upon it, from the writing to the eerie soundtrack and effects. This game will absolutely send chills down your spine even when it isn't trying to. Even though the setting and plot are totally different from the original, playing it feels like slipping back into a comfortable pair of slippers. If walking simulators are your thing, there's a fun mystery here, brought to life by some excellent voice-acting performances. With any luck, Night School Studios will get the green light from their new-ish owner, Netflix, to make a third game in the series so the creepy vibes can keep on coming.

Gris

When I'm feeling overwhelmed by life, I'm a sucker for a linear platformer, one that takes me on a journey of the developer's choosing, that tells me the story it wants to tell, letting me forget about choice and options and freedom for just a while. Craft a beautiful world, make it enjoyable to progress through, and I'm there for it. GRIS is all that and more, and once I picked it up, I thought about it every moment I wasn't playing it. As much fun to play as it is a pleasure to look at, this is one of the best arguments for the "games are art" crowd. If you haven't experienced GRIS yet, do so as soon as possible; I promise you won't regret it.

Katana Zero

When I finally plucked Katana Zero from my Steam backlog, I knew it was a well-regarded 2D platformer but nothing else. Call it Hotline Miami with a sword and you'd be most of the way there; the action is fast, intense, and bloody, though the titular katana takes the place of Hotline Miami's arsenal. The action here is 2D side-scrolling instead of top-down, but you're still bursting through doors and leaving a lot of bodies in your wake. It's a violently good time with a story that messes with your mind while making a statement on war and the cost it takes on the people who fight it.

Planet of Lana

Another denizen of my backlog was the stunningly gorgeous Planet of Lana. Playing this game makes me feel like I'm running through a Studio Ghibli movie. The world is achingly beautiful, the soundscape is incredible, you have an animal companion, and there's really tight platforming mixed with fun but simple puzzles. So basically it has everything I want from a short, interstitial experience between bigger games, and I can't recommend it enough for anyone who wants some linear 2D platforming goodness.

Dave the Diver

I'd had my eye on Dave the Diver for months before it hit PlayStation Plus Essential, it was on my shortlist. I'm a 2D platformer wonk, and while there are so many more layers to this game, the main gameplay sections of scuba diving, exploring, and catching fish are sublime 2D action at its best. The management sim aspects of running the sushi restaurant never get old, and the game adds so many extra mechanics and sidequests in quick succession that you never feel like the gameplay is getting stale. I loved every minute with Dave and his cast of friends and enemies, and I feel like I barely scratched the surface with sidequests and additional goodies that developer MINTROCKET always seems to be adding. I can't recommend it more for fans of indie games.

Death Stranding

I spent the majority of the fall with Hideo Kojima's magnum opus, Death Stranding, and it was better than I ever could have imagined. Like most folks, the early talk about the "walking simulator for real" gameplay put me off from wanting to play it, but I found myself unable to stay away any longer. As a huge fan of the Metal Gear series, I love the Kojima-isms like Codec conversations and overwrought camera shots, but the actual game mechanics were way more compelling than I expected. I never would have guessed that trudging across a river or up a mountain would be so compelling, but it far exceeded the "just get through it for the next cutscene" gameplay that some parts of Kojima's epic creations were known for. If you have any love for Kojima, you don't want to miss this experience.

Are you a NoTY gamer? Tell us in the comments about the games you loved in 2024 that came out earlier, and stay tuned to our pages for the best gaming coverage in 2025!