Hello. Yes, this is Evil Uno. Again. You may have occasionally seen me wrestle on your TV set for AEW, at your local wedding hall for an independent wrestling show, or maybe you’ve watched me host Mystery Wrestling, my Twitch wrestling show where every single competitor is a surprise.

2024 was a weird year. It looked like no big games were scheduled for release. Yet, a wave of insanely great independent developers dropped bangers in 2024, making it one of the most memorable years for video games. Here are my personal favorites from this year.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

If The Game Awards can nominate a DLC, then Evil Uno can too! I love Elden Ring. Everyone did! I’ve even claimed in a past life that it was the greatest game ever created. Shadow of the Erdtree is wayyyyy more Elden Ring. More weapon sets. More bosses. More lore. The sheer size of this thing is impressive. While I loved what I played, I guess I’m starting to feel like I’ve played TOO MUCH Elden Ring at this point. Now we’re getting a co-op Elden Ring game? I think I’m going to need a break after 2025.

1000xResist

1000xResist is a third person narrative game and also my favorite story game of 2024. Read no more if you are already sold. These kinds of games are always better played blind. You are one of 6 clones of a woman whose genes make her immune to a deadly virus that is killing off the human race. You must revisit the original’s saved memories to decipher what is going on with your creator, the clones, and ultimately Earth itself. It tackles duty, love, race, family, individuality, the end of the world, and it RULES.

It’s a fascinating game that really caught me off guard and one I think everyone should play this year.

Thank Goodness You’re Here

There are so few “comedy” games that are, well, funny. Thank Goodness You’re Here is a short, point-and-click adventure game filled with weird interactions, hilarious quips, and utter nonsense. The colorful art style and voice acting lends itself to a bunch of dumb jokes. It’s stupid and that’s why I love it.

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle

I think every man in his 30s is an Indiana Jones fan. I was excited at the idea of a modern Indiana Jones game, but truthfully, I didn’t have high hopes. December games typically miss the window for GOTY nominations. I assumed it was being released in December by design. Color me surprised: I’ve loved what I’ve played of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle!

Troy Baker’s voice acting is superb and makes your adventure feel like a sequel to the movie series. There’s a wide variety of biomes to explore and the open world areas are filled with challenging puzzles to solve. Yet, it never holds you by the hand when trying to solve them. In a lot of ways, its structure reminds me of 2017’s Prey. It has occasional Bethesda engine jank, but who cares about that when I can whip a dude in the face?!

I’ve yet to finish it (I’m a completionist), but I’ve seen enough for it to secure a place on my favorite games of this year.

Minishoot’ Adventures

Has this concept ever been done before? A top-down shooter, but laid out like a Zelda game? The art style isn’t anything to write home about and there isn’t much of a story to follow, but the core gameplay is so satisfying. It’s the kind of game that I obsessed over getting 100% in. It’s a perfect Steam Deck game for me to play in short stints and that holds a lot of weight for me, who predominantly plays on the go these days. Thanks, Dan Ryckert for the recommendation!

Lorelei & The Laser Eyes

You must LOVE puzzles to play this game. There are so many damn puzzles. I fell in love with the Killer 7 like aesthetics of this game, yet I’ve found myself taking month long breaks because the game would humble me. It’s the only game this year that had me writing in a physical notebook to solve my puzzles. Trying to make sense of the notes after my month-long breaks was a puzzle of its own. I’ve yet to finish this game, but it is one I keep thinking about.

UFO 50

Similar to the Action 52 cartridge I had as a kid, UFO 50 is a collection of 50 pixel-based games. There are full RPGs, RTS games, puzzle games, adventure games, co-op games, multiplayer sport games and more. The impressive thing is that the quality of MOST of these games is insanely high. I think some of these could have found a lot of success as their own individual releases.

Some of my favorites include:

• Night Manor, a point and click horror game with a slasher mechanic that makes for a tense experience.
• Mortol, a puzzle platformer game where you use your corpse as a platform in your next run.
• Warptank, a puzzle platformer in which you’re a tank that can leap from the floor to the ceiling.
• Party House, a deckbuilder game with blackjack-like mechanics.

Astro Bot

Astro Bot may be the most polished mascot platformer ever made. It’s a lot of what Astro’s Playroom was: unique gimmicks, interesting uses of the new PlayStation controller, a deep dive into Sony’s 30-year history. Approachable for all ages, yet still challenging enough for a seasoned pro. It’s vibrant and just plain fun to play. I really loved the grandiose feel of the multiple boss battles and felt rewarded with levels specifically influenced by old Sony games. It’s a game I would recommend for anyone with a PlayStation 5. All hail our new Sony mascot, Astro Bot.

Animal Well

Animal Well is a game that rewards curiosity. While best described as a metroidvania, Animal Well’s rules are never strictly defined. It never tells you where to go, what to do, or how to use an item. In a typical metroidvania, you unlock an item to serve one function, like opening a very specific type of door. In this game, discovery is not enough. Your curiosity is what allows you to progress forward. Example: A frisbee. It can be used to throw at far away switches. Sure. It can also be used as a method of transportation, or as a tool to distract a dog, or to bounce back and forth endlessly in a switch puzzle. It’s that moment of clarity in the game that I fell in love with. When whatever stupid idea you have actually works. It’s also a game FILLED with secrets. One of my favorite experiences this year was unraveling those secrets alongside everyone else who was playing this game for the first time. It’s a game I’ll never forget and one I can not believe was developed by a single person. Wild.

1. Balatro

Balatro is poker on crack. It’s less about the game of poker itself and more about how you cheat at the game of poker. A royal flush is typically the strongest hand, but what if I could make that a pair instead? Or what if I turned all of my cards into one suit so that I can ensure I have flush at all times? Trying to figure out new and interesting synergies amongst the Joker cards and essentially breaking the games makes you feel like the smartest person in the world. Its the most addictive gaming loop of 2024. I’ve put over 200 hours into Balatro across 3 different devices and will likely put another 100 hours into it next year. This is Evil Uno’s game of the year.