Nick Coffman’s Top 10 Games of 2024

Jan 8

Written By Nick Coffman

Nick shares his favorites from the year.

Holy shit, it’s the 4th year of the show

Before I get to the games, some nods for the year.

My year at Hard Drive - It took numerous years and numerous pitches, but I finally got on over at the satire video game site. For a mixed year on the TV writing side, it was great to keep the joke pitching part of my brain up and running. Getting paid to write comedy is also a win. My favorite piece is easily my recent Eevee list. Here’s to another fruitful year of comedy.
Radiant Black - I promised myself I would keep it down to one comic series in this section. I’m giving it to Radiant Black. With a first panel that is just a gut punch to any struggling millennial, RB is a superhero story that argues no one is coming to save you, you’re going to have to save yourself. Go read this series.
The Substance - Go see this movie. And god damn it, give Demi the Oscar!

Now let’s get to the list.

10. Super Meat Boy

Super Meat Boy became my quick session game for much of 2024. Revisiting the boss encounters and the numerous warp-zones reminded me of why I originally fell in love with the game over fifteen years ago. The game continuously throws new wrenches at players, keeping it fresh and frustrating throughout each world. My son’s second favorite game of 2024, and the game I pushed him toward anytime he tried to get me to play Super Meat Boy Forever.

9. Still Wakes the Deep

Holy shit, this game looks pretty. A Lovecraftian nightmare set on an oil rig in the 1970s, Still Wakes the Deep has some of my favorite atmospheric storytelling this year. Even though the game is on rails from start to finish, that didn’t stop me from dreading what lurked around each new corner. Some of the best voice acting I’ve heard in a while. I’d recommend playing this one with a good headset.

8. REVEIL

I was split with where Still Wakes the Deep and REVEIL would land on this list. The former is a tighter package with superior gameplay, atmospheric storytelling, and great acting. REVEIL is a more flawed game with segments that drag on and some horror that doesn’t land. Where REVEIL beats out its horror contemporary is its ability to surprise. I’ll avoid spoilers for those who still want to experience it, but the game carries strong throughlines about memory and influence. I think REVEIL is going to find a bigger audience when everything is said and done.

7. Helldivers 2

We found out who of our friends never saw Starship Troopers this year. Even worse, we found out who of our friends didn’t know Starship Troopers was satire. I played a lot of Helldivers 2 in those early days when Super Earth’s greatest enemy was server limitation. The shooting feels good as hell and the game is constantly looking for ways to make your life hell. The quick chances to catch your breath, smashed in-between harrowing fights that feel like they could go either way, reminded me of the director mechanic in Left 4 Dead all those years ago. Helldivers 2 is currently in my squad’s rotation, and I see us spreading democracy for a long time.

6. Balatro

I am not addicted to Balatro. It’s just the only game my brain will let me boot up on my Steam Deck. Sitting at my PC I can completely ignore it. Playing on a handheld, it just scratches that “in and out” itch that my Steam Deck gives me. That background elevator music is also an ear worm that you have to play a round or two of to get out of your head. Also, let’s just take a moment to discuss how crazy it was that Balatro got a game of the year nomination at The Game Awards in 2024. It may have been a down year (at least in comparison to 2023), but 2024 was still a year of AAA hits. Really awesome that Balatro got its flowers.

5. Children of the Sun

Children of the Sun is a hard game to recommend with its mature subject matter. Between its exploration of the treatment of women in cults, the heavy metal soundtrack, and the gritty art style, it’s a game that I wouldn’t recommend plowing through in one sitting. Trying to make the most of one bullet through each level was a fun twist on the first-person sniper genre.

4. Frostpunk 2

I didn’t think I was going to like Frostpunk 2 after my first few hours with it. The city building mechanic and resource collecting were vastly different from the original. Managing multiple settlements felt like an early slog, and the game focused a bit too much on the exploration mechanics to my liking. It didn’t feel like Frostpunk. A few failed settlements later, something snapped in me. This was better than Frostpunk. This was the franchise moving forward, out of the circular grids of the first game into a new world, democracy included. No longer did I need to focus on the losses of thousands of civilians with each passing storm. I instead found myself enamored with counsel votes as I swayed factions to my side with promises here and promises there. It becomes a delicate balancing act that can catch you with your pants down and revolution knocking on your door.

3. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

We really opened 2024 with one of the best. Like so many UbiSoft releases as of late, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown could have been an afterthought. After a decade of working on smaller projects, UbiSoft Montpellier flexed their 2D adventure muscle and reminded everyone they are capable of making a good-ass game. I’ve sung it’s praises numerous times on the show. The ability to save photographs on the map is an update the aging metroidvania genre has needed for a long time. Powers in The Lost Crown grant players access to new areas on their adventure, but it’s discovering how to use your powers in sync that really opens up the map. Boss fights…offer big challenges and will piss you off. Man, UbiSoft used to be really good at video games.

2. What Remains of Edith Finch

I know, I know, another game not released in 2024. Sue me. I knew this one was a bummer going in, but I did not expect to still be thinking about it eight months after exploring the Finch home. What Remains of Edith Finch is a cautionary tale in how we discuss death. There are no good guys or bad guys in this narrative, just a family with some of the dumbest luck and some questionable decision-making. The game’s numerous deaths are gut punches. From the tub to the fish factory, you drag yourself, kicking and screaming, through each character’s sad end. The game takes an even sadder turn once you realize the members of the Finch family are being immortalized for their deaths and not for the lives they lived. What Remains of Edith Finch doesn’t argue for us to ignore death (like a certain Finch), but it also doesn’t paint a pretty picture for those who mythologize the dead. Find love with those still living and ride it out to the end.

1. Pepper Grinder

It was always going to be Pepper Grinder. From the first trailer, I knew I was going to have a good time with this game. Everything about Pepper Grinder screams Donkey Kong Country, Sonic 3, and any other 2D platformer with an emphasis on platforming and adorable enemies. I cannot oversell how much this game feels like that first Donkey Kong Country. It’s less a tip of the hat and more a punch in the face, from the levels that have you shooting yourself from barrel to barel, all the way down to the creepy final boss (I always found Kin K. Rool a bit off putting). Even with its obvious influences, Pepper Grinder stays interesting through its entire campaign. With an emphasis on speed, levels are endlessly replayable. It’s short, but it hits the point and me coming back for more throughout 2024.

game of the year 2024Super Meat BoyStill Wakes the DeepReveilHelldivers 2BalatroChildren of the SunFrostpunk 2Prince of Persia The Lost CrownWhat Remains of Edith FinchPepper GrinderComics

Nick Coffman

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Nick Coffman is a co-founder and editor at Smashing Game Time. He is also a contributor to Hard Drive Magazine. When not failing miserably in Super Meat Boy, Nick can be found working on a screenplay or performing improv and sketch comedy on stage. You can follow him on Twitter.