Best Game I Literally Couldn’t Stop Playing
Best Game About Toxic Relationships
Best Game I Have No Excuse for Not Having Played Already
Played in 2024
Bloodborne

Played in 2024
Came out in 2024

Arco
Good: Super compelling tactical combat, good western revenge story
Good: Very repeatable and fun gameplay
Poinpy
Unicorn Overlord took over my life. It has one of the most addictive gameplay loops I have experienced in a while.
Also the game is just fucking beautiful.
The story is comically by the numbers but I really enjoyed a lot of the social stuff between your characters. I wouldn’t say they have a lot of depth but they do have a lot of charm.
My one big gameplay criticism is that the game is pretty easy to break once you figure out how to do it. Fortunately I like breaking games but it did happen a bit earlier than I would have preferred.
And the maps! Towers for stationing your archers, heavy artillery to capture, campfires to heal, all strategically placed to help you on your way.
Tinkering with team compositions and using if/then statements to improve their synergy and optimize their distribution and use of skills...
Liberating and rebuilding towns, stationing guards, searching for secrets on the map, eating beautifully rendered food with your companions...
There are so many different layers and mechanics in this game that it would be ridiculous to list them all, but somehow they all feel in service of the overall gameplay and I naturally found myself doing basically everything.

Played in 2024
Came out in 2024

Unicorn Overlord
Good: Very stylish, cool characters
Good: Arguably better writing, more wholesome but still horny
Sorry We’re Closed
Thirsty Suitors
Honorable Mentions
I’m really glad I finally went back to this game. In addition to being a fun and interesting experience it gave me some context for two other games I played this year that did not work as well for me.
The story definitely has some problematic parts but the updated version at least tries to make amends to an extent. I would say it doesn’t totally land but this is Japan we’re talking about and I appreciate what they did.

Came out in 2024
The puzzle game is also really fun! I’m not going to go out of my way to play more of it (though there is an arcade machine with more levels in the bar) but I do understand why people were playing it at tournaments.
The game is also cool as hell. I am sure that is normal for people who have played the Persona games, but the bar interludes in Catherine are awesome. You get alcohol trivia from trying different drinks, you receive and send texts, and you chat with other patrons.
It’s a story about somewhat problematic dudes in their early 30s and their relationship problems. That sounds like a bad idea on paper but it’s surprisingly earnest and I found the characters sympathetic, if not always relatable
I went back to Cathrine because it came up on My Perfect Console and ended up enjoying it a lot more than I expected to.

Catherine: Full Body
Thirteen years ago I played this game for maybe an hour and then quit. At the time I was really frustrated with games that use obviously coded dialogue choices to funnel you into the type of ending you may want. It felt like rather than making a bunch of decisions you really only make one.