“Yeah, but is it fun?” That’s the question that so often burns into any discussion of a new and upcoming game. You can absolutely have tense and gruelling experiences, explore traumatic narratives, and do so with cutting edge graphics, but so many games put pure enjoyment, fun and satisfying feel first and foremost.
So… which games felt the best and most fun for us in 2024?
One of the reasons why Astro Bot is picking up so many awards this year is that pretty much anyone can play it. If you are old enough to use a controller you can enjoy it, and the mechanics are so simple that anyone can understand them.
Each world brings something new with Astro Bot joined by a companion that enhances his skills in some fashion, floating like a balloon or turning into an indestructible spikey ball. It’s then simple logic – and real world logic at that – which allows you to progress. You need to get higher? Turn into the balloon and float up, simple. There’s no faffing about with special powers or complex button pushing, a single button press and you are on your way. As you progress through the world the use of the power up becomes more integral and you learn how to use it more subtly, culminating in a boss battle that requires you use all the knowledge you have gained over the past few levels.
Astro Bot is also insanely addictive, where finishing the game is just the first step. You then still have the challenge modes and the delightful task of rescuing all the Astro Bots from the many PlayStation games and watching them interact,
Let’s not pretend Astro Bot invented platforming, Nintendo have that honour with Donkey Kong, but Team Asobi have delivered another perfect example of the genre.
– Tuffcub
If you’re expecting Balatro to play like a familiar game of Texas hold ’em, then you’ve got another thing coming. Thankfully, that thing is a gorgeously put together roguelite deckbuilder that riffs on poker, rummy, solitaire and so much more. Each stage (blind) that you take on has a
astro bot
Balatro