The RPS Choice Field: Jeremy’s bonus video games of the yr 2024

2024 was my first full yr at RPS, and as a guides author, it was a yr filled with the form of video games that make you roll your sleeves up, wipe sweat out of your forehead, and stare up on the sky from the trenches, ruminating on what life is like while you aren’t coping with back-to-back Soulslikes interspersed with gacha video games that characteristic incomprehensible lootbox mechanics.

In between having my mettle examined by the likes of Shadow of the Erdtree, Black Fable: Wukong, and Wuthering Waves, nevertheless, there have been occasional moments the place I received to get pleasure from smaller, maybe barely extra stress-free gaming experiences. I’ve highlighted two under, together with one batshite kooky recreation that did not make it on our GOTY checklist, however received me over nonetheless due to its gusto.

An English Haunting

Alice B (RPS in peace!) fairly appreciated An English Haunting when she dove into the demo final April. I loved it as properly, and one in all us in all probability would have reviewed the ultimate recreation, however alas, it slipped by the cracks throughout a time of employees turnover right here within the Treehouse. Properly, I am talking up after the very fact to announce that An English Haunting is a worthy level and click on expertise that does a beautiful job of sending you to 1907 England (and Scotland) to research the mysteries of the nice past. You play a scholar named Professor Patrick Moore who’s all into the spiritualism and séances that gripped the time interval, and you have 72 hours to show the existence of ghosts earlier than the Metapsychic Investigations division at your college shuts down. Egad!

I am a sucker for Victorian and Edwardian-era tales, so An English Haunting tickles all of the components of me that lust for mysteries in gaslit streets, perferably starring gumshoes in tweed fits. It additionally will get the aspect of me that loves horror and needs that extra point-and-click journey video games would dabble within the occult, so should you’re interested in this similar eclectic combine, give this one a go. You possibly can count on nice consideration to setting, puzzles that do not stretch the logic of what is possible, and even a brief sequence the place you play as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, who was additionally busy believing in spirits when he wasn’t devising methods to kill Sherlock.

My solely critique of An English Haunting is that the journey drags in its center part (the Scottish expedition is not pretty much as good because it may very well be), and the general expertise is not fairly as tight as Postmodern Adventures’ earlier work, Nightmare Frames, which was an ode to ’80s slasher horror. (That is solely as a result of Nightmare Frames was actually rattling good and deeply deserves your obtain if you have not already.) However should you stick by to the tip, you will obtain a fabulous finale, together with a number of the solely leap scares that I’ve ever skilled in a point-and-click.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

I loved the stuffing out of Dragon’s Dogma 2. From a guides writing perspective, it was the primary main challenge that I led amongst our small crew, pumping out every thing from class guides to a huge ol’ walkthrough, which Ollie began and I completed. From a participant’s perspective, I merely dig the weirdness on show right here, in addition to Dragon Dogma 2’s devotion to letting you do nearly no matter you’ll be able to think about after which reside with the outcomes. Such are the implications of taking part in in a large sandbox, Dragon’s Dogma 2 says, now take care of them! I respect that gumption, and I respect the truth that this can be a “Capcom ass recreation,” because it was usually described within the work Slack. Whether or not it is the memorable Pawn system of AI companions who develop on you as the sport progesses, the “climb on the again of this griffon and slash it a billion instances because it wiggles Dance Dance Revolution-style” boss fights, or just the superb character fashions of the RE Engine placing in work, that is Capcom throwing all of its paint on the wall to see what sticks, and the tip result’s greater than somewhat messy, however very enjoyable.

As a devotee of tabletop RPGs, I additionally admire Dragon’s Dogma 2 for mainly appearing because the equal of a Recreation Grasp who just isn’t a lot involved with the plot of their marketing campaign, however moderately the goofy story that the gamers resolve to inform alongside the best way. This consists of them deciding to make use of the Unmaking Arrow – which kills something in a single hit – on a random NPC that they’ve by accident been romancing as a result of your entire romance system is unexplained and sort of arbitrary. Everybody remembers these sorts of TTRPG nights, and that is why I keep in mind Dragon’s Dogma 2.

Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania

I found Vampire Survivors for the primary time this yr. I do know, somewhat behind the curve, however my aversion to something too widespread implies that I need to wait a sure period of time to take a look at the newest mainstream obsession. I used to be happy to search out that I appreciated Vampire Survivors simply advantageous, and that plowing by hordes of campy Castlevania-as-interpreted-by-Italians enemies as Poppea Pecorina is nice enjoyable.

But it surely wasn’t till the Ode to Castlevania DLC got here out this October that I actually received into Vampire Survivors, as a result of I really like me some Castlevania, and the truth that an inspired-by-Belmont bullet heaven recreation was now paying tribute to its grandpappy in an sudden full circle method was simply too good to withstand. And gosh darn it, Ode to Castlevania is a pleasure, and one of many heftiest DLC packages that I’ve ever performed. Not solely are all of your traditional characters current and accounted for, together with Simon, Trevor, Richter and the opposite huge title Belmonts, however the sheer variety of deep cuts stuffed into this package deal is astounding. When you “beat” the DLC’s essential map, count on to see a plethora of sudden survivors emerge, like Quincy Morris, who was by no means in an precise Castlevania recreation however is as a substitute the daddy of John Morris from 1994’s Castlevania: Bloodlines/The New Technology, and likewise technically the similar Quincy Morris who was in Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel and helped kill Drac with a Bowie knife whereas additionally appearing because the cool Texan in Europe. Sure, Bram Stoker’s novel is canon within the Castlevania timeline; go Google it if you wish to learn up on the entire implausible shenanigans that embody official Castlevania lore.

Castlevania’s in an odd place lately the place Konami hasn’t made a fully-fledged recreation since 2014’s Lords of Shadow 2, however has freely loaned the licence out to whoever needs it. And so now we have the Netflix present, which has undoubtedly made the collection extra widespread than its ever been. However we even have efforts like this wonderful replace to Vampire Survivors, which turns the sport into the very best Castlevania title of the final decade. Do not wait like I usually do – play it at present, particularly should you’ve ever been knocked to your loss of life by a Medusa Head!