Harry Glynn Jones's Reviews
Selfloss is heart-wrenching and wonderful; a game that won’t spare its players the gory details, that tells a clear story in a world still veiled in mysticism. With its focus on rewarding exploration mixed with very satisfying puzzle-solving and light combat (pun intended), Selfloss is one of the best games I have played in 2024.
I firmly believe Expedition 33 is the new gold standard for the JRPG. Across every facet, from its mechanical design and narrative confidence to its striking art direction and masterful score, Sandfall Interactive has crafted something truly special. This isn’t just a promising debut; it’s a genre-defining work that I believe will shape game design for years to come. It is, without reservation, a masterpiece — and one of my favourite video games of all time.
With its smart sci-fi aesthetic, charming sound design and music, excellent puzzle design, and intuitive controls, The Electrifying Incident is a short, satisfying puzzle game. It may not blow your mind, but it just might shock you!
Blue Prince is a puzzle game for all time, and it deserves a place among the greats of the genre. Its design is masterful, its vision clear, and every moment spent within Mt. Holly Estate feels purposeful, crafted with care and a quiet confidence. I can easily see it becoming a touchstone for puzzle design in the years ahead.
With Öoo, Nama Takahashi has made another charming and creative puzzle game that I found immensely enjoyable, with just the right amount of challenge from start to finish. It is another great example of his design ethos on mechanics and their implementation, where the joy and satisfaction of successfully applying the knowledge you have learned is your reward.
In much the same way FEZ once did, Cassette Boy reminded me that perspective is not just a mechanical trick, but a way of thinking. By asking the player to actively look at the world differently, to question what exists, what doesn’t, and why, it creates moments of quiet wonder that feel increasingly rare in modern games. Cassette Boy may present itself as small, nostalgic, and unassuming, but beneath that familiar surface lies a game deeply interested in curiosity, perception, and the joy of discovery. Cassette Boy isn’t just about how changing our perspective can be important; it can also be incredibly rewarding.
Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island is a heartfelt narrative adventure that celebrates the power of friendship and community. Its vibrant art, relaxing gameplay, and nuanced writing combine to create an experience that feels both personal and universal. While the exploration could benefit from a touch more challenge, the game’s charm and thoughtful design make it an absolute joy to play. I just hope that when award season rolls around next year, people don’t forget Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island.
Wanderstop is a game about understanding that who you were does not have to define who you are now. It’s about rest—not as a reward, but as something necessary, something inevitable. It is a beautiful, heartfelt story of one person’s struggles to rediscover who they are, but handled in a caring and sincere way.
Ruffy and the Riverside is an incredible culmination of inspiration and innovation, offering hours of fun in a wacky world with a wonderful new duo. Zockrates Labs have gone beyond my expectations with their first game, and I hope we get to have more adventures with Ruffy and Pip in the future.
The Drifter is a fantastic supernatural thriller and point-and-click investigation game rolled into one, staying true to the staples of the genre while updating certain elements for a current-day audience. The team at Powrhoof has fashioned a gritty, intriguing tale that keeps you guessing without feeling lost, enticing you with breadcrumbs stuck in the muck collecting in the corners of Mawson. For those who love to solve problems with their logic and wits, and slowly unravel a mystery like none other in point-and-click games, The Dirfter is a must-play.
Henry Halfhead is a brief, joyful experience that highlights the significance of play. It is a game that invites you to have fun, try stuff out, see what you can do, build, and achieve, without the pressure to be the best or improve some skill set. The wacky premise, unique gameplay, and focus on creativity and discovery amount to the perfect environment for players to find their own fun.
ROUTINE is an excellent, immersive horror experience that revels in building and maintaining tension, forcing the player to rely on their own wits to progress and survive. While some may be put off by the game’s slower, more methodical pace or its lack of handholding, those willing to meet it on its own terms will find a deeply unsettling and meticulously crafted experience.
REANIMAL feels like the work of a studio unshackled. While based on the foundations originally designed and created by Tarsier Studios, the team has built on them with confidence and creative conviction. This is a game that understands what made the studio’s earlier work resonate, while refusing to be defined by it. Through its confident mechanical evolution, grounded and oppressive world design, and a thematic focus that’s as unsettling as it is confrontational, REANIMAL establishes its own identity; one that’s harsher, more ambitious, and more emotionally affecting than anything Tarsier has made before.
In an era where so many games seem terrified of simplicity, Motorslice feels confident enough to strip everything back to movement, atmosphere, and momentum, and it is all the better for it. In short, chainsaw go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Drova – Forsaken Kin is a fully realised, living world where you shape who you are as well as the world around you, a story that you can write again and again based on your decisions. The few flaws and bugs the game has are far outweighed by the cohesive nature of the game’s world and it’s mechanics. If you are a fan of cRPGs and similar games you must pick up Drova – Forsaken Kin.
What ultimately kept me engaged in Slime Heroes wasn’t the story, but the way its mechanics all worked together to create such a compelling gameplay loop. The combat/magic system, dungeons, and world design are seamlessly intertwined, constantly pushing you to experiment and improve. I was always excited to encounter a new enemy, knowing they would have a new ability for me to unlock and try out! Slime Heroes proves that Souls-likes don’t have to be grim to be great. With its charming aesthetic and deep mechanics, it offers a fresh take on the genre—one that’s as fun for longtime fans as it is for newcomers looking for a challenge wrapped in a friendlier package.
The Midnight Walk is a rare kind of experience—one that feels deeply personal, both in how it’s made and how it plays. Its imperfections are part of its texture: a few underdeveloped mechanics, some narrative murkiness, and an ending that may leave players with more questions than answers. But those are small shadows in a game defined by light.
PaperKlay may have a few rough edges, but like any lovingly made craft project, those imperfections are part of its charm. Its vibrant world of cardboard, clay, and creativity is brought to life with expressive animation, satisfying platforming, and a clear affection for the genre it celebrates. While its combat may be simplistic, enemy variety is limited, and its levels sometimes feel more like standalone stages than pieces of a larger world, these are small creases in what is otherwise a carefully crafted experience.
Spooky Express isn’t just a puzzle game that has a lick of Halloween paint thrown over it; it intertwines the game’s mechanics and theming to create a fun, approachable, and cleverly designed series of puzzles that will have fans shrieking with delight.
Maya’s journey through the House of Wisdom is a thoughtful and heartfelt story of grief and how we carry it through life, and simultaneously an incredibly entertaining and engaging puzzle-platformer. Despite some technical issues and a few quality-of-life/design discrepancies, the game’s beautiful narrative, art direction, music, and gameplay all work in harmony to create a fulfilling experience. A beautiful celebration of Islamic culture and history, as well as those who are no longer with us, The House of Hikmah teaches us not to let ourselves get lost in the shadows of grief, but to persevere, to lean on others, and maybe even learn to appreciate that weight in our hearts.