There are far too many video game releases for the little time I devote to them to allow me to complete my backlog. If I was able to begin it somewhat, it is in defiance of recent releases, and I ultimately only have one game from this year on my 2024 counter. My annual retrospective will therefore be filled with games which, without smelling of mothballs, are not the latest freshness.
I will ignore the few games that fell out of my hands and those which, although nice, are totally forgettable, and focus directly on the certified bangers and little favorites.
Fact’or du mal du pays : Disco Elysium
You clearly don't need me to know that yes, damn, Disco Elysium sucks.
I obviously join the rave reviews, with one small reservation: it's a title that works despite its stupid 2D6 mechanics and the countless quicksaves/quickloads which result. Everything else is a fucking gem. The writing, of course, but also the dubbing, the artistic direction and the original soundtrack. The dialogues are so well written that I quickly became attached to the characters, yes, even to that damn Cuno. Another sign of a masterpiece, at the precise moment when the credits finished rolling, an immense nostalgia invaded me, a homesickness, the irrepressible desire to wander the streets of Martinaise again and torment Kim Kitsuragi, officially the best deuteragonist in video games.
Fact'or Frisson : Signalis
Signalis had been eyeing me for a while and I was finally able to delve into it. A big pot cooked with love, under the lid, we undoubtedly find pieces of Silent Hill and Resident Evil, but also Böcklin, Robert Chambers, some references to Japanese animation and a pinch of sapphism to spice it all up. I must admit that I never appreciated the rigidity of old horror games and it's not Signalis that will reconcile me with it. This is unfortunately not on the side of gameplay that the game seduced me, but by its universe and its rather atypical narration, giving the impression of having narcolepsy in the middle of a David Lynch screening.
Visually, the game is very bath, mixing low-fi and modern effects¹, its falsely retro aesthetic gives it a particular atmosphere and gives it a certain cachet. And despite the borrowings and winks that are sometimes a little too strong, the game manages to have its own personality and great visual coherence. But this period mix isn't just limited to its extra-diegetic visuals. The game world itself is retro-futuristic. We encounter audio cassettes as well as interstellar travel, Polaroids and monofilaments, and this large gap gives a very pleasant aftertaste of Blade Runner.
The most impressive thing is that, apart from its audio part, the game is only developed by two people, Barbara Wittmann and Yuri Stern, the duo forming rose-engine, and that it shows a level of finish and absolutely impeccable follow-up.
¹: except on Switch, where the game is severely cut.
Factor of joy, cheerfulness and joy: VIVIDLOPE
Hello, have I already told you about VIVIDLOPE? Oh, I see you're not looking good, you should try the demo, it'll perk you up. What do you mean you don't have time? But wait, don't close this door, you can see that I'm blocking it with my foot. At least take this leaflet. Okay, I'll put it in the mailbox then. Yes, I insist.
Gold factor of opponent defenestration: Tactical Breach Wizards
Almost six years after Into the Breach, the excellent tactical-puzzle are not legion, but Suspicious Developments has come to right this injustice with Tactical Breach Wizard. I'm going to spare you another pile of rave praise and I stand by the conclusion of my previous test: it's a nugget and, if you have any interest in the genre, don't miss it.
Red veil money fact: Jet Lancer
If Luftrasers had a big brother, it would be Jet Lancer. More beautiful, more fluid, more nervous, more scripted, the game turns all the knobs to eleven. Once you have passed a much too long introduction, you end up unlocking enough improvements for the title to show its full potential and allow you to kill others by fluttering like a leaf in the wind, shooting big lasers and producing swarms of missiles whose sinuous volutes would make Itano proud. Without being perfect, in particular because of the slowness of its progression, hiding the best part of the game behind the new game+the title entertained me for a good ten hours and led me several times into a state of flow. Not bad for a cheap three-ball thing on sale.
Honorable mentions
Other games that gave me a great time this year, but about which I don't have much to write, pell-mell: the very nice visual novel cyberpunk VA-11 Hall-A, the reverse-horror CARRION and the chaotic Untitled Goose Game.
Three passwords are hidden on this page and three Steam keys (The Witness, Brütal Legend, Souldiers) are up for grabs. For each password, the first to write it in a comment will win the (remaining) key of their choice.
