Gaming Gifts for the Holidays (Part 3)
A final eight highly rated games released in 2024.
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We've reached part three of AIIG's 2024 gift guide, the final stretch of games previewed in AIIG that have launched during 2024. A few games didn't make the cut for various reasons. But they are still worth checking out:
Edge of Sanity (Steam Page • AIIG Review)
Of Life and Land (Steam Page • AIIG Review)
Republic of Pirates (Steam Page • AIIG Review)
Summer House (Steam Page • AIIG Review)
Teeny Tiny Town (Steam Page • AIIG Review)
Now, let's dive into the last of the gift guide list and also the last AIIG article for 2024. There are already some very exciting new demos, and I was tempted to keep recording and publishing. But it's time for a break! Thank you for all the support—AIIG will be back in early January!
The AIIG Gift Guide Criteria: These are all games that 1) featured as a standalone preview on AIIG, 2) were released in 2024, and 3) have a Steam rating of Positive or higher. They are ranked alphabetically.
(This is the third part of AIIG’s 2024 Gift Guide. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here).
Symphonia
For players who like precision platforming with a serving of Ludwig Van.
Symphonia manages to scrape into the list because it was released just last week, and at present it has 67 ratings, 66 of which enjoyed it. Hopefully, that number will increase drastically as more people discover this beautiful precision side-scroller in a world themed after classical music. With no enemies, the challenge is to acrobatically overcome obstacles. Navigate through deadly levels, using timed jumps and other talents to avoid instant death. It may sound intimidating, but this game's tight controls, stunning visuals, and smooth cutscenes make the journey more than worthwhile.
Rated 'Very Positive,' the positive reviews on Steam celebrate the stunning art and design, and that it gets gradually harder without being frustrating. The solitary negative review said it was boring.
Stunt Paradise
For gamers who want an arcade side-scroller themed around stunt driving.
Perhaps feeling a bit starved for the lack of stunt racing games on the market, you might think Stunt Paradise is a racing game. And when hearing that this is, instead, a sidescroller, you might feel a bit let down and decide to skip forward. But hear me out. While this game is not exactly like being strapped inside a virtual coffin hurling towards a ridiculous ramp, it embodies that spirit with features that make sense for the side-scrolling format. Throttle and brake your stunt car to perform gravity-defying tricks and overcome the ramps, obstacles, and set pieces in your way.
Rated 'Very Positive' on Steam, the game's approvers praise the accessible arcade gameplay and fun setpieces, while the one negative review is unhappy with the difficulty and design of the later stages.
Sulfur
For gamers who like first-person shooters with serious roguelike ambitions.
You follow a witch into a cave, hoping to avenge your slain flock. But things won't be that straightforward as you are hurled into a netherworld and have to shoot your way through multiple levels in a fit of vengeance. Die, and you start over again (with the advantage of upgrades you can carry over). Sulfur blends roguelike map-crawling with intense strategic shooter combat, cushioning the grim tones with surprisingly appealing stylised graphics. Not for cosy players, but not too difficult for anyone else.
Positive reviews on Steam get it to 'Very Positive,' enjoying the combat and compelling gameplay loop. Negative reviews note that there are still many bugs, a need for gameplay tweaks, and not enough content.
(Sulfur is still in active early access).
Thank Goodness You’re Here
For players who want to slap people in a Northern English town.
Even casual followers of indie game news would have heard about this absurd gem about a salesman who visits the town of Barnsworth to see the mayor and harass the locals. Thank Goodness You're Here is a loony comedy game presented as an arcade adventure. Our hero, the salesman, solves odd tasks and personal dilemmas across the town, primarily by moving, jumping, and slapping things. It's hard to explain, but this game doesn't require explanation. If you like (or think you might like) surreal stupidity wrapped in funky cartoon graphics, it’s brilliant.
Rated "Overwhelmingly Positive," thumbs-up reviews say it's very funny and inventive. The thumbs-down crowd doesn't think it was THAT funny, and feels it's priced a bit steep for 3-4 hours of playing.
The Abandoned Planet
For players who like pixel hunting in pretty pixel art pictures (say that fast seven times).
The Abandoned Planet is a homage to the static screen first-person adventure games that had a brief hurrah during the Nineties before point-and-click adventure definitively won the genre. Created with attractive retro pixel art, your spaceship crashes on a planet, and you must find a way home. Make your way forward by exploring scenes, finding clues, using items, and solving puzzles—this is classic-style adventuring in an intriguing sci-fi setting.
Currently rated 'Very Positive,' the positive votes love the retro feel, captivating world, and classic gameplay. The negative votes complain about the shallow story and gameplay padding.
Tiny Glade
For players who want to build pretty and rustic places without any effort.
Another big indie hit for the year (selling over 600,000 copies in its first month). Tiny Glade is for all of us who dream of a lovely cottage/castle in the country, in varying states of rustic disrepair. Even in the world of no-stress decoration games, this builder is effortless, letting you casually drop, drag, and shape walls and roofs, then pop on doors, windows, and other embellishments however carelessly you want. It looks radiant in soft pastel colours and has a fantastic photo mode to capture your best creations from various angles. Alas, moving it is not an option, but we can dream…
Another 'Overwhelmingly Positive' hit, fans use words like relaxing, cosy, chill, and addictive. Some detractors say there should be more content.
Trash Goblin
For players who love popping bubble wrap.
What is it about popping bubble wrap? Why is it so satisfying? I'm sure there is an answer to that question. But keep your mind on the bubble wrap, and replace it with an irregular shape made out of dozens of cubes. Now, imagine chipping away those cubes until you reveal a glorious knickknack like a cup or ornamental head, giving it a sponge bath, and selling it to rogues passing by your delightful medieval store. Then go to sleep in a bed that would qualify as torture for a human. But fortunately, you are a goblin, hence why this game is called Trash Goblin.
Rated "Very Positive," the game's positive reviews enjoy its basic but satisfying gameplay loop and the cute atmospheric details. The negative reviews include complaints about the lack of strategy and stakes.
(Trash Goblin is still in active early access).
What The Car?
For players who like silly things.
It might be easier to explain what What The Car? is not. It's not a racing game. It's not a puzzle game. And it's absolutely not a serious game. Navigate a car from one end of a track to another. How you get there depends on the car. It might be a ball, it might have giant legs, or it might crawl around as a concertina. It might be a car with a jetpack, a car riding a bicycle, or a car with a jetpack riding a bicycle. It might be a car with a cold, riding backwards on an office chair by sneezing. Sometimes, the car chops vegetables for a meal. Also, there are bears.
Rated "Very Positive," the thumbs-up crowd loves the comedy and unique gameplay. Some thumbs-down reviews complain about the alter difficulty, but many compare it less favourably to the previous game in the series, What The Golf?.