In my recent "how I spent my times with games in 2024" post, I lamented that I played fewer games last year than I did in previous years.
Along the same lines, I didn't finish as many games in 2024 as I'm used to doing. In fact, I only finished six games last year -- which seems pretty pitiful now that I've typed it out.
Also a bit pitiful: I failed to finish a handful of games I otherwise enjoyed playing in 2024, with Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid and Princess Peach Showtime! being the standout examples. (I also spent a good amount of time with a few games that aren't really beatable, like Endless Ocean Luminous and Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!)
Regardless, I had a blast with the six games I did finish last year. Here are a few sentences about each one that hopefully make it clear just how much I liked them.
Pokémon Violet
Time to complete: 102 hours, 25 minutes
I often feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone when it comes to the Pokémon series, especially these days. Unlike most folks on the internet, I've loved every mainline Pokémon game that has been released for the Nintendo Switch. And not only that, but I've loved every new one a little more than I loved the previous one. Which is to say I loved the hell out of the 102-plus hours I devoted to Pokémon Violet in 2023 and 2024.
Is Pokémon Violet the prettiest game ever made? Far from it. Is it janky as hell in some spots. It's also a ton of fun to explore, though, and that meant a lot more to me than how it looked during my 100-hour playthrough. I really liked its story, too. It's fairly simple, as you might expect, but it's got heart, along with a slew of endearing characters, and both of those things often go a long way with me.
Another Code: Twin Memories (from Another Code: Recollection)
Time to complete: 8 hours, 15 minutes
I played through the original Nintendo DS version of Another Code: Twin Memories back in 2019 and found it both blissfully brief and curiously charming. This remade release for the Nintendo Switch is arguably better looking, but that's probably the only way it bests its forebear.
Still, if you got rid of your DS ages ago, or never owned one to begin with, playing it via Another Code: Recollection is far from the worst thing in the world. If you like it, though, I'd recommend finding a way to play the original release -- and then following it up with the similar-but-superior Hotel Dusk and Last Window.
Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories (from Another Code: Recollection)
Time to complete: 8 hours, 35 minutes
Although I owned a Nintendo Wii and was smitten with its weird and wacky catalog of games during the system's heyday, I never played this sequel to Another Code: Twin Memories. Thankfully, the powers that be greenlit a remake for the aforementioned Another Code: Recollection. This version of Another Code: R is less of a glow up than the remake of Twin Memories, but it still looks great.
How does it play, though? To be frank, it's less immediately intriguing than Twin Memories due to being more straightforward and not as puzzle-focused. I still had a good time with it, though, and don't regret spending a week or so of my life focusing on its mysterious story.
Emio — The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
Time to complete: 10 hours, 45 minutes
I had a great time overall with the Nintendo Switch remakes of the original pair of Famicom Detective Club titles back in 2021, but I didn't find them to be faultless experiences. Both could be more than a bit finicky and frustrating, though neither proved so irksome I walked away from them with a completely bad taste in my mouth.
This all-new sequel left a much better impression on me. I can't honestly say if this is because the developers made things easier and less annoying this time around, or if it's because those previous playthroughs prepared me for The Smiling Man. Regardless, the result is that I felt far less friction with The Smiling Man than I did with its precursors.
Beyond that, the storytelling here is, as you've likely heard or read elsewhere, brilliant. It's also dark, harrowing and surprisingly touching. If we're all lucky, the same team will bless us with even more Famicom Detective Club goodness in the future.
SaGa Emerald Beyond
Time to complete: 122 hours, 05 minutes
I adored this game's predecessor, the supremely weird SaGa Scarlet Grace. Emerald Beyond may be even more weird -- so of course I adored it, too, when I played it in late 2024. You could probably call that an understatement of massive proportions; after all, I put more time into Emerald Beyond than I did any other game last year.
The funny thing is, Emerald Beyond is pretty darn similar to Scarlet Grace at first blush. The two certainly look and sound eerily alike. I wouldn't say they play alike, though. In many ways, Emerald Beyond is the polar opposite of Scarlet Grace, from how you traverse the world, to the battles, to the length of each playthrough.
A particular standout for me is how Emerald Beyond is structured for repeated runs. You need to play through most (every?) character's story multiple times to get the whole picture and, usually, to face their real final boss. It's a nice twist on the SaGa formula that keeps things fresh while also providing the staples fans are used to from the decades-old series.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island
Time to complete: 27 hours, 05 minutes
I had high expectations for this sixth Shiren the Wanderer game after having a blast with the Switch port of the series' fifth release (subtitled The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate) back in 2020. Amazingly, they were quickly met and even exceeded. I didn't think that would be the case early on, as Serpentcoil Island is tough with a capital T. It also only lets you access the main dungeon until after you've completed it at least once, which seemed annoyingly limiting.
After spending some quality time with Serpentcoil Island's main dungeon, though, I came to appreciate just how much it wants you to learn and understand how the game's systems work and then put them to use -- not only so you can clear the main dungeon, but so you can survive the myriad post-game dungeons, too.
To be sure, Serpentcoil Island can feel downright cruel. That's kind of the point, though. You're supposed to fail (sometimes hilariously, sometimes depressingly), learn from it, and try again until you succeed. If that, plus the hopefully obvious dungeon pillaging, appeals to you, give it a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
