There was a time when you could play all the great games released during any given year. However, that time is long in the past, and we are now in a time where hundreds of games can be released in a single day.

However, among the never-ending deluge of interactive entertainment, there are games that will more than compensate for your time with fun gameplay, unique art, and elements that wouldn't work in a major studio game release.

There's quite a lot in this deluge, but we've discovered seven hidden gems we think you might enjoy from 2024. Since January is kind of... Quiet month for new gameswhich are mostly filled with ports and remakes, this might be the perfect time to search for last year's overlooked treasures.

Editor's Note: All games on this list are traditional "Web2" games without cryptocurrency or blockchain integration. But you might enjoy it anyway!

Thank goodness you are here!

Platforms: Switch, PlayStation 5/4, PC, Mac

In many games, your role - aside from being the chosen one who can save the world - is to be a helper to everyone you meet. Thank goodness you're here kind of like that, but it's a 2D game with weird and wonderful art; Instead of being a great hero, you're an eccentric man in a northern English town who's only there to see the mayor.

It's busy, though, so you might as well enjoy the scenery. The city is full of people with all kinds of problems, and the only way to help them is to give them a good slap. This takes you through some really silly situations and some really silly British comedy that lovingly mocks an area of ​​England that we don't often see featured in modern media.

Mullet madjak

Platform: PC

Mullet Madjack is a fast-paced, anime-style shooter that has you taking down enemies as quickly as possible in tight corridors, all to keep your heart beating and your score up. It has stunning visuals reminiscent of 80s and 90s cyberpunk anime and those series of old FMV anime games like Road Blaster and Time Gal, but louder, faster and more violent.

Pacific Drive

Platforms: PS5, PC

What if, instead of STALKER being set in Chernobyl and taking place on foot, it was set in the Pacific Northwest, and you had to drive to scavenge resources and survive? This is Pacific Drive.

You're trapped in the Olympic Exclusion Zone, a place full of dangerous and bizarre anomalies, and your car is your best chance of survival. Upgrade and increase them to compensate for the many dangers in the environment while unraveling the mystery of the Exclusion Zone.

Mini Golf Mini Golf

Platform: PC

Don't mistake Mini Golf for a good golf game — you'll want to look to Golf With Your Friends or What the Golf for a compelling rendition of the sport. Instead, Mini Golf wants to tell you a human story about climate breakdown and memory through a very strange game of mini golf. That's all we'll say, because you should really experience it for yourself.

Minishoot Adventures

Platforms: PC, Mac

The apostrophe in the title, according to the developer, is meant to indicate that Minishoot is an abbreviation for "Minimalist Shooter Adventure." Minishoot is a Zelda-inspired spaceship shooting adventure. One look at the trailer is enough to understand that.

Although it looks like a bullet-hell shooter, this game is a full-fledged role-playing game or RPG, complete with an overworld and dungeons that wears Zelda inspiration on its cover. There are secrets everywhere, upgrades to find for your ship, and dangerous bosses to fight – all conveyed through gorgeous 2D art.

Jewish

Platform: PC

The art in Judero is just as stunning as the art in Minishoot, but in completely different ways. Judero is a Scottish action adventure game where all the characters are built from clay action figures, complete with stop-motion animation scenes. The game switches up art styles, bringing you to bright watercolors, a Sonic-themed bonus stage, and more.

All of these big games have amazing graphics, but this can lead to a sort of samey feel. Judero will break you right out of it.

Kunitsu-gami: The Way of the Goddess

Platforms: PS5/PS4, Xbox Series

Finally, a hidden gem from a AAA publisher. Known for its Resident Evil and Monster Hunter World games, Capcom seems to be releasing one game after another. Among all these games, there was a strange little game, Kunitsu-gami.

It is a kind of tower defense game with strategic action. Sometime in Japan's distant past, the mountain was defiled by evil. Priestess Yoshiro can purify her, but she needs protection from you, Suoh. Using sword dance moves, you'll free villagers from corruption and recruit them to assist you in a variety of roles such as Woodsman, Sumo, Acetic, and Healer.

Every corner of this game is inspired and inspired by historical Japanese art, including bunraku theater, kagura dance, and woodblock printing. The team built the sets from physical materials and scanned them in 3D, and also made the costumes from real fabric and posed them on the actors. Even the sweets you pick up to give to Yoshiro have been made by a professional and scanned at the highest resolution to ensure they are authentic and amazing.

Unlike everything else Capcom makes, Kunitsu-Gami has flown under the radar and deserves your attention.

Modified by Andrew Hayward