What’s been keeping the Ukie team busy when we’re not championing the UK games industry? Playing games, of course. From indie gems to AAA hits, 2024 has been a pretty good year to switch up your games repertoire. Have a look and see which games have made the least important list of 2024:
Helen: Thank goodness you’re here - Coal Supper (Yorkshire/ London)
Made my British studio Coal Supper, Thank Goodness You’re Here! Provided the best laughs I’ve had in video games for years. With some of the best comedy coming from environmental story telling. Well worth a cosy 2-3 hours with a pie (big or tiny depending on your allegiances) and get to know the wonderful townsfolk of Barnsworth. If you can, figure out where all those sausages came from…because I haven’t a clue.
Leo: Crow Country - SFB Games (London)
Developed by London based SFB Games, Crow Country is a satisfyingly rich, uber-nostalgic survival horror, harkening back to halcyon, genre-defining PS1-era classics I was almost certainly too young to play. Jagged-edged and tank-controlled, you play as Mara Forest, a (suspiciously young) special agent, tackling a feverish array of nightmarish creatures and fiendish puzzles whilst uncovering a mysterious backstory amid the creepy backdrop of an abandoned theme park. What really stands out is SFB Games’ meticulous attention to detail, packing Crow Country with such remarkable depth and charm, with every element and design choice conspiring to make this wild ride even better than I never remembered it being.
Bhavina: Still Wakes the Deep - The Chinese Room (Brighton)
Still Wakes the Deep took me outside my usual comfort zone of sports games and into the haunting world of horror adventure. This game combines gripping storytelling, a chillingly immersive setting, and stunning visuals, keeping me on edge in the best way possible. Its attention to detail and atmospheric tension drew me in, making each step feel like a new discovery. It’s a standout example of how video games can push boundaries and invite players into unforgettable experiences beyond their usual genres.
Bella: Enshrouded - Keen Games
Enshrouded is still technically in early access, and rough around some of the edges (looking at you, glider mechanics that keep getting me killed), but the developers have done an incredible job of hand-crafting an open world for groups of up to 16(!) players to explore. Enshrouded combines survival, base building, and a pretty expansive skill tree with questlines that take forever to finish because I get sidetracked more than I’m on track. Throw in the magical version of drug-fuelled zombies, sprinkle over fun combat mechanics, and add a flourish of being-able-to-pet-animals-you’ve-rescued – you’ve got yourself my game of the year!
Gareth: Dead Island 2 - Dambuster Studios (Nottingham)
While I had a great time visiting the Land of Shadow in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (when I say a great time, I mean loving the scenery while running away from all of the bad things out to hurt me) for me the most fun I had this year was playing Dead Island 2. Though it was released in 2023 it got a new lease of life after being featured on PS Plus and Xbox Games Pass this year and picked up loads of new players and a dedicated legion of new fans. Funny, brash and action-packed, it felt like the best kind of B movie and it's Hollywood setting allowed for a great roll-call of OTT characters.
Colm: Control - Remedy Entertainment/ 505 Games
I’d heard that Control was good but nobody told me it was a straight 10/10. This game represents the peak of AAA development to me: it’s confident, specific, unique and unknowable. It has a beautiful, shifting aesthetic of concrete, red and high contrast. It’s clearly influenced by Twin Peaks but brings its own askance perspective to a world of Americana, conspiracy, collective unconscious and the mundanity of any operation at scale. On top of all that, it’s an extremely tight and fun shooter with a bit of a wicked difficulty curve. Virtuosic stuff.
Sian: Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - Nintendo
In The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Link is the one in trouble and Zelda is the playable protagonist on a quest to save him and Hyrule. Zelda doesn’t have Link’s weapons or trusty paraglider. Instead, she can learn and create ‘echoes’ — duplicates of objects and creatures she encounters on her adventures. Choosing how to use them makes everything in this game a fun weird puzzle.
When platforming, I’m releasing spiders to spin webs I can climb. In combat, I’m lining up fans to blow my enemies off a cliff. I’m a button-mashing spray-and-pray kind of player, so it suits me very well to conjure up a Moblin champion and sit back while it fights the enemies for me. New environments introduce new challenges and new echoes, making the gameplay creative and varied, even tens of hours in.
The game is charmingly scored and has the cute chibi art style of the 2019 remake of Link’s Awakening. Sometimes Zelda looks so sweet I want to squeeze her, especially when she’s riding one of the adorable little horses. The eye-popping candy colours make everything, from the trees to the monsters, look good enough to eat.
Sam: Shopping Simulator - Nokta Games
What does it say about me that going to supermarkets when travelling abroad has always been a fascination of mine? Is it the variety of items, the madness of the layout or the navigation of the check-out process. Anyway, this year I’ve been playing Supermarket Simulator, from Nokta Games, on PC to ease my fixation. It is a rather simple, repetitive game where buying stock, shelf stacking, and adjusting prices are as much a pain as they are a pleasure. So why do I keep going back? I think its because it is mine. It is my little piece of heaven in a hurly burly world.
Yiren: Black Myth: Wukong - Game Science
My game of the year this year is Black Myth: Wukong, to me its importance exceeds far beyond just being a game. Together with my numerous Chinese friends, we had ZERO faith in this game with our experiences in the past on how “AAA”, “Made locally by Chinese team”, “Journey to the West and Monkey King” was used as cash grabbing labels to bait investors and consumers in China. Beside, we’ve almost lost all hope in the creative environment in China.
But this game changed everything. As a game, it has rock-solid combat, good writing that is respected source material, amazing art both delivered in gameplay and through cutscenes of various styles of animation and music. Beyond that, as every Chinese kid, I grew up with Journey to the West books, cartoon and TV shows since I can remember things. It is without a doubt the single most influential piece of writing for me. And this game took me back and walked me through these exciting adventures again. When I finished the game, it’s like seeing my childhood memories waving me goodbye. That filled me with tears.
Logie: Frostpunk 2 - 11 Bit Studios
Riot Games' League of Legends is the correct answer, but I've gone with Frostpunk 2 anyway, which isn’t just about braving the cold - it’s about navigating the treacherous depths of power and morality. As the leader of the west's last city, you’re tasked with keeping the lights on and the people alive, but every decision feels like a gamble with your soul. Strikes, riots, and civil unrest become the backdrop to a society on the edge, where progress often demands sacrifice, and not always willingly given.
The game strips away illusions of heroism, exposing how leadership mutates into control and survival into domination. Whether you rule with compassion or an iron fist, Frostpunk 2 holds up a mirror to the compromises and casualties of power. It’s not just about building a city, it’s about deciding whose future is worth saving and how far you’ll go to protect it.
Dani: Wildfrost - Deadpan Games
Wildfrost is easily my game of the year due to it being Slay the Spire set in a frozen world, and with a woolly snail as a shopkeeper. That already was enough for me to recommend this game, but the developer Deadpan Games added so many little details that convey the love and dedication the team put into this game. Also, as a self-declared Slay the Spire connoisseur who beat the game more times that I'm comfortable to admit, I can easily say that Wildfrost is more challenging. It offers the amazing mechanic that the final boss of each run is your previously victorious winning deck, making every run feel like a new challenge. The perfect game on the switch for a 30-minute commute.