2024 Patient Wrap-Up (Mostly Story-Focused Games)

I know everyone is doing these now and this may get buried, but figured what the hell. I'm less of a "traditional" gamer and more a very story focused one. A ton of these games came by way of reading this sub.

Persona 3 Portable (65hrs) - 8/10

I really enjoyed this, which I expected, as I loved P4G and P5. It was a bit jarring at first because it's so much older and you can tell, but I got over that really quickly. Apart from that, it's the same style of persona game as the others I've played. Tartarus is a bit of a slog but it's still fun and the characters are enjoyable. Didn't like it as much as the other two persona games I've played but really enjoyed it and the hours flew by. Apparently I got this just before they released the reloaded version - not sure how similar that is but I may check it out in future. 

What Remains of Edith Finch (2hrs) - 8/10

I thought this was pretty fun overall. Compelling and can play in one sitting. Basically, you are the last surviving member of this cursed family, who all die these unnatural deaths. You explore the old family home and find out what happened to each family member. The varied vignette-style gameplay was interesting and unique, and I thought the stories were well told. It's linear, which I usually prefer, and it was a tight, well-told story that didn't overstay its welcome. 

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (3hrs) - 6/10

This game was a weird one. It was pretty fun in terms of mechanics with light platforming and puzzle solving, while operating one brother per analog stick. The story was minimal but fine for what it is. But the ending really disappointed me; I felt a bit ripped off, I guess because it felt needless, though I can't explain why without spoiling. But I guess I get why it was the way it was, and the puzzle afterwards was pretty cool as a result. It wasn't super emotional or anything for me personally, because the story was so minimal that I didn't get very attached. Wouldn't play it again but it was a pretty fun few hours. 

Undertale (7hrs) - 6/10

I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but I did genuinely have a lot of fun with it. A mix of whimsical and heartfelt in terms of story. The gameplay itself is less my jam as it eventually wants you to be quite good at the dodging mechanic and I was NOT good at this, which made things a bit frustrating. I did the pure pacifist run so maybe it's more difficult this way, I'm not sure. But the ending I struggled with a lot and ended up feeling really fed up by the end. Not sure I'll do a second playthrough but I enjoyed this one.

Midnight Suns (63hrs) - 9/10

I absolutely loved this game. I'm a huge fan of turn-based combat and I also really love the persona-style relationship building/life Sim aspect. Combine that with the fact that I'm a pretty big Marvel fan and this game felt like it was designed for me. I've never played any kind of deckbuilder before and ended up really liking the way they mixed this in with a tactics style of combat. I generally dislike more open games and usually avoid side missions and focus entirely on the main story, but I loved this game so much that I spent about twice the time I intended on the game, just playing around, exploring the Abbey and doing side missions. I thought the ending was a bit rushed and lackluster, but that's really minor overall. This is one of my absolute favourite games of all time. Debating getting the DLC. 

Blacksad: Under the Skin (10hrs) - 5/10

This was...okay. I liked the noir detective angle but the story wasn't thrilling tbh and the camera was a complete pain to work with. Wouldn't play it again, but not angry about the 10 hours or so that I spent.

Inscryption (16hrs) - 9/10

Absolutely loved this. I've never been much of a deckbuilder gamer or into roguelike/lite elements at all but I was completely obsessed with this game. Don't want to say too much because I don't want to ruin anything, but it was a real trip and the game is genuinely really strategic and involving. Act 2 was a bit weak but Act 1 was great and Act 3 was pretty cool too. Will likely come back to this just to play Act 1 again.

Haven (15hrs) - 7/10

I enjoyed this for what it was. Pretty chilled, decent enough story and more just kind of relaxed exploration, with a nice relationship between the two main characters. Sort of just exploring islets and cleaning them up/finding resources and trying to locate parts to rebuild your ship. It was a nice break, but I likely won't play again; it feels like a one time kind of game.

Vampire The Masquerade - Coteries of New York (3hrs) - 5/10

I paid almost nothing for this and the sequel, so figured was worth a shot. This was...fine. Just when I was started to get interested in the characters, the end came very suddenly. Some googling tells me that it would have ended essentially the same way, regardless of my choices. It felt fast and like I didn't get enough time to finish things. Like, it was ok. I'll try the sequel, as it only took a few hours, but I wasn't loving it.

Vampire The Masquerade - Shadows of New York (2.5hrs) - 7/10

I liked this a lot better than Coteries. The story was more cohesive, though maybe this is because I understood the world at this point. It was cool seeing some of the same characters pop up. The ending was also more satisfying and it felt less railroaded, as it was determined by the traits I acquired via choices along the way. Enjoyed this one a lot more than the first for sure.

Hogwarts Legacy (30hrs) - 8/10

I am a fan of Harry Potter, so that probably played into my enjoyment, but I had a good time with this game. I didn't stress about doing every side quest or anything like that. Did enough to get my level up high enough to finish the main story. But overall, I found the combat to be pretty intuitive and exciting, which is rare for me as I'm less of an "action" type gamer. The main story was...fine. Pretty standard stuff, nothing game-changing narratively. But the world was done really well and I had a good time hanging out in it.

I also have Slay the Spire and Friends of Mineral Town on the go (was looking for a Stardew-esque game over the holidays) but haven't finished these yet so I guess they'll go on next year's list.