PPG Game Of The Year 2024 - 47 - It's A Vibe
Many of the games here share a surrealist bent to them, often being described as psychedelic and/or sometimes unsettling. There's a leaning into confusion, a letting go of what you know in order to soak in what is in front of you. Pure Vibes.
Entogious
Psychadelic Abstract RPG
I think this steam review sums it up best: "This Game Is Like Snorting Cocaine And Strawberries."
Extreme Evolution: Drive to Divinity
Chromatic Speed Platformer
Wild visual style crossed with a momentum based platformer of sorts. Traversing the entirety of evolution from base egg to ??? is a trip, in every sense of the word.
Raige
Dark Forboding Life
A slightly weird, dark and oppressive PS1 style space to explore, people to chat with and somewhat vibe in and ponder its mature themes and narrative.
Skaramazuzu
2D Surrealist Puzzler
Kind of reminds me of a cross between Year Walk and Limbo. 2D Sidescrolling with some puzzles built in alongside a reality bending story.
POOLS
Unnerving Walking Sim
Despite there being no monsters or unwarranted jump scares, this game aims to build tension through fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and liminal space architecture, riffing on classic Backrooms style gameplay, but with - you might be surprised to read - pools.
Tempus Bound
GBA Puzzle Platformer
A short and cheap vibes based 2D puzzle platformer. A focus on atmosphere and searching for secrets, a story told purely environmentally and no combat to drag you down.
Arctic Eggs
Quirky Egg Frying Simulator
An odd adventure where you cook eggs and other things within a physics based frying pan. Strangely compelling in this dystopian world.
Glitch Daddy
Surreal Abstract Dreamscape
From the creators of Mango and The Lotus Holidays comes their next surrealist first person experience that sees you trying to unravel the truth about the end of the world.
[ECHOSTASIS]
Psychedelic Cyberpunk Dystopia
The long awaited conclusion to the [ENIGMA] trilogy, this game "presents a world where our reality is not only curated by algorithms, but created by them." Trippy visuals and heavy themes abound.
Disillusion ST
Narrative Adventure
The store description probably sells it best: "A strange journey throughout an elaborate labyrinth awaits, featuring hundreds of characters and happenings as you try to gather items that once brought happiness to others."
Tostchu
Grill Toast For Customers
A bit of an odd game that devolves more into a bit of horror the further you go in. Man the Toast shop, make food for passers by, and bear witness to whatever comes next.
And The Game With The Best Vibes Of 2024 Is…
While We Wait Here
Work The Kitchen Diner At The End Of The World
There's something about just performing mundane life tasks with only a bunch of strangers to talk to while waiting for the world to end that strikes at something deeply human. The atmosphere is off the charts here, with a sense of place and a feeling to get across that is unmatched in this year's experiences.