Philosophy and Duality: Examining the Inspirations Behind the Upcoming Action RPG, Empyreal
Joseph Rogers, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Silent Games
We recently announced our debut game, Empyreal, coming to Xbox Series X|S in 2025, and we would like to tell you a little more about the game’s setting and inspirations.
Empyreal is an action RPG in a richly detailed sci-fi fantasy universe. While the setting is sci-fi, featuring futuristic technology and intergalactic civilizations, the feel and mood is more fantasy. And though technology replaces the “magic” from a traditional fantasy setting, the supernatural and the divine play a significant role in the lore and story of this universe.
The game begins with your character arriving on a hitherto unexplored planet, only to discover the remnants of a lost civilisation. What’s more, it soon becomes clear that, though ancient, this civilisation made breakthroughs and discoveries that are far, far removed from humanity’s understanding of the modern world.
Soon, you are confronted with a looming and inscrutable monolith. Why is it here? Who built it? What is it for? And what power does it contain?
Naturally, we won’t be answering those questions for you here and now – these discoveries (and more) are for you to make when you play for yourself. However, what we would like to share are some of the esoteric references that influenced some of the themes in the story, and the relevance they hold even to the modern world.
Embracing a Paradox
While the universe of Empyreal is not directly based on or related to a specific culture or mythology from history, there is one figure that represents an important idea that permeates a core theme of the narrative in the game – the ancient Greek god, Dionysus.
Dionysus is typically portrayed as a drunken party animal in much of modern pop-culture media, but in his seminal work “Dionysus: Myth and Cult”, classical philologist Walter Otto paints a much more complete and complex picture.
While there is truth in Dionysus being the god of wine and the festival, he was also the god of madness and death. Although at first this may seem a perplexing juxtaposition, is there some truth we can learn from it? Otto claims that in “The visage of every true God is a visage of the World”. In other words, even in myth, we invariably find an accurate insight into the nature of the world.
In the case of Dionysus, he represents the paradox of duality. The understanding that life and death, madness and beauty and conflict and creativity are opposites, and yet also pre-requisites for each other. Embracing this paradox is a core philosophy behind Empyreal – to see the universe as both a “Mystic Temple and a Hall of Doom” (an idea introduced by Thomas Carlyle in his text, Characteristics) and to accept this dual nature in its totality. This life-affirming perspective is known as the “Tragic View”.
Empyreal does not feature an encroaching but ill-defined “darkness”, or a “corruption of the land”. Nor does it feature a pantomime villain of inexplicable evil for no other reason than to have an “evil antagonist”. Instead, the story and characters are designed to prompt careful reflection on the nature of humanity, our place in the universe and what it truly takes to guarantee the future of mankind.
Exploring the Human Condition
Now, just because Empyreal does not feature a “big bad” intent on destroying the world for whatever reason, that doesn’t mean the game is without conflict. As before though, the intent is for this conflict to reflect the struggle that life itself invariably presents.
Unsurprisingly, you are not the only one invested in the exploration of this lost civilisation and its achievements. When you arrive on the planet, it is ostensibly to provide a relief effort to a beleaguered expedition that has already been there for two long years, with little progress and innumerable setbacks to show for it.
Each other member of the expedition is an important character with their own personal questlines that you can choose to follow for unique rewards. There are nine of these quests in total, with each questline exploring a different facet of the human condition, based on the ideals of the individual themselves, the challenges they have faced and what they hope to ultimately achieve.
For example, there is an accomplished scientist who, despite their achievements, lives in the shadow of their Great Grandfather, who made technological breakthroughs that transformed modern living. This character has dreamt all their life of making an innovative breakthrough to rival that legacy, and in reverse-engineering the technology of the lost civilisation, that opportunity has seemingly presented itself.
You can choose to assist them in their goals, but it is also possible to set them on a different path by sharing even greater insight into the true divine nature of the cosmos, which then puts the character’s relentless material pursuits into sharp perspective.
There is also a veteran of several wars who is now the Quartermaster of the expedition. Having seen the excesses of humanity in his time, he is pragmatic and optimistic, but acutely appreciates the need to have a firm understanding of one’s own beliefs; a solid foundation on which one is able to face the world. As a result, he will frequently challenge you on your beliefs and play devil’s advocate no matter your response.
Choice and Consequence
These are just a couple of small previews of the characters you will come across in Empyreal. Not only do all nine characters have questlines you can follow, but each one has at least two distinct endings. Quests can play out differently depending on your choices and accomplishments and each ending offers a unique reward. But don’t fret too much about which way to go in a given quest – the game will feature a fully fleshed out New Game+ at launch, so you’ll be able to go back and experiment with different outcomes in subsequent playthroughs.
That’s about all we’ve got time for in this blog. While we have touched on a few of the inspirations and references that influence Empyreal’s themes and narrative, this is far from a comprehensive list, and there’s much more to be uncovered. The game draws heavily on classical and existentialist philosophy, theology and history, with many inspirations not mentioned here that we look forward to players discovering and discussing as they play the game.
Empyreal is a complex, challenging, feature-rich action RPG.
In a far-flung corner of the galaxy an Expedition arrives on a hitherto unexplored planet to find a colossal Monolith built by a lost civilisation. These are no mere ruins: the Monolith is filled with danger, and the Expedition is ill-equipped to unearth the secrets within.
All eyes turn towards an elite mercenary who may succeed where all others have failed.
Venture inside the Monolith and face the automatons that yet remain, remnants of the impossibly ancient civilisation that built this unknowable structure. Survive and uncover revelations that transform our understanding of humanity itself.
Features:
• Stand against formidable foes; your only hope of victory lies in mastering a unique and complex combat system
• A memorable cast of characters, with personal questlines and multiple endings for each one
• A beautiful but shattered ancient world. Explore breathtaking environments filled with hidden details
• Customise your character with a vast array of equipment and collect armour sets that confer powerful bonuses
• Upgrade and modify the loot you find
• Unlock new abilities to personalise your playstyle
While Baldur’s Gate 3 arrived in 2023 as seemingly the perfect Dungeons & Dragons adaptation from tabletop to video game, its predecessor Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is being shut down and removed from storefronts just three years after it launched.
The game’s Steam page was updated to announce servers will be taken offline and the game removed from sale on February 24, 2025.
“We will be shutting down the Dark Alliance servers on February 24, 2025 and it will no longer be available to purchase starting that day,” reads the note from developer Invoke Studios. “The base game and all DLC are still available to play in offline single-player by anyone who currently owns it.”
Dark Alliance launched on June 22, 2021 as a promised “exciting, action-driven, hack-and-slash adventure filled with iconic monsters, legendary characters, and epic loot,” but was received poorly by players and critics.
“Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is a tedious co-op adventure with lots of goblins and even more bugs,” IGN said in our 4/10 review, and the game sits at a “mixed” rating on Steam with only 50% of reviews being positive.
Invoke Studios, which was known as Tuque Games at the time but later rebranded, is now working on another entry in the D&D franchise. Details are still slim, but publisher Wizards of the Coast confirmed it as an Unreal Engine 5 title and said it will be “a triple-A game derived from the Dungeons & Dragons universe.”
Wizards of the Coast is all in on D&D video games at the moment, likely due to the astounding success of Baldur’s Gate 3, as five games are currently in development.
In our 10/10 review, IGN said: “With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Toy Box sounds like a very Xmassy game, but then you watch a trailer, and realise that it is not very Xmassy at all. It’s a free visual novel with a macabre puzzling element. The setup is that you’re a toy inspector working for a jovial Grand Toy Maker, his face hidden above the top of the screen. Your job is to disassemble toys – five in all – according to his eldritch written instructions, and either “salvage” them or “sentence” them to the incinerator.
CD Projekt has announced a concert tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
The concert tour features “an innovative blend of cutting-edge visuals and gameplay” that plays alongside the original soundtrack performed by a live orchestra. It kicks off with anniversary concerts in Poland and Boston, Massachusetts in May 2025, before a tour of Europe in the fourth quarter of 2025 and then the U.S. in the first quarter of 2026. CD Projekt’s new U.S. hub is in Boston, which explains why the initial anniversary concert takes place there.
Tickets go on sale soon, CD Projekt said. The full scale of the concert series — as well as ticket information — will be unveiled over time, with more information to be revealed through the official website and newsletter.
Here’s the official blurb:
The experience features select tracks from the game and its expansions, arranged for the occasion by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt composer Marcin Przybyłowicz, who will also join select stops as a special guest. The live celebration is further bolstered by Polish folk metal band Percival, co-composers of the game’s soundtrack, known for their iconic contributions to the game’s sound. Alongside a skilled orchestra, they will bring to life beloved tracks from Geralt’s journey through the continent.
It’s a busy time for CD Projekt. It currently has 400 developers working on The Witcher 4, the majority of its 650-person total development staff. 64 are working on Orion, the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, 42 on Sirius, The Witcher game developed by The Molasses Flood, and 18 on Hadar, CD Projekt’s brand new IP. It’s also found time to update Cyberpunk 2077 to 2.2.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
2024 will likely be remembered as a transitional year for Nintendo. Last year saw heavy hitters like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder while next year is all about the Nintendo Switch 2, leaving this year in kind of an awkward middle ground. Even so, Switch owners still had a ton of great games to play during the aging console’s eighth year on the market as Nintendo somehow managed to publish a game every single month, while third-party and indie developers continued to support Switch with awesome series revivals and clever new ideas.
While many fans were begging to turn the page to the next generation, Nintendo proved Switch still had enough in the tank for one more year with a surprise Zelda game where you actually play as Princess Zelda, our favorite Mario Party in years, and a whole lot more. These are the best Nintendo games of 2024, starting off with the honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
A couple of titles just barely missed out making our top tier or picks for the year. For years, the concept of a Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake felt as mythical and unattainable as opening the titular door itself, but Nintendo finally listened to this RPG’s extremely vocal fanbase and delivered a near perfect retelling of Mario’s iconic GameCube quest. It’s remarkable how well The Thousand-Year Door holds up 20 years later, with its hilarious script, satisfying combat, lovable party members, and memorable locations.
Mario literally climbs the ranks of a pro wrestling league set on a floating island in the sky, and that’s just the setting for one chapter of this epic adventure. And, following the last few Paper Mario entries that traded in unique, original characters in favor of hordes upon hordes of samey Toads, it’s a complete delight to see the slimy city of Rogueport and its surrounding areas peppered with fresh personalities. Simply giving The Thousand-Year Door a gorgeous new coat of paint and sprinkling in a few quality-of-life improvements has instantly placed it on the list of the best RPGs on Switch.
And then there’s Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, a stunning return to form for a series that had completely lost its way for the better part of the last two decades. After several misguided attempts to get the monkey ball rolling again, the pieces finally fell into place in Banana Rumble thanks to the tightest controls, physics, and level design the series has seen since Super Monkey Ball 2 in 2003. Tilting the stage to roll your monkey to the finish feels right again, and the new spin dash ability significantly opens up speedrunning and trick shot techniques without feeling like a betrayal to Monkey Ball’s core mechanics like some past gimmicks did.
It doesn’t hold back by the end either, with devilish late-game obstacles that will throw your monkey off the stage dozens of times before you finally break through that sweet, sweet goal. It’s also a fantastic game to play with others, as you can tackle all of Banana Rumble’s 200+ stages in local or online co-op with up to four players. It may not quite soar to the lofty heights of the GameCube originals, but it’s undeniable that Super Monkey Ball is back after years of fall outs, and I’m both shocked and overjoyed I get to say that in 2024.
Runner-Up: Super Mario Party Jamboree
Now we move onto the runner-ups – the games that narrowly missed out on the top spot. First is Super Mario Party Jamboree, one of Nintendo’s finest efforts of 2024, which simultaneously became a go-to multiplayer game on Switch and a standout entry in the longrunning dice-rolling, backstabbing series. It has pretty much everything you’d want from a great Mario Party: a wonderful set of seven boards each with their own unique wrinkles, an incredibly fun and varied set of minigames you’ll want to return to again and again, and a huge roster of 22 playable characters filled with both fan favorites and deep cuts. Plus, if you’ve been on the wrong end of one too many Chance Times or Bowser Revolutions and just can’t take it anymore, the all-new optional Pro Rules offer an alternative take on Mario Party that lessen the luck-based elements and emphasize skill and strategy.
Jamboree is particularly exciting because it’s easily the best original Mario Party game developed by Nintendo Cube, the studio that’s been in charge of the series since 2012’s Mario Party 9. The developers spent years trying to completely transform the Mario Party formula – from putting all four players into a car, to having everyone take their turn at the same time – and it just never really worked. But the Switch era represents a comeback story for the Mario Party series, beginning with Super Mario Party which was a step in the right direction, but still not entirely there. Then, Nintendo Cube returned to the franchise’s greatest hits in Mario Party Superstars, which was a ton of fun, but it wasn’t original content. Finally, the Mario Party comeback arc is complete with new boards, items, and minigames that stand side-by-side with the greats and cement Jamboree as a modern multiplayer classic.
Runner-Up: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
If you like head-scratching, mind-bending puzzle games like Return of the Obra Dinn and The Witness, then Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a must-play to add to your Switch wishlist. Created by Sayonara Wild Hearts developer Simogo, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes features the same unrivaled presentation and atmosphere with a tantalizing mystery to match. The story begins with Lorelei arriving at a creepy, surreal hotel and within minutes you’ll be enraptured by unraveling its greatest mysteries and discovering why she was summoned there in the first place. Our reviewer Tom Marks called it “the closest thing I’ve played to a modernization of what a point-and-click adventure could be,” saying “Its story is enticingly fresh, its vibes perfectly eerie, and the desire it evokes to uncover every inch of its intricately interwoven mystery is irresistible.”
It’s also not afraid to scare you. While it never treads too far into horror game territory, it effectively keeps you on edge with a handful of frightening moments as you dive deeper down its ever-expanding rabbit hole. As Tom said, “Lorelei and the Laser Eyes does do a fantastic job of unsettling you as you go, using its beautiful black-and-white visual style with pops of neon to create haunting, abstract imagery that can sometimes be as anxiety-inducing as any monster.” This is one of the best examples of a small developer bringing a brilliant set of ideas to Switch in 2024, resulting in an unforgettable journey that’s not quite like anything else on the console.
Runner-Up: Unicorn Overlord
It’s been a phenomenal year for RPGs, and Unicorn Overlord is a big reason why. This is a superb high-fantasy strategy RPG from 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim developer Vanillaware, and the developer’s iconic art style is on full display with Unicorn Overlord’s beautifully animated characters and backgrounds, along with some of the most unnecessarily good-looking food we’ve ever seen in a video game. Our reviewer Eric Zalewski said Unicorn Overlord has one of his favorite strategy RPG combat systems ever, praising its unique blend of real-time strategy and turn-based RPG mechanics that result in something entirely new and delightfully deep. You’ll need to expertly maneuver your squads and fully engage with its complex ability system to succeed on the higher difficulties, and our review praised the scenarios you’re thrust into across Unicorn Overlord’s diverse maps, calling the mechanics and gimmicks presented some of the very best in the genre.
Unicorn Overlord’s fairly stereotypical story about a prince fighting to take back his kingdom is immaculately presented across five separate arcs that each add vital context to the tale, with Eric saying, “Rather than lengthy exposition or 30-minute lore dumps, its wonderfully realized world is gradually fleshed out by the people you interact with, providing interesting perspectives as you learn the stories of both your allies and your enemies. Its overarching plot may be rather simple as a result, sticking closely to genre tropes, but when paired with a beautiful presentation, even familiar stories manage to feel fresh.” Unicorn Overlord is a special RPG in a year full of them, and proof that some third-party developers are still bringing the good stuff to Nintendo Switch.
Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
There were a lot of great Switch games this year, but in the end it’s tough to beat The Legend of Zelda, and Echoes of Wisdom is IGN’s pick for the best Nintendo game of 2024. Echoes of Wisdom marks a lot of exciting firsts for the series: It’s the first new top-down Zelda game on Switch, the first time a Zelda game is played largely without a sword, and most importantly it’s the first time Princess Zelda is the playable character in a mainline entry.
However, this isn’t just a traditional adventure where Zelda simply takes the place of Link. Instead, Echoes of Wisdom carves out its own niche in Hyrule’s history thanks to its central copy-and-paste gameplay mechanic where Zelda can summon Echoes of objects and enemies she encounters to solve puzzles and take down powerful foes in unique ways. From plopping down a bed to restore her health with a quick nap whenever and wherever to finally turning the tables and commanding enemies that have been nuisances for years, there’s no shortage of fun, innovative uses for the dozens of Echoes at Zelda’s disposal. It takes a page from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom by setting players loose to find their own solutions, where the only wrong answers are the ones that don’t work. It only took hours after Echoes of Wisdom’s launch to see crazy improvisational combinations surfacing on social media, like tornado beds and crows endlessly chasing after a chunk of meat just out of their reach, leading to a pretty reliable form of flight.
Echoes of Wisdom doesn’t entirely return to the classic top-down setup that a lot of longtime fans miss, but it takes several half steps that bridge the gap between the modern formula and the old favorites. Hyrule is littered with Heart Pieces to find, warm orchestral melodies accompany nearly every step of the journey, and many characters, locations, and other references make Echoes of Wisdom feel like a love letter to cherished Zelda games like A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and many others. With Echoes of Wisdom, Nintendo once again took the Zelda series in a bold, unexpected direction, giving Hyrule’s princess her long-awaited starring role with new gameplay concepts we never could have imagined beforehand, and that’s why it’s our pick for the best Nintendo game of the year.
Let us know what your pick is for the best Switch game of the year, and be sure to check out all of the other categories for the 2024 IGN Awards.
Masayuki Kato, the founder of Japanese developer Nihon Falcom, has sadly passed away the age of 78, the company has announced.
Kato founded the company back in 1981 and, as highlighted by our friends over at Time Extension, chose the name ‘Falcom’ as a play on the Millenium Falcon from Star Wars, ultimately adding in ‘Nihon’ as he felt the single word title wasn’t quite enough on its own.
Xbox is dedicated to bringing the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet – and that includes how we support those making the games. As part of that mission, we’re revealing Game Maker’s Journey, a new documentary focused on pioneering Nigerian videogame studio Dimension11 and its debut release, Legends of Orisha: Blood and Water.
We’re delighted to announce that Game Maker’s Journey will take us to Ile-Ife, Nigeria and tell us how Dimension11 is breaking new ground, transforming Nigeria’s rich history and the ancient Yoruba religion and into a dynamic and immersive gameplay experience.
Watch the full documentary below:
Legends of Orisha: Blood and Water is narrative action-RPG rooted in Nigeria’s Yoruba culture, and the immersive nature of gaming will allow players to experience and learn about it in an all-new way. Dimension11 are part of the ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program. The program’s mission is to empower underrepresented creators to bring their creativity, innovation, and originality to Xbox.
“We set out with a dream to tell African stories to a global audience and Legends of Orisha: Blood and Water was born out of that dream,” says Dimension11 Creative Director Winston Ohunyon.
“Through the help of ID@Xbox’s Developer Accelerator Program, this dream has become an achievable goal. I am immensely grateful for their support as well as the creative vision of the folks behind Game Maker’s Journey.”
“When I first met the Dimension 11 team as part of Game Camp Africa, it was clear to me that this studio had immense talent, expertise, and passion,” says James Lewis, Head of the ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program. “Dimension11 and Legends of Orisha: Blood and Water exemplify the type of teams and projects that we strive to support with the ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program.”
Game Maker’s Journey: Dimension11 is available to watch now, and you can find more on the ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program here.
The polls for the PlayStation Game of the Year 2024 awards closed last week and with the numbers crunched – totalling over 1.6 million votes globally – we can reveal this year’s top contenders across the 19 categories, as shaped solely by your choices. While four titles earned trophies per category, there were numerous games that received support from players worldwide, either through selecting from shortlists or write-in options. A thank you to those who voted, and of course, to those creators and teams whose creativity and craft has been shared and enjoyed on PlayStation consoles the world over.
Before we dig into the winners, a quick reminder on the category guidelines:
As with the majority of the other categories, Best Multiplayer Experience focuses on titles released in 2024. Best Ongoing Game focuses on titles that have seen new, large scale content or game-changing updates launch over this past year.
Best Rerelease is categorized as titles that, in the main, feature upgraded visuals and some QoL improvements but otherwise hew close to their original launch version. This category does not include full-scale remakes of older titles. Those are eligible for Game of the Year consideration.
Due to the polls closure date, some titles weren’t eligible for inclusion. Those titles will be eligible in next year’s Awards.
If a title won a Platinum Trophy in a category any previous year, it won’t be eligible for inclusion in the same category this year to allow other titles a chance to shine. As such Grand Theft Auto VI isn’t included in The Most Anticipated Game of 2025 and Beyond category – as it earned the Platinum in 2023’s Awards.
Congratulations to everyone who released titles this year.
Best New Character
Platinum Trophy: Eve (Stellar Blade)
Gold Trophy: Jane Harrow (Call of Duty: Black Ops 6) Silver Trophy: Emmrich Volkarin (Dragon Age: The Veilguard) Bronze Trophy: Ryoma Sakamoto (Rise of the Rōnin)
The Best New Character category received the highest number of write-in votes, so a shout out to – amongst others – Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Strohl, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail’s Wuk Lamat, and Helldivers 2’s General Brasch, all of whom have fans across the globe. The majority of the votes however were split between Stellar Blade’s Eve, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Jane Harrow, Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Emmrich Volkarin and Rise of the Rōnin’s Ryoma Sakamoto.
Best Story
Platinum Trophy: Silent Hill 2
Gold Trophy: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Silver Trophy: Stellar Blade Bronze Trophy: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
The Best Story category had strong competition this year, including new gripping narratives in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Stellar Blade. Two unforgettable remakes duked it out for top position: Silent Hill 2 and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. The votes for number one were remarkably close.
Ultimately, James Sunderland’s surreal return trip to Silent Hill took the top spot. Bloober Team and Konami’s remake of this PS2 classic captured the dreamlike essence of the original title while enhancing it with high-fidelity facial capture to add extra nuance to the town’s troubled visitors. We’ll see Silent Hill 2 in our restless dreams for years.
Best Graphical Showcase
Platinum Trophy: Black Myth: Wukong
Gold Trophy: Astro Bot Silver Trophy: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Bronze Trophy: Stellar Blade
You know that moment when you’re playing a game and you just have to stop and say wow? 2024 has been choc-full of those thanks to a line-up of gorgeous games which have pushed the boundaries of what is possible graphically. Adventures like Stellar Blade and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth brought a realistic style to their fantastic worlds, while the bright and playful planets inhabited by Astro and his bot buddies captured the hearts (and eyes) of gamers everywhere.
Perhaps one of the most memorable of those moments is the opening of Black Myth: Wukong, which sees you raising your staff in a stunning fight amidst the clouds. But that’s just the beginning; the action epic’s towering mountains, dense forests and glistening snowfields really highlighted just how beautiful PS5’s visuals can be, helping it claim this year’s Platinum trophy.
Best Art Direction
Platinum Trophy: Astro Bot
Gold Trophy: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Silver Trophy: Silent Hill 2 Bronze Trophy: Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
The games of 2024 brought top-tier artistic visions to life, from harrowing horrors to fantastical creatures. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero captured the source material perfectly, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth featured top-tier character and boss design, while Silent Hill 2 beautifully recaptured the moody atmosphere of the PS2 original with a fresh aesthetic.
However, Team Asobi’s Astro Bot leaped up to claim top prize in the category. The platforming adventure’s Bots sport loving homages to classic game characters decked out in gear that thoughtfully distills the original character design. Each stage is a visual banger to boot, including inventive knife-juggling ghosts, traditional Japanese architecture, and outlandish sci-fi contraptions. Congrats to Team Asobi.
Best Audio Design
Platinum Trophy: Astro Bot
Gold Trophy: Silent Hill 2 Silver Trophy: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Bronze Trophy: Stellar Blade
This year our ears rang with clashing metal, buzzing gadgets, and small towns creaking and moaning, breathing detailed life into the environments we played through. But it was Astro Bot’s all-encompassing auditory adventure that blasted it to the top spot. From Astro’s pitter patter adjusting to whatever terrain he crossed, to the squishes, bangs, and pows of his power suits, every level filled players’ ears with a galaxy of sound.
2024 featured stiff competition in the soundtrack department. Astro Bot introduced new tracks we’ll be humming well into 2025. Silent Hill 2 brilliantly recaptured Akira Yamaoka’s eclectic and moody sounds, and Stellar Blade’s soundtrack was, well, stellar.
However, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth secures the top position for Best Soundtrack. It’s no wonder, as the original PlayStation game is considered to have one of the greatest soundtracks in the history of the medium. Each track in Rebirth is stunningly fleshed out with broader instrumentation, from the soothing town of Kalm to the rousing boss battles against Sephiroth. This year, one of the best soundtracks ever only got better.
Best Use of DualSense
Platinum Trophy: Astro Bot
Gold Trophy: Stellar Blade Silver Trophy: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Bronze Trophy: Silent Hill 2
If you’ve heard the clash of Eve’s blade ring out from its speaker, or felt the pitter-patter of the rain in Silent Hill, you know how much more immersive the DualSense can make your games. And this year, many developers made the most of its features to make their games more terrifying, challenging and enjoyable.
With Astro Bot, winner of this year’s Platinum trophy for use of DualSense, Team Asobi built on what they created in the past. From rolling Astro around in a LocoRoco-inspired world to clearing the path with a blow of your breath, every element of the adventure is developed with the controller in mind, adding to the enjoyment of an already joyful game.
Best Accessibility Features
Platinum Trophy: Astro Bot
Gold Trophy: The Last of Us Part II Remastered Silver Trophy: Silent Hill 2 Bronze Trophy: Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Team Asobi has not only crafted an epic, nostalgic adventure paying homage to PlayStation’s extensive 30-year history, they’ve also championed accessibility by design! High contrast visuals, a streamlined, Access Controller-friendly control scheme, and truly unique implementation of haptic feedback with visual cues in tow, ensure players can explore a bevy of vibrant worlds alongside Astro.
Best Multiplayer Experience
Platinum Trophy: Helldivers 2
Gold Trophy: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Silver Trophy: Fortnite Bronze Trophy: Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
Dispensing peace doesn’t come easy, but the taste of liber-tea is that much sweeter when shared with a team. This year players united under the Helldivers 2 flag of democracy to fight off bots and bugs. Whether you dropped in with friends or completed mission objectives with strangers online, we salute you.
Best Ongoing Game
Platinum Trophy: Fortnite
Gold Trophy: Final Fantasy XIV Online Silver Trophy: Call of Duty Bronze Trophy: No Man’s Sky
Nothing lasts forever, but some games have evolved into an ever-growing ecosystem. Constant updates bringing new fierce competitions in Gran Turismo 7, rebuilding a universe from the ground up in No Man’s Sky and exploring new frontiers in Final Fantasy XIV Online.
With constant innovation, never-ending stories, and a whole galaxy to explore there was one game that has withstood the test of time above the rest. Fortnite. Whether it’s dancing with Snoop Dogg, tackling teams with the TMNT, or just hanging with your best friends and anime characters, Fortnite appeals to the imagination of us all. Add in modes like LEGO, car racing, and even an FPS, and you have a game that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Best Expansion
Platinum Trophy: Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
Gold Trophy: God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla Silver Trophy: Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide Bronze Trophy: Alan Wake 2: The Lake House
Wanted to explore more of Kratos’ history? God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla delivered. Craved a new Final Fantasy XVI story? 2024 had you covered. Needed more Alan Wake in your life? Yup, got that too.
There was no shortage of expansions of already fantastic games this year. God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla took you to the trials of the Norse afterlife, while Alan Wake 2: The Lake House acted as an unnerving addendum to an already terrifying adventure. Meanwhile, we left the Lands Between to journey to the Land of Shadow in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Easily one of the biggest expansions of the year, it brought dozens of new enemies and bosses to face, a whole new map to explore and countless new ways to grow your Tarnished’s armoury. The sheer amount of content aside, Shadow of the Erdtree also introduced one of FromSoftware’s most challenging boss fights ever, adding a delicious and deadly cherry on top of an incredible adventure.
Best Sports Game
Platinum Trophy: EA Sports FC 25
Gold Trophy: WWE 2K24 Silver Trophy: F1 24 Bronze Trophy: NBA 2K25
High-scoring action was plentiful for sports game players in 2024. F1 24’s improved Dynamic Handling dazzled adrenaline junkies with realistic heart-pumping races, while WWE 2K24 came off the top rope to deliver nostalgia by bringing back fan-favorite match types.
The competition was strong but EA Sports FC 25 took home the chip, securing the Best Sports Game title for 2024. The new FC IQ feature overhauled tactics and delivered the most strategic control over gameplay in the franchise’s history. EA Sports FC 25 also made it easier to pick up and play with friends in the 5v5 Rush mode, as smaller teams bring more time on the ball for players who want to be close to the action.
Best Rerelease
Platinum Trophy: The Last of Us Part II Remastered
Gold Trophy: Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Silver Trophy: Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Bronze Trophy: Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
The Last of Us Part II Remastered kicked down the door at the beginning of 2024 with its impressive visual enhancements, crisp frame rate, and new No Return mode that offered new challenges once players completed the emotionally charged story. Crisp foliage, dense shadows, and detailed character design pushed this release to be players’ definitive version of the game.
Best Independent Game
Platinum Trophy: Balatro
Gold Trophy: Palworld Silver Trophy: Phasmophobia Bronze Trophy: Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 (Flat Version)
The frights of Phasmophobia and Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 kept players on their toes, and monster-taming adventure Palworld helped them build community. But this hand ultimately went to Balatro, which built a deck of roguelite fun that turned poker on its head and kept players locked into its hypnotically fun gameplay loop all year.
Immersive horror frights proved a strong draw for PS VR2 players. Despite launching this time last year, Resident Evil 4 VR Mode is still a vivid memory for many, pulling in the majority of player votes as Capcom sublimely adapted the thrills of its survival horror franchise for VR. Vertigo Games brought the post-apolycaptic world of Metro to VR, adding in immersive features while retaining that franchise’s taut, oppressive atmosphere. Phasmophobia proved supernatural escapades are best with company, and Cooking Simulator VR delighted with its culinary chaos.
Best PS4 Game
Platinum Trophy: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Gold Trophy: Metaphor: ReFantazio Silver Trophy: Sonic X Shadow Generations Bronze Trophy: Persona 3 Reload
Some of 2024’s best games launched on both PS5 and PS4 this year. Atlus delivered two RPG bangers with Personal 3 Reload and Metaphor ReFantazio. Sega also expanded on its hedgehog love letter in Sonic X Shadow Generations, featuring a new campaign. What a year for Sega!
Despite the strong competition, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 secures the Best PS4 Game victory this year. Treyarch and its development partners delivered a gripping, action-packed campaign, ushered in the return of round-based Zombies mode, and offered the endless excitement of genre-defining multiplayer. Congrats to the Call of Duty developers for this year’s achievement.
Best PS5 Game
Platinum Trophy: Astro Bot
Gold Trophy: Black Myth: Wukong Silver Trophy: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Bronze Trophy: Stellar Blade
Great gaming experiences launched across the entire stretch of 2024, and four in particular were seemingly top of mind for many voters. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s lavish and expansive RPG adventure kicked things off back in February. Stellar Blade’s sci-fi action unleashed itself on PS5 two months later, with Black Myth: Wukong’s own take on tight combat mechanics leapt into the fray in August. But it was the platforming adventures of Astro Bot, released in September, that netted the majority of votes.
Studio of the Year
Platinum Trophy: Team Asobi
Gold Trophy: Bandai Namco Silver Trophy: Shift Up Bronze Trophy: Arrowhead Games
No video game would exist without talented people and teams pouring their passions into the medium. Every year, we are privileged to experience the imagination and ideas that took years to bring to life. We had one of the greatest satire multiplayer experiences, a new staple in the action-adventure genre, and a team putting out multiple hits in a calendar year. Still, the studio that captured the hearts of players was Team Asobi.
Through Astro Bot, Team Asobi tapped into the simplistic yet hard-to-master, joy of playing a video game. From invoking feelings in seasoned gamers they may have forgotten, to being a new gamer’s first magical experience. They prove to players they have the talent to bring out the best in the art form.
Most Anticipated Game of 2025 and Beyond
Platinum Trophy: Ghost of Yōtei
Gold Trophy: Marvel’s Wolverine Silver Trophy: Death Stranding 2: On The Beach Bronze Trophy: Monster Hunter Wilds
Hotly-anticipated heavyweights line the horizon of 2025 onwards. Players haven’t long to wait either: Monster Hunter Wilds launches in just over two months. While its beast-fighting delights kickstart the year, Sucker Punch’s latest adventure will bring sword clashes, exploration and more to 2025 in the form of Ghost of Yōtei. And with Insomniac’s and Kojima Production’s latest works also part of PlayStation’s future, there’s a lot to be excited about.
Yakuza / Like a Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio appears to be teasing a Snoop Dogg appearance in its mysterious new game Project Century.
RGG Studio posted a photo of Snoop wearing the distinctive jacket worn by the protagonist in the Project Century trailer. At the same time, studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama posted a photo of himself in the jacket, mirroring the pose of Snoop.
The Snoop photo has the teasing caption “…yet,” while Yokoyama’s, in Japanese, said: “please wait a bit, yeah?” It’s not the tease RGG Studio fans were expecting of Project Century, which appears to be a new series potentially connected to Yakuza / Like a Dragon but set in 1915, given it was only revealed at The Game Awards 2024 a few days ago, but there are some elements which aren’t completely bizarre.
— RGG Studio | Like a Dragon & Yakuza Series (@RGGStudio) December 17, 2024
Snoop was also at The Game Awards 2024, for example, where he performed a medley of songs to the developers and press in attendance. It’s therefore likely the photo was taken there, and could be as simple as him liking the jacket and wanting a photo in it.
But this isn’t the first time Snoop Dogg’s name has been brought up in relation to the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series. Following on from Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which featured Danny Trejo as the likeness and voice for villain Dwight Méndez, publisher Sega asked fans which other celebrities they’d like to appear in the series going forward.
Alongside video game adjacent stars such as Keanu Reeves, Mark Hamill, Jack Black, Rami Malek, and David Hayter came other celebrities, one of which was none other than Snoop Dogg. This tease could therefore be the end result of this poll, though nothing is confirmed yet.
Snoop would likely appear as a new character and not just as a cameo of himself, especially if he does show up in Project Century since it’s set 56 years before he was born. Little is known about the game, however, so anything is possible.
They’ll have to be patient for these answers though. Project Century is probably still a while away given it doesn’t have a title yet, and RGG Studio is currently developing Virtua Fighter 6 and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii alongside it.
It is known for its unbelievably speedy development times, however. In the last five years, for example, its released Yakuza 4 Remastered, Yakuza 5 Remastered, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Judgment Remastered, Lost Judgment, Like a Dragon: Ishin, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, alongside three Super Monkey Ball Games and an enhanced remaster of Virtua Fighter 5. That’s 12 games in total.
In our 9/10 review of the last RGG Studio release, IGN said: “Sprawling, enthralling, and packed with dynamic brawling, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth isn’t just the best turn-based Like a Dragon game, it’s one of the greatest games in the entire series.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game has grown so valuable that Japanese crime syndicates are reportedly using it to launder money.
The former head of a crime syndicate told Shunkan Gendai Online, translated by Automaton, that his organization used Pokémon cards as a means of transporting stolen money abroad.
The cards being so small, literally the size of a regular playing card, but holding so much value allowed them to be easily bought, transported, and sold abroad, the crime leader said. Some Pokémon cards are indeed incredibly valuable. The record holder sold for more than $5 million but even some cards in regular packs are worth hundreds of dollars or more.
The crime syndicate used well-documented methods of finding these expensive cards too, which are usually the ones with lots of shiny foiling. Thanks to this, advanced metal detectors are able to pick up the foiling from outside the pack, or incredibly sensitive scales can pick up incremental increases in weight.
This allows the crime syndicate to buy packs in bulk using their illegaly obtained cash, open all with actual value, and then re-sell the remaining ones at cost.
Perhaps inspired by Team Rocket, Pokémon cards and crime have long gone hand-in-hand, though plain theft appears to be at the forefront of criminals’ exploits. Tokyo police reported an unprecedented number of trading card thefts in the latter half of 2022, and there are many high profile examples making headlines.
Making the most of a bad situation, a trading card shop in California also posted a video of thieves who stole 35,000 Pokémon cards from them in January 2024 and mocked them for not knowing what to take.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
