22 dec 2024
while this year has been quite saturated, with the internet becoming ever more filled with ai art and content, often at the expense of independent creators and artists, this year has also been a year of some amazing games, music, and other works of art. the following is a list of my favorite things from this year:
🎮 undertale yellow
the highly anticipated fangame based on the hit indie game undertale has finally
released, seven years after the original demo was released, and it did not disappoint!
featuring an original set of characters just as loveable and well-written as the original game,
a touching storyline that plays off the original game extremely well, an AMAZING soundtrack, and
expansion of the mechanics of the original game, this free fangame is absolutely worth the play.
everything in the game is very obviously a labor of love, from the spritework, to the writing, even down
to the four distinct endings that all offer vastly different experiences for the player.
🎮 balatro
this highly addictive poker-themed roguelike game had captured my attention ever since opening it for the first time.
in fact, when i bought it, i had planned to play it for a few minutes to see if i liked it, then
proceeded to play it for two hours. i think i liked it.
the game has some amazing mechanics, such as the tarot cards, which improve your run by giving you point multipliers,
along with most mechanics being a game of chance, offer a unique and enticing experience that i cannot get away from.
🎮 core keeper
after some time in early access, the sandbox game core keeper finally released fully. the game offers a vast sandbox/rpg experience,
not unlike the games that it is commonly compared to, like terraria and minecraft, while also providing a stardew valley-like range of
mechanics, such as fishing, farming, and ranching.
while the game has a few flaws and is far from perfect, i think that it is one of my favorite new games i have played in a while.
🎮 ribbit
ever since discovering the early demo of this deltarune mod, i have absolutely loved it, and its 2.0 update released this year. its original characters and seriously fucking hilarious writing makes it seem like more of a fangame than a mod. it is also saturated with memes, nostalgic music, and features a story that can be messy at times, but ends up being quite interesting. also apparently its based on a bad 60s movie? idk, but i love it.
🎶 charli xcx: "brat"
ah yes, the green album strikes once again. there is not much that i can say about brat that has not already been said.
being an ode to 2000s electropop with a modern twist, charli xcx goes back to her roots and even brings some of her old
collaborators back, including easyfun and the amazing a.g. cook as producers. the album features a wide set of pop genres and lyrical content,
from body image issues in "rewind," to bittered relationships on "girl, so confusing." she also gives a tribute to the late producer sophie on "so i,"
a heartwrenching piece of spacey ambient pop, that sees charli delve into her relationship with sophie, which also doesn't really paint charli in the best light;
an amazing display of vulnerability and quite a change in pace from other tribute tracks i've heard. the album provides a little bit of everything, is meant
to be danced to, and the perfect addition to my playlist.
🎶 webcage: "tensionnn"
pop band webcage pumps out a certified banger of a single with "tensionnn" a punk/edm track that sees them delve lyrically into relationship red flags. it also features lush,
grimy, and blown-out production from can of bliss and rift with a ROCKIN' lead solo before the last chorus, some amazing vocal fry screams from musa, and some super cool vocoding on
can of bliss' voice during his verse, and saoirse dream's signature vocals on the chorus, a tone that i still can't replicate.
if you're looking for a song that you don't know whether to dance or cry to, look no further than this song.
🎶 issbrokie ft. lil darkie: "fuggit 10 minute song!"
i had a very hard time picking just one song/project from issbrokie to feature on this list, but i eventually decided on this one, as i feel as though her pen game and versatility shine through most clearly on this track. brokie and darkie get bragadocious as usual in this hodge-podge of a track, featuring four beat switches and a whopping ten verses. the track features some hilarious bars such as "begging for attention, yeah, that hating shit contagious / spreading like it's syphilis" and "she like that my dick long, it's a row, it's like twenty inches." it's genuinely so fire, just listen to it.
🎶 kendrick lamar: "gnx"
the first album since kendrick's high-profile public feud with drake, "gnx" is a love letter to the west coast, with throwback-style waves of classic west coast hip hop throughout, with some banging beats and introspective lyricism. it features unapologetically west coast instrumentals and hard-hitting bars, with kendrick's unusual vocal inflections featured throughout. the album also features guest vocals from mexican-american mariachi singer deyra barrera, which give the album some sense of narrative structure. it is just the ultimate victory lap to finish off this year.
🎶 doechii ft. jt: "alter ego"
doechii and jt give us a one-of-a-kind house banger with "alter ego." with infectious vocal chants in the chorus, doechii and jt's catchy and bragadocious verses, lush production with beautiful vocal harmonies featured on the bridge, down to a sample from ayesha erotica's smash hit single "spread that puss" featured in the intro, the track serves as an unapologetic and intricate bad bitch anthem, and one of the best rap tracks i've heard this year.
▶️ mollystars: "deltarune and the fourth wall || the device theory [PART 3: FINALE]"
now we get to the unhinged section! this is the finale of one of my favorite deltarune theories that i've come across, and one that i think might actually hold up relatively well once chapter 3 of deltarune comes out. apart from the content within the video being really interesting, the editing, narration performance, and writing really makes this video more of an experience rather than just any deltarune theory video. oh also its 6 hours long!
▶️ alexander avila: "how conservatives invented gender ideology"
avila gives not only some amazing social commentary on the history of gender studies, and how eventually studies of these would be censored and demonized, leading to the recent uptick in anti-lgbtq+ rhetoric, this video essay is also visually beautiful, with complex cinematography and smooth animations.
▶️ strange aeons: "dashcon: an extensive oral history"
strange gives a really interesting in-depth look at the tumblr convention that occured in 2014, and eventually had to ask its attendees for donations post-ticket sales for renting out the venue. with many interviews from original attendees and organizers of the event, the video provides a concise and insightful history of the event.
honorable mentions
(c) 2024 noelle rubalcava
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