Balatro may have swept the awards this year – including securing a place on our 50 best games of 2024 list and that of Eurogamer readers – but developer LocalThunk has taken time to recommend other indie games that caught his eye in 2024.
Taking to X, LocalThunk listed his “very prestigious Golden Thunk Awards”, awarding top prize to the “engrossing experience” of Animal Well.
“My very prestigious Golden Thunk award for Game of the Year 2024 goes to Animal Well!” he wrote.
“Animal Well was an engrossing experience. Dripping with style, secrets, and making me feel like an imposter in this industry as a dev, Billy Basso created a true masterpiece.”
Runners up were Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers – described as a “beautifully synergistic and strategic deckbuilder”, LocalThunk said “people mistakenly wrote this off as a Balatro clone, but this was announced before my game ever was” – Arco, Nova Drift, Ballionaire, and Wrong Organ’s exceptional Mouthwashing.
“I didn’t even know this was a horror game when I started playing it at 11pm one fateful night,” the developer said. “I was hooked instantly, and both the world it created and the poignant message woven into the game stick with me vividly months later.”
LocalThunk’s stellar Balatro secured several accolades at last month’s The Game Awards, including best mobile game, best debut indie game, and best independent game.
The anonymous solo developer recently said there’s a part of him that regrets the game’s success, as he misses when creating games was just a hobby.
Asked in an interview if he regrets Balatro’s success, he replied: “Honestly, yeah. Don’t get me wrong – this has changed my life in a lot of amazing ways. I’m so grateful. But I do miss that time before. It was just a hobby that recharged my batteries. Sometimes I think, ‘Maybe I would’ve been happier if I had never released this game to the public.'”