2025 recap
← All yearsGame of the Year 2025
Clair Obscure: Expedition 33
Game of the past few years... Music, Story, Gameplay. One of the first turn based games I have rolled credits on. The different party members abilities mixed with the parry and dodge system made for engaging gameplay. The story gets going fast in the prologue and keeps the pedal down the whole way. The game tells a beautiful story about grief and family. Each character is flushed out and meaningful. I hope to come back and 100% the side content. Really looking forward to what comes next from this studio and will be on the lookout for the soundtrack vinyl.
Hollow knight
Stared on the deck but played primarly on pc with paddle controller. This game was really fun I got back into it right as silksong was releasing. It started slow but once you get the dash and double jump the world really opens up. Combat was great and not too challening and the lore of the wrold was really cool. Great exploration, music, and combat. Tranveral was difficult expesially the path of pain. Bosses were dope as well. Ill keep it installed on the deck to go back to the dlc and 100% the game.
Top rated
Clair Obscure: Expedition 33
Game of the past few years... Music, Story, Gameplay. One of the first turn based games I have rolled credits on. The different party members abilities mixed with the parry and dodge system made for engaging gameplay. The story gets going fast in the prologue and keeps the pedal down the whole way. The game tells a beautiful story about grief and family. Each character is flushed out and meaningful. I hope to come back and 100% the side content. Really looking forward to what comes next from this studio and will be on the lookout for the soundtrack vinyl.
Dispatch
Banger start to the year. Wanted to get through this last year so it could make my rankings for 2025 but just didnt have time. This game rocks. Voice cast is so fun, story incredible, and the dispatching gameplay had me wanting more. Only reason the game isnt a 10 is becuase i think the dispatching could be a little more fleshed out but if they make a sequel they could really hit it out of the park. Its rare i finish a game and instantly want to start a fresh playthrough. Music also always hit whenever a song came on. Intstant classic and instant top game in the story choice making genre.
Lies of P: Overture
They did the thing. Some of the coolest areas and bosses of the game are in this dlc. The zoo at the start may be one of the best areas in any souls game just based on vibes. The added weapons are also fun to play with and change up the gameplay a bit. The side quests and main story are gripping and add to the overall narative of the game in such a nice way. This game needs to be played by more people.
Lies of P NG+
Damn this game is good. Hopped back in for new game plus to prep for the DLC and this game fucksss. The world is dark but cool and the gameplay plays just as good as the fromsoft games. Experiencing this game after beating a lot of the from games makes me appreciate this game even more. Really looking foward to the DLC. The wizard of oz sequel cannot come soon enough
Hollow knight
Stared on the deck but played primarly on pc with paddle controller. This game was really fun I got back into it right as silksong was releasing. It started slow but once you get the dash and double jump the world really opens up. Combat was great and not too challening and the lore of the wrold was really cool. Great exploration, music, and combat. Tranveral was difficult expesially the path of pain. Bosses were dope as well. Ill keep it installed on the deck to go back to the dlc and 100% the game.
Nine Sols
Hopped in after beating blasphemous. Was tempted to run right into blasphemous 2 but didnt want to get burnt out and heard great things about this game. After liking blasphemous I wanted a similar but differnt game and this seems to be what I was feeling.The game was hyped as 2d sekiro and it lives up to that hype. Graphics and Art really pop on the deck and the gameplay is fast and fluid.Final boss is one of the best bosses in any game. so good
Death Stranding 2: on the beach
Some games are fun, others tell an amazing story, and some are just weird. I started the year going back to the first game and finially understood why people liked it. After finishing two I really hope we get a thrid. Kojima has improved some of the clunkyness of the first and made an overall amaizng experince with two. The story is still real weird and I think I liked the first story better but the gameplay here is so satisfying and relaxing. The combat is better and its addicting trying to build out all the roads and rails. Some of the best gameplay from the year is when you come over a hill or mountain top and low roar starts playing. Such a beautiful experience.
Death Stranding
I decided to go back to it at the start of this year to play on the new shiny tv and because the new game was coming soon and thought I better give it a fair shot. The game picks up in chapter 3 and you really get to the meat of the gameplay. If youre not in the mood for some slow transversing of terrain than youre going to have a bad time with this game. Lucky me I came back with the correct expectations and really got into it. The story is weird but gripping and if youre optimizing your routes and equipment correctly the gameplay is fun and almsot like meditating. The themes of connection and isolation hit home and the combat is even good. The game kept me interested with its weird story and satisfying game play cant wait for pt 2
Citizen Sleeper
Wanted something to play in bed that wasn't super bright or loud. Did not expect for this game to suck me in but it has. The story of a corporate clone robot escaping and living on the run is really cool. The minimal gameplay elements are fun and the dice inventory management is somewhat stressful but also what makes the game addicting. The ambient spacecraft noise and music adds so much to the atmosphere and the art and graphics really pop on the deck. Characters and the story were so well written it felt like a good book I couldnt put down. Glad I gave it a try and will have to give the new one a try after this. This game also has me intertested in trying disco elysium since the reading didnt put me off this game.
Subnautica
Goated. A Classic. This game has so much going for it but a few things hold it back from a perfect 10/10. Starting with the great. The world, story, lore, and graphics are all captivating and stunning. The atmosphere is beautiful and terrifying. The gameplay is addicting. I loved the loop of building your base, exploring deeper for resources and story and upgrading your tools. The leviathans are actually pants shitting scary. The drawbacks for the game come at a technical level that break immersion and take away some of that gripping fear that would have made this game an all timer. There is quite a bit of graphical pop in and a lot of the animals clip through the ground. This instantly breaks immersion and takes you out of the world. This doesn't take away from the good story and amazing gameplay though so I would still recommend this game and I am hoping they fix these issues with Subnautica 2.
Blown away
Flagged with the blown-away columnStunners
All finished in 2025
In completion order- Jan 14, 2025Death Stranding 2: on the beachPS5 8.5
- Jan 14, 2025Death Stranding 2
- Jan 26, 2025Death StrandingPS5 8.5
- Feb 26, 2025Prince of Persia the Lost CrownDeck 7.5
- Mar 19, 2025Backrooms: Escape TogetherPC 7.5
- Apr 19, 2025Dark Souls RemasteredPC/Deck TV/ Deck 8
- May 14, 2025Assassins Creed Odyssey Legacy of the First Blade DLCPS5 8
- Jun 25, 2025Clair Obscure: Expedition 33PS5 10
- Jul 4, 2025Citizen SleeperDeck 8.5
- Jul 4, 2025King of the BridgeDeck 7.5
- Jul 13, 2025Dark SoulsPC / Deck
- Jul 22, 2025SubnauticaPC/Deck 8.5
- Jul 31, 2025Lies of P: OverturePC/Deck TV 9
- Aug 1, 2025Lies of P NG+PC 9
- Sep 22, 2025Hollow knightDeck 9
- Nov 27, 2025Slots and DaggersDeck 7