2025 has been a massive year for video games. Frankly, there’s more to talk about than in the movie industry. Games such as Silk Song, Hades 2, Ghost of Yotei, DOOM: Dark Ages, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Pokemon Legends ZA, Mario Kart World, Metroid Beyond, Donkey Kong Bananza, Blue Prince, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and Dispatch…

And yet, I barely played any of these… But you’ll see some of them in next year’s list probably. This list is the games I played in 2025, so generally older games. Even then, there are some bangers!

The industry may be releasing a lot of good games this year… but the industry itself is in conflict. Studios are still laying off hundreds of workers to fit profit margins. The “pandemic boom” is long gone, and studios continue to tighten their belts. Worse yet, this is partnered with CEOs embracing AI generated content for their games, limiting the need for human beings.

This… is a turbulant time. AI has got a place in game’s development, it is a matter of finding what that place is. It should never replace the human spirit or creativity. It shouldn’t replace jobs either, even entry-level jobs. It needs to help the individual do their job, not take the job away from them. Video games have some of the most expressive examples of artestry and human creativity in them. It would be horrible to see them sink into mechanical creations for sake of “efficiency”.

I really hope the industry sees this as its imperative. But there are a lot of worrying signs that the opposite may become reality. If that’s the case, we need to be transparent about what we are selling, and only buy things human beings have made.

Hitman 3 (PlayStation 5) – Completed

It is insane how much content exists in Hitman: World of Assassination. If you have any interest in espionage/stealth games, you owe it to yourself to pick up World of Assassination.
While we do follow Agent 47 and his handler Diana on their quest against shadowy conspirators, the plot doesn’t matter here. We not only have all of the missions for Hitman 3‘s story, but also Hitman 1 and Hitman 2‘s missions as well. But it goes further than that. Each destination have bonus missions that were originally DLC, as well as challenges known as Escalations. Moreover, World of Assassination has its own mode! Similar to a rogue-lite system; the game randomly creates scenarios and targets for the player to dispatch. Giving risk-reward bonuses in the mix as well.

All of this content is in the same engine, meaning any weapon, tool, or gadget you unlock in one mission can be used in another. The possibilities are nearly endless.
It is a fantastic game. The moment-to-moment gameplay is exciting and tense (and often very silly). The meta-progression of player knowledge vs mission level design is captivating. I keep going back to play this game; there’s always content to play. Even if you’ve played the first games before, you can confirm that you have on game start-up. Or… you know, just play all the missions again! Why not?

(except the Bangkok level… We don’t like the Bangkok level…)

Outer Wilds (Steam) – Completed

From one game I will play over and over, to another that changed my perception of video game design. First and foremost, the Outer Wilds community are lovely; there is a spoken rule that no one spoils anything about the game. So I will carry on the tradition.
You play as an explorer, launching yourself into space in your trusty spacecraft, to learn mysteries of the solar system. Expect incredible science fiction concepts, mind-bending physics, and a game-spanning puzzle that you gradually unpick. No one’s game experience is the same in Outer Wilds.

It took me a long time to play it, mostly because I tend to not buy into hype anymore. At least not immediately. But Outer Wilds earns its place as one of the best games ever made. I was immensely sad when it ended; knowing there wasn’t much more. But the journey was extremely memorable. Even the DLC available for it is incredible (I suggest playing it after completing the main game)

Other players do say it is tricky to start. After all, you do literally launch yourself into space without guidance. But if you are the investigative sort, everything in Outer Wilds is purposeful; there is no fat or filler, you will find your way.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (PlayStation 5)

Dragon Quest is one of those representative franchises. One of those iconic series that has been persisting for decades. XI is the first one I’ve played, and I have thoughts.
Firstly, its combat is turn-based. Dragon Quest games have robustly maintained this tradition, and they are better for it. We need more turn-based games; it isn’t an outmoded concept! The world is colourful and bright (again, something else we need) with silly monsters and characters. This being the latest Dragon Quest game (XII hasn’t released at time of writing) that legendary artist (and lead artist) Akira Toriyama (of Dragon Ball fame) worked on before he died.

I enjoyed the silly pulpiness of it all. Its story is generic and its vignettes are pretty standard fantasy tropes. But it does have a lot of heart and is very realized.
But god, as a newbie to the series, the combat is difficult to get into. What does the spell Zammle do? Or Dedazzle? Do I need to do these? Admittedly, I must have had the issue with Final Fantasy originally, but these spell names are just nonsense. At least Protect and Shell make some sense.

Then there’s act three of this game. For the first two acts, as someone who plays a lot of games, were extremely easy. Even without knowing the spells, I was okay. But the third act rolls around and says: Haha, now you die. Die over and over again. Sorry, you thought you were doing okay? Well you aren’t. It doesn’t help that the third act feels narratively divorced from the first two… so I just stopped.

Boltgun: Words of Vengeance (Steam)

I’ve not played Boltgun. The “Boomer Shooter” (terrible nickname, don’t repeat) set in the universe of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000. A brightly coloured, blood-soaked shooter. But when I saw “Words of Vengeance”, a typing-based version of the game, I immediately wanted to try it out.
Why yes, to progress through this shooter you have to type words quickly. Like ye olde classic Typing of the Dead. But now, they are Warhammer 40,000 words! So expect to be typing “Burn the Heretic!” or “Jains Zar” or “Twin Autocannon”.

So excited was I, that I found disappointment when the game froze multiple times. As I said, I’ve not played the original Boltgun, but I can only assume it is only Words of Vengeance that I would have a problem with. After all, they’ve changed a shooter into an on-rails typing game. Maybe it has been fixed by now. Also… this version was free. So I can’t complain.

Mario Kart World (Switch 2) – “Completed”

Mario Kart goes open-world. Sort of.
Mario Kart 8 was basically a definitive edition of the classic kart racer from Nintendo. Especially during its time on the Nintendo Switch, where it received dozens of updates that added entire race tracks. Even with World out now, one can expect players will still return to Mario Kart 8.

That isn’t to say World has nothing to offer. It is feels similar to Smash Brothers Ultimate; this game has an insane roster of characters. Sure, there’s Mario, but the internet went wild for Cow. Yes, just a cow. There’s also a bee, which I am very fond of. The tracks are naturally not as varied compared to 8‘s gigantic library, which is a disappointing reality. They also have regular “one lap” races; a track that is simply a race to the finish. These aren’t quite as engaging as the regular tracks, in my opinion.

But the novelty of it being one massive area is fun. The weight of characters, karts, and items is sheer. Like with Super Mario Party, I hope they will introduce more tracks (different continents??) to World and keep it alive. But… like with Super Mario Party, it is more likely Nintendo is just going to ignore it and make another one… Sigh.

I’ve not played much online; you need a Nintendo Online Subscription. The gameplay is frenetic as Mario Kart always is, but there’s tonnes of tricks and shortcuts to be found. There is a sense that this is one of the more “skill” based Mario Karts… as much as it can be when the air is thick with blue shells and bullet bills!

Metroid: Dread (Switch) – Completed (82%)

Metroid: Dread arrived a while back, but I am something of a new fan of Metroid. Ever since Metroid Prime (my Nintendo fandom includes the franchises they don’t make entries for… Metroid and F-Zero) and Dread is the third part in a series I have not played. So the storyline is a big old shrug from me. I have no idea what’s going on.

But in terms of gameplay, the game is a solid little Metroid game. A nonlinear side-scrolling platforming shooter. Progress is gated behind unlocking abilities for our protagonist, Samus Aran, which means you have to explore new areas and defeat enemies. I think the most praise to be given is how Samus moves. She is a complex character in combat, with multiple gadgets and weapon modes, but on top of that she can shoot in multiple directions. This sounds mundane, but it is extremely elegant in implementation here. You feel powerful, like a walking missile turret.

The game looks gorgeous too. There are various biomes to explore, and a particular favourite is the watery, coral reef areas. It all looked so beautiful and detailed. Like looking into a terrarium.

Now… for the problem. Dread has a gimmick. It could have been a nice little Metroidvania, but they added a new enemy, called E.M.M.Is. These guys are an absolute pain and grind the gameplay to a halt as you have to solve their “puzzle” with a one-time weapon upgrade or die. But it isn’t really a death, you just try again. You’ll get stuck in a room until you do it. It is tiresome and also… extremely exhausting. Metroid: Dread is not a comfortable game. It is quite relentlessly demanding when it wants to be.

SOMA (Steam) – Completed

SOMA sat in my Steam library for years. Literally years. Only the fear of spoilers got me into playing it.
I was a fan of Frictional Games’ Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and SOMA has the added appeal of a science fiction setting. Yes, this is a narrative horror experience: Your character undergoes experimental treatment to cure a terminal illness, only to wake up in a hellish futuristic laboratory at the bottom of the ocean. Need I say more?

I have immense fondness for robots. I think if we ever have an uprising of robot intelligence, I’ll be one of the most sympathetic. SOMA really worked for me as a horror premise and setting. I felt fear, yes, but mostly I felt overwhelming sadness. Like all good science fiction it is a cerebral, existential affair. Excellent if you enjoy the science fiction genre in general.

I would emphasize though; play it on narrative mode. No, seriously. The game is beautiful as a narrative experience, but the enforced stealth sequences are completely broken. Unless you enjoy being stuck in one room because a monster respawns from a dead end corridor just so it is always outside your door and never patrols away. Gameplay like that ruin narrative experiences like this. Choose narrative mode.

Disco Elysium (Steam) – Completed

Speaking of narratives.
Disco Elysium is hands-down one of the best games I’ve played in a long time. Admittedly, it probably isn’t for everyone, though. It is… very grim. In a fictional time and place, you play a cop sent to resolve a murder case. But the game begins and your character is completely drunk and has forgotten everything. If you think this is the setup for a comedy… prepare to be disappointed.

Disco Elysium is a roleplaying game where you investigate your surroundings, talk to characters, and find clues to solve the mystery. But your character is modified along the way with aspects of their body and mind. For example, you can add earned skill points to “Endurance”, or “Composure”, or “Volition” etc. But these statistics are characters who talk to you as you interact with the world around you. Yet, put too many points or too few points into any one of them, and they might start acting erratically. More to the point; they will start telling you to do things you wouldn’t normally do.

The depth of character development and writing here is astounding. Add the fact that everything is voice-acted. Mindblowing. It isn’t exactly a long game, but it is deep. I’d play it again if I didn’t have more games to play.

Unfortunately, it is hard to endorse Disco Elysium now. It is something of a dragon in the industry now, since the studio behind it fired the game’s creators (look it up, I’m not going to inaccurately summarize it here. But it is bad) meaning none of the money you put to the game goes to them. Which sucks. I had luckily bought it ages ago, before this happened… But yeah. Very big recommend, but maybe wait for a decent sale.

Peak (Steam) – “Completed”

What is this? One of those fangled “influencer-bait” games?

Peak is a very silly game. You and some friends crash-land on a remote island and need to climb to the highest summit to call for help. However, the peak is uncompromising. Your friends could be liabilities. You are only wearing your dress shoes.
Featuring some deliberately wobbly physics, players will climb cliffs and ledges, helping each other up as they go. Food and supplies are scarce, but not as scarce as unique tools to help traverse the randomly generated mountains.

The game uses a proximity chat system as well; so player can only hear each other when nearby. This is very daunting, and packs a lot of agency into a team that works together. Alternatively, it just makes funny moments when you have lost a member of your party! Did they die? Honestly, who knows!

Pushing the players onwards is The Fog; a surreal element of deadly mist that rises up the mountain. Tarrying players will find their health depleted. But it isn’t too dangerous, at least on your first few goes. Just keep going up. Easy! (?) Definitely a game for a group of friends to play together.

Silk Song (Steam)

Besides Peak and Mario Kart World, Silk Song is the only major game release of 2025 I played. A follow-up to the acclaimed Hollow Knight by developer Team Cherry, there was an unrestrained hype for this game releasing. People are unaccustomed to waiting seven years, but games take a long time to make. Despite some little issues patched after release, Silk Song has been a big success.

I just wish I could be there with everyone else. Don’t get me wrong, Silk Song is beautiful and incredibly designed. I was immediately in love again with this shadowy world of bugs and cute insect characters. The graphics and music are impeccable. I will return to this game… but for now it was asking too much of me.

Hollow Knight, for me, was a perfect balance of moody, cutsy exploration and finger-melting difficulty. The difficulty was usually with boss fights, and they made themselves known. But the rest of the game was fairly meditative. Silk Song pushes this equilibrium out of balance; with exploration of areas becoming as difficult as boss encounters. Relatively. It became stressful just to explore, and knowing the bosses would be oppressively difficult as well… I had to step away from it.

I will return to it… I just didn’t want to become absolutely infuriated by it.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (PlayStation 5) – Completed

Oh boy. This is the third time I’ve written this review.
I have a certain affinity and relationship with Final Fantasy VII: Remake, so the sequel was a game I was absolutely set to play. I chose this over Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which just won all of the games awards. I might have chosen poorly.

To compare to movies, this is like Matrix: Reloaded after The Matrix. Remake set the stage with beautiful high fidelity and remastering of storytelling and characters. It invented its own combat system which was a hybrid of turn-based and reaction-based. It was an elegantly constructed game.
Rebirth continues to adapt the “middle” of the original story seen in the 1997 game. With Cloud and friends hunting down Sephiroth across the various lands outside of Midgar. This open-world format was always going to be difficult; Remake was restrained within Midgar, the opposite of what Rebirth had to be. The combat system remains, but the game’s design is similar to Ubisoft open-world games, or specifically Horizon Zero Dawn (as referenced by Rebirth‘s director)

All I can say… is that this game is still beautiful. The combat is the same as before. The story is continued, but it is excessively modified. The open-world design is horrendous; designed to absorb as much of your time as possible. The combat scenarios are tedious; they are not as well constructed or thoughtful as they were in Remake. You can mostly mash buttons until things die; without needing to really engage with the mechanics. There is an excess of mini-games as well, to add to the time-consumption.

The solution, if you are inclined to play this game, is to play it slowly. Do not rush it; you will only get frustrated and angry at it.