It’s me again. Looking back on the games I’ve played this year, it’s been harder than usual to pick out my top five. There are two or three in particular that almost pushed their way in, but were just barely edged out. These aren’t exactly the games I think people would enjoy the most (that’d be a different list), but the ones that made the biggest impact on me in the year 2025.
and Roger
Emotional damage.
Dispatch
A show I’d enjoy watching that I get to play? Yes please. Not since the first Telltale The Walking Dead have I had as good a time choosing dialog options and being notified that someone “will remember that.” It doesn’t matter that it’s very probable my story mirrors everyone else’s in all but small details. What matters is that my decisions felt like they were being reacted to in a believable, entertaining, and fulfilling way. I don’t need a game to have a thousand unique variations; I just want my choices to be reflected in the story, and that’s what it felt like here.
I can’t speak to the QTE part of the game, as I turned that off immediately so I could sit back and enjoy the show. As for the “dispatch” part of the game, it was a good time made all the more enjoyable due to the way it sprinkled character development dialog as things played out. I’m a sucker for your squad chatting it up, whether it’s while blasting aliens in Mass Effect, roaming the world in Final Fantasy, or dispatching and managing superheroes.
This is the first time I’ve played a game that nailed the “episodic” delivery. Each episode was its own self-contained part of the overall story with excellent intros and endings. It was great to have a story with an ending that isn’t just a tease for another season. I’d take one, but I also liked where we left off. I’m looking forward to seeing what this studio does next.
On a sidenote, I got a kick out of the game taking place in my hometown of Torrance, California. I finally got the opportunity to scoff at a game’s misleading representation of a place I know intimately.
Ball x Pit
The gameplay doesn’t have a lot of depth, the basebuilding is mediocre at best and a chore at worst, and there’s no story I can decipher… but I kept coming back. Over and over... Playing every level with every unlocked character. This was my comfort game of 2025. It filled the same hole and triggered the same brain chemistry as Vampire Survivors did a few years back.
I wouldn’t recommend Ball x Pit to anyone beyond a “you should try it and see if you like it” because it doesn’t feel like it excels at anything. It’s just weirdly fulfilling and relaxing. Like throwing a tennis ball at a wall and catching it over and over while comfortably laying on a beanbag with a dog by your side.
By the time I wrapped up, I told myself this has to be on my GOTY list this year. Did it though? Well, it’s here. So good job Ball x Pit.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Standing up in triumph, throwing double middle fingers, yelling “Fuck You!” at the TV after beating a boss isn’t something I thought I’d be doing in my mid-40s… until Silksong. There were fights I was stuck on for days. I’d load up the game knowing I’d fail, but stubbornly refused to give up. And I didn’t. And when I finally beat Act 2, I told myself I was done and hitting credits was good enough. Until I missed it. I missed the pain. I missed the struggle. I missed the sweet taste of a victory I barely managed to pull off. I beat Act 3. This game is excellent. Just a masterfully built platformer. What an achievement of a game. I hear there’s DLC in the works. Looking forward to checking it out in five years.
Costume Quest 2
Every year, Amelie and I get to play through a handful of games, and this year, the one that stood out was Costume Quest 2. A game I thought I had already played, but realized about 20% of the way through that I hadn’t. We played this during fall break while putting together her Halloween costume (Derpy tiger), and the story hit just the right note. Double Fine knew their stuff. A great RPG-lite with a good enough story and a fun time skip. We both really enjoyed the hell out of this thing, and it was short and sweet. A+, would recommend for paired play with a kiddo.
Bonus picture of the Derpy Tiger mask:
