by majormitch
All the cool kids are doing it, so here's my off-the-cusp list (written on November 21, 2025). See you in 5 years when the decade is over for a more thorough and more thoughtful version!
Showing 1-10 of 10 items
A magical adaptation of tabletop RPGs to video game form. My journey was unforgettable, and if it wasn't such a long game I would have replayed it multiple times by now with completely different characters. Will anything top it by decade's end?
The first roguelike I fell in love with. The way every run felt unique-but-fair was special, as was the way it incorporated narrative into a run-based game. Hades was a revelation for me in numerous ways.
Sometimes too big for its own good, but there's magic in its sheer scope as well. It's the culmination of everything From Software has been working on since Demon's Souls. I still need to play Shadow of the Erdtree!
Maybe the coolest game idea I've seen. I will forever be impressed that these maniacs made 50 full-ass games across numerous genres, with thematic and aesthetic cohesion to represent a fiction release timeline in the 1980s, and that all of the games are interesting and unique.
I've always loved Pikmin. This is the best Pikmin. Oatchi for President.
Its place could shift as I have more time to sit with it, but for now, Clair Obscur's willingness to be deeply personal and quirky in a way most games with this level of production aren't is heartwarming. It has the energy of 90s-era JRPGs but modernized for 2025 and I think that's great.
The way its time mechanic weaved itself through every aspect of narrative and gameplay is one of the best examples this medium's ability to convey themes and feelings through play that I've seen. It's also just a great 2D Zelda-like.
One of my new favorite Metroidvanias. The slick movement, fun abilities, engaging combat, expansive and varied world: it nails all the notes it needs to, and even has a few new ideas of its own. The Shadow of the Simurgh power is an all-timer.
Yes, it's more Hades, with an excellent new set of weapons, bosses, etc. But Hades II also has plenty of twists and surprises, even for those who played the original to death (like me), that make it more than just "more Hades". It pulled me in all over again.
I've tried plenty of the ever-popular "roguelike deckbuilders", but this is the only one to really grab me. I love the interactions between the different clans, and the ramp of gameplay decisions within a run feel considered and meaningful. Monster Train 2 is also great!
