I'm diving in, partly to organize my thoughts for the year, and partly to recommend some stuff to others.
Weird West Playtime: 20 hours An action RPG in a Western style with a touch of horror (nothing major, just zombies and werewolves). The initial feeling was good, but I was disappointed by the lack of content, the dumb AI, and critically, for an RPG, character progression was too annoying. Pros: Although the size is small, the quest freedom, surprisingly interesting story, and quality of map exploration content are decent. Cons: Leveling up is done purely with level-up items (consumables). I had to open every drawer and box in the entire town just to find them. It would have been much better if they gave adequate experience for completing quests, like a normal RPG.
Shadow Gambit Playtime: 35 hours Since the two previous titles (Shadow Tactics and Desperados 3) were basically just skin swaps, it seems they tried to introduce various changes, but I didn't like any of those changes, which was a big letdown. The character designs are also way too extra. Still, the core foundation is solid, and it's definitely playable. If you've finished Shadow Tactics and Desperados 3 and are still craving more, I recommend Shadow Gambit.
Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Playtime: 33 hours I had been meaning to play this for ages and finally got around to it. Pros: The entire world feels thoughtfully craftedโno part felt half-baked. I was surprised multiple times while progressing through the story, thinking, 'Oh, so this is where that came from?' Cons: Since the original was on Wii, it heavily uses Joy-Con motion controls, but the motion recognition on the Switch isn't great. You need about an hour or two to adjust to the Switch's motion controls, and that section is pretty frustrating. Also, the character design? Style? Anyway, it took me a while to accept the characters' appearances...
Thronefall Playtime: 21 hours A light strategy simulation with a tower defense flavor, where you build structures and fend off enemy waves. Recommended if you enjoy the tower defense genre. Pros: It has various passives and plenty of high-difficulty challenge options for each stage, making it fun to fail and try again. The quality-of-life features, like being able to restart just the current wave mid-stage, are also great. Cons: The shortcuts aren't intuitive, so I often got confused. Zero story elements (not even an ending;;).
Saniyang Research Lab Playtime: 20 hours A text game where all the heroines are furry. Compared to the shocking (?) premise, the game itself was relatively ordinary. At launch, there were quite a few incomplete parts regarding UI and convenience, but they made massive adjustments for the Steam release, so it's smooth sailing now. Pros: The side stories of the sub-characters were lighthearted but helped explain the world, which was enjoyable. The voice acting and character matching were great, boosting immersion. Cons: The occasional extra characters are drawn so lazily it completely breaks immersion.
Like a Dragon 8 Gaiden Playtime: 51 hours I've only played Yakuza 7 and 8, so I don't know much about Majima, but the crazy concept of being a pirate in Hawaii was fun. Pros: If you finished LaD 8 and miss Hawaii, this lets you enjoy it all over again. I enjoyed the content where you build up your pirate crew, though most people seem to dislike it. Cons: Maybe it was just to pad out the runtime, but the late-game plot twist felt incredibly boring and unnecessary. Also, for a game that calls itself a pirate game, shouldn't they have put a bit more effort into the sailing parts?
Bloodborne Playtime: 32 hours There's someone who beat Bloodborne in 2025, you say? It's frustrating that there's no PS5 patch, but I totally get why the poor souls are always begging for Bloodborne 2. Pros: Badass art style and lore. The low risk attached to stepping, Regain, and parrying encourages aggressive play, creating a fast-paced game tempo. Since it's a relatively old Souls game, the bosses lack a little bit of force, but the DLC helps satisfy that need. Cons: The fundamental drawbacks typical of the Souls genre, and absolutely zero frame rate or optimization patches, even in the PS5 era.
Split Fiction Playtime: 12 hours Here we go again this year: a super demanding co-op game that requires you to have a friend. Personally, I preferred the previous game (It Takes Two). Pros: The gameplay is more evolved than It Takes Twoโthe screen transitions, the varied stage concepts, and the natural role-sharing mean there's never a dull moment. The difficulty also ramps up appropriately (this could be a con for some people). Cons: Forced conflict and uninteresting characters.
Dredge Playtime: 13 hours A game set in a mysterious sea where you earn money fishing, upgrade your boat, and venture further out. I was a bit disappointed that the mystery vibe wasn't stronger than expected. Pros: It's healing to just cruise around in your little boat fishing in the ocean (though ghosts show up at night). Cons: The content is simple, and it starts to feel stale around the 8-hour mark. If anything, the lack of DLC is probably good, as it lets you finish the ending right around the time you start getting sick of it.
Yu-No: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of This World Playtime: 26 hours A bishojo text adventure game released by Elf in 1996 and remade/localized for PS4 in 2017. It doesn't stray far from the standard text adventure rule where actions at specific points branch the story, but it's hard to spot the branching points, and the save system is slightly unique due to the plot, making the difficulty quite high. Pros: The story (considering it's 30 years old) is large-scale and unconventional, written with great skill. Cons: Since it's a 90s Elf game, the protagonist's womanizing character feels really awkward and dated in the modern era, breaking immersion.
Hogwarts Legacy Playtime: 31 hours The world of Hogwarts, born as a Ubi-style open world. Honestly, I thought I'd drop it, but I enjoyed it. Pros: The recreation of the Harry Potter world is excellent (though I might be wrong since my 'Harry Potter knowledge' is low). If you like Harry Potter and enjoy the Ubisoft flavor of open world map-marker clearing, you'll have fun. But as soon as you start clearing map markers, you get hit with instant existential dread and rush to the ending, just like always. Cons: The combat is too simple. I guess it was hard to make 'wizards just pew-pew with wands' feel fun.
Baldur's Gate 3 Playtime: 62 hours (this run only) I finished it twice last year and played a third run as the Dark Urge. If you've beaten the game but haven't tried Dark Urge, I strongly recommend playing it again with that origin. It has many exclusive events, and the slow reveal of the protagonist's narrative as you progress through Acts 1, 2, and 3 is thrilling.
Nova Lands Playtime: 14 hours An automation sim game, commonly called a "factory game." This genre isn't usually my thing, but Nova Lands looked lighter due to its pixel graphics, so I tried it. Since it's not my usual taste, I wasn't particularly moved. If you're an absolute beginner, you'd probably be better off playing famous ones like Factorio or Satisfactory.
Sanabi Playtime: 8 hours I shed tears while playing a game for the first time in a long time. Pros: The story is famous, and the gameplay was solid. The rope action is flashy and feels great (์๋ง), making it easy to pat yourself on the back for your own slick plays, and the chapter structure and boss fights are distinctive. Cons: There are instant-death sections sprinkled throughout, and it gets slightly frustrating if you get stuck there.
Leap Year Playtime: 2 hours A platformer played using only left/right movement and a single jump. The map design is precise and logical, matching the simple system, so the fun of solving the map with jumps is excellent. It was short, but had some 'ooh' moments. A light game worth taking on due to the short playtime.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Playtime: 37 hours Story, music, combat, character growthโit hits every note. This year's biggest hit. It guarantees fresh fun. Pros: The active take on turn-based combat is good, but I personally rated it highly for the characters' unique mechanisms, the AP-based combo system, and the high freedom in party composition derived from varied setups. Cons: A divisive story, lack of a minimap. (I didn't mind these, but I suspect most people would list them as flaws.)
Wuxia Legend (ํํ์ ) Playtime: 67 hours A must-play for anyone who loves Wuxia novels. I hope others can feel the same emotions I felt when I first saw the bad ending and the happy ending. Pros: A game carried entirely by its writing chops. The prose is great, the story is fun, and the characters are all charming and feel alive. Cons: Someone fix the group battles, please... There are many unfinished/unimplemented parts, so if you prioritize overall polish when rating a game, I'd advise against it.
Two Point Museum Playtime: 30 hours The third management sim in the series, following Hospital and Campus. I found the previous series quickly became monotonous because of the room-based structure, but Museum improved that, and the fun of deploying staff in the exploration part was great. Pros: It's fun to decorate the museum cutely and manage the staff. The tempo of adding new elements and clearing goals for each mission is appropriate, guiding the player well. Consistent post-launch support. Cons: If you're looking for a management game focused on scaling up and maximizing income, this one might feel a bit bland.
Deep Rock Galactic Survivor Playtime: 70 hours My pick for the GOAT of the Vampire Survivors genre. I played about 80 hours in early access and 70 hours after the official release. It's a shame that the content added upon official release was a bit lacking, but it was still fun. Pros: Clean graphics, diverse game modes, game structure that encourages player challenges. Cons: Lots of grinding for various upgrades (but if you like the game, is that a pro?).
Kamaitachi no Yoru 3 Playtime: 15 hours The third installment in the mystery thriller text game series, Kamaitachi no Yoru. I bought the PlayStation version 10 years ago and let it rot, then bought the Steam version and finally cleared it. While this is a review of 3, if you like text games, I recommend 1. Pros: The quality of the scenarioโthe motivations for the incident, the payoff of the foreshadowing, and the twistsโwas satisfying, so it was fun regardless. It has shock twists. Cons: Unlike 1 and 2, they changed the system, which made the middle section horribly boring. The volume and story felt more like DLC for 2 than a proper 3.
Granblue Fantasy Relink Playtime: 16 hours An action RPG in the Japanese anime style that's basically just boss fights? There's a variety of playable characters, and the boss fights were moderately fun, but as soon as I hit the item farming stage, I got bored and stopped after seeing the ending. Cons: It was less 'otaku vibe' than I expected. I thought it was going to be an ultra-weeb game, but it was just a weeb game.
Black Myth: Wukong Playtime: 35 hours Recommended for those who want a challenging action game but find Souls games too spicy. It has lots of character growth elements and many skills, which made experimenting fun, even if it felt a little messy. Plenty of bosses to test them on. Pros: The graphics aren't just good; they feel like they capture an Eastern aesthetic (I don't know if that's actually true, it just felt that way). Although there are a few janky bosses because of the sheer number, overall you get high-quality boss encounters. Cons: The state of the final chapter map... wasn't that a bit much?
The Knight Witch Playtime: 8 hours An action-adventure game where you become the protagonist of a storybook and fight villains. It looked clean, so I played it. It utilizes the storybook theme well, so visually it's flawless and offers plenty to look at. The localization quality, including the voice acting, is top-notch. If you looked at the screenshots and thought, 'That looks fun?' you should give it a try.
Towa and the Children Chosen by the Sacred Tree Playtime: 20 hours A Hades-like roguelike with Japanese anime characters sprinkled in. Its defining feature is the introduction of a 2-person team system, but everything was janky from the start. Pros: Watching the village progress and the time flow based on story progress was the only fun part. Cons: Starting with the 2-person team system, there are far too many moments where I wondered, 'Why did they make it this way?' I can't list them all. I heard they eased up on a lot of things with recent patches, but I already finished and deleted it, so I can't confirm.
Escape from Duckkov Playtime: 95 hours As you can tell from the title, which parodies Tarkov, this is a single-player Tarkov-like game. Despite the playful name, the gameplay is solidโa masterpiece that kept the fun of looting and escaping from Tarkov while boldly cutting out the unnecessary fat. I finished the vanilla ending and immediately installed a viewpoint change mod to complete a second run. Pros: The cycle of looting, combat, escaping, and spec improvement is well-executed, constantly fueling the player's desire. Cons: Since it's a single-player game, once the farming and quests are mostly done, the motivation to play weakens; it loses steam toward the end.
Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings DX Playtime: 39 hours The Atelier series, my go-to comfort food alchemy RPG. This installment didn't have any standout features, but it was the flavor I always eat, so I enjoyed it. Pros: They prepared a truckload of dialogue events to satisfy your weeb cravings, and that's the main fun of the game. Cons: The fields are unnecessarily vast for no reason, and the game overall felt like they stretched things out everywhere just to increase the playtime.
"The community bows down to the OP, calling them the 'Gamer GOAT' for tackling every genre imaginable. Everyone is jealous of their playtime, and there's supportive agreement on Sanabi making people cry. Also, the standard, mandatory comment demanding the release of Silksong made an appearance."
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