Hello to my first post of the year (and in a while lol). I made a video about all the games I played in 2025 and small blurbs about each of the games. It’s ranked but in that way that doesn’t make sense like why did I put the Beginner’s Guide at 27 when clearly it’s a better game than—something hmmmm—I don’t know there was so many good games I played.

It’s challenging to make a list and compare and contrast games especially with whatever metric you’re using. Feelings? That’s stupid. Fun? That’s even stupider. It’s all about vibes and vibes don’t have feelings or fun.

Yeah I played too many decent to good games. I need to play some bad ones to give the list more depth. But hear me out: I don’t have time, patience, energy, or willpower to play bad games. Maybe if I get paid for this one day…

In the meantime, I’ll keep playing games I like. Maybe there’s something wrong with me?

Anyway, I hope you get a chance to watch the video and like and subscribe pls.

If you’re not the person who wants to watch a YouTube video, I guess. You could just click on the link and play it on the background. It helps the algorithms for me. I think? You don’t have to listen to it too! Just help me out. Or not.

Actually what’s the point of this post if not just to promote my work? I hate that. I wish I can just create stuff and make a living off that alone.

Y’know what. Here’s a transcript of the video I made. I copied and pasted it on the bottom of this post. Yeah you can just read through my list instead of watching the video. I don’t care. I think I should but I’m not necessarily in a position to negotiate with anyone or even myself.

But at least please tell me if you like the games on the list or your thoughts. Or you don’t have to as well. You can do whatever you want. Just like me.

This is the way I win. That’s the motto I didn’t steal from Uncut Gems or Star Wars.

Thank you for reading this post and I hope you have a happy 2026.

All the games I played in 2025! (Transcript from video)

Boah Boah Boah

It’sa me, Super This Way! This is a jam packed video of all the video games I’ve put in serious time in the year of our lord 2025. There were some big big big gaming news but that’s for a different day.

How I made this list? Well it’s all the games I’ve played this year. Yes I’m talking about older games as well as 2025 releases. But I’ve played each of these for the first time ever and also it’s my list so I do what I want!

C’mon I’m just a random YouTuber. Don’t worry about it. And while these rankings are arbitrary I do have tiers to differentiate each of these games so hopefully you can see which ones really resonate with me. Also honestly, most of them are really good so I don’t think you can go wrong playing any of them. You get to hear some of my thoughts on them and why I liked them and maybe a critique or two.

Anyway, what’s up I’m super this way, here’s all the games I played in 2025! In the spirit of my favorite Mario catchphrase:

INSERT: Clip from Super Mario 64 where Mario throws Bowser and says “So long Gay Bowser”

Let’s a go!

– [38 ] ———Tomb of the Mask——
Let’s start off with the whatever tier. And from number 38 to 36 it’s some mobile games. First, Tomb of the Mask+ from Apple Arcade is a solid time waster. You shoot across the map in straight lines against walls making your way to the exit. Rinse and repeat. There are challenges and minor upgrades to make up for some mistakes but it’s not necessary.

If you have Apple Arcade, it’s at least something to do in a waiting room.

– [37 ] ———Fire Emblem Shadows——
Now as far as mobile Fire Emblem games: I didn’t like Echoes, but I enjoy Shadows way more, but that’s not saying much.

Fire Emblem Shadows is an auto real time strategy game where you play with two other players online and one of you is the saboteur. These are some nice change ups considering Nintendo doesn’t want to make a full fledged Fire Emblem game for mobile without all the monetization stuff. But that’s the issue. It’s a mobile game with some heavy monetization. Luckily it’s not bad or egregious.

You don’t need to invest anything in it to really enjoy the game, so that’s nice. And the story is interesting but it’s also separated from the main game since progression is based on your battle pass tier.

But hey it is free to play.

– [36 ] ———Magic the Gathering Arena——
Listen, Final Fantasy and Magic collab and the cards and art style is amazing. Fine I’ll finally get into Magic. Arena is actually really easy to play and a nice little time especially if you have an iPad and you can just pretend you’re smart as hell setting yourself up for success. I played this in the summer and haven’t since so I forgot how to play Magic but hey, I got a bunch of cool cards right?

– [35 ] ———Dragon Ruins 2——]
This tier of games is decent. And we start with a good game that got lost in the “old school retro hard” sauce.

Dragon Ruins 2 starts off compelling with beautiful art, smooth style, and open possibilities. You can create your party with a robust cast and the gameplay is straightforward and simple enough to engage. Each encounter is an automatic fight but there is no indication of what exactly is going on except HPs are going down, XPs are going up, and someone is dying.

The first couple of hours were fun and I was into it, but it does become a slog. You level characters and weapons but you don’t feel like you’re getting better at the game. You need to complete the same dungeon multiple times to gain gold and XP and you have to do these long run backs to heal your party. You can use items for these runs but they get more expensive after each purchase so it impedes on usage. You have to rely on the strategy of run backs to preserve items so you can save gold for leveling and upgrading weapons. And as you progress through the quest lines, dungeons turn into big mazes and the enemies get significantly tougher.

It goes from a quick fun time to losing its luster to difficulty for difficulty’s sake. An otherwise solid dungeon crawler.

– [34 ] ———The Exit 8——
Hell is an infinite corridor. The Exit 8 isn’t horror, but it does play into your psychological senses. The mission is simple. Find the exit by following the directions. If the space or vibes are off, go back the other way. But part of the gameplay is how you always think something is wrong and you second/triple guess yourself constantly. And sometimes, something eery happens.

I enjoyed it. You can beat it within a hour or so. Another nice lil dad game.

– [33 ] ———LOK——
33 and Lok is a puzzle game using made up words to fill in the tiles. Its premise is simple but when you add words, it really gets you going to figure out how to solve it. It’s great.

– [ 32] ———Minecraft Dungeons——
32 and Y’know what, this is a pretty good diablo-like. It’s fun especially if you’re playing with your nephew. Don’t sleep on it cause it’s made for babies like you.

– [ 31] ———Wheel World——
31 and This is my disappointment of the year really. I love bicycles and figured this game would be tight and it’s just alright. Basically it’s like an open world racing game but with bikes. You can feel the dev’s passion as bicycle enthusiasts with how cool riding a bike is. They really did an admirable job getting the feel of riding a bicycle in a video game. But the overall game feels like riding your favorite bike with one flat tire.

The open world is bare and uninteresting so exploring isn’t relevant. The races are the main thing to do but they’re way too easy and forgettable. The art style is fine but there’s a monotone to it where it feels uninspired especially in the second open world area. It has a generic cel shading indie look. The music is the best part and really carries the game much more than it should.

Plus why are there so many cars on the road. There’s enough cars in real life, I don’t want it in my bicycle utopia game!! AHHHHHHH!

So much potential and it’s whatever.

– [30 ] ———Dark Deity II——
But you know what: It’s top 30 time I guess. So I love Fire Emblem but for some reason I couldn’t get into Dark Deity II. It wears its inspo very proudly and I would say that it has a lot going for it especially with so many modifiers and customization. It really styles after Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem games and the characters are interesting and you do get to make some consequential choices. However, I tried getting through the game twice and I think there’s just something that didn’t click with me for me to continue on. I’m glad this game series has fans tho because you can feel the love for tactics RPGs here.

– [29 ] ———and Roger——
For 29, this is a game you can play in one sitting. and Roger puts the player as a little girl trying to figure out where her dad is while a strange man is in her house. The gameplay is a blend of WarioWare like micro games and visual novel. Really the story is the standout here, especially for the direction it goes. it’s an effective example of using video games as a narrative device.

– [28 ] ———Sword of the Sea——
Sword of the Sea is another wordless, serene and beautiful video game about you bringing back water to the world. The art style is gorgeous and the gameplay is fun especially using a sword as a hoverboard gliding through the sands and water. It’s a nice palette cleanser of a game.

– [27 ] ———The Beginner’s Guide——
Okay we’re now getting somewhere with these games. The I see the vision tier which are games that are good and has a jenesequi to them.

So for 27, I got The Beginner’s Guide which is good. It’s a bit of a trip but don’t be fooled about how simple it looks. Play it for a surprising story for sure.

– [26 ] ———A Game about Digging a Hole——
And the next game I got on my list is A Game about Digging a Hole. Listen, it fulfills the masculine urge to dig a giant hole in the ground. That’s really it. It’s all in the title. I’m a simple man and this game provided everything I needed so if you have the urge this will fill it. Pun intended of course.

– [25] ———Rematch——
An arcadey soccer version of Rocket League, Rematch is really solid. It’s straight forward to pick up and play but there is a skill curve so your milage will vary based on your opponent’s. If you’re play8ing this with friends, that will be a great night especially if you’re hitting a good groove.

– [24 ] ———Florence——
Similar to and Roger, but with a much lighter tone. Florence is made of playing through these micro-games to advance the story. It captures the slice of life theme of first love and finding yourself. Another gem to play in one sitting.

– [23 ] ———The Roottrees are Dead——
Gamifying the concept of putting together the family tree is a genius idea. The Roottrees are Dead allows you to act like a detective, deducting clues to put together the connection within this prominent family. There are stories within stories since you’re researching different people to figure out where they belong on this map.

The genius is that you have to find the pieces yourself by typing in the clues manually. Sometimes your instinct will hit and bam, a great find pops up and you feel like you’re ready to be a PI. If you got an itch to learn about family drama and pretending you’re a sleuth, this is right for you.

– [22 ] ———Mario Kart World——
Mario Kart World is an evolution of the tried and true formula that has made Nintendo billions. The race tracks are interconnected, there’s a sorta open world mode, and twenty four racers all vying for first place.

The standout is knockout tour tho. A battle Royale race where the bottom four gets kicked out after each segment until only four are left. That mode is fun and exhilarating especially when you’re locked in. It’s a nice showcase for the Switch 2 and Nintendo has another billion dollar seller.

– [21 ] ———Doki Doki Literature Club Plus——
Now, let me just say: Man fuck this game. I don’t mean that in a bad way cause I do like it—but yes also in a bad way. Heads up: this game is dark and has extreme content that I’m going to spoil the hell of out. Skip ahead because any interest you have, you are better off going in blind if you can handle it.

Okay listen, fuck Doki Doki Literature Club. It’s a horror puzzle game disguised as a visual novel. And the horror is more horrific than scary. The hook is getting you to connect with these girls and maybe you try to develop a relationship with one of them. But just like life, the serious and dark themes come up fast and does not let you look away.

It’s one thing for a visual novel to have themes of abuse, depression, and suicide. Doki Doki incorporates them into a meta game with the fake operating system computer controlling the main game. Deletion is an important element and plays a part throughout the story and puzzles. But what makes it most horrifying is how even with the best intentions of playing a good route for all, which involves tricking your save files, there’s no stopping the inevitable doom and tragedy.

You cannot escape from the consequences of your actions. You are bound to the script.

Again, another excellent example of unique experiences only video games can provide.

– [20 ] ———Faceminer——
And here’s where my two tens comes in (shoutout to MinnMax, support independent games media). Number 20 goes to Faceminer, a management sim game with the main objective is clicking on people’s faces as many times as possible. You’re destroying the planet to maximize shareholder value so YAY! Just like what we’re all doing here on Youtube.

If you’re looking for a short clicker game where number goes up, Faceminer is the choice.

– [19 ] ———Crow Country——
19 and Crow Country is a smol cute game that also has a lot of disgusting stuff. It wears its influence from old Resident Evil games proudly. The horror takes place in an abandoned amusement park where a money laundering scheme slash science project went sideways and now there’s these undead just creeping along. There’s very little gripes here so if you want a nice cozy game that’s also survival horror, boom you got Crow Country.

– [18] ———Demonschool——
Demonschool? More like Demon’s cool! This is a fun game where you are just optimizing the best way to kill demons in a tactics RPG. There’s a huge story, mini games sprinkled throughout, you can build relationships with party members, and of course fishing mini game.

Demonschool does have some flaws tho. There isn’t XP which isn’t a bad thing but it does make the battles less rewarding and there are tons of them. It does feel like it takes a bit to ramp up especially with how the mainline progression is set up with the days and weeks. It feels like you’re grinding with how many encounters are set up, but without an obvious reward like XP, it starts to get tedious. Luckily the fights are engaging enough to overcome that feeling but just barely.

Overall, it’s still fun to play and satisfying when beating down demons and gangsters. Plus it’s freaking cool how the credits show the specific tasks a person did so that’s a huge plus!

– [ 17] ———Indika——
Indika is a prime example of “the medium is the message” for video games. It’s narrative focused on the internal strife of faith and the individual while having video game traits like experience points and puzzle/platforming mechanics.

Part of what makes Indika so striking is how surreal and bizarre the world and gameplay are. There’s a sense of normalcy against this backdrop of an Eastern European conflict and religious philosophy. But that doesn’t last long as it doesn’t ever feel overt or preachy and more like a conversation within itself.

Indika is more about the experience than the video game itself but it is a solid 5 or so hours of weirdness.

– [16 ] ———Easy Delivery CO.——
And on the flip side, a nice quirky lil game. Easy Delivery Co sets a mid-fi aesthetic around a simple and effective gameplay of delivering packages with this kei truck. Surprisingly, the driving in this game is fun and does not wear out its welcome. Even the long routes are engaging and not arduous like some other games with delivery mechanics.

The quirkiness stems from the writing and weird NPCs that inhabit this world. It’s a perfect game for a handheld while relaxing on a couch.

– [15 ] ———South of Midnight——
And for fifteen, South of Midnight is a unique and wonderful game. The Gothic Deep South setting is ripe for great ideas and it does not flounder on the details.

The gameplay is reminiscent of the PS3/360 style of action adventure games but the combat does feel too simple and repetitive especially getting to toward the endgame.

But South of Midnight is carried by its imaginative display of the folklore within this setting as well as its catchy music and delicious sound design.

– [14 ] ———Star of Providence——
And then we have this rouge, shoot em up that’s also really accessible. Star of Providence is a pure video game and is packed with tons of action and fun. You really can’t go wrong with this game if it’s up your alley. And you get to support a big time YouTuber too.

– [13 ] ———Stellar Blade——
Now, something I’ve discovered this year is that I really like…um parrying. Yeah parrying. Listen while Stellar Blade is a lil gratuitous (yeah no, not a lil), the gameplay and combat is just super sweet. It’s satisfying parrying enemy attacks and setting up some flashy combos on these ugly mofos.

There’s quite a bit to the game that is icky and not just the costumes. The side quests system is whatever, characters are stereotypical, also boring with nothing striking about them. The story is eh like you can guess how the mystery comes together all the way from space. I will say the animation work and cutscenes boast some incredible visuals. The finishers on some of these boss fights are really dope and add that “hell yea” factor, really elevating that finishing blow on the bosses.

The bottom line: Stellar Blade is carried by its deep and intense action combat. And also Eve’s ass.

– [12 ] ———Despelote——
Okay we’re now in the real top games territory. These are my games of the year and I start list at twelve:

Despelote is a slice of life of a child, community, and country getting caught up in the World Cup fever in 2001. It’s remarkable how it gets you in the same headspace of a kid. You don’t listen to adults, you play with your friends, and eavesdrop on all kinds of conversations all around the city. It has a meta narrative context being a sorta autobiographical memoir of the devs. It’s incredible how much it works.

But for me, I may have been a little too anxious or impatient at times when I played it. There are some dream sequences I felt like it took forever just cause it wasn’t clear to me what I could do to advance or I felt a lil stuck. But maybe that’s part of the point too.

Anyway, Despelote is an example of how much potential video games have as a narrative vehicle. That there’s still new ways to tell a story and I’m glad this exists and it’s getting its due.

– [11 ] ———Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut——
And which case here another story game. Meta-narratives have been the theme this year for me. I wonder why.

Slay the Princess is a puzzle visual novel with a simple premise: kill the princess to save the world. Of course how the game unfolds, it’s not as simple. What sets it apart are the strong writing and voice over performances. The voice actors conveyed different tones and style obviously and subtly with each of their characters and the writing taking many wild and different turns and keeping the player engaged.

If you’re not into visual novels, this one should get you hooked.

– [10] ———Peak——
And here we are with the top ten, which again I don’t think numbers really matter but whatever.

Listen: Do you want a good time with friends? Play Peak one hundred percent and make sure to have proximity chat on. The goal is you just got to work together to climb up huge mountains in different settings and environments. The best part is proximity chat tho because it really makes the experience much better. You will have constant enjoyment over the sheer hilarity and shenanigans that will occur. This is an anecdote machine, where you’ll talk about moments from this game with your friends for months and years to come.

Like hearing your friend fall to their death is second to none.

– [9] ———Starstruck Hands of Time——

And with my nine: Starstruck Hands of Time doesn’t want to be a normal one. There are multiple layers of themes, mechanics, and influences. Blending the humor, wit, absurdity, style, and seriousness of Earthbound, Undertale, Moon, and Guitar Hero, Starstuck becomes an allegorical mess of the past, present, and future.

The main gameplay is separated by three modes: the menu selections and arcadey destruction with your hand, the rpg-esque adventure playing the kid characters, and the rhythm game mode you can actually play with a guitar hero controller.

The game is engaging because of how absurd it is especially since there’s this wink wink inside joke the characters seem to be aware of.

I really enjoyed this game and appreciate the vision but at the end, I’m not sure how much of any of it was intentional or accidental. I think it’s amazing and weird and that’s always a good spot to be in.

– [8] ———Dungeons of Hinterburg——
And for a throwback kinda game: Dungeons of Hinterberg. It’s reminiscent of the late 2000s era of video games with straight-forward action combat, light puzzles, and clearing out many dungeons.

You play as Luisa and go to Hinterberg as part of an adventurers tourist spot where you fight monsters and go through many different dungeons. You can also befriend the folks of this tourist trap town and gain some abilities or other goodies as a result of those friendships.

The themes of gentrification, capitalism, politics, and nature are tied together with the swashbuckling sword fighting. The game gets better and better as you progress and level up.

Enemy variety is pretty much limited to small, medium, and large and some minor variances like spell casters and unique boss fights. But the main draw of the game is how simple and direct the combat is and also how much fun is using the social abilities from time to time.

– [7] ———Donkey Kong Bananza——
For my seventh pick: Smash smash smash. Destroy destroy destroy. Rinse and repeat. DK Bananza is a delight because you’re just punching your way out of any problem. You can dig a hole or skate on a boulder, or swing that rock to your enemies’ face. Or I guess build a bridge out of mud.

There was a weird moment where I did feel like I’ve been playing it for too long but that’s cause of the collectathon mechanics where you just want to get another banana gem or fossil so you just keep straying off the main path. It’s still incredible and this should’ve been the launch game for the Switch 2.

– [6] ———The Séance of Blake Manor——
Now for the next six games, these are the games that I can just see being game of the year in any other year. Too bad they all came out in the same one.

For six it’s a detective mystery game is fun but it’s more fun when the magic is actually real.

The premise of the Séance of Blake Manor is you are hired to figure out where a missing person is in this hotel in Ireland before a ritual is carried out by people who can use magic. Each action of investigation takes a minute and while that may seem stressful, I was able to solve everything well before the deadline. And those actions involve conversations with each suspect, looking at documents and photos, researching in the library or attending lectures, and rummaging through guests’ rooms.

There are many reasons why The Séance of Blake Manor is so delightful. The UI is brilliant, filling in the clues for you and putting it together especially when you learn of an essential piece of evidence about an event or a person. The level of authenticity to the characters and how multifaceted each one is with their own motivations and issues. The stakes of solving the mystery and the affect it’ll have on the ending.

And you can pick up on clues through so many different ways. There’s several different ways to learn about something so it really plays on what your investigative style leans to if you’re a book worm or you’re a conversationalist.

This game works on many levels and I learned a whole lot about Irish history and lore. And learning about stuff is pretty neat.

– [5] ———Split Fiction——
And for my five: Just like A Way Out and It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios keep proving they know how to make fun split screen co-ops. Split Fiction follows their tried and true formula: you and your partner play a set of characters throughout the adventure with each section having unique skills and you have to work together to help each other progress.

What makes these games so fun is how they provide the right amount of accessibility for all kinds of players whether you’re a GamerTM, a casual or a masochist. Play this with a loved one, friend, or stranger and you’ll have a grand ol’ time (after arguing).

Also, everyone saying the story is bad. It’s fine and serviceable. Yeah it’s not good but it’s not like downright terrible or horrible. But c’mon this is a miracle to have so much fun packed into a co-op game!

– [4] ———Death Stranding 2: On the Beach——
And then we have number four which if there’s only one thing to know about Kojima, it’s that his games would be memorable and Death Stranding 2 does not disappoint. Death Stranding 2 is an improvement in almost every way possible from the first game. There’s a level of attention to details present in so many aspects of the game, it’s crazy that Kojima built this game in a cave with a bunch of scraps. A AAA game of this magnitude and scope does not come often. It’s a treat there’s someone leading many teams of talented developers and artists still making this kinds of games.

There are some big swings and misses especially from the story angle but who cares about the misses! Not many games are like Death Stranding.

Play it if you’re a fan of the first one, if you’re a fan of Metal Gear, or if you are in the mood for playing something else when you’ve played all the other AAA games.

– [3] ———1000xResist——
Now, I won’t say this lightly: 1000xResist is one of the best narratives I’ve ever experienced across all types of media. It’s an incredibly dense, fully realized story about a post apocalyptic society made of clones of a single teenage girl.

It’s only flaw is traversing through this god forsaken lobby where no matter what you’re just always gonna get freaking lost and have to run for 10 minutes to get over a stupid bridge alslskdjfjskal but all is forgiven because the rest of the game more than makes up for it.

The writing is theatrical and weighty. There are many many themes jam packed with twists and turns but they all flow with each other and never against. You are absorbed into this world with rules it bends but never breaks. These dark and complex ideas squares off with some of the best sci-fi materials out there.

If you want to play a video game like a baby, play all the other games on this list. If you want to experience a haunting, deep, dirty, and personal reflection on identity, life, society, and generational trauma amongst agony, solitude, hopelessness and hope, play 1000xResist.

There is a you that remains and remains and remains before and after playing this game.

I’ll be thinking about the story for the rest of my life. It is jaw dropping. But it’s the best number 3 game I’ve ever played.

– [1B] ———Hollow Knight: Silksong——
So I have this internal debate within myself about what’s number one. And y’know what? Fuck it. I got two number ones! I can do whatever I want!

That’s how crazy this year is that I have 1A and 1B. I guess we’ll start with 1B and it’s Hornet and her pilgrimage.

The expectations were ridiculous for a sequel to Hollow Knight and Team Cherry delivered. Silksong kept me hooked, traversing through this beautiful and challenging gauntlet of platforming, ruthless enemies and bosses, and traps. It’s a game testing your faith in yourself and challenging you for liking these kinda games.

It’s a truly remarkable video game and dare I say is much better than the original. There’s so much swagger from the art style, soundtrack and audio design, and the mechanics and boss fights.

I thought I wasn’t going to like it, but I just got hooked on it and I kept going and going and got through act 3. I was a lil depressed after I beat the game. It’s like that marathon high and depression because of how good and challenging Silksong is.

This game is still ruthless and not made for everyone. And honestly, it’s pretty wild an indie game has such huge ramifications throughout the game industry to the point of games like Demonschool getting delayed and servers getting overloaded because people wanted to play this game.

Silksong is a standout and if you can believe in yourself and have a gluttony for punishment, this is the game for you.

– [1A] ———Clair Obscur Expedition 33——
And for 1A: It’s the Frenchest game ever.

Clair Obscur Expedition 33. How obvious right? There’s black and white cutscenes, existential dread, and baguettes. It also happens to be one of the most memorable video games made in the last decade. It’s plays homage to the classic JRPG games with a cast of eccentric characters and ridiculous world building.

No shot I’m gonna say anything new about Clair Obscur. It’s an easy pick for game of the year. It’s really due to how it’s a complete package of a game. The battle system is fun and intuitive and you can bend and break it. The writing and voice acting is impressive and draws you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The soundtrack has range with melancholy and lunacy. It’s a AAA game that hits a grand slam to put it in baseball terms.

I don’t know about perfect but Clair Obscur does so much right that it outweighs all the critiques. When it’s rolling, it’s an incredible experience of a video game.

It’s an original game with a rich backstory and unique narrative experience that is fully realized. The characters are intriguing and never dull and keep surprising as you continue on. And while there are levels, you can fight way outside your weight class and still have a chance to win as long as you can parry and dodge. And the soundtrack and audio design hits their notes every single time whether it’s emotional or time to get bonkers.

In years to come, there will be future games influenced by Clair Obscur Expedition 33. Maybe the same franchises that have influenced it.

And that’s my list of all the games I played in 2025. I hope you enjoy the video. Please let know in the comments what your favorite games were and maybe if I got something right or wrong.

Until next time: thank you for watching! Keep on keeping on!