Carolyn Petit’s Top 5 Video Games of 2025

The idea that a game could be too popular, that universal acclaim might signal a lack of creative risk, is a provocative lens through which to view the year’s releases. Hideo Kojima’s reported concern that player test results were “too good” for Death Stranding 2 serves as a fascinating starting point for evaluating what makes a game feel genuinely special versus merely polished. This perspective values integrity and a distinct point of view over seamless, frictionless design calibrated for mass appeal. While many titles this year offered refined experiences, the ones that resonated most deeply were those that felt uniquely authored, willing to be challenging, specific, or even a little strange.

This reflection comes from a year of more selective play. With a conscious effort to diversify leisure time beyond the screen, the list that follows is a focused top five rather than a top ten, highlighting the games that left a lasting impression.

Honorable Mention: Death Stranding 2 Engaging with this sequel proved a complex experience. The original Death Stranding remains a personal favorite, a singular and bracing work whose themes have grown more resonant over time. This follow-up, however, felt surprisingly safe, pivoting toward more conventional combat and smoothing over the environmental friction that made traversal in the first game so meaningful. It also, as noted by other critics, continues the director’s problematic engagement with gender.

Yet, within its more mainstream shell, flashes of brilliance emerged. Discovering that hot springs could function as diegetic warp points, a feature of the world itself, not a menu option, was a delightful surprise. Furthermore, the game’s audacious late-story reveal is a goofy, exuberant reminder of the creative daring Kojima can exhibit when fully unleashed.

Honorable Mention: Avowed Obsidian’s fantasy RPG distinguished itself with a refreshingly original world, evoking the strange wonder of Morrowind more than generic medieval fantasy. The joy of exploration felt renewed, driven by curiosity about what or who might be around the next corner. Avowed manages to weave impactful player choices and substantive themes into a mid-budget framework, proving that scope and budget are not prerequisites for meaningful adventure. It’s a testament to ambitious design working smartly within its means.

#5: Absolum Following the superb Streets of Rage 4, developer Guard Crush has applied its masterful understanding of beat ‘em up fundamentals to a fantasy setting infused with roguelike elements. The result is just as accessible, nuanced, and deeply satisfying. Absolum excels with a striking 1970s fantasy cartoon aesthetic and four playable characters whose personalities shine through without excessive exposition. Randomized events and hidden secrets ensure the world feels alive across countless runs, while the boss battles remain thrilling engagements whether it’s your first attempt or your twentieth.

#4: Despelote This slice-of-life game captures how a shared passion can define a moment in time for an entire community. Set in Ecuador during the nation’s qualifying run for the 2002 World Cup, Despelote follows a boy named Julián for whom soccer is an inescapable part of daily life. The game doesn’t explain the cultural significance didactically; instead, its brilliant blend of realism and surrealism makes you feel the hope and anticipation in the air. Soccer is woven into every scene, from family dinners to school recess, creating a palpable, immersive atmosphere.

This speaks to a greater truth about storytelling. The power of Despelote lies not in generic relatability, but in its vivid specificity. By precisely rendering an experience far from my own, I am not a soccer fan, nor an expert on Ecuador, it forged a profound connection. Reaching its climactic moment, I understood completely. Sometimes, a game can make you feel how soccer really is life.

#3: Terminator 2D: No Fate At long last, a video game does justice to James Cameron’s iconic film. No Fate is more than a great licensed game; it stands as one of the finest arcade-style run-and-gun action games ever made. While some may cite its brief runtime as a flaw, its length feels perfect. Like classics such as Contra III, it’s a densely packed, exhilarating 45-minute thrill ride that begs for repeated plays to master its scoring multiplier and tackle its intelligently designed higher difficulties.

The mastery is in the execution. The pixel art is stunning, the controls are wonderfully precise, and the stage design constantly innovates, fluidly shifting from future war battles to desperate vehicle chases. In a year with several notable throwbacks to classic 2D action, No Fate is the one that truly recaptures that era’s magic and intensity. It’s an absolute banger.

#2: Blippo+ This game beautifully simulates the lost art of channel surfing, capturing the serendipitous joy of stumbling upon unexpected television. Its assortment of programs, presented as alien broadcasts from a world similar to ours, includes game shows, talk shows, and educational programs, all united by a cohesive, warm aesthetic reminiscent of classic PBS. Blippo+ is more than a nostalgic TV simulator; it’s a fascinating narrative about a culture on the brink of change. It suggests that a better world might be possible, and that the revolution could indeed be televised, offering a uniquely thoughtful and comforting experience.

#1: Shadow Labyrinth This game reawakened a sense of wonder about what video games can be. It begins with a provocative premise on the title screen: a figure playing a handheld vanishes, leaving the device behind as an anime-style intro suggests your soul is being summoned into the game world. Shadow Labyrinth embraces the imaginative, almost magical belief that games are portals to other realities, asking players to engage with that childhood sense of possibility.

What follows is a Metroidvania that consistently defies expectations. Its world expands in surprising, strange ways, recalling the awe of first exploring Symphony of the Night. Crucially, it never feels “pre-digested” for player comfort. The controls are functional, not luxurious; guidance is minimal; and the story remains enigmatic. This creates a genuine journey of discovery. Finding areas populated by enemies from classic Bandai Namco titles like Dig Dug was a moment of pure delight, and solving its obscure puzzles, like confronting a boss modeled on Pac-Man’s famous killscreen glitch, felt like a personal triumph.

The developers’ greatest achievement is making this meticulously crafted world feel authentically discovered, not designed. Shadow Labyrinth rejects standardization and safety, freeing game characters and concepts from rigid canon. It feels like a wild, cohesive realm where the spirits of arcade classics originate, a testament to the boundless, risky creativity that emerges when games are set free from convention. It is the year’s most memorable and imaginative experience.

(Source: Kotaku)