There’s something fun about solving a mystery, having to piece together the clues and untangle all the various mis-truths in order to find out what exactly happened. This game does that really well, providing you with a small number of suspects, each of which aren’t telling the whole truth about what they’ve been doing and what that means for the mystery as a whole.
The star of the show in this game is the core mechanic, The Timeline. As you speak with the various suspects you’ll get to see exactly what they did in real time and be able to question them about it. Each of the suspects you speak with will add another timeline that you can easily compare the events along, if something seems off you can grill that suspect about it and see what appears.
On the whole I really enjoyed this game. However, if I have one complaint then it’s the length of the game. The game is over far too quickly for my tastes, just as I was really getting my teeth into the mechanics and the world they’ve built the game ends with no sign of a sequel in sight.
In the 1980’s, there were a ton of games that influenced the design of latter titles. There were a lot of single-screen action games that fe
We now come to my first game by Williams Electronics, Joust! It is a single-screen action game that featuring characters riding birds. How is it today?
hello gamers. i know it is literally august. however i just remembered i had this as a draft and never posted it. so, please enjoy - VERY belatedly - my favorite games i played last year, out of the few that i played/beat/experienced for the first time. (full list at the bottom!)
amazingly, this time, a few of the games i chose did indeed come out in 2025! however, this is not a "top games of the year" list, because i do not keep up with current releases enough for that.
Deltarune Chapters 3&4 (2025)
a game about some kids on an adventure into the darkness.
deltarune isn't even finished yet and it's already probably one of the best games ever made. these new chapters not only experimented wildly with gameplay mechanics, introduced complex and lovable characters, and made me feel so many goddamn things - they also have done things that i've just never seen done before like this in a video game. it was so fun to dive back into this world.
2. Animal Well (2024)
a game about exploring a dense, spooky cavern filled with secrets.
very much one of those games that feels like it was handcrafted for me specifically. puzzle platformer metroidvania! with a surreal, unique atmosphere! and a cool visual style! not only are there secrets, but multiple layers of them! animal well takes everything i love about fez (another fav) and dials it up a couple notches. it's fun, frustrating, satisfying, surprising, sooo beautiful. none of my friends seem to be as crazy about this as i am. that's fine. this game isn't for them. it's for me <3
3. Hollow Knight: Silksong (2025)
a game about ascending into a haunted kingdom of bugs.
hollow knight is my favorite game. silksong improves on it in almost every way except newness + nostalgia factor. i haven't beaten the true ending yet - it's a difficult and exhausting game, and no matter how much i'm praising it here i'm also intimidated by the prospect of picking it up again. but i will get there! i love hornet, i love the endlessly intriguing world, i love and hate the super-polished bosses, and i think that the platforming in this is some of the slickest Ever.
4. A Hat in Time (2017)
a game about platforming through a goofy world of mafia goons, movie directors, spooky spirits, and more!
i picked this up on a whim and surprised myself with how much i loved it. this is a game where you can feel the passion poured into it. every level is short and sweet and absolutely crammed with detail. the platforming is smooth and fun, the story is consistently charming and hilarious, and the gameplay and narrative complement each other in unique and satisfying ways. plus, probably one of my favorite game soundtracks! highly recommend!!
5. Balatro (2024)
a poker-ish game about using weird jokers to make really big numbers.
i definitely spent more hours playing balatro than any other game in 2025, and while i think i'm a bit burnt out on it by now, i do have to applaud its genius design. there are just so many options! so many new ways to spin it! it very much scratches that "strategy game" itch for me. anyway, never let me play a roguelike deckbuilder again
honorable mentions:
clickholding - short, weird, unique. loved it
tunic - another very cool "fezlike" with some great gameplay twists
silent hill 2 remake - i didn't finish this because i burnt out on it really hard but it was good overall, i think!
under the cut, i've put a full list of games i played/experienced in 2025. unlike 2024, i've included games that i haven't beaten (yet...) but nevertheless did more than dip my toes in.
Silent Hill 2 Remake (2024)
Animal Well (2024)
Tunic (2022)
Fez (2012) (replay)
Monument Valley 1&2 (2022) (replay)
of the Devil ch.0 (2024)
A Hat in Time (2017)
Too Many Santas (2021)
Clickolding (2024)
Balatro (2024)
Deltarune ch.3&4 (2025)
Astronautilus (2022)
Hollow Knight: Silksong (2025)
Another Crab's Treasure (2024)
A Short Hike (2019)
Abzu (2016)
Death Stranding (2019)
Earthbound (1994)
(the last two were long-term engagements with two friends, in which i watched them play the game and we chatted about it!)
been a while since i made a game review post, so let me do a two-in-one!
recently i finished both Alan Wake (2010) and The Messenger (2018) - two very different games, but both pretty good!
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alan wake is in that special genre of game where the story is (to me) significantly more interesting than the gameplay. gameplay-wise it's uncomplicated survival horror combat - not bad in itself but not particularly interesting. (i played the whole thing on easy mode and that was the right decision lol, some combat segments are a slog to get through.)
story-wise, it's a very twin-peaks-esque supernatural thriller. i love the levels of reality warping, weird psychological stuff, and commentary about art and writing. i also enjoyed alan's narration; it gives the story a unique tone/character that they really commit to! i also thought his relationship with his publisher was hilarious and at times moving. overall, though, i'd be lying if i said i wasn't mainly playing this to get to alan wake 2 - very excited about checking that out after american nightmare!
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the messenger is the opposite of alan wake, in that the gameplay is god-tier and the story is just kind of there. (no disrespect to the story. it's just pulling bullshit out of a hat and sometimes that's what you need.) this is a 2D platformer with some super cool twists, and i'd recommend going in blind if possible!
...you know what. let me just share my steam review. i feel like that sums things up!
excellent action-platformer i wish i'd played sooner. if you are at all interested in 2D platformers you should absolutely check this out (preferably without watching the trailer!). it's very fun, goofy, challenging at times but (usually) fair.
other standout features and observations:
- 10/10 peppy chiptune soundtrack - i've been listening to the ost for years and years before i played the game
- a clever alternative to the "lose your money on death" trope
- many ways to platform off of enemies (mark of a good platformer)
- i made a point of getting all the collectibles which is how i know a game is for me
- only like 75% of the jokes land imo but the humor is consistently charming - i love how the developers' love for games comes out so strongly
- the plot is kind of incoherent but that's literally fine, this is a game about the vibes
also: really excellent gameplay twists. gotta love a game that shifts its genre (er, subgenre) halfway through!
Developer: Image and Form
Steam Deck Compatibility?: Playable
Rrp: £19.99 (Gog and Steam)
A game by Image and Form that isn’t a Steamworld game? Well, colour me both surprised and interested. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that the developers would want to create something outside of Steamworld but… I suppose it would be like if an author known for only writing horror suddenly wrote a romance novel. You knew that they always could have done that, but they’re the horror person not the romance person. Perhaps that’s a flawed analogy but I’m sticking with it.
This game is a 3D action platformer where you play as Rani. She’s one half of a two person (and one robot) space hauling/salvaging/scrapping crew. From what the opening dialogue suggests business has not been going well, but the pair follow a strange energy reading to a seemingly dead planet and decide to check it out only to find a strange ‘gunk’ is everywhere.
The core loop of the game breaks down like this; You explore an area, find gunk and remove it (by sucking it up), harvest the resources in the now revitalised area, upgrade your gear, rinse and repeat.
As you can see it’s a pretty simple loop, but it works wonderfully for this game as it's quite short and to the point.
Once an area is cleared of the gunk it becomes revitalised, with plants appearing and resources becoming available to collect. When it comes to the upgrades, you don’t need every upgrade in order to progress, but getting them is very easy and the game will inform you which ones are vital.
As I mentioned this game is pretty short, lasting about eight hours to playthrough. On the whole it's a pretty light hearted affair but does go a bit harder than I expected at times, especially in the latter half. This is definitely a fun little experience, though I will admit I'm glad I got it in a sale rather than paying the full Rrp.
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Developer: Metamorphosis Games
Steam Deck Compatibility?: Verified
Rrp: £15.99 (Humble and Steam)
There are a great many metroidvania’s on the market and they range from the short and silly like Gato Roboto to the much longer and darker Hollow Knight. It seems like whatever your particular flavour there’s a metroidvania out there for you. The quality and length is, of course, varied.
This particular metroidvania should sate those that have a love of the steampunk aesthetic.
In Gestalt: Steam and Cinder you play as Aletheia, a young woman working as a Soldner (a kind of mercenary) in the city of Canaan, the last refuge of humankind. Canaan is under attack and it's unclear if the attack is from outside or within.
As metroidvania’s go this wasn’t a bad one, certainly not the best I’ve ever played but still good. The pixel art animations are beautiful, especially on Aletheia and the world is well designed without being overly busy. Combat starts off quite slow and clunky but as you progress and unlock skills it becomes more flowing. The problem is that by the late game I was starting to find any enemy that wasn’t a boss trivial and even the bosses themselves barely caused an issue. That being said I still enjoyed it and becoming that overpowered did feel great.
I do have a bit of an issue with the fact that the game ends on a cliffhanger and is very clearly setting up for a sequel and I have no idea if there is one coming or not despite quite a bit of searching.
