Last post of 2025 fellow Otaku & Metalheads.
This year has left a lot of us in a wreck. Left a lot of the world in a wreck to be honest. In a lot of ways, it’s kind of silly to recall what has happened throughout all of 2025, since it’s so easy to remember at least most of what went on. Even among the media landscape, it is all to easy to look back at what was released & consumed. Whether it was good or bad, we all remember it. Gaming this year was quite the treat, as it was one of the best gateways into escapism that we all needed. Whether virtual or trading cards, we all gamed pretty good this year. With that said, here are the top 5 games of 2025. Let’s begin
5) Marvel Rivals (Trailer)
Technically this came out late last year (The 6th of December, to be exact.), and because of that it seemed only right to grandfather it in for 2025. Marvel Rivals is what Overwatch 2 should still be: fun, fast-paced, energetic, and not at all concerned with “Meta” of any kind. The levels aren’t complex yet still very detailed, the graphics are gorgeous, the gameplay feels like Overwatch past, the variety of characters is fun, and the story is nice & goofy & comic-booky. There are issues to be sure: some characters were released underpowered or overpowered, the pricing for some of the microtransactions is a little too much (Which doesn’t surprise me), and at times it seems like there were too many in-game events. Even so, Marvel Rivals is a wonderful game that’ll definitely scratch that itch for players who became disillusioned after the desecration of the last good thing Blizzard ever did. The fact that it’s free also helps!
4) Wizordum (Trailer) & Viscerafest (Trailer)
Whimsy. That’s the best way to describe this tribute on the Wolfenstein 3d//Catacomb 3d formula. Pure, unadulterated whimsy. Everything that’s shown within Wizordum is filled with bright colors & atmosphere, and when it decides to go for a darker vista, it still has some vibrancy to it. Storywise it’s nothing amazing (If anything it’s oddly stereotypical), but it doesn’t need to be when the levels tell their own story, and actually contain lore if you know where to look. Gameplay is simplistic, yet oddly in-depth when it comes to combat, and the enemy & boss variety dictate how a fight will go. Even on top of that, this is an FPS game that kids can play, despite the blood & such (I think it can be turned off). My biggest turnoff are the secrets, as while finding some of them isn’t too hard, many other are exceptionally difficult. Even so, if you like to smile during your fantasy roleplay, then I suggest giving Wizordum a go.
And then we have Viscerafest. In many ways, it’s pretty similar to Wizordum: colorful, nice visuals, and simplistic gameplay (Maybe not as simple when it comes to the combat). However, where it differs is the theme. At first, it comes across like your standard Sci-Fi shooter that goes over the top, and if that’s all it was I still would have been satisfied. However, it takes a strong Cosmic Horror turn part way through, and I’m not going to lie when I say that once the beyond started creeping in, I felt genuinely uncomfortable with what was going on to the point where my stomach was off. Without going into more spoilers than I already have, the character you play is over the course of the game is losing her mind, and by the time you reach the final boss she may as well be put into a mental hospital with how disturbed she sounds. Even with that dark edge, Viscerafest is an absolute challenge of an FPS game. It’ll definitely make you want to pull your hair out at times, but it’s certainly one hell of a mountain to climb.
3) Aetherdrift (Trailer/Game Knights/Gallery)
Maybe more so in 2025 than last year, MTG’s output was exceptionally gimmicky, and Aetherdrift is definitely gimmicky. Released on Valentine’s Day if you can believe it, this racing themed set was inspired by the likes of Wacky Races, Fast & The Furious, and Death Race 2000. The theme of racing is evident in the abundance of Vehicles, Speed as a mechanic, and even using Exhaust as a way to boost your chances in a game. Aetherdrift also marked the second time that a story took place across multiple world. Avishkar (formerly Kaladesh), Amonkhet, and for the first time ever, Muraganda. Aetherdrift does not take itself too seriously: though the theme is hyper specific, and at time some of the artwork might be too chaotic, it’s very clearly trying to provide a fun time.....which is all I ask.
2) Cultic: Chapter 2 (Trailer) & Gloomwood (Trailer) ***
Back in 2022 (And 2021 to a lesser extent), I spoke pretty highly of Cultic. Developed by just one guy, it was a great throwback FPS that channeled the spirit of Blood, and I admit at the time I thought it was early access. Turns out, it was just the first episode, and we waited quite a bit for episode two to come out. In the meantime, we got a level between both episodes that fleshed out the story, as well as some gameplay tweaks that improved aspects that might have been lacking. Then, on the 18th of September, Chapter 2 was released, and by god was this a step up. The levels are far larger than before & filled with so much more detail that what was in Chapter One (Even though those levels are still fantastic), enemy variety has increased & the encounters with them are more fierce than before, and for the first time ever.....Cultic scared me. In many places I was genuinely scared by what was going on, and while it might wear out if I replay it a lot, it’ll still manage to hit pretty damn hard. If it wasn’t for getting lost sometimes, and if it wasn’t for some of the bosses being a little too much work, I might have actually put this at number one, and even though it’s not.....this is one chapter you don’t want to skip.
And then there’s the joy of all joys that is Gloomwood! It’s been an absolute treat playing this game for a little over 3 years now, and having been announced earlier this year that it’s halfway completed, I can’t wait for it to be finally finished! The first of the updates this year was the implementation of the Serum System: basically, you harvest some of the various creatures in the game (Huntsman, Goatmen, Crowmen, and Bat Barbers), bring their body parts back to the lab at the lighthouse, research, and then you get a complete formula that you can use as long as you have some spare parts & the right reagents. Not only that, but even if you don’t use the serums, you get a special bonus for each completed subject researched that’s permanent. Ironically, this was my least favorite update so far: the work into getting the formula took a bit, and you only got 1 serum made. Not only that, but finding all of the reagents & body parts at this point in the development of the game is limited, but thankfully they updated it a few months after some you get more serum per manufacturing depending on what you were working on. Again, this was my least favorite update so far.....but it’s still damn good.
On top of the serums, we got some visual transformations that kick in once it reaches a certain point in the story. After getting out of The Hive, a rainstorm comes up to the coast, pelting the Fishery & Slaughtered Goat Tavern with water. Not only that, but both locations change up as well, with the tavern being reclaimed & altered by the huntsman, and the power in the Fishery has gone out. Not only that, but one of the fearsome Goatmen now wanders it’s darkened paths. Both are fun changes that aren’t the most necessarily to revisit, but they come from a studio that’s done nothing but hard work, so there’s no complaints from me. Even some of the enemies from The Hive begin showing up in the Market District, as the path to that place is now wide open!
So before we get to my no. 1, we’ve got this year’s honorable mentions. The games I picked to be put here are rather..... surprising. One is a Magic set I simultaneously have no attachment to, yet I still found it to be very good. The other one I picked was a remaster I didn’t see coming at all, and it left me mildly frustrated. So with that out of the way, here are 2025's gaming honorable mentions.
HM1) Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy (Trailer/Game Knights/Gallery)
2 things prevent the 1st Universes Beyond release of this year from getting onto the main list. For starters, the pricing was absolutely god awful! Paying just above 400 dollars for all 4 of the pre-built decks was exceedingly stupid, and a box for Collector’s packs is even worse (Normal box of boosters wasn’t too bad, and the bundle box & pre-release kit weren’t terrible also). Secondly, I have never touched a Final Fantasy game in my life. I know tiny slivers of lore & the characters, and that’s about it. That being said.....this set was great! It’s pretty obvious that great care was given to the Final Fantasy franchise, and you see various characters, creatures, spells, and items from across all 16 of the main games. The pre-builts, despite their expense, each catered to a specific title (6, 7, 10, and 14), and there was a lot of love & care put into them as well. Coupled with some fantastic art from a variety of artists (Even including original art variants), it’s obvious that Final Fantasy was a success. A flawed one, but a success regardless.
HM2) Heretic + Hexen (Trailer)
So this came out of nowhere!
Coming out in early August, this remaster came from the powerhouses Nightdive Studios and it truly was out of nowhere. If you bought the base Heretic or Hexen on Steam, then this remaster was free, but you had to pay for it if you didn’t. So much was done for this!: updated to operate on modern PCs & console, improved visuals, various gameplay tweaks (Made playing Hexen so much easier), inserting cut enemies from the original game, old drawings & concept art from the cutting room floor, two brand new episodes made by staff from both I.D. and Nightdive, and updated soundtracks for both games by the musical god Andrew Hulshult. Sadly, what gets Heretic + Hexen put in the honorable mentions is the odd level modifications you find in Heretic. Maybe it was because they wanted certain levels to come across like the larger ones you’d find in Doom, but many levels were tinkered around in & altered in some way. It’s barely noticeable in episode one, but becomes incredibly obvious in episodes 2 & 3, and maybe even more so in certain ways in episodes 4 & 5. It’s odd that they would do this, and it’s even more odd that the modified levels are the default. Thankfully, there’s an option to play through the original versions instead of the modified ones, which brings back such a nostalgia rush for me. Hell, even with the altered levels, I can’t bring myself to truly bash this remaster. Nightdive Studios as usual brought their A-Game, and I’m quite thankful.
1) Edge Of Eternities (Trailer/Game Knights/Gallery) & Avatar: The Last Airbender (Trailer/Game Knights/Gallery)
On top of that, we have what I believe to be the best of the Universes Beyond releases in 2025. Final Fantasy was genuinely good but I don’t have a personal connection to the franchise, and while Spiderman was a gigantic failure outside of some of the cards, this tribute to one of the best cartoons of this century was truly perfect. Unlike the apocalypse of awful that was Spiderman, this set not only is great in Standard & Draft, this was just great PERIOD. Whereas the set before it was blatantly expanded so it wouldn’t be another Assassin’s Creed, Avatar: The Last Airbender was a full set built from the ground up. It was built with love of the show, care for the show, and most importantly, respect for the show. The artwork is gorgeous, the mechanics are flavorful, and everything just feels fun! Sure, the bonus sheet cards could have been better visually, but that is just a truly TINY bump on what is otherwise a blast of a set! Like Lost Caverns Of Ixalan from 2023 this came out rather late in the year, so time will tell if it’s able to weather the years, but the money I put towards this set was well worth it.
And those were my top 5 games of 2025. A lot of FPS titles to be sure, but that genre is easily my comfort zone for when I want to feel good. Magic the Gathering, despite some hiccups, managed to keep my mind at peace when it needed to. And with that, the tome of 2025 closes. May it’s pages never be opened again. See you all in 2026!
***
If you’re curious as to what I thought of last year’s games, click on the link below:
The Top 5 Games Of 2024
Also, the reason this list was so delayed is because I was waiting for the Hightowne update for Gloomwood. As of yesterday, they said it’s a few more days before it comes out.
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