Year in ReDru 2025
Another year in the books and a lot of great games to show for it. I Played more games this year than last and was better for it. Some disappointments were outweighed by heavy hitters that came out of nowhere. Games I had very little expectation for blew me out of the way! (Looking at you Expedition 33 & Arc Raiders)
If this year’s list has a theme, it is probably moments. From set piece narrative moments in Claire Obscur that stayed with me many months after finishing the game, to firefights in the streets of New York escaping a tank round collapsing a building around me, to the constant tension of running into other raiders in Arc Raiders and so many more! Sometimes a special game leaves me with a feeling. No particular memory but a clear feeling of wonder or chaos or joy. Those games are on this list too but never has it been so clear the moments encapsulated below.
I also took some time this year to finally finish some games that are considered masterpieces of the modern age. I’ve included my thoughts on them below. No more pontificating! On to the list!
Dru’s Top 10 Games of the Year
Before we get to the top 10, a few honorable mentions.
Is this Seat Taken? - A perfect puzzle game in size and scope!
Civilization VII - Good start, future expansions will elevate to greatness.
Avowed - Loved my time but just didn’t fully click.
Knights in Tight Spaces - One of my most anticipated games. Missing some of the magic from the original. Can’t quite put my finger on what.
10. Keep Driving
Developer: YCJY Games
Hours Played: 5.4 and counting
Score: 3.5/5
There’s something intrinsically romantic about a roadtrip. Just you and the open road. Endless possibility lies before you and you open yourself to it all. You turn the radio up and crack the window a bit. Your mind wanders and after a while, your soul does too.
Road trips are antithetical to games in so many facets. An unlikely marriage that, just like the couple that got married in Vegas 28 years ago on a whim, is somehow, still happily in love! It doesn’t matter how it works, it just does. Keep Driving just does.
Set in the early 2000s with gorgeous pixel graphics and a soundtrack to vibe to, I’m so glad I squeezed in some time with Keep Driving before the year was up. You start as a young adult about to start driving. You pick your name and a few things about yourself: your job, your relationship to your parents rated 1 to 5 and which car you drive. A beat up sedan, truck or muscle car. Your mom gives you a care package and off you go to the other side of the country to attend a concert. You are given your first mission, get a ticket to the concert, a tent if you can and you have a month to get there. Plenty of time. Just like any roadtrip, shenanigans ensue along the way.
The game part of Keep Driving is more than competent. You must manage your energy, your car’s durability & of course petrol. Each stint of your drive through small country villages and sprawling cities presents challenges along the way. In the country, a herd of sheep may be stopped on the road, or you catch a majestic falcon gliding alongside your car that distracts you. You use your character’s (and your hitchhiker friends, more on this later) skills to solve each puzzle. I won’t delve too deep into the mechanics but they are the right mix of simple and complex. Enough to keep you engaged and monitoring your trip’s ‘vitals’.
The secret sauce of Keep Driving lines in it’s hitchhikers. Keep Driving eschews the dangerous reality of picking up strangers alongside the roadway and replaces it with something wonderful. Each time you stop and pick up a hitchhiker, you gain their skills and little bits of story. Some of them have some place to go, like an old hiker who wants a ride to the largest mountain in the area or songwriter who is ‘on tour’ and needs precious space in your car for his guitar. I won’t spoil all the different types of hitchhikers but they are the special ingredient that makes Keep Driving truly unique. As you spend time with each hitchhiker, they will learn more skills and will be able to assist you in completing events that get in your way. For instance, the quiet mechanic you pick up has no social skills. He cannot help you navigate an interaction with the cops; however, when you are navigating rough terrain or your engine is making a weird knocking sound, he’s your guy. You often unlock more narrative details as well. It turns out, maybe the songwriter isn’t actually on tour? Maybe he just wants to be? Not each hiker is a complex puzzle to solve but I have found them all to be interesting and fun. Even the curmudgeon mechanic I picked up, who constantly complains about my car, helps me fix it and keeps it durable.
The music is a masterclass in vibes. Music is a hard video game problem to solve. Spend all your money on licensed music or make your own and hope for the best? The developers here opted for the latter to excellent effect. You find more music by collecting CDs for sale at stores throughout the game. Even though I never had enough money in game to buy the cool upgrade or fill up all my jerry cans with petrol, I always made sure I had enough to buy a new CD. This means a lot coming from a former, play games on mute, person. I found the tunes in Keep Driving as an essential part of the experience.
Keep Driving is also punishing. You are only a failed event or two away from the worst possibility, having to call your in game parents! I worry that this punishing nature may drive off more casual players but for me, it is perfect. I’ve only gotten one good ending (so far!) and it felt earned after having failed two other runs. That failure made the win that much sweeter for me. I could also just be bad at the game, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying it!
Do yourself a favor, stop at the gas station, buy a hula girl for your dashboard and some nuts to keep your hunger satisfied. Maybe a coffee and a roller dog to keep the tired and hungry dogs at bay. Turn on the radio and just Keep Driving.
Top Moment: Finding an old man hitchhiking and helping him reach the top of the mountain. At the foot of the mountain, he thanks you for the ride and disembarks. If you choose to attempt the arduous drive up the mountain yourself, you find him halfway up the mountain, asking for a ride one last time. This events encountered are the most difficult I’d yet encountered in Keep Driving. The scenery was beautiful though. I found myself checking and rechecking the map to see how much further and try to calculate if the gas reserves would hold out. They did, but just barely. My character finally got out of the car at the apex of this beautiful peak. The camera panned up into the clouds as the music reached a crescendo. Beautiful.
9. Rematch
Developer: Sloclap
Hours Played: 16
Score: 3.5 / 5
What if I told you a soccer game and Rocket League had a love child and you could play it right now? Yes, it’s true! Baby Rematch is real, and it is spectacular!
Soccer games have always equally fascinated and infuriated me as a video game enjoyer. I like soccer a lot and, in world cup years, I teeter into loving the game; however, in video games, I can never do quite what I want to. Until now. The controls of Rematch are tight. This is due to the game’s format. You are one player of 3, 4 or 5 on your team. You control every movement of the ball, every defensive maneuver, every position on the pitch. Just like another frustrating genre for me, fighting games, Rematch is easy to learn, hard to master.
Shoot the ball intentionally over the goal, get the defending goalie to leap to defend, when the ball rebounds back, tap the empty goal in. Easy and fun! But what if the goalie feints then charges you? Do you go for the air juggle? Pass off to a teammate out of position? This constant moment to moment decision making keeps the tension high most games. It has been awhile since I realized my hands were cramping (old man shit) because I was gripping a controller too hard.
Nothing feels better than faking out a human player with a double dribble, then popping the ball over their head before kicking the ball 50 yards downfield to a teammate waiting to bicycle kick a goal in. My early hours with the game were filled with moments like that. Then, players got good. Really good.
After a few weeks of logging in to get the paltry daily missions completed, something shifted. The casual Rematch players seemed to have moved on to their next game. Suddenly, I wasn’t able to pull off any of my previous tricks. Goalies were sharp, strikers could put shots on goal from across the field. My player (an androgynous android made for futbol shenanigans with bright pink hair and a heart of gold) was always out of stamina while everyone else seemed to have a limitless pool to draw from.
I kept coming back, trying to complete the needless esoteric version of Rematch’s battle pass. I even tried my luck in the ranked mode, mostly being carried by significantly better players; however, things came to a head when other players began playing at a level I could never hope to reach. My patience for losing video game matches is fairly high as an aging gamer but I have limits, and they were reached. Even when the super good players were on my team, it was equally not fun to beat the rival team senseless. Eventually, like a good piece of bubblegum, the flavor was gone. This is the nature of competitive games, and I’m grateful for my time with Rematch, even if it was cut short.
Rematch is such a great idea. You control a player on a soccer pitch in a near future world of theatrical effects all around you. You could be playing underwater next to a sunken ship, then in the shadow of the world’s most majestic waterfall. This magic and pageantry demonstrate the game is made by folks with a true love for soccer. I’ll remember the great moments fondly and I hope that the peeps still playing never stop.
Top Moment: 5v5 ranked game. We score a goal early with a lucky header after a wild cross. We spawn in with 4 minutes to go, most of the game, and it is my turn to be a goalie. My team implodes. The enemy gets in range over and over and over again taking shots at our goal. I save time after time, often deflecting the ball only inches away from a sure goal. I end the game with 15 saves, the win and a hand cramp.
8. Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
Developer: Funday Games
Hours Played: 21 hours & counting
Score: 4 / 5
Good artists copy, great artists steal. Funday Games understands this. As a former Rock & Stone! (Deep Rock Galactic) aficionado, this genre transition makes perfect sense. Take the established rich world of Deep Rock Galactic’s critters and capitalism, add a dash or two of irreverent humor and take the Vampire Survivor endless wave of enemies. Blend this together to make my favorite move around the map and get upgrades for the game of the year.
The varied weapons, enemies, environs, mission types and dwarf classes keep each run feeling fresh. Running from faceless, charging alien goobers proves to be evergreen here. You collect four weapon types on each run and slowly upgrade them as you gain experience. There are chunks of ore to collect throughout the level. Some will assist in your current run, some will be for optional objectives and others will permanently upgrade all future runs. This means there is always somewhere to go. The game never asks you to stop and consider what to do next. The pacing results in an endless kind of flow state that is perfect for second screening.
There is something missing though. I’m not sure the addition of loot drops is a layer the game needed but it definitely needs something to keep players coming back. It does feel odd to have a spinoff game that lacks Deep Rock Galactic’s signature multiplayer shenanigans. I’m not sure how the developers would make that work in a game like this but that innovation is what keeps this very good game from being truly great for me.
But Dru!? What about Megabonk?! The most talked about Vampire Survivor-like this year! I hear ya but I just couldn’t do it. The art style of Megabonk did not jive with Drutonia. I have very limited nostalgia for early polygons and I don’t feel that will change any time soon.
Top Moment: Reaching the extraction drill with less than 5 seconds to go. This triggers the right mix of serotonin and adrenaline every single time.
7. Battlefield 6
Developer: Battlefield Studios
Hours Played: 31.6
Score: 4 / 5
Battlefield finally found its feet when it had to. If this entry hadn’t worked, the franchise may have been in jeopardy. Luckily, 6 was the right one at the right time. This latest entry brings the familiar feelings of the franchise’s strongest Battlefield games: Bad Company, 3 and 4. I dabbled with the sequels following four but nothing ever felt quite right, until now. The guns sound and feel how they should: punchy and loud. The levels are a little too brown and gray and red than I would like, but the scope is there. The sweet spot between the old Battlefield experience of running for five minutes only to get popped by a sniper and the immediate spawn in nonsense of COD is almost where they landed with this one. This sequel is a little safe… but on purpose. No flashy cosmetics, nothing too futuristic with the gadgets, weapons and vehicles. I’m burying the lead though, this game is about one thing – moments.
Top Moment: One game, I’m battling through the streets of Brooklyn with my squad. We are finally taking point C at the center of the map. Countless digital lives have been lost in the effort.. I set up my LMG bipod on the ground and cover the South alley. One, two, three more enemy troops start flooding the position. I fire and I fire and I fire taking several out before a rogue grenade lands next to me taking me down to less than 1/10 of my health. My vision is blurred but I keep firing. I suppress the enemy valiantly but my compatriots are dropping one by one until only myself and one of my squadmates is left. Finally, a rogue bullet downs me. I lift up my hand to ask for help. My compatriot hits a charging enemy with a shotgun before grabbing me and pulling me to safety around a corner. He plunges a needle into me and I’m back in the fight. Moments later he is hit. Down. I revive him with my defibrillator. We keep fighting for C. The progress bar shows 12 of them and two of us. No backup is on the way. We hold out as long as we can, defending our little corner of earth. Suddenly, a friendly tank rolls in! The enemy starts pelting it with RPGs and grenades but our new tank commander friend is savvy. He backs up from C and lures many of the enemy into the open where I lay down a full belt of rounds into them. Eventually, my friend and I and, even the tank succumb to the enemy numbers. We lose C. As I go to respawn, I realize the rest of our team has secured the other positions on the field and we are about to rout the enemy because of it. We lost the battle but won the war.
Moments like this don’t happen every time you load in, but the promise of the possibility endures. The past few years, my interest in mowing down digital infantrymen has waned considerably but Battlefield 6 reminded me of the narrative power of first person shooters in a wholly unexpected way. This will likely be my podcast game for the immediate future. The perfect salve after a long day at work that won’t tax my anxiety and allow me to lose myself to the dulcet tones of the MinnMax podcast. Now I just need to figure out how to lure my gaming people away from Arc Raiders to put a squad together.
6. Wildgate
Developer: Moonshot Games
Hours Played: 14
Score: 4 / 5
Wildgate is easily my most contentious take this year. Proof that a great idea and good execution sometimes just aren’t enough in such a crowded video game market. It is genuinely going to break my heart when the news crosses the wire that this game has shut down. But let's start with what makes this game great!
If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting for a three dimensional FTL-like game for years. Enter Wildgate. You spawn into a ship with up to four other human players and you all take on various roles on the ship. There are turrets to man that can be upgraded in a dazzling variety of ways, there is a pilot, scanners, repairing, engines. Systems built on top of systems. Nom Nom Nom. You spawn into a chunk of space with four other ships filled with players as well!
Will you travel to the many points of interest to fight AI enemies for loot to make your ship stronger or will you hunt down the other ships in the massive arena? Caustic nebulas, asteroids and rogue AI ships are dispersed throughout the area also. These are the ingredients to what I would have thought would be the perfect game!
Your actual objective is to explore the Reach (arena) to find an artifact guarded by hordes of AI enemies, get it onto your ship and extract. I had games where several randos and I got in ship to ship firefights only to be attacked by a third ship from below. One of them snuck onto our ship, and set our engine to explode. We didn’t react in time and boom! We didn’t win but it was satisfying! These types of moments happened all the time in Wildgate.
Unfortunately, a few things got stale. The AI encounters that you needed to interact with to get better loot all felt a bit repetitive. The same enemies with the same sorts of patterns became a bit of a slog. Another problem arose, as the player count dipped, the remaining players were diehards, and they were good. Really good. Which left more casual players like myself, out in the cold.
I’m not sure if it is the cartoony visual style, the reliance on random players working together, lack of marketing, a competitive multiplayer market, the pricing structure ($30 seems steep these days for this type of experience) or a mix of all of the above, but something kept this game from the zeitgeist and it is a shame. I’ll keep checking in with Wildgate until the very end. I’m grateful for the time I had with it and I’m hopeful there will be more to come.
Top Moment: Internet randos and myself spend 90% of the game looting and gearing up our ship to be extremely powerful. Everyone in the game gets notified that the artifact on the map has been recovered. If the enemy ship reaches the Wildgate (exit) everyone else loses. Four ships remain. The three non artifacted ships rush to the Wildgate. We are all pursuing the winning ship at top speed. Shield down, firing everything we’ve got as the winning ship bobs and weaves towards the exit. A hail or lasers, missiles and bombs destroy the lead ship. I jump off a turret on our ship and board an enemy vessel. I set a trap mine on their ship, starting a fire in their engine room. As they do the same to my ship. Both of our ships burn and exchange fire as the third and final ship recovers the artifact, jumps through the Wildgate and wins the game. What a ride!
5. Dispatch
Developer: AdHoc Studio
Hours Played: 7.3
Score: 4 / 5
Superhero fatigue has crept up on me the past few years. They are starting to feel passe. The stakes are always a little too high for the viewer to ever feel like there is truly a chance things will fail. The best stories of the genre, in my opinion, are the interpersonal stories. The constant push and pull of being a better version of yourself while still doing right by the people who trust you. Here, Dispatch excels.
My understanding is that Dispatch was originally going to be a Netflix series but had a troubled development cycle that resulted in a pivot into a game. The result is extremely talented voice acting talent (Aaron Paul & Jeffrey Wright shine) propelling a small but meaningful narrative.
If you are at all interested in the glory days of Telltale Games (Walking Dead Season 1 or The Wolf Among Us) this is a no brainer. This world of superheroes and villains blends perfectly with the capitalist hellscape results in your character working for a superhero dispatching agency that is at the beck and call of those who can afford the service. Dispatch lets you see slivers of this world while still concealing its mysteries. Often leaving me asking for more, in a way that felt like something to look forward to and less of a frustration.The weekly release cadence of the episodes served Dispatch well. The final moments of the last chapter lingered in my head as I waited for the next to drop.
Comedy and romance are both difficult to translate into the game medium. Dispatch does both!. The will-they/won’t-they tension is a main theme throughout the series and pays off well (at least with the path I chose, more on that later). Do I wish the relationships between my character and some of the others could be explored more thoroughly? Absolutely but what is explored is valuable and earned.
Dispatch is funny! Great visual humor and writing that had me exhaling through my nose several times and even chuckling out loud once or twice. I found myself caring about characters that in a way I couldn’t have imagined after the first episode. This speaks to of how well executed the narrative was from episode to episode.
The actual gameplay between storytelling is a solid vehicle for delivering small bits of story and filling in the story gaps for some of the minor characters. I don’t imagine the quick time events and puzzle solving being that fun a second run through, which was the only thing stopping me from immediately replaying the game and making different choices.
Keep Up. The end of chapter 6 of Dispatch is as satisfying a narrative thread as any other this year; however, Dispatch felt too afraid to follow through with the gut punch. Pet peeve for me is when any narrative threatens a character’s life but stops short. This refusal is the only reason Dispatch fell from Dru Game of the Year Contender to great narrative in a good game.
Despite this, Dispatch was one of my favorite experiences of the year and I am extremely hopeful that I can convince my partner to play through together one of these days. Wish me luck!
Top Moment: Keep Up. This moment is delivered in a way only great television is usually capable of. I won’t spoil it because I think everyone should experience this for themselves and not anticipate it coming. I may have let a tear escape my eyes for this one.
4. Monster Train 2
Developer: Shiny Shoe
Hours Played: 115
Score: 4 / 5
The original Monster Train borrowed a lot of incredible rogue-like concepts from Slay the Spire and layered on a three lane concept. Essentially, you control the forces of hell fighting corrupted angels (or something) using cards to build up the monsters that protect your train. You apply various upgrades to your cards and gain more cards as you get closer and closer to heaven’s gates.
Aside from adding 5 new factions (each with their own cards and play style) not much has changed with the sequel. They added weapons/items to attach to your critters, with significant success. They chose not to fiddle with their winning formula in this sequel and it was largely successful. Prior to Claire Obscur, this game was my obsession while listening to podcasts.
One addition that the developers seemed to focus on as a departure from the original was a focus on story. This is mostly delivered through non voiced dialogue excerpts. These chunks of text come across a bit dry in Monster Train 2. I love narrative but found this one profoundly uninteresting.
Overall, the narrative choices clearly did not stand in the way of my enjoyment as I logged over 100 hours and unlocked damn near every achievement in the game. The additions of the Challenge modes along with the Slay the Spire-eque ascension system kept me invested in finding the perfect build for each clan. Eventually, I learned most of Monster Train 2’s secrets and couldn’t ask for more than that.
Top Moment: Finally beating the game on the hardest difficulty with my least favorite faction: The Lazarus League. Hearing the rare achievement noise pop felt pretty damn good
3. Arc Raiders
Developer: Embark Studios
Hours Played: 40 and counting
Score: 4.5 / 5
If I could give Arc Raiders a tag line it would be, Arc Raiders: Moment Simulator. Every time you load into a game there is a chance to experience something new, wonderful, horrible or some mix of all of these. Let me explain the bones of this beast first.
The world as we know it ended with the robots (Arc) came. These clankers occupy the surface of our world and we live fighting for scraps in an underground city, a la the Matrix. Raiders, yourself and other players of the game, venture to the surface (topside) to loot anything and everything you can and return home safely. While on the surface, you are wandering through ruins of the old world cracking open all manner of crates and boxes while avoiding the watchful robotic eyes of the everpresent Arc. As you collect scrap including plastic tubing, lemons and apricots for your chicken, to advanced electrical components, you are always in danger. Venture past one corner without checking first? You could be face to face with a 10 foot, quadriped leaper with a glowing eye trained on you. Run as fast as you can, you aren’t as fast as the leaper. This everpresent danger is never far. If this game was all about navigating the world filled with robotic enemies and using scrap to craft better scrap, Arc Raiders would be good. But it isn’t good, it’s great.
Because you are never alone. Other raiders are everywhere. Some runs you may only notice them because a red flare will illuminate in the distance because some unfortunate soul has been gunned down. You hear the rattling of gunfire, too sporadic to be Arc. Human. Will you run across unprotected terrain and expose yourself for a chance to help another raider in need? What if they are fighting other raiders? What if they started the fight unprovoked? You listen in the proximity chat as you get closer. Maybe you hear someone downed, begging for their life? Maybe you hear bullies toying with an underleveled raider? Will you intervene or pick at the scraps left behind? What if you die and lose the music player you’ve spent the last three sessions trying to find?
These are the questions at the center of every game of Arc Raiders. The decision economy is seemingly endless. This creates a possibility space in every direction. If I only heard about Arc Raiders, I would assume that every open chat interaction would be either a profane tirade against an ethnic group or silence. This led to me turning my mic off a decade ago in multiplayer games. I would have assumed wrong. I don’t know if it is the right time for a game like this to come out, maybe gamers are older now, more mature? Maybe Embark has created a robust enough reporting system to adequately punish toxic players? Maybe people weren’t so bad all along? However it happened, most of my interactions with other players have been extremely friendly. I’ve had players gift me rare loot just for helping them shoot an Arc chasing after them. Other players have warned me of dangerous raiders in the next building or how to find a hidden quest objective. There’s nothing to gain in Arc Raiders from being kind, yet so many often are. A welcome respite in a world full of so much political tumult and disagreement. An oasis in a desert… until a raider takes a pot shot at you or your friend from across the map and lights an unquenchable fire in your soul, forcing you to hunt them to the ends of the earth… but I digress.
Arc Raiders is a singular achievement, but I do have worries. Will the developers be able to keep up a content release cadence that keeps players engaged? What happens when the only raiders left in the game in 6 months are hardcore, fully equipped killers? Will Arc Raiders ride this phenomenal success and keep pushing the envelope? I don’t have the answers, but I can’t wait to find out.
Top moment: So many to choose from! I think I will go with an early one. I load into a solo round. I haven’t had much time with the game and my cousins aren’t online. I’m going to knock out some quests. Quest says go to the olive grove and hit the button on the doohicky. I avoid a few close Arc encounters and wander the grove. I find enough lemons to start a citrus grove of my own. But no doohicky! I search for ten minutes, which in game time, causes me an hour of stress. I hear gunshots in the distance. I get ready to exfiltrate. The doohicky will have to wait. I mark an extraction point on my map to at least get my lemony treasures home to my hungry chicken. As I close my map, I hear gunshots, real close this time. I duck into a nearby dilapidated house as I see a red eyed leaper chasing another raider through the streets. The raider’s small gun plunks at the Arc’s armor without effect. I rush in and plunk away. We fight the thing, the other raider runs out of ammo, soon, so do I. We are trapped in a building now and we’re running out of time. We exchange pleasantries and get ready to make a run for it. Then, gunshots, another raider has rolled up and takes the Leaper down in a few shots from something big. The raider starts quickly looting the Leaper’s corpse. We emerge and exalt our gratitude in open chat. I offer my citrus gold and the person chuckles and declines. I explain that I’m looking for a doohicky for this stupid quest and the raider kindly walks me 10 feet to my quarry. The three of us talk about how good the game is so far. One of them called out of worked to play, the other stayed up the last two nights until 2am playing. We mosey to a, thankfully unpopulated, extraction and say our farewells. I might have had this conversation in a coffee shop over a board game in the real world. Technology often stands between us and our humanity. I’m glad it didn’t here.
2. Hades II
Developer: Supergiant Games
Hours Played: 47.5
Score: 4.5 / 5
I never really had my nerdy kid rite of passage becoming hyper obsessed with mythology at an early age. Greek, Norse, Egyptian gods were interesting to me, but only in passing. Not quite silly but not something a budding Drutonian might really consider for more than a few moments. For these reasons, the original Hades didn’t grab me right away. Only when the various gaming podcasts and personalities I tune into began giving the game full throated endorsements, did I really start to pay attention. I’m glad I did, Hades was great. Beautiful colorful art, tight gameplay and a fully realized world. Roguelike elements to keep gameplay fresh. Damn fine game. Deserving of its place amongst the pantheon of bangers made by Supergiant.
When they announced a sequel, the first time they ever revisited one of their franchises, I was optimistic. It would be at least good, but it was hard to imagine it could eclipse the first game’s success. I’m so happy to have been wrong. Hades II would be great.
If the first game was a curated meal at a Michelin star restaurant, the sequel was the chef coming out to introduce each course and include an anecdote about their great-grandmother, the inventor of the first ever pizza pie. Hade II expands the first game at every angle. The pantheon of gods, the weapons, the abilities, the upgrades all have been meaningfully enhanced.
The gods give the player boons for each run, in this sequel, they are more varied, interesting and interact with one another. I nearly put in 50 hours with Hades II and the gods and characters of the game rarely repeated the same lines. All beautifully voiced and acted with care. From the chastising grandmother Demeter, Goddess of Winter, the self obsessed Narcicus or my in-game aggravated sister Nemesis, it was a blast to meet them over and over again. By the midpoint of my time with Hades II, the central character, Melinoe, truly felt like a part of a community. The uneasy tension of family became second nature. The pithy quips between the different gods and mortals felt earned.
The strong narrative works in service to the even stronger, dare I say world class, gameplay. The run based/roguelike nature creates a powerful, just one more run mentality. This had me sneaking in runs on my lunch break and playing hours after I should have shut my eyes for the night. This works for three reasons: the varied weapons/abilities, the different boons from Gods, and the upgrades back at base.
First, the weapons. The weapons in the first game were good but it became clear which was my favorite early on. Not playing with that favored weapon (the gloves I think?) felt like a self-imposed punishment. Hades II had no such problem. Each weapon, from the twin daggers to the missile launching backpack, felt distinct and fun. Each weapon also had three subtypes to unlock that would largely change how they were used. This created a damn near endless cycle of my trying a different weapon and subtype for each run over and over again.
Enter, the gods, rendered as sexily as they ever have been in any medium. Each run, which gods you will encounter is largely random, thus your upgrades would be largely random as well. Combining these random effects may result in a completely overpowered run that lets you walk through bosses that once felt like deathly struggles. A particularly memorable combination I had was Hephestus’s hammer activating each time I landed a critical hit, while Artemis’s arrows would automatically track enemies on screen each time I struck. This resulted in dozens of arrows flying all over the screen, every fifth one or so triggering a large Hammer to fall, decimating all enemies in its wake. When accepting a boon from each god, you explore a little bit more of Melinoe’s relationship with each. Some had forgotten that she existed, and, over the course of Hades II, embraced her as the only one that could break them free from the current calamity. Others scolded her for not focusing on the proper tasks.
The care with which each character/god is rendered cannot be overstated. The voice acting, the art itself are immaculate. At its best, it is powerful. When Selene speaks, you listen. When Nemesis, lovingly referred to as Nem by Melinoe, challenges you, you rise. Listening to the immortal skeleton of Schelemeus toothily dole out instruction on how to best vanquish your foes' works because he is part of a fully realized world that the developers have crafted with care. No list is complete without a lit inside a list so here are my favorite characters in no particular order: Nemesis, Selene, Hecate, Dora, Circe, Athena, Arachne, Narcissus, Eris & Chaos. I could probably write a whole article about the gods of Hades II, maybe for the third game! Do yourself a favor and youtube the line deliveries of Narcissus. You’re welcome.
Finally, the base of operations. Melinoe lives in a coven and has trained under the watchful eye of her mentor, Hecate. You meet Dora, the lovable and terrifying shade that watches over your tent, the aforementioned Nemesis and countless others. As you progress in the story and defeat bosses, other visitors will arrive. Whether you are chatting with Odysseus as he regales you about his various well–documented adventures or trying to wake Hypnos from his endless snooze, there is always something to do. You will use an enormous caldron to mix spells that will unlock paths, abilities or options for future runs. You will plant seeds you find throughout the areas to grow into needed ingredients for the spells. Little timers ticking at the back of your mind that keep pulling you to keep going.
The parts of Hades II that didn’t work for me are small compared to the game’s success but they did keep the game from the perfect 5/5 score. Most notably, the ending of the narrative left me a bit wanting. To have played so much after 50 hours, only to reach the end and realize a true ending was behind who knows how many more runs, left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Without spoilers, the resolution of defeating the game’s central villain fell a bit flat in Drutonia. Not bad, just… not enough.
Hades II is damn near perfect. I didn’t even mention the accessibility options and countless other small puzzle pieces that all fit together just so, to make such a wonderful experience. In a world where the number one game on this list doesn’t exist, Hades II would have slotted into the number one slot nicely.
Top Moment: Another tough one here. Probably beating Typhon for the first time, the Titan of Titans. Hades II does an amazing magic trick of making each boss encounter feel difficult, then, over time as you get better at the game, almost trivial. That does nothing to dull the moment of triumph, when I first set foot atop mount Olympus.
1. Claire Obscur: Expédition 33
Developer: Sandfall Interactive
Hours Played: 41.5
Score: 5 / 5
So much to say, I’m not sure where to begin with 2025’s Game of the Year in Drutonia. This one came out of nowhere for me. I have not particular connection to France, where the game is based sort of, and no affinity at all for JRPG style adventures. But I had the game through Game Pass so it was worth a shot. Thank goodness I did, as Expedition 33 is not just this year’s crowning achievement, but finds itself among the best games I’ve ever played.
What makes this game work? In a sense: everything. Every decision the developers made hit for me. Let’s start with the world. On its surface, beautifully rendered. A mix of technical prowess and creative flair. Environments that are covered in inky, dark tar with hands reaching out for help woven into a desolate landscape that still allows a bit of its beauty to shine through at the corners. Underwater with sunken ships and broken things suspended all around you. An impossibly large whale swims lazily on the horizon as you survey a broken anchor detached from the decimated ship above. The sharp edges of Monoco’s station, an iced over former wonder where strange creatures still make their home. Why are there trains here? Why do some of them suspend at impossible angles? The blend of surreal and mundane weaves together flawlessly. This paired with the pace of the game never keeping you in the same place for too long, created a constant sense of awe and wonder. Not thinking of where to next, only the place and moment we are in now.
The story and characters. Where Hades II excelled at creating a breadth of characters that all work together, Expedition 33 uses only a few. The grim reality of this world is filled with death and its people have risen to the challenge of this with an appropriate mix of courage and dismay. The hopeless nature of the world’s plight is never lost on your characters. The push and pull of courage over fear and doubt gives the actors voicing the characters the ammunition they need to deliver the best performances I’ve enjoyed in recent memory.
Gustav, played by Daredevil’s Charlie Cox, wrestles with his love of his pseudo ward: Maelle and the hopelessness beckoning him to give up. Gustav is the engine that moves the first half Expedition 33 and Gustav left me in stupified fascination more than once. After a particularly difficult scene, upon reaching the island to begin their quest in earnest, a harrowing scene plays out. Everything is lost. Generally, when this sort of things happens in games, I remind myself, sitting there on the couch, that we are less than 2 hours into this game, of course this is not the end. But after this, those thoughts never entered my mind. I was lost in it, like any great story. As Gustav found the last glimmer of hope to hold on to, to keep going, so did I. It is rare that a protagonist stays with me as long as Gustav has. Even rarer that compatriots do as well.
Gustav’s brilliance does nothing to diminish the other characters. Maelle and her refusal to back down. Lune and her steadfast ambition to finally save the world and uncover its secrets. Her unceasing commitment to Those Who Come After has the feeling of someone who wants to give up, but will not allow it. A damn near impossible task to write and act. Sciel, a farmer who has lost everything but hope. She wears an easy smile and wields her honesty like her scythe. Monaco, a being equal parts violent and kind. The perfect comedic relief mixed with some kind of whimsy.
The tension between the characters as they overcome obstacles works because of the performances, written and spoken. Words said and not said. The story of the game could have been about anything, when it is delivered the way Expedition 33 is, it doesn’t really matter.
Speaking of story, this one goes places. And when you arrive at those places, they aren’t what you thought they were. The intricate details of the strange world of Expedition 33 are, for me, best left, inspected from afar. The feelings you experience as you begin to peel back the layers of the world are more important than the details themselves. E33 doesn’t explicitly give you answers until it absolutely has to. The developers trusted that the journey is more important than the destination here and I believe it is to the game’s benefit.
The combat system is robust enough to keep you thirsting after the next level without veering into the territory of numbers and percentages that lose meaning overtime. Each character’s skill set is unique and thoughtful. No two characters are alike in combat. All characters have their own system that you must learn and engage with to unlock its true potential. The back third of the game or so did become a bit trivial in terms of combat due to my having more or less locked down the skills I would need to carry me through the rest of the game. Shoutout to my three combat characters: Monoco, Sciel & Lune.
There’s something else about Expedition 33 that puts it over the top. I hesitate to use the phrase X Factor or je ne sais quoi. They are not wrong but not quite right. I’ve settled on a word I don’t love but it keeps coming up in things I enjoy this year: Whimsy. Despite the sometimes grim-dark nature of E33’s themes, the game always keeps one toe on the whimsical nature of the world. Not so much that it undercuts the narrative, but enough to keep the player from crushing despair. For instance, another incredible character in this game is Esquie (pronounced Es-Key-Aye (I think)). He is an enormous, doll-like man? with an endless well of optimism and angst (Wee & Woe if you will). When you meet Esquie, he refuses to help you until you return his rock. Who has his rock? His extremely unfriendly neighbor, who himself, is kind of a rock. I know, this doesn’t sound like the game I’ve been describing, and that’s the beauty of this game! For every moment of despair and tension, there is another about the most powerful man-doll in the universe who won’t let you ride on his back when he flies until you recover the ‘right’ rock. It doesn’t make sense but the game does both! How? I posit: Whimsy.
The days of podcast gaming are getting further and further in my rearview this year. As evidenced by the immense backlog of podcasts currently stored on my phone. Expedition 33 reached into my soul though my ears and into my heart and held it in a gentle caress. Ahem… That is to say, the music.
We all remember the incredible scene in The Shawshank Redemption when Andy breaks into the office, locks the door and plays Sull’aria the Marriage of Figaro over the PA for the whole prison to hear. Right? Anyway. Red remarks, ‘I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don’t want to know. Some things are better left unsaid. I’d like to think they were singing about something beautiful, it can’t be expressed in words, and it makes your heart ache because of it.’ This is what Lorien Testard’s soundtrack for Expedition 33 did for me. I didn’t understand the words. I didn’t have to to understand the truth of them. The longing and love of it transcends language. For much of April and May this year, I wandered about my apartment, while cooking or working or doing the laundry, doing my best rendition of Lumiere, much to my fiance’s chagrin. I was lost in it, and I wasn’t looking for a way out. The ebbs and flows of E33’s story are punctuated with the same poetic brilliance. A testament to the direction, editing, mixing and music itself. I’d like to shake their hands for what they have given me. I am still joyous when my shuffle brings the music to my ears again. My only lament is that I can’t hear it again for the first time.
Expedition 33 is the right mix of downright odd, terrifying, hilarious, sad, hopeful & mysteriousness that gets brewed at 375 degrees for 45 hours and comes out smelling of perfection. I haven’t even mentioned the Gestrals, a race of silly wooden doll people who take fighting and themselves immensely seriously!
If reading this has made you the least bit curious, you should give this game a shot. Come back and thank me.
For those who come after.
I’ve left out significant story details intentionally. Hoping to thread the needle of readers who have played the game understanding the moments I reference while enticing readers who have not played to find out more.
Top Moment: So many to choose from here. I think I will go with The end of Act II. You have accomplished what you set out to do. As with so many great stories, the consequences are not what you expected. The revelation of this, in the midst of jubilant celebration, affected me strongly and is a masterclass in executing a twist without undermining the story you are trying to tell. I hope to execute something similar in my own writing.
Modern Masterpiece Series
This year, I endevoured to return to some games that are considered modern masterpieces that I touched but never completed.
Celeste
Developer: Maddy Makes Games Inc.
Hours Played: 5.1
Score: 5 / 5
Considered the best platformer of the modern era for a reason. Art, writing and story elevate the experience without overstaying their welcome. Glad I finally beat this one.
Dead Cells
Developer: Motion Twin
Hours Played: 18.6 and counting
Score: 5 / 5
The rogue-like dream coming to frution. Kinetic and controlled combat with endless variety and incredible developer support.
Hollow Knight
Developer: Team Cherry
Hours Played: 59
Score: 3.5 / 5
I see why people revere this game, but a few bits were out of place for me. Glad to have finished so that I can understand the hype. Cup of tea may not be for me.
Dru’s Year in TV
Common Side Effects
Season 1
Access: HBO
Score: 5 / 5
When a show captures my household’s attention like this one, it is worth taking note. A strange art style that grows on you over time delivers a beautiful story that is personal, bombastic and honest. This is wild ride worth taking.
The Rehearsal
Season 2
Access: HBO
Score: 5 / 5
Nathan Fielder is not for everyone but he really is for me. Essential viewing for anyone with a pilot in their life.
Pleribus
Season 1
Access: Apple TV
Score: 5 / 5*
Vince Gilligan doesn’t miss. The full season has not released at the time of writing but I am loving ride so far. Rhea Seehorn is a revelation and I can’t wait to see where this goes.
Dru’s Movie of the Year
Sinners
Score: 4.5 / 5
I’m a sucker for historic depictions of the South and Ryan Coogler nails it here. Michael B. Jordan playing two characters could have been trite but it is a triumph. The right blend of horror, humor & passion. This one is a must see.
Dru’s Books of the Year
The Daughter’s War
By: Christopher Buehlman
Score: 4.5 / 5
This one grabbed me by the brain and did not let go. Thought about this one weeks after finishing it. Evocative and violent writing wrapped in a fantasy tapestry. Any fan of dark fantasy need look no further.
Blood Over Bright Haven
By: M. L. Wang
Score: 4 / 5
A breath of fresh air in a genre deserving of such. A rich fantasy world with a unique and genuinely interesting system of magic. Characters are lovingly crafted for a story that makes you feel like a part of something. A real page turner that I couldn’t put down for the final third. Check out the Cousin Book Club session we did to hear mine and my cousins’ in depth thoughts.
https://youtu.be/-6rlhf7rXoM?si=ooHZ62Q6JGcTAl4X
The Long Way to the Small Angry Planet
By: Becky Chambers
Score: 4 / 5
What could have been doorstopper sci-fi is elevated by Becky Chamber’s love for character. It’s hard to pick a favorite member of the crew of this starship because they are all fantastic and unique. Glad I finally picked this one up and can’t wait to read the sequels.