The 2025 BigNerdGaming Awards

Welcome to year three of the BigNerdGaming Awards!

All year long, every time I complete a game, one of the first things I do is open a “notepad” document on my laptop. From there, I update quite a few things that I track all year, but nothing more than my various BigNerdGaming Awards categories. I have expanded the field to 10 categories this year, which means even more games get to be showcased in some capacity, which is the overall goal. I’m too lazy to truly track it, but you are about to read assorted thoughts about roughly 30 different games this year.

This piece is over 7,000 words. It’s the biggest version of these awards yet, and frankly, despite my “top 10 games of the year” lists being considerably less work and less unique, this will likely get far fewer clicks.

But the thing is, I don’t do this for clicks. I do it for love of the game. No one loves ranking things more than me, and this piece is my ultimate, definitive proof of that each and every year. Yes, there are plenty of people who rank things at the end of each year, but I do not know anyone who goes as hard as me. Let it be known that I am a uniquely sick individual.

The start of this piece is a bit self-congratulatory, but I learned from the best. I was inspired by Geoff Keighley, who starts every Game Awards by having an announcer say that he is the inventor of The Game Awards. Watch out, Geoff. I’m coming for your crown as awards king. These are the actual best awards in town.

With that, let’s get to it! Ten categories, 100 different things ranked, and roughly 30 games represented (out of the roughly 60 I’ve at least touched for an hour or so this year).

The 2024 BigNerdGaming Awards

The 2023 BigNerdGaming Awards

Best Story

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
3. Ghost of Yotei
4. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
5. The Drifter
6. Dispatch
7. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
8. The Seance of Blake Manor
9. Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
10. Octopath Traveler 0

Much like “The Game Awards”, you might see Expedition 33 on top of several of these lists. This particular one wasn’t even close for me. Expedition 33 very well might be my favorite gaming story ever. They crafted such a fascinating world, and they masterfully reveal one detail at a time until it all comes together. They managed to weave together some complicated story threads and nuanced characters, and each act ends with the kind of plot twist that people will talk about for decades to come. The ending in particular is one of the most powerful ever. The choice wasn’t that hard for me, but it was sure as hell compelling either way. I’ve had so many incredible conversations with people about this ending, which really showcases the power it has. This was a special experience, and I really can’t believe they pulled this off as well as they did.

It feels odd to have Death Stranding 2 at #2 because I had plenty of issues with its story. I thought the pacing was pretty poor for long stretches in the middle, and I didn’t like a few things they did with the villain element of the game. But outside of Expedition 33, the highs from this game blow away the highs of any other game I played this year. When this game is at its peak, I was beyond riveted. It is also the closest a video game came to making me cry this year (maybe one will get me next year). In the end, those highs made up for most of the qualms I had leading up to it.

It seems crazy to me that Ghost of Yotei is here, as a simple tale of revenge is one that usually wouldn’t speak to me. But Sucker Punch handled this story with so much grace and care. I was surprisingly engaged, particularly in the back half of the game. They do some clever things with Atsu’s enemies that made them way more interesting than I expected. The Kitsune arc is top tier storytelling, and Atsu’s character arc is certainly nothing new, but it is executed so well that I didn’t care. While I don’t think Yotei reaches quite the same highs that Tsushima does, I thought it was a much more consistently engaging story.

I didn’t finish Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, but the story is the one thing that makes me regret that. It’s a nice personal tale of friendship and fortitude, with a bit of medieval politics worked in as well. I was pretty into it throughout, but it was also easy to get taken out of it for very long stretches because it’s not a particularly easy game to “mainline.” I also have to give bonus points for the side quests, which all manage to have pretty good storylines that constantly go in unexpected directions.

The Drifter pulls you into its crazy sci-fi/horror world immediately and never lets go. I don’t think there was one chapter ending that didn’t blow me away in some capacity. Powerhoof does a masterful job of keeping you hooked from start to finish with one thrilling scenario after another.

Dispatch’s story plays out in a lot of ways that you’d expect, but it has just enough heart that I was still engaged throughout. Most importantly, the game made me give a shit about almost every character, and there are tons of awesome character arcs throughout the game.

Citizen Sleeper 2 is so well written. The plot can go in a lot of different directions depending on the actions you take, but no matter what, it explores some very deep themes in ways that I consistently enjoyed throughout.

The Seance of Blake Manor is a mystery that slowly unfurls into a very satisfying conclusion. I’m not usually huge into supernatural stuff, so the fact that it sucked me in is a pretty big deal. I also give it bonus points for the stories during its individual character arcs (which are optional). Many of those arcs have incredibly powerful endings. I didn’t expect so many of the big moments in this game to be totally optional.

Eriksholm’s story is a personal tale of friendship and family, but it also has some interesting political elements worked in. This was a solid ride. Octopath Traveler 0 rounds out the top 10. Admittedly, I’m still in the middle of this one, but I doubt it would get much higher than this or not be worth being in the top 10 from what I’ve played. Rather than focusing on your party like past Octopath games, the focus in Octopath 0 is on the villains, and I’ve found all of them to be highly compelling so far. A big part of the game is also rebuilding your town of Wishvale, and the game has really sold me on the value of that town the more that I’ve played. This is nothing groundbreaking, but I’m enjoying it way more than I anticipated.

Best Exploration

It’s probably not totally shocking to see that this category has three Metroidvanias at the top this year. Despite that, all three are strong for very different reasons. Pipistrello wins out this year because it has tons of secrets tucked everywhere in its world, yet it doesn’t just make it easy to find everything either. It’s both dense and organic, which is always ideal for me. It also helps that you always need money in this game, so finding new secrets never gets old.

Silksong’s exploration is very interesting. I had a love/hate relationship with it because it’s so easy to get lost, and to end up spending a lot of time exploring an area that might not do you much good in the end. But I also greatly loved the air of mystery this game has. It builds an ominous atmosphere, and you never know what will be on the next screen. And it feels great when you actually find something worthwhile. As much as it frustrated me, it’s also not quite like anything else out there.

Ender Magnolia might have my favorite Metroidvania map ever. It’s so clean, has plenty of secrets, and smartly gets shaded a different color whenever you’ve found everything there is to find in an area. I don’t think it’s as dense, rewarding, or mysterious as the two above it, but I would say that the exploration is incredibly satisfying.

For Shadows, I was always in love with the way the game makes you figure out where each quest destination is. It will tell you roughly where it is, and then you have to analyze the map, figure out an area where you think you need to go, and then head there. The game also gives you limited scouts that can reveal quest markers if you guess the destination close enough. As someone who loves looking at maps in general, the way this game has you interact with its map is a lot of fun. The RPG mechanics also mean that all of the exploration in the game feels pretty rewarding, as leveling up and finding new loot is always nice. And there’s plenty of that to do here.

Avowed is another example of how density so often trumps world size. None of its “open zones” are all that big, but there are secrets everywhere, and it forces you to find them all yourself with context clues and just by looking at the map and figuring out what you haven’t explored yet. The rewarding exploration was one of my biggest highlights from that game.

Ghost of Yotei smartly does away with its checklist-y map from Ghost of Tsushima and sets up its world up where it’s almost easier to find new objectives by exploring the world rather than looking at your map. This could easily be at #4 on this list, but the exploration mostly stopped being as fun when I got to the halfway point of the game and had already unlocked just about every skill in the skill tree that I wanted. But outside of that, the general design is great and a huge upgrade from last time.

Donkey Kong Bananza’s exploration is fun because bananas are everywhere in the game. The ability to go underground pretty much whenever you want never gets old.

KCD2 mostly makes it here through its towns. It’s really fun to just walk through any town in the game and organically discover NPCs and quests.

The Seance of Blake Manor lets you really dive deep into its manor. There are tons of secrets everywhere you go, and the game forces you to find everything yourself. Unlocking doors and going through different guests’ belongings was always a lot of fun, as there was usually at least one or two interesting bits of information that you would find.

Finally, I didn’t feel like I was necessarily “exploring” a lot in Death Stranding 2. You mostly go directly from point A to point B, but its world is so beautiful and vast that I gave it points for how easy it is to get immersed in.

Best Graphics/Art

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Ghost of Yotei
3. Dispatch
4. Hades 2
5. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
6. Hollow Knight: Silksong
7. Keeper
8. South of Midnight
9. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
10. Sword of the Sea

Unsurprisingly, Expedition 33 is at the top. Its art direction is phenomenal. Each area you visit feels so different and the visuals create an incredible ethereal feeling in all of them. I was constantly in awe of this one.

It’s also not too shocking to see Ghost of Yotei here. I didn’t expect the visuals to wow me as much, because I figured the “wow” factor from Ghost of Tsushima wouldn’t be there anymore. I was wrong. They managed to amaze me once again. There’s such a nice array of different environments, and they are all stunning. They use color so well to make every area pop.

Dispatch easily looks like it could have been a massive TV show on Netflix with its art style. The character models, art style, and animations are all so good. I love how this game looks so much.

Hades 2’s visuals are excellent in so many ways, but I think what I loved most are the character drawings. The amount of detail in every character is incredible. They really went for it with every one. There are also plenty of other little touches that I enjoyed. The hot tub drawings are always great, and I love when they turn various characters into board game pieces for the level transitions. There are also a few points where you get a “chibi” Melinoe, which is incredibly cute. Oh, and of course, the environments and animations are top notch too. Supergiant cooked yet again here.

Death Stranding 2 has the Decima engine, and it is amazing once again. The character models are so detailed and well-made, and the scope and design of the environments are incredible. In terms of fidelity, this has to be one of the best looking games ever.

Keeper has the classic Double Fine art style, but takes their visuals to a level I’ve never seen them get close to. There is such a nice range of environments here that are all equally striking.

South of Midnight is one of several games in the past few years to adopt a Claymation art style, and I think it’s really well done. This is another one where I also loved the environments.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has a fantastic art style and some amazing animations. And finally, Sword of the Sea is consistently striking.

I think it’s pretty cool that so many indies and smaller projects in general had some of the best visuals this year.

Best Music

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
3. Octopath Traveler 0
4. Hollow Knight: Silksong
5. Ghost of Yotei
6. Dispatch
7. Mafia: The Old Country
8. South of Midnight
9. DOOM: The Dark Ages
10. Sword of the Sea

Even the biggest Expedition 33 hater has a hard time dismissing the game’s music. It’s that good. Much like the visuals, I consider the music to be ethereal, and it is essential to creating the incredible atmosphere the game has. It’s crazy how you just get assaulted with amazing music wherever you go in the game. I’m not usually as into battle themes for video game music listening, but there are like six different battle themes that are complete bangers in this one. This has to be one of the best video game soundtracks of all time.

It’s funny to see Death Stranding 2 this high because I kind of complained about the soundtrack while I was playing it. The music is high quality, but I thought there were a few too many upbeat songs, given the general state of the world and the nature of the journey. But all of the music is still so good, and when the music goes full sadboi, it still hits like no other. “Give Up” by Low Roar might be my most listened to song this year. Something about the general mood of that song hits like no other for me. It manages to be sad, but with the faintest glimpse of hope attached to it. It fits the world perfectly. After digging more into Low Roar, I discovered that the vocalist had recently passed away far too young. I felt sad for him that after years of trying to make it in the music scene, he had finally gained quite a bit of success thanks to the original Death Stranding, but then only got to enjoy that new success for a few years. Rest in peace to Ryan Karazija. You genuinely moved many people with your work, including me.

I saw a take on Bluesky the other day that Octopath music would get way more acclaim if they plopped it into a game with more modern visuals. Man, that is so true. These games deserve so much more praise for their soundtracks. Just like the first two games, Octopath 0 has a consistently awesome soundtrack. The battle and town themes are all fantastic.

I talked about Silksong’s atmosphere being ominous earlier, and the music is definitely a big part of that, as well as the visuals. Silksong’s music sets the mood perfectly, and it’s one of the few video game soundtracks I listened to from start to finish on its own this year.

I did not recall noticing Ghost of Tsushima’s music much at all, so all of the epic and cinematic music in Yotei was a great thing to see. The music greatly enhances several moments from that game.

Dispatch’s music is consistently entertaining. “Radio” from Bershy was one of my favorite songs of the year, and there are plenty of other great music choices as well. The game also gets bonus points for its absolutely hilarious karaoke sequence.

I knew I was in for a great soundtrack in Mafia: The Old Country when the song during the opening credits hit. The game never stops delivering cinematic thrills with its music, which is fitting because the game has so many epic moments.

South of Midnight has an excellent folk and jazz soundtrack, and actually ties some of its music into the storytelling, which is really neat.

I have the unpopular opinion that the music in DOOM: The Dark Ages is actually better than the old Mick Gordon stuff. Yeah, it’s more “standard” metal, but I found it to be less distracting and jarring. I thought the new soundtrack fit the vibes better and actually got me more hyped for some of the big fights than past games.

Finally, Sword of the Sea’s music fits the vibes of that game perfectly.

Best Character

1. Verso (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
2. Maelle (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
3. Boro (Wanderstop)
4. Atsu (Ghost of Yotei)
5. Esquie (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
6. Sciel (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
7. Lune (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
8. Robert Robertson (Dispatch)
9. Fragile (Death Stranding 2: On the Beach)
10. Alva (Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream)

I call this category “Best Character,” but admittedly, it’s usually more of a “Favorite Character” list. Generally, I think I mostly like characters that are interesting or entertaining, so it works. But I had to make an exception this year with my #1. I think anyone playing Expedition 33 is bound to have a complicated relationship with Verso in some regards. But his depth and complexity were consistently compelling for me. Expedition 33 is one of those games that I randomly think about all the time since playing it, and I have not thought about anyone more than Verso this year. It’s not even close. I don’t want to throw spoilers in here, so I’ll just say that his internal struggle is beautifully written.

Similarly, while there are also characters I liked more than Maelle, she is another one that is very difficult to deny as one of the “best” this year. Maelle also has a huge internal struggle, and it was fascinating to watch her grapple with it throughout the game, especially in its last third. I think it’s impossible not to feel for her in some capacity.

Despite playing so many huge and cinematic games this year, Boro just kept hanging on to his spot. Boro is an intoxicating mix of simple, wise, and hilarious throughout Wanderstop. He has mastered the art of giving deep advice without ever taking himself too seriously. I loved pretty much every interaction with him, and he is pretty much the reason that Wanderstop is as good as it is.

I certainly didn’t expect Atsu to be on this list before I played Ghost of Yotei. I didn’t think the characters were a strong point in Tsushima at all, but Atsu surprised the heck out of me. She has quite a few layers to her, and the game peels those layers back slowly over the course of the journey. Atsu’s evolution over the course of Yotei is one of my favorite character arcs this year.

With Esquie, we might finally be at the point where I’m picking a “favorite” over a best, but I do think he is genuinely very compelling. He has a lot of the same vibes that Boro does, but I’d say he’s a touch simpler, but also a bit funnier. He is part of two of my favorite three campfire bonds in the game (one with Sciel and one with Verso), and I think that is a big testament to how strong of a character he is.

Lune and Sciel are extremely well rounded characters. Sciel is the one who really makes the party what it is once she joins. She adds a bit of spice and fun to the mix, but then it turns out that she might have the most emotional backstory of any character in the game. Meanwhile, I loved how fierce and determined Lune was. She has some surprisingly playful conversations too. I don’t really get gaming crushes, but I did find myself with a bit of a Lune crush this year.

Robert Robertson hates his life in the a very funny way. But his journey to actually liking life again was pretty damn cool. His dry humor is always top notch as well. He was a great lead in Dispatch.

Fragile easily has the best character arc in Death Stranding 2. In the first game, she always felt very mysterious to me, even as you learned more about her. She isn’t an “other” this time, but an actual crew member and leader, and I enjoyed seeing her in this new light.

Alva from Eriksholm has some of my favorite chemistry with another character this year, as her relationship with Hanna is absolutely electric. Alva is savvy and tough, but also more empathetic than she lets on. I really enjoyed her.

Best Performance

1. Jennifer English as Maelle (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
2. Ben Starr as Verso (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
3. Johnny Santiago as Don Torrisi (Mafia: The Old Country)
4. Erika Ishii as Atsu (Ghost of Yotei)
5. Konatsu Kato as Hinako (Silent Hill f)
6. Aaron Paul as Robert Robertson (Dispatch)
7. Laura Bailey as Invisigal (Dispatch)
8. Kirsty Rider as Lune (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
9. Lea Seydoux as Fragile (Death Stranding 2)
10. Riccardo Frascari as Enzo Favara (Mafia: The Old Country)

Jennifer English is my pretty easy winner this year, despite a lot of tough competition. Her range is incredible. She has a wide array of big moments, and she is perfect in every one. She has been sweeping this category at pretty much every awards show out there, and it is much deserved.

Despite giving Ben Starr the prestigious “Best Performance” award at the 2023 BigNerdGaming Awards for his work as Clive in Final Fantasy XVI, I was admittedly still mildly skeptical about what level of actor he could be in the video game space. He was a powerhouse as Clive, but I wondered if he would always just be playing Clive in everything he did after that. His work as Verso put all of those fears to rest. Verso is a complex character, and he handles him with a subtlety that I did not expect. Also, as Ben himself will tell you, his work during one of the endings in particular was incredible. His delivery on a few lines has stuck with me all year. Ben Starr forever.

I’m bummed for Johnny Santiago that he didn’t pull off a Game Awards nomination, as I thought he had a real shot with the hype I saw for his performance after The Old Country released. He will have to settle for a top three in the BigNerdGaming Awards, I suppose. Santiago is electric as Don Torrisi. His performance is menacing, and he gave me chills in multiple different scenes throughout the game.

Meanwhile, Erika Ishii has managed to get a solid amount of acclaim for her performance as Atsu, which is very deserved. Her delivery and slight changes in tone throughout her journey perfectly capture her character’s evolution throughout the game.

Admittedly, I’m putting Konatsu Kato here despite only playing Silent Hill f for a few hours. I really didn’t enjoy playing that game in almost any capacity, but I wish I had been able to stick around longer to see more of Kato’s performance. Even in just the first few hours, I can feel just about every line she says. I almost always play games dubbed, but playing in Japanese is clearly the correct call for this one. She clearly deserved her Game Awards nomination, which was the first non-English-speaking nomination in Game Awards history.

I know Aaron Paul was in one of the greatest TV shows of all time, but this was another case where I haven’t seen him in anything else, and frankly, wasn’t sure how “all in” he would be on something like Dispatch. Turns out that he was very all in on it. He fits Robert Robertson so perfectly. His dry delivery and comedic timing are always on point.

Meanwhile, I had no doubt that Laura Bailey would be awesome in Dispatch, and sure enough, she does an awesome job of showcasing Invisigal’s fiery personality, and she nails the vulnerable moments as well.

There were many phenomenal performances in Expedition 33, obviously, but outside of the main two, there could be tons of debate about how to rank the rest. Personally, I went with Kirsty Rider for both the amount of lines she delivered and the quality. Because of her character, she doesn’t always have to show off the same range as a few other actors, but I just thought she was incredible at *being* Lune. She was always on point.

Lea Seydoux actually gets some big opportunities to show off her range, and she does so really well, even with her more understated delivery. She has a few lines that genuinely moved me a lot during Death Stranding 2.

Riccardo frascari is the centerpiece of Mafia: The Old Country as Enzo Favara. He has a lot of lines and a lot of moments, and I thought he was always exceptional throughout.

Best Optional Content

1. Split Fiction
2. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
3. Octopath Traveler 0
4. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
5. The Seance of Blake Manor
6. Hollow Knight: Silksong
7. Assassin’s Creed: Shadows
8. Ghost of Yote
9. The Outer Worlds 2
10. Avowed

There are several reasons why I consider Split Fiction to be a solid step up from It Takes Two, but there is no bigger reason than the new side stories. It Takes Two just had some optional minigames as minor distractions. They were kind of cool, but this time, we get full blown mini-levels that go in all sorts of crazy directions. My favorite moment from the game was actually from a side mission, and several other of my clearest memories from the game were also from optional sections. These all did such a good job of mixing things up, and allowed Hazelight to really flex their creative muscles.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has my favorite side quests in an open world game since Cyberpunk 2077. I remember being surprised at the quality and length of the first side quest I tackled in the game, and after two or three more, I realized that this is just how they were all going to be. They all tend to be pretty long and have multiple twists and turns along the way. The number of different gameplay systems that KCD2 has also allows these quests to stay fresh, as some will be more combat focused, some are more conversation focused, some might involve crafting, etc. They are really well done.

There are plenty of games out there with base-building mechanics, and I really enjoy these mechanics usually, but I’m often not big on the aesthetics of these towns because I rarely feel invested enough in the town to go through the work to try and decorate them super nicely. You know that Octopath Traveler’s town building is well done because I am all in on planting flowers and trees, and trying to make the town make sense and look nice. I think the key is that the game unveils the town and the things you can build in a pretty slow way, so it’s never overwhelming. Octopath’s gorgeous visual design also helps motivate me. Additionally, the game’s story also makes me care about this town, so I want it to look nice. There are also many great gameplay rewards for doing so. This is easily the most fun I’ve had messing with a town builder in an RPG since Ni No Kuni 2.

Expedition 33 probably should be #1 since its campfire bonds are skippable, but I barely consider those optional, as they are almost impossible to miss and you don’t even have to go out of your way to do them. However, many of the bonds do have conclusions that require a bit of extra work, and some of those extra dungeons and boss fights are pretty cool. There’s also plenty of other optional content in the game, but you really have to look for some of it in ways that annoyed me. I decided to place the game here as a middle ground ranking of sorts.

Technically, investigating all the different characters in The Seance of Blake Manor is a major part of the game, but there’s no “one” character that the game forces you to investigate. It’s on you, and you could roll credits without seeing most of the various character arcs the game has, so I do think it’s “optional” to really dive into it. Blake Manor has a lot of great story beats, but many of my favorite moments in the game were when I was concluding different characters’ storylines. Every character in the game is carrying something heavy, which is why they came to this big seance in the first place. Those heavy burdens turn into incredibly compelling storytelling.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is funny for “optional content” because there are so many bosses and areas that you don’t need to go through, and the game is pretty ambiguous about telling you that. Because I never looked at a guide, I never really knew if I had to do anything that I was doing in the game or not. It turns out that I missed tons of stuff because of this, but every boss in the game that is optional is just as good as the mandatory ones. The game’s design is equally good (and occasionally infuriating) no matter what you are doing.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, on the other hand, is very clear about what is optional and what is not. For dozens of hours, I was in love with trying to take out all of the optional villains that the game has. These quests are pretty equal in quality to the main quest. Unfortunately, pursuing all of these gets a bit drab after a while, as they are all pretty much the same thing, but I still had a lot of fun with it until I hit that point.

Ghost of Yotei has higher highs than Shadows with some of its side quests, but I got tired of them much faster. Part of that is because Yotei is less rewarding than Shadows due to its lack of RPG elements, but I also didn’t think the side quests were as consistent. I still had fun with some, and the coin minigame in the game is not bad at all.

Obsidian rounds out the list with Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2. I enjoyed the wackier scenarios in The Outer Worlds 2 a bit more, but they both have very competent side quests for the most part, although I can’t say I found them to be incredibly memorable either.

Best Combat

1. Hollow Knight: Silksong
2. Hades 2
3. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
4. Octopath Traveler 0
5. DOOM: The Dark Ages
6. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
7. Monster Train 2
8. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
9. Ghost of Yotei
10. Avowed

I don’t think I’ve ever played a 2D game that feels as good as Silksong does in my hands. The controls are incredibly responsive, which is needed because the challenge that the enemies bring is relentless. The other thing that wows me about the combat is the enemy design. Enemies really react to the way you move in a way that gives battles such a unique flow. If you press forward, enemies will back up. If you cede ground, enemies will take it. Much like a professional boxer, you have to decide the way you want to fight. You can be the aggressor or be more of a counter puncher, and each method has its ups and downs. I loved it. The bosses are also immaculately designed. They look so intimidating at first, but after a few attempts, you’ll often realize that they are actually very fair, with very clear enemy tells that let you react as needed.

What a bummer for Hades 2 not to take the prize here, despite having my favorite roguelike combat of all time. I loved the original Hades because the game gave you multiple different weapons, and they all felt very unique and fun to use. Hades 2 takes that to another level. Each weapon now has so many different moves that even runs with the same weapon can feel dramatically different. This was somewhat the case in the original game, but it’s on another level here. Hades 2 does things that almost no other game in this genre can compete with.

Expedition 33 comes in at #3 with a battle system that has to be in my top 5 for best turn based systems ever. I don’t think I’ve ever played a turn based RPG where each character had such unique systems attached to them. I also love the amount of build flexibility you have in the game (even if I had a few light critiques with elements of it). And of course, if you want to just treat this more like an action game, you can, with an excellent parry system that goes well beyond what any genre peer has ever tried to do before with merging action and turn based combat. This was a best of all worlds type of situation, and there are plenty of past years where this would sit at #1.

The Octopath Traveler series also has one of my favorite turn based battle systems ever. Octopath Traveler 0 takes that system to another level with its new front row/back row system that lets you take eight characters into battle. This adds a massive layer of new strategic flexibility to every fight. The core Octopath charging elements are also here, which make it so every fight has something interesting going on, including the random encounters.

DOOM: The Dark Ages might have my favorite core DOOM formula to date. The new shield is one of the most fun and versatile weapons that I’ve ever seen in a shooter. It has defensive, offensive, and mobile elements to it, and it’s fun to use in all of those capacities. The core gunplay is also as strong as you’d hope from this series.

I’m usually not huge on stringing combos together. I just like getting the job done. I don’t get tons of enjoyment from getting extra style points. But Shinobi makes it hard not to relish putting massive combos together. The game gives you tons of options, but it paces everything out nicely so that everything can be eased into. By the end of this, I was a combo master, and once again, that’s not usually my thing.

I wish I had been able to spend more time with Monster Train 2 this year. But even with that limited time, it was clear that this formula is still awesome. The game combines tower defense with card battling, and it just works. There is tons of depth here, and it all felt very well balanced.

I had a few issues with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s combat, but when it’s at its best, the flow state you can enter is amazing. It’s an incredible feeling to run through dozens of enemies in a row with one shot when everything goes right.

Ghost of Yotei’s low camera angle and frequent weapon switching can be a bit annoying in stretches, but once again, when this combat is flowing, it feels so good. The animations and visceral feeling are excellent, and I thought this game did a much better job than Tsushima at having a decent array of enemy attack patterns to keep me on my toes more. I enjoyed the combat here a fair bit more than I expected.

Finally, we have Avowed. On one hand, it’s crazy that the game is this high, as I never would have expected a combat system this good from Obsidian. On the other hand, it also feels crazy that it is this low, as there is so much good stuff here. You have a decent bit of mobility, tons of weapon options, dual wielding options, and the ability to quick swap loadouts. Usually, I’m all about melee with these kinds of games, but the magic here was really awesome, and I had a blast messing around with it.

Best Puzzles

1. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
2. Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
3. Split Fiction
4. The Seance of Blake Manor
5. Is This Seat Taken?
6. Koira
7. Blue Prince
8. Drop Duchy
9. The Drifter
10. Elroy and the Aliens

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo has that perfect Zelda flow with its puzzle solving. It’s creative. It gives you lots of “aha!” moments, but I didn’t get stuck on anything for all that long. I am still in awe of all of how unique some of the yoyo mechanics in this game are. They really leaned into their gimmick so well.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is essentially a puzzle game with a stealth framework. You end up with three different characters, and it’s fun to use all of their different abilities in coordination with each other to get past unsuspecting guards. Each puzzle is so well designed.

Split Fiction has many navigational puzzles, as you and your partner need to figure out how to use whatever abilities you currently have to move forward. These are also balanced really well. A big part of the co-op fun in Split Fiction is brainstorming with your partner to figure out the solutions to these puzzles.

The Seance of Blake Manor has various puzzles, and figuring out the culprit is a big puzzle in and of itself. I had a lot of fun solving that mystery.

Is This Seat Taken? has one of my favorite concepts for a puzzle game out there, and when it’s cooking, it is very neat.

Koira has pretty simple puzzles, but they are satisfying enough.

Blue Prince will probably look ridiculous here for many. I will say that I enjoyed the daily puzzles in the game, like the logic puzzle and the dartboard one. However, I wasn’t much of a fan of a lot of the more “outside the box” puzzles it has. I just prefer my puzzles to have more concrete rules, but obviously there’s a lot of inventive stuff here.

Drop Duchy is a mix of Tetris and city builder. I thought there were some flaws in the formula, but it is very unique, and I definitely had a fair bit of fun with it for five or so hours before crashing out on it.

The Drifter and Elroy and the Aliens are both point and click games that have some of the classic types of puzzles from that genre. I thought both had way too much backtracking and a few obtuse solutions to some puzzles, but there were some highs there too.

Best Platforming

1. Hollow Knight: Silksong
2. The Rogue: Prince of Persia
3. Constance
4. Split Fiction
5. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
6. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
7. Assassin’s Creed: Shadows
8. Donkey Kong Bananza
9. Sword of the Sea
10. Avowed

Much like combat, Silksong is a pretty easy choice for #1, although the competition isn’t quite as stiff in this category. Once again, the responsiveness with the controls is incredible, and while the level design is punishing, I once again found it to be mostly fair.

The Rogue: Prince of Persia’s platforming is built around a wall running mechanic, and it is very unique and cool. The platforming is slower and more methodical, but it’s still just as thrilling as something more fast paced. The platforming was easily the highlight of this game for me.

Constance is a game that clearly has heavy Hollow Knight inspirations, and luckily, it mostly pulls off some of the same charm with its platforming. There are some sequences where you really have to chain together all of your special abilities, and I love that kind of stuff.

From the second I started moving in Split Fiction, I remember immediately telling my co-op partner that the platforming feels way better than It Takes Two. It’s just weightier and more consistent. The game also throws plenty of fun platforming scenarios at you that utilize those improved core mechanics well.

There were a couple of clunky elements to the platforming in Ragebound, but I still really enjoyed it. When everything is clicking, it looks incredibly smooth.

I feel like the animations are a bit stiff and slow in Ender Magnolia, but I really love some of the platforming abilities the game gives you. Flying around the map once you have everything unlocked is a lot of fun.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows retains the franchise’s platforming, which always has me in awe, yet also frustrates me. It’s simply amazing how you can climb on pretty much everything in this game. But there are also plenty of circumstances where you get to a point where your character can climb in multiple different directions, and your character goes exactly where you didn’t want them to. I’m not sure if there’s a solution for that one with the sheer amount of freedom they give you. It is still very cool in plenty of spots, though.

Donkey Kong Bananza has responsive platforming and some fun abilities to use with its animal transformations. I just wish the game had more interesting level design with that platforming.

Sword of the Sea’s platforming is nothing special, but jumping around on your board is pretty cool (although I didn’t really enjoy the “tricks” element).

Avowed’s platforming is also nothing phenomenal, but it is way better than I expected from Obsidian. The parkour elements of the game are very neat within this genre of games in particular.

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Coming later this week, I will finally reveal my top 10 games of 2025. I intended to release the new episode of The Big Nerd Gaming Podcast this week as well, but after 7000+ words here, I think I’m going to have to wait until next week! I am tired.

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