As I said I think I am struggling to make peace with giving my goty to a game with gen-AI. It's something I definitely want to be more strict about moving forward in 2026 and beyond.

I guess I'll need to see how Sandfall approaches their next title.

So even from a purely practical point of view using gen-AI for placeholders is not good because it could be very easy to miss it when doing the final review (especially on smaller details or scenery dressing).

Make it obviously wrong so it definitely gets addressed.

Bright pink textures, the word "[PLACEHOLDER]" in front of all your strings that haven't had a proper design pass, greyboxing etc. are all means to clearly identify something that isn't done and has to be replaced before ship.

I don't support gen-AI. Fuck gen-AI. Seeing companies willingly embrace it is so disappointing.

Using it for placeholders is a really baffling decision as well because when something looks "almost right" it can easily be forgotten about. When something is obviously wrong you replace it.

So that wraps up my 2025 digest so as a wee summary here's my top 5 of 2025 as well as my GOTY picks.

Midnight Murder Club didn't appear on my 2025 digest because I covered its beta in 2024. I maybe should have added the full game to 2025 digest but oh well.

Literally best till last and I can't help but feel strangely empty inside having now finished this.

Genuinely exceptional game with one of the best takes on turn-based JRPG-style combat I've played (even if that isn't a massive pool for comparison).

My GOTY for 2025

10/10

I said I'd finish this before the end of the year but I really struggle to actually pick up and play games on my phone.

It's still a great title though and if you do like the daily-puzzle style games then it'll be perfect for you. One of only a few mobile games I think is good.

Score TBD

Felt like a true spiritual successor to Journey with some degree of the narrative and thematic depth swapped out for some excellent moment-to-moment gameplay. The sword feels fantastic to control and really makes traversing the big open spaces a joy. Best looking game of 2025.

10/10

I forced myself to try and finish this game by the end (eventually giving up on the Epilogue). It's fine but it hasn't got the balance of frustration and fun nailed in my opinion. I think I was also spoiled having played Celeste the year before.

6/10

I wanted my childhood nostalgia and I got it! It's bonkers with an unnecessary amount of backtracking (but without any real grinding) and plenty of frustrating platforming but for what it represented at the time: an all-out adventure game masquerading as a 2.5D platformer it really works.

8/10

It's a bit of fun before Boltgun 2 which gives us some more time with Brother Caedo but I'm not super into typing games so there wasn't much for me beyond just finishing the game the once.

6/10

I really think there's something here. The concept gripped me immediately and I had a lot of fun playing. It's so macabre but so comedic at the same time.

My problem is I don't know how this game can be expanded from here or how you handle player skill gaps.

Demo: 8/10