Finally, 2025 is in the books and GotY lists are upon us! Due to my intense burning love for lists, I’m once again joining the fun. The third annual Anosou’s Game(s) of the Year list is here!
The criteria is the same as every year: I must’ve made up a reason to put it on this list.
Let’s go get GotY’d!
Most exciting backlog addition: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
I’ve never played Final Fantasy Tactics and for that I have no excuse. Even though I love tactical RPGs, love Final Fantasy, owned the PSP version, and spent hundreds on hours on Fire Emblem. It just never happened. Perhaps it’s because of how intimidating it feels. Widely considered one of the greatest games ever made and the blueprint for many of the TRPGs I love, I never dared to give it a shot.
With the release of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, I have a new reason to try again. And I’m really excited!
Honorable mentions: The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Best remake or re-release: Tony Haw’s Pro Skater 3+4
I love THPS. Always have, always will. While I maintain that THPS2 was the pinnacle of the series, THPS3 comes pretty damn close. These remakes play fantastic, too. They feel just like how you remember the originals but are actually improved in just about every way.
There was some drama online that they changed THPS4’s career mode to work like the old games, imposing a level time limit instead of littering a free skate mode with missions to start. I thought this was an excellent move that made the game feel like it belonged to the series I grew up with. Instead of cringe dialog and annoying stop-and-go gameplay, this remake is what I wished THPS4 was when it originally released.
Honorable mentions (none of which I’ve actually played yet): Wizardry: The Five Ordeals, Lunar: Remastered Collection, Patapon 1+2, Mamorukun ReCurse!, Gradius Origins, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, Suikoden I &II, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana, Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army… jeez, there are so many remakes and re-releases.
Best sicko vibes: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
This remake of Romancing SaGa 2 came out late 2024, but I started playing it this year. Everything people said about SaGa was true—it’s different. Even though I’ve bought pretty much every SaGa game and tried playing Unlimited SaGa back in the day, this is the first time I’ve played one for real.
Even though I’m nowhere near done, I’ve already grown very fond of Kawazu’s ideas. Instead of playing a character, you play several generations of emperors of the same kingdom. Your main enemies are seven heroes-turned-villains and it’s very unclear why that is. Most choices you make actually lead down very different paths. And don’t get me started on the genius glimmer system, where characters can randomly learn new abilities by using the ones they have.
SaGa’s a game for sickos, it’s true, but it turns out I am indeed one of them.
Most exciting import: SaGa Frontier 2: Remastered
One of the coolest thing about the Switch generation is that Square Enix decided to port and release almost all SaGa game for no apparent reason. And they all got physical releases in Asia, with English. Sadly it long seemed that two games would never get a port: Unlimited SaGa and SaGa Frontier 2. That changed in 2025 with the release of Saga Frontier 2: Remastered. Now there’s only Unlimited SaGa left and I have that on PS2 anyway
It’s never been the most popular series, but it is so intriguing that I’ve been snatching up every game as they’ve released. Truth be told I’ve still only really played Romancing SaGa 2 (see above) but I could theoretically play all of them whenever I want now and that’s just lovely.
Honorable mentions: I picked up Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom for Super Famicom which not only has a beautiful box, but also the full English version on cart!
Best game I played that was not released this year: Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate
I always knew in my heart of hearts that I would like Shiren the Wanderer. I’ve played other Mystery Dungeon-style roguelikes like Void Terrarium, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, and Z.H.P. but never got around to Shiren. Until now.
This game completely possessed me for the 20 hours it took to clear the main story dungeon. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. It even made me consider importing a rare Shiren figurine. I started watching YouTube videos about the history of the genre and even had dreams about braving the Tower of Fortune.
Failure was always a given, but the tried and true roguelike formula of “you’ll get stronger because you learned the rules” really clicked. There were times when I was ready to never start another run, but I always came back for more shortly thereafter. When I finally beat the main dungeon and realized this game has an additional 30 dungeons, I knew I’d be playing this game on and off for a very long time.
Honorable mentions: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV
Best “Ah shit, here we go again“: No Man’s Sky
At the tail-end of 2025 I had to help my mother who broke her leg. This meant a lot of waiting time in hospitals, taking trains, and staying at her apartment. In other words, I needed a good portable game I could play both in short bursts and marathon sessions.
Everyone should be aware by now that No Man’s Sky is one of the greatest redemption arcs in video game history, tied for first place with Final Fantasy XIV. I’ve been playing No Man’s Sky in well-spaced bursts since it originally launched on PS4 and have enjoyed it more every time.
So, when I saw there’s now a version for Switch 2 that supports cross-save, my choice of travel game became obvious. Picking up my old main save from PS5 was like coming home. I immediately wanted to start expanding my bases, try the latest Expedition, see what new features have been added, and just hang out in space with the weirdos.
I’m still playing it almost daily.
Best food: Monster Hunter: Wilds
Monster Hunter: Wilds was an enjoyable romp dootin’ the Hunting Horn. Not quite as impressive as World or as delightfully intricate as Generations, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. What really stood out though was the ridiculous effort put into animating the food.
I still think about that cheese naan sometimes.
Best time investment: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel I-IV
When I started playing the first Trails game two years ago, I didn’t actually think I would keep going for very long. Little did I know that the interconnected story really is as uniquely engaging as people say. Couple that with the warm, cozy feeling that you can only get from a turn-based, Japanese RPG and it’s no wonder I blasted through all of Cold Steel this year.
Time well spent!
Best return of an old friend: Dragonite (Pokémon Legends: Z-A)
Pokémon Legends: Z-A was not the game everyone wanted but I thought it was a nice change of pace for Pokémon. The open exploration and real-time battles felt fresh and I quite enjoyed crawling around the rooftops, looking for new things. When I came across an Alpha Dratini on said rooftops, I knew I found a new team member. Like meeting an old friend I’ve known since 1998 that I don’t call that often anymore, but every time we meet it feels like no time has passed and we go back to being besties.
It made me remember a simple truth: it’s still fun to catch ’em all.
Best game-between-games: Ball x Pit
I really like balls that bounce off thing. Pinball, Peggle, Arkanoid—you name it. So when I saw Ball x Pit in a Nintendo Direct, I knew I had to buy it at launch. That turned out to be a great decision! It’s a super addictive and well-crafted roguelite. It owes a lot to Vampire Survivors but that’s a positive since Vampire Survivors is a fantastic game.
The upgrade combos are fun to discover, the different characters actually play significantly different, and the town building element is a simple but very fun way to handle meta progression. This game was my “let’s take a break from the big game” game and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
Honorable mentions: Pinball FX, Picross
Best pinball machine: King Kong: Myth of Terror Island (Stern)
As Keith Elwin keeps releasing roughly a game per year, this category often becomes “which Keith Elwin game released this year”. Still, King Kong is a spectacular pinball machine. The left-orbit-to-side-ramp combo is one of the most satisfying shots in pinball and the machine actually came out of the factory with extensive and fun rules. I love the New York modes with limited flips, counting each flipper separately makes it extra strategic.
If I had to criticize, I’d say that King Kong is a bit too easily controllable without modification. A lot of shots feed to the flippers and you can pretty much always cradle up. Because of this, it can be really long-playing and make bigger tournaments drag on. However, that’s a minor nitpick and the big organizers have already started adjusting. This is one we’ll see around for a long time and I think it might be my favorite Elwin since Iron Maiden.
Honorable mentions: Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye. I might be the only person who really, really likes this game but I found it super fun. Progressing through a campaign with lots of player choices felt fresh and learning the ins and outs of the modes gives it a lot of longevity. It will probably never be a great tournament game and the rules are really complex if you’re just playing it in a bar but I adore it.
Best pinball machine I played that did not release this year: Black Belt (Zaccaria)
This is almost cheating, but this year I bought my first very own pinball machine! Black Belt, released by Italian manufacturer Zaccaria in 1986, randomly showed up locally for a decent price and I jumped on it. It was in surprisingly great condition and worked almost perfectly after I moved it to our pinball club.
Black Belt, as opposed to many other Zaccaria games from the era, plays REAL fast. The scoring is relatively balanced and you really need to work for high scores by dropping target banks for the Red Special. The rotating target bank in the middle is a unique mech, too, and if you learn to hit it just right it’s a great option for points. It’s very much a simple game and since I really like the classics that’s just up my alley.
Honorable mentions: Star Trek (Bally)
Best game of 2025 that I haven’t finished yet: Donkey Kong Bananza
I’m just getting started with Donkey Kong Bananza but it didn’t take long to notice that this is an exceptional video game. Nintendo dares to experiment, even with their most well-loved IP, and the destructible platformer is a result that proves that this is a good thing.
Many of us were probably worried when this game got revealed. The trailers were a bit vague and I was not sure it could both be a great 3D platformer AND pull off the punch-anything-anywhere open world design. Oh ye of little faith… It turns out it worked perfectly and I can’t wait to play more of this!
Best game music: No Man’s Sky: Journeys (65daysofstatic & Paul Weir)
Yeah yeah, it’s not a 2025 game. Wait, actually, it kind of is! Hello Games keep releasing huge updates for No Man’s Sky and this year was no different. Coinciding with one of the updates, 65daysofstatic and Paul Weir released a new soundtrack called “No Man’s Sky: Journeys”.
The band took the recordings they made for the in-game generative music engine and rebuilt them as intentional pieces of music, turning the fragments into a whole. As Paul Weir has continued adding to said music engine, he did the same thing too.
The result is a soundtrack that feels both nostalgic and fresh. You recognize the motifs, but they’ve never sounded this good or musical before. I immediately pre-ordered the record and will probably be listening to it for years to come.
ACTUAL REAL GOTY 2025: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I wrote at some length about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 earlier, but to sum it up: it’s one hell of a video game. It’s not completely without flaws. It is, however, a game that feels both like a love letter to my favorite Hironobu Sakaguchi games and a wholly new and unique RPG with a great story and mechanics.
This is what I want role-playing video games to be and I’m happy that the world seems to agree.
Previous years: