Finally played some games that start with an A! Sadly, this was not it for me. Its a nice chill game, but it didnt captivate me for long - I guess thats also the point? But I never returned to it, even though the idea is chill. First caught my eye at Gamescom but I thought there was "more" going on.

I am really interested in this, but sadly after I started my attention was whisked away (by Celeste Ch9 and Silent Hill 2). Played for a bit and it did intrigue me (also its form Uchikoshi, so it will be peak!). Will play it in 2025.

Heard good stuff about this, but only gave it an hour until I didnt feel it anymore (I swear I did finish games this year!) - will definitely dive back into it again!

Really cool idle game that was lots of customization because of the Wizard lines! Some stuff seems unbalanced and not really clear. 9/10 Also as Im writing this, I noticed it has gotten an update! Might look into it again.

Was on a spree of roguelike games in late December, picked this one up, its a really silly game - and who doesnt like Pachinko?? Id say its like a 9.5/10, but I havent played enough of it yet to fully gauge it, but Im having a blast! Its silly, flashy, and stupid in just the right ways.

Well, not too much to say - it does what it says on the tin and it does it well. Short enough to not overstay its welcome, but interesting and weird enough to stick in your mind. For a buck or two its definitely worth it. 8/10

Didnt know this has a sequel, and Im glad I found it! Not as incremental as I thought, and not as idle as Id liked, but very cool, short game :) 7.5/10

Finished Ch9 this year, due to Fish telling me to do so (in Exchange for him playing 999) - was quite frustrating at times, espc learning the wavedash or whatever its called, but rewarding to actually do it! Not as bad as I thought, but still a nice challenge. Dont think I will go for C-Side though.

Generally very interesting, I like the concept. In the end though it felt like a lot of stuff falls to "guessing" and a lot of walking around is annoying. This could be skill issue (and probably is!), but still doesnt feel as good as it could be. Towards the end it did just make me look up some stuff, since I genuinely didnt know how to get it and didnt wanna trial&error for it. Overall still a cool game. 7.5/10 (also I did all achievements)

Played it 3x at Conventions, played both Demos, speedran both of them. Its a really cool platformer alá Hollow Knight, yet feels distinctly different due to its Paint System. Very excited for its full release in 2025!

Dark, gritty, harsh extraction survival first-person dungeon crawler. Tried it out with Ben, but its not really my type of game - seems to be a lot of tedious tasks and its also PvP(vE), so you could get fucked by people at any point. Like a 5/10?

I was really expecting more of this, as it was praised a lot. It is lots of silly, over-the-top fun, but a lot of the gameplay elements just seem thrown in and towards the end it seems more like a minigame collection rather than a congruent, thought-out game. Maybe its a me-issue. Still fun overall - 7.5/10.

Cool Roguelike, thats pretty harsh - never got to "true" ending, but I still did all achievements, so Im happy. Overall very nicely laid out, but I never reached "fun" levels of some other roguelikes - 8/10. Probably a me-issue again.

Really nice incremental game, lots of systems that become automated, some passages kinda drag on a bit though. Likely a balance problem (or a skill issue, who knows?) - 9/10!

Not much to say here, everyone knows this. Played it with Ben and Rene at first, but did my Solo run and "finished" base game - towards the end it really slows down and it felt less like "discovery" of new things and trying new things out, and felt more like annoyances that need to be dealt with. 8/10 - maybe Im not really the target audience here lol

Suggested by Enji in the first Game Exchange™, neat space Roguelike with micromanagement. Not too big on space themes though and there seemed to be a lot of RNG, at least in my eyes. I finished 2 runs and I think thats it for me - 8/10, I can see that its a really good game.

Seen in Reggies video - Neat Vampire Survivor "clone" focused on weapons and inventory management - didnt get too far though since I guess I was burned out on the genre (and still am). Basically only played this while catching up on some Youtube/Twitch VoDs. 7/10.

One of the most unique and interesting games Ive played this year - an inside look into the mind of a psychosis. Very insightful and I will not forget it for a long time. I didnt really get all of it, but the atmosphere is superb, very eerie and unsettling. 9/10, due to the combat feeling clunky (even though its very likely on purpose!)

Over-the-top, goofy, silly adventure of a talking gun and you. Just lots of fun, with the story and some quest designs being lacking. Would still recommend for some brain off fun - 8/10.

Neat little incremental game, albeit it sometimes takes a bit long for upgrades, espc towards the end. Still, fun to kepe it around on the side. 7/10

Really cool Incremental game with a clear outline of what to do from the start and an interesting skill system with upgrades! Had some balancing issues when I played, but its not a big deal. 8/10

Such a cool concept! I love chess, and combining it with this cheating twist is just really cool - would love to have it be longer though :( 8.5/10

I will put these all in one point, I played 1, CoM and 2. ...Oh boy. I can yap a lot about this game, but I genuinely cannot grasp why people really love this game other than nostalgia or love for Disney chars. Jesus this was a shit show and I did not enjoy my time. Between 4/10 and 6/10 and depending on game, KH2 did improve but still not enough to really show me why its so beloved...

Little clicker game about selling lemonade, that doesnt take itself seriously :) Short fun for an hour or so. 7.5/10

This is still ongoing, and Im only watching my GF play it, as Im not too big on the Samurai theme. Looks to be a typical Yakuza game though, absurd, yet serious fun.

This is probably my fav JRPG Ive played, most of it just hits right - the world, the characters, the overall story and theme, the gameplay, the general QoL improvements they made over the previous games. Its not perfect obviously, but Ill still give it a 10/10.

Played both this and sequel, they are both very intriguing views into DID. Dunno how accurate it is, or how much I really "got", but its interesting. The 2nd game mostly made me confused about whats going on - but maybe thats the point? 6.5/10 (Probably a skill/me-issue of being dumb lole)

Seen on Real Life Engineer channel, similar to Pachinkremental, I like the concept, but its just too short again :( Also easily exploitable :^) 8/10

I like Rhythm games :))

Recommended by Mud in the first Game Exchange™, really fast paced shooter with roguelike twist, very fun but Im so bad at it lmao, finished it on Lenient diff - 9/10

Im not gonna lie, I completely forgot about this. Seems to be a card-based roguelike with an interesting mana system, but very hectic and hard to keep an overview about things - may be skill issue, but it didnt stay in my memory. No rating, didnt play enough.

Exactly my taste, 4th-wall-breaking goodness! Sadly it didnt go all the way, imo it kinda half-assed it, thought I really like the ending (an actual choice). 7/10, worth a play since this genre isnt utilized enough, sadly. We need more games like this!! Unique art only possible in videogames

Cute, short, hypnotizing incremental game. I LOVE PACHINKOOOOO. 9/10

Welp, I revisited my childhood, and its still really good. I didnt play too much as I didnt wanna fall into a rabbit hole anymore, but yeah. Silly, absurd golf = fun. 11/10 :) (jk its nostalgia for me but its genuinely fun)

Insanely cool artstyle, likeable characters (Fuck Witness) and cool mystery with the theme of fact != truth. Everyones run will be slightly different and a lot will have different "endings" too, which I like. But yea its very vibe-y and fun. 8/10, since some things are confusing to get at and running around can be annoying (also my completionist was a bit annoyed towards the end)

Will group them all in here:

• Necropolis: shitty inventory system, reliance on 3rd party site again, but insane crafting - 9/10 ; 4 chars and 40/40, HCSSF lv88, insane gear crafts
• Settlers: A whole new TOWN?? is for me? :shy: ; Generally really cool system! But was too uninvolved in general mapping imo - 9.5/10. ; 3 chars, 40/40, HCSSF lv72 (unlucky rip and was burned out)
• Necro Settlers: Didnt play too much, but tried 3x HCSSF and actually got to 90 this time. League didnt fix either issues of their respectives, so still 9.5/10

Well, well, well. Did 3 chars, 2 at lv90, one ~70. Overall feels really great to play, but balance is obviously off during EA and theres not enough crafting options, nor endgame options yet. Currently like an 8/10, compared to PoE1. I have absolute faith that this will become the GOAT ARPG.

Best theme in Persona, Sun is my overall fav Persona SL, Final Boss is my fav Final boss of all time. Tartarus is shit but overall this is still a 10/10 for me. Rarely does a game change ones view about certain aspects of life and stick with you for a long time, but this one is certainly one. (Not to say that this is a life-changing game, but...it can be.) I will likely get my first tattoo based on P3.

Really neat roguelike version of Pokemon, completely in Browser! Way too hard and grindy for me, but Im fascinated by what people actually do, its so cool! 8/10

Numbers go brrr, Im still playing this fairly actively and pushing for the last achievements to prepare for next update! Id give it a 9/10 atm since a lot of stuff is not really clear given their description, its either trial and error or google guides, but its still pretty good.

Enhanced Edition, not Remake! Beautiful atmospheric dive into the subconscious mind of a guilty, desperate and lonely man. Some flaws, but generally a very enjoyable ride! 9/10, mostly because I find slow-walking enemies to be pretty boring, combat being more of a nuisance and camera being a bitch at times. (Also I got Leave Ending, as is tradition, and looked up the others online)

This is a love story. 9.5/10.

Picked this up on a whim since it was in PS+ and heard its good. Combat isnt really my thing and Im not a superhero fan, but slinging around is so fun and the ending is actually doing something I really enjoy. 7.5/10!

Some clunkiness and AI issues aside, really good emotional story of two people bonding over fate, with a very interesting ending. Cant wait for Part 2 to be in PS+! 9/10

This game taught me that I am a stupid bitch. Cant really bring myself to boot it up again, espc after a longer break :/

Really innovative, yet sometimes hard secret-hunting! Enjoyed it a lot! Reading up more on it even reveals interesting stuff that they designed - "Stuff that noone will see", even going so far as to encode the music as a language. Insane. 9/10, since some stuff is kinda baffling to me how youd figure it out, and some parts are hard gameplay-wise too. But its so cool to actually need a piece of paper (or paint) to solve puzzles :3

Yessssss, Innovative games!! Stuff that can only be done in videogames!!!!!! Thats what I LIVE FORRRR. 9.5/10. That first time you do it in the first leve, its just so satisfying, ughhhh.

Fairly cool concept, factorio as an incremental game, but its overall neither involved enough nor idle enough for it to be super fun. Also no real changes with Prestige - 7/10

Technically had this in 2023 Review already, so Ill just copypaste it: Pretty good, liked it more than 3 and 4! 8.5 for me, but the old engine and the minigames drag it down, together with some more questionable decisions in the characters and their plot. (In Hindsight idk if I really stand with it being better than 3 and 4, I really love 3 espc, since it sets up Kiryu and the orphanage so well.) Anyway, I love Haruka. Good game.

Definitely in my top 3, story impacted me a lot, I loved it. Some story beats were kinda meh (or not used), and combat is 2nd worst for me. 9.5/10. I genuinely feel like Kiryus story should end here, but of course it doesnt. I love him so much as a character over the course of the 7 games, but let my man rest :(

Took a while to warm up to, but by now I love Ichiban and his companions. Not too big of a fan of the turnbased system, but maybe next games make it better. 9/10. Interested to see how Infinite Wealth shakes things up!

I hate Gachas, they all look the same nowadays, they arent fun, there too many annoying aspects - anyway I will try Endfield in 2025 :). But yeah overall I didnt think was special and some mechanics, such as level breaking or whatever it was called was just annoying, also the world level fucked me over a lot.

I hate Gachas. 6.5/10 or something, idk. Combat was decent, rest was garbage. Surprised this shit isnt EOL already.

Didnt finish this, but started it. The idea is interesting - a VN where one path affects another in the past/future, and you freely switch between routes and times. Sadly, the presentation is lacking for me, and I didnt find much motivation to keep going, yet. I do plan to finish this in 2026!

Uchikoshi did it again, this motherfucker! The twists and reveals made me gasp and stand the slackjaw'd. This is just as crazy as Zero Escape, and I love it. Pretty much every character is lovable (or hateable, as a villain), and the ideas floating in my brain just didnt stop, even towards the end, after the twist reveal. I didnt like some of the jokes (as usual, theres some pervy jokes in there for some reason), and some of the puzzles/minigames werent topnotch, but still a 9/10.

Yeah, this is basically just crack in a cardgame. We all know and love it. Not much to say, but it does what its set out to do. 9.5/10, as I think sometimes its a bit confusing and a lot of items are unbalanced, to either side - but probably just skill issue (even though it feels like luck.)

Played this for a while with 2 friends, but eh - it just wasnt it. Too confusing on how to progress, not much guidance in form of a tutorial and too hard because of it. We had some because its with friends, but overall it wasnt that satisfying - 5/10.

Really fun and satisfying blend of Breakout in a roguelite form! Love the combinations and the progression just always feels good (except for the "endgame", but then progression goes out the window anyway.). 9.5/10, because the game feels a bit linear to play once you "get it", as one of the playable chars also proves.

Very unique game, I like the idea! In practice I wasnt fully convinced, sadly. There werent really many puzzles in the rooms themselves, it was more focused on the overall big picture. A restart isnt too long, but still kinda feels blegh - especially if you know the broad picture or want more information on a puzzle, but need a (or multiple) specific room(s). 7/10 still, because it surprised me in how broad it was in scope and the overall mystery

Started this in Coop, didnt get too far before putting it on ice - 2026 it is!

This was an interesting concept - minigame galore in an idle game! 7.5, because overall the execution wasnt on point for a bunch of things and it was fairly grindy. Still, lots of fun.

Well, what is there to say that hasnt been said before. Amazing story, characters, music, atmosphere, lore... 10/10, my GOTY.

Picked it up on a whim since I like chess. This promised to change things in interesting ways, but overall didnt deliver. 6/10. Probably decently good, if there wasnt better alternatives (Pawnbarian for example)

Decent twist on an "idle" game, but doesnt have enough meat on either the gameplay or the message/story. 7.5/10, as I did enjoy going through it

Its just memes and trolling. Decently entertaining, as I played it while streaming to friends. 6.5.

Pretty good idle game! Not too long, which I appreciate. Unclear reqs for good ending though. 8.5.

Void Stranger