Most thought-provoking experience: Urban Myth Dissolution Center
I am so thankful that RPGFan brought this game across my path. In Urban Myth Dissolution Center, you play Azami as she investigates various cases linked to urban myths drawn from Japanese and other folklore. Although essentially a visual novel, the game skillfully adds interactivity to Azami’s detective activities, encouraging you to piece the evidence together as she uses her supernatural spectacles to see into the unknown.
All this is presented to us in pixelated fashion, using a palette of pale green and blue punctuated with sharp reds, which causes even the mundane to feel ethereal. Urban Myth Dissolution Center has the whole package, with compelling and humorous characters, a soundtrack that keeps growing on me daily, and a vibe that falls somewhere between David Lynch and lurking cosmic horror. I hope that this team brings something else to us in the near future, as this game really is special.
Best Remake: Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
I’m still making my way through the Trails series, and I’ve only just finished the seventh entry this year. When they announced this game, a remake of the very first entry, I nearly cried. Falcom wanted me to start the whole thing all over again from the beginning. Nevertheless, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is well worth the restart. It takes everything I love about the original and elevates it, with spectacular modern graphics bringing the Kingdom of Liberl into startling focus.
Suddenly, characters we know and love are before us, more expressive than ever, and scenes that lived most strongly in our imaginations play out in a way that makes the events of this fledgling game additionally impactful. Voice acting was nothing new for me, as I previously played with the marvellous original Japanese cast, so my concern was more that these new actors wouldn’t make the grade.
I needn’t have worried; the new Japanese cast is superb, and my dearest Estelle sounds just as brave and hilarious as she ever did. Most importantly, the silken-voiced Takehito Koyasu returns as Olivier—I can’t imagine anyone replacing him. My children are playing the game in English, so I can testify the localised cast is great too. Please do yourself a favour and start your Trails journey here now.
Best Game Outside Our Coverage: Silent Hill f
The best horror games have a lot in common with the greatest RPGs; they tell us a story. Sometimes that’s a tale of heroism and glory, but on other occasions it is a fable of woe. The Silent Hill series has always excelled at recounting the latter, and I have been a fan since the first instalment. However, it was the second game, which depicted a world drawn from the trauma of its imperfect protagonist, that made the greatest impression on me. More recent games have sometimes failed to live up to that standard.
Silent Hill f, the first original title in the series for many years, was always in for a hard fight. Instead of sticking to the tried and tested template, developers Neobards Entertainment shifted the setting to 1960s Japan and focused the action on Hinako, a young, quiet schoolgirl. Although the obvious standards of Silent Hill, such as the town of Silent Hill itself, are removed, I would strongly argue that this game deserves its place in the canon.
Silent Hill f presents us with a psychodrama worthy of SH2, including familiar tropes such as religion, cults, drugs, and fear from within. The combat has been criticised for being clunky in other places, but for me, it was perfectly reflective of Hinako’s likely abilities and the need to never feel too in control. In the end, it’s not about the combat, it’s about looking into the dark places and hoping they don’t, as promised, look back at us.
Best Game of 2025: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
From the moment I saw Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in the Xbox Games Showcase of June 2024, I was sold. The first thing to grip me was the premise: that somewhere there was a paintress casting a spell of death with each annual slash of her paintbrush, wiping out generations with a few strokes from her hand. You would take control of those few who sought to end her ruthless reign, mounting a vengeance-filled expedition. The astoundingly realistic and yet surreal graphics, seamlessly blending with turn-based combat, looked like an impossible dream given life. Yet there was an air of confidence to this announcement that made me certain the things we were shown were more than fanciful illusions.
Opening up my copy on release day, I naturally had high hopes, which were quickly surpassed by the reality of the game.
With that crushing opening, Expedition 33 sets you upon the dramatic canvas you traverse, across oceans and through them, facing distorted yet beautiful enemies, some monstrous, some human. Even here at the first moment of devastation, the text is laced with sad humour and the desperate cheer of those who face inevitability without surrender. The work of graphical designers, motion capture artists, and voice actors adds colour to the tale, with some of the finest performances in video game history, convincing you that each character is a real person, making you care for every member of your party.
The effect of this would be whitewashed without the complex gameplay systems that accompany them. Treading a line between difficulty and accessibility, the need to defend and attack with quick and precise button presses in addition to the careful selection of commands brings immediacy and involvement without frustration.
I haven’t even mentioned the score.
I could go on forever, drawing you a picture of what others have already said. Suffice to say for now that this game and its characters live on in me, as no doubt they do for many of you, too.
