Hello everyone. Justin here and welcome to Otaku Mind. Today we’re focusing on video games. 2025 overall was a good year for the game industry. We saw the continued rise of RPG/JRPGs, Nintendo released the Switch 2, and Xbox officially died after raising the price on its game pass and announcing that some of their exclusive games (i.e Halo) are coming to the PS in the future. Whether the Switch 2 will be as successful as the Switch or a failure as the Wii U remains to be seen. Join me everyone as we celebrate the games of last year. I’m Justin and these are the top 11 games of 2025.
#11. Assassin’s Creed Shadows
A bit of a controversial pick but here me out. After years of pestering we finally get an Assassin’s Creed game set in feudal Japan and. . .it’s decent for the most part. First off, the game is very beautiful. They make you feel like you’ve been transported back into feudal Japan. I did enjoy the changing seasons. The game is also more open world. Instead of going in a linear story, we have the options of exploring the world at our leisure, choosing the targets we want to go after first, and uncovering new targets and factions as we explore each region. Second, the game tries to return the series back to its original roots. Putting more emphasis on stealth and assassination rather than powering your way through enemies which is great but the game falls short in other areas. Our two main characters, Naoa and Yasuke are okay. They’re not bad but they’re two of the most forgetful assassins in the series I’ve played with. Both characters offer different play styles and weapons. Naoa is your stealthy assassin while Yasuke is your samurai powerhouse. Truth be told I liked Yasuke over Naoa and think the game probably would have worked out better if he was the solo main character. His story is better, and he has more of a connection to the Templars than Naoa. Speaking of Templars, they barely have any presence in this game. Even the main villains don’t feel like Templars, and I think have no connection to them whatsoever. While I did enjoy the game for what it was, this clearly could have been better and pales in comparison to another game. More on that later.
#10. Monster Prom 4: Monster-con
The fourth installment in the Monster Prom series. After an enjoyable road trip, we’re at the con where our favorite monsters take in the festivities and get into all sorts of crazy situations. Just like the previous games the writing and jokes are excellent here, the stories and scenarios are funny, and you can just tell everyone working on the game was having a lot of fun. This is honestly my favorite game out of the series so far. They turn the madness of a con up to 10 and take you along for the ride. There should be one more game coming out for this series and I look forward to playing that as well, but for now let’s enjoy the con.
#9. Raidou: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Remastered
Another spinoff from the underrated SMT series which sees you play as a devil summoner detective during Japan’s Taisho era. Originally released on the PS2, this was another overlooked RPG that went unnoticed during that time. Thankfully, Atlus’s growing popularity has given them the courage to go back into their vault and remaster some of their underrated games for the new generation. When a girl goes missing in the capital, it opens the door to a case that threatens not only Japan but the whole world. The game offers a unique battle mechanic that’s different from Persona and easy to learn but still requires a good level of strategy to it. The updated graphics are good. I honestly felt like I was looking at a remake when it first came out. The story is good and has a number of twists and turns you don’t see coming but keep you interested in what’s going to happen next. The two major downsides are the game lacks a lot of side mission and activities. I was hoping for more cases that would require your devil summoner skills or see you solving small cases for demons and humans. The game is also short. I managed to beat the game in 24 hours. Making this one of the shortest Atlus games I’ve played. Still, I was happy to see Raidou make a return. He’s one of the coolest protagonists in the SMT games. I’m sure the second game will be remastered next and hopefully this leads to a third game finally being made. Raidou definitely needs to return.
#8. Donkey Kong Bananza
The Switch 2 made its debut last summer with two major games to set the direction of the system. The first was Mario Kart World, a good and ambitious open world game that’s not really my thing. The second, was an open world adventure starring DK that’s totally my thing. Serving as a prequel to Mario Odyssey, we see DK befriend a young Paulina and help her find her way home while also saving the world from an evil corporate monkey. It was nice to play an entirely new DK game that builds off of what Odyssey was and gives an adventure and story that matches the personality and gameplay you would expect from DK. We get cool transformations, unique areas to visit, and new/classic villains to face in this adventure. The Switch 2’s lifespan may have only just started, but this was a good debut game for the system, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
#7. Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza
A spinoff from Infinite Wealth starring everyone’s favorite Mad Dog, Goro Majima. When Majima washes up on an island with no memories of how he got there or who he is, he befriends a young boy, becomes the captain of his own pirate crew, and sets off on a journey to find treasure and if there’s time, recover his memories. The game returns us to the old style of combat while adding in some new features, sees us return to previous locations while also exploring new ones, introduces new characters and villains, and gives us a story worthy of the Mad Dog. While the game may feel like DLC for Infinite Wealth it’s well worth your time if you’re a fan of the series and is honestly a better pirate game than most recent pirate games. Hoist the sails, join the crew and raise your voices high. We are the Goro Pirates!
#6. Pokémon Legends: Z-A
The second game in Pokémon’s newest Legends series. When the city of Luminose is going through urban development to create a city where humans and Pokémon can live together, it sets off a major event that threatens the whole city and it’s up to you to save the day. This game places more emphasis on battles as you spend the day capturing Pokémon in wild zones and then battling at night in the ZA royale tournament. The game has a good soundtrack and brings back alpha Pokémon as well as mega evolutions. As someone who missed out on the mega evolution craze it was nice to see them return and see what all the hype was about. The newer ones are cool as well (except for Starmie. That is nightmare fuel) and the real time combat is different, but I wish they gave us the option to switch between Pokémon after knocking out an opponent’s Pokémon. The game was fun for the most part with a lot of good characters both old and new, plenty of side missions and Pokémon to catch, and does a good job tying back into the X and Y games. Personally, I think Arceus was better, but the Legends series is still young and there’s a lot to explore and experiment with this series. I look forward to what they do next.
#5. Octopath Traveler 0
Don’t know if I said this but the Octopath series has become one of my favorite JRPG series. Based off their low selling gacha game and a prequel to the first game, 0 switches (see what I did there?) things up and instead makes you the main character of the story with customization and everything. When your town gets destroyed, you set out on a journey of vengeance against those responsible for it and restoration. The story then shifts to something much bigger with you at the center of it. The game has a big cast of over 30 playable characters you can recruit to join your party including characters from the first game. Along with that, you can recruit settlers to live in your rebuilt town and give them jobs to help it grow. The only downside is there’s not much development of the characters and I’m disappointed the MC doesn’t have any speaking lines despite having VAs in the studio. The world is also massive this time around. There’s a lot of places to visit and explore with enough content said to take up to 90 hours to complete. There are few shortcomings, such as there’s no dual class or advanced classes, but they give you eight characters to send into battle. There’s also this mastery skill system which allows you to give your characters different abilities and skills. It’s a nice concept but it could have been done better in my opinion. While the second game gave us better travelers, this game gives us a bigger world with new challenges to face and explore. The game is a change from the first two games but it’s still a great game to play that builds on the already awesome legacy the series has for itself. A salvaged experiment gone right and gets me excited for what’s next with this series.
#4. Doom: The Dark Ages
An unexpected game no one saw coming but we’re glad we got it. Taking place on another planet that sees knights with advanced technology at war with the demonic forces of Hell, the Doomslayer has arrived to rip and tear demons and look badass while doing it. If you’re familiar with this series then you know there’s not a whole lot to say about it, it’s just awesome. We get a lot of fun weapons to use this time around, new abilities to use, enemies to face, and a pretty good villain to face this time which was lacking in the previous games. The soundtrack is of course great and even though I miss the chainsaw, the buzzsaw shield might just be my new weapon in the Doomslayer’s arsenal. With the way the game ended it seems like the story of the Slayer will continue. Whether he returns to that planet or goes to another planet, you can be sure that if the Slayer arrives it’s going to an awesome and badass experience.
#3. Dispatch
From some of the people that brought you The Wolf Among Us and other Telltale games, comes an action/comedy on realistic superheroes. After a superhero called Mecha Man loses his fighting robot, he gets a chance to rebuild it by becoming a dispatcher for heroes. He gets put in charge of his own suicide squad and the game focuses on this motley crew of fuck-ups coming together and becoming the heroes they always wanted to be. Just like in many Telltale games we get choice options, and these choices will affect the story in one way or another. Some are instant while others take time to play out. The game is heavily inspired by the world of Invincible and can be cynical at times but still carries a sense of realism. If superheroes and metahumans did exist, I could totally see the dispatch agency existing in some form. The jokes are great, the characters interesting, the voice acting top notch, and the writing impressive. As someone who’s been writing a novel these last few years, I can say this is excellent writing that feels natural and relatable. The animation is also phenomenal. It honestly looks like a TV show. In fact, I hope they do decide to make this an actual show. I’d watch it. An enjoyable game over all that has good replay value to see how all the scenarios change based on your different choices and room for a possible sequel if they decide to make one. In fact, rumor has it they’re planning on making a sequel because of how successful the game was with the VAs all wanting to come back and support the game. What originally was meant to be a one-time thing, has now become a plan with possible multiple seasons down the line all thanks to fan support and the passion of the creators and everyone involved. I feel like there’s a lot more to see and explore in this world and I’m excited to see what the team does next and see all these characters again.
#2. Ghost of Yotei
The long-awaited sequel to Ghost of Tsushima. Sony’s been hyping this game up since 2024 and I’m happy to say it delivered. When a group of warlords kills a girl’s family, she escapes near death and returns years later on a quest for revenge against those that wronged her. I know there’s been a lot of backlash on this game but after watching some of the videos and hearing what the naysayers have to say it’s clear to me that their arguments don’t hold up, are invalid, and that they haven’t played Tsushima or are missing the main point of Yotei. Personally, I loved the game and thought it was a great sequel to Tsushima. Atsu’s story of revenge and purpose was good and her character development throughout the game was done well. The villains in this game were top tier. The game gives you a good amount of side activities and missions to do and a beautiful world to explore. The music is great. The Watanabe mode was my favorite new feature. The game also offers more combat options as instead of just having a sword we get a variety of weapons to use including a gun and we get a wolf companion as well. Lastly, the game is beautiful to look up. Once again, this series sets the standards for graphics on the system. While I like Tsushima more overall, I still think Yotei was a great game and deserves more praise than backlash from the fans.
And number one. . .
#1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Yeah, there was no competition. It had to be this game. I haven’t played an RPG that pulled me in and kept my attention this much since I first played Persona 3. It’s that good. It might just be my new favorite RPG. In a world where everyone is dying from a mysterious monster, an expedition is deployed to find and defeat the monster and save humanity. The journey we go on is rich with characters, great battle mechanics for each character, creative monsters, an excellent soundtrack, and a beautiful twisted world to explore and face. I don’t know what else to say here that everyone else hasn’t already praised yet, I can’t find any flaws with this game. The game just blew everyone away. When it was announced I went into it with some doubts only to have my mouth shut. I knew it was going to be great but this game exceeded all my expectations. Even gamers who normally don’t play RPG games picked it up and enjoyed playing it. This game may have came out early in the spring, but it was clear in everyone’s mind that this game was best of 2025 and every game that came out that year, before or after, would have to settle battling for the silver medal.
And that’s my list. What was your favorite game of 2025? Let me know in the comments below. Happy new year everyone and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.