After getting so completely wrapped up in the negative miasma that’s settled over gaming lately, I decided to return to the light and talk about some of the cool stuff coming out this year. Things might feel like they’re on fire in the AAA space, but there’s still plenty to enjoy in the coming months and I think we could all (myself especially perhaps) do well to remember that. So, here are some of the games I’m most looking for- ward to now that we’re firmly in 2025

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

This one is kinda coming out of nowhere for me. I don’t know the developer nor do I know the publisher, that is Sandfall Interactive and Kepler Interactive respectively. Yet, here they are putting out something that at least looks like it’s on par with the most recent Final Fantasy games! Where did this come from?? The visual spectacle here is just incredible if the trailers can be trusted (always a big if, to be fair).

The gameplay looks like your standard turn-based affair, but there are some nice little actiony twists to the combat that I’m excited to see more of. There’s nothing revolutionary here to be sure, but it still looks like a solid, beautiful-looking RPG with interesting characters. I probably won’t grab it at full-price, but it’s definitely a sale candidate, you know?

Phantom Blade 0

This one is looking like it’s going to be a real blast for anyone who enjoys soulslikes. I had a chance to try it at TGS last year, and it, just like Black Myth: Wukong, definitely felt like something that managed to but its own unique spin on the old formula. Most notably, the enemies seemed to be more reactive than those of games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls. In other words, coming at them carelessly and constantly repeating your attack patterns were really good ways to get yourself killed.

The game’s most recent trailer also showed off a very impressive boss battle, one where the player must take on an impressively coordinated squad of assassins rather than a single big bad accompanied by normal cannon fodder. Phantom Blade 0 is going to be a big challenge and it looks like it’ll be a blast from start to finish!

Revenge of the Savage Planet

If Journey to the Savage Planet had only been a Metroid Prime-like FPS adventure game, it would have been pretty good. But, it was all that AND it was downright hilarious at the same time! Making a game funny on its own terms is an incredibly fine needle to thread, with so few actually managing to do it decently, much less fantastically like this one did.

Revenge of the Savage Planet appears to retain the original’s sense of humor while also ramping up the fun factor in its gameplay. Also, it’s being developed with co-op in mind from the outset, meaning that there’s likely to be a lot more stuff you can do as a team. The original had co-op too, but it was only added later on and was functionally just another player running around. So yeah, having it more fully incorporated sounds like a real blast!

Tormented Souls II

I didn’t expect to like Tormented Souls. It had the look of the sort of project someone throws together then dumps onto Steam or PSN in the hopes of making a quick buck off of people who don’t know any better. But, try it I did, and my goodness am I glad I did. Tormented Souls is classic Resident Evil gameplay done right with a story that, while a bit goofy, still manages to hook you in all the same.

I was downright shocked when the sequel was announced and even more so when the developers stated that they’re making it even bigger and better. There was still room for the story to continue at the end of the original, so I’m really psyched to see where it goes. More cool puzzles and creepy atmosphere are an exciting prospect too! It’s gonna be awesome!

Judas

While I’m not a huge fan of the name, I cannot help but be hopeful about Ken Levine’s next project. It’s been a heck of a long time since we’ve seen anything from the guy who masterminded BioShock, so I’m automatically curious about anything he’s working on. I don’t love all of Levine’s work, of course. BioShock Infinite, while still a great game for the time, left a lot to be desired, I think. Still, the man has ideas, and they’re usually at least interesting if nothing else.

Judas looks like it’s going to be a space-based evolution of the BioShock formula, which hopefully means something more in-depth and involved rather than the more shallow and “accessible” game we got in BioShock Infinite. The visual flair is definitely there at least, so they just need to follow through with the gameplay.

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What are some of the games you’re looking forward to now? Any changes to that list since January?

Image is official promotional artwork