Another year is ending and that means it’s time for my annual gaming audit. The Steam Deck has made it very convenient to fit a gaming session into my life in between my other endeavors like travel and fitness. Here’s a rundown of all the games I completed in 2025 as well as a quick review and ranking of each.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
This is the first game I finished for 2025. After having a blast with the previous entry, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, this game immediately entered my wishlist. The Steam Winter Sale gave us its blessings and that’s how I was once again playing as the adventurer, Adol Cristin.
While I preferred the setting of Ys VIII, which was a beautiful island reminiscent of Atlantis crossed with Jurassic Park, this game features an immense medieval city that puts emphasis on vertical traversal and platforming. The city is divided into zones that Adol can unlock when he acquires additional skills as the story progresses. This makes the setting be consumed piece by piece and helps the player avoid getting overwhelmed at the start.
In this game, Adol travels to the prison city of Balduq. In the process of uncovering the city’s history and dark secret, he receives a mysterious power that prevents him from leaving Balduq’s gates. He must free himself as well as save everyone from a time-transcending threat kept within the city’s walls. It’s a bit cliche, but the game gives us a colorful cast and fun challenges throughout the story.
The narrative is decent and even includes callbacks to the previous game that made me have an “aha!” moment. I enjoyed the exploration and meeting new friends/characters which all have their own unique powers and personalities. I must say though, I did miss the lighthearted humor of the previous game as this one takes on a more serious tone, both in dialogue and story beats.
The gameplay and combat is very similar to YS VIII and that gets no complaint from me. A big change is the addition of more traversal skills used in the multi-level terrain of the city and its surrounding areas. I can also confirm that perfect blocks and dodges are easier to execute this time, thankfully.
Ys IX is a good addition and I’m already waiting for YS X to go on a deep sale so I can return to this series. It’s always an exciting time uncovering mysteries and saving the world as Adol Cristin.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Dragon Quest is a franchise I’m aware of, but never played until now. Being into JRPGs lately, this game went into my wishlist because of its overwhelmingly positive rating. There, it stayed until the price was right. After finally purchasing it, I was glad to see that it played amazingly well on the Steam Deck.
I didn’t expect much from this game, which had a very generic fantasy story. You play a prince that lost everything and must destroy the evil that took away your royal heritage AND also destroy the world. Cliche, but it’s in the details and the execution where this game shines. The side quests, the multiple locations, and the characters you meet are full of substance that you forget how dull the main story is. You’ll end up rooting for the heroes in their struggle against the big, bad, bland boss. There were also some unexpectedly humorous moments that made me LOL. This was a journey (or a quest, if I may) that I can say was worth my time.
The only thing that bothered me was the emotionless and silent protagonist. While I do recognize Toriyama-sensei as a legend, I felt that his “same-face” art style didn’t help make the game stand out. For the whole game, every time the hero was in shot, they looked like a doll that was given life 5 seconds ago. It was also jarring to see characters one wardrobe-swap away from being featured in Dragon Ball. But that’s a minor gripe since the aesthetic helped it achieve perfect performance on my handheld.
I enjoyed exploring the game’s world as well. The cities and characters had a lot of dialogue and these changed as major events happen in the story. I took my time talking to everyone and there were even gameplay changes if you talked to characters in a specfic order. It was all very natural and helped build the world in a good way. All the companions have their own motivations and bring color to the story. I found them engaging and more memorable than the main protagonist. Sylvando is a treasure.
The combat system is passable, and I immediately found myself grinding to be over-leveled and just using auto-battle with the regular enemies. It’s in the boss battles that I had to lock in. Some of them can be pretty difficult and I found myself restarting boss fights quite often. Thankfully, it was easy to try again as the game has lots of quality of life controls. Even re-speccing the characters was as easy as just talking to an NPC. This made trying out all the different builds convenient and added to the depth and variety of battles.
If you’re a fan of the classic JRPGs like early Final Fantasy, then this game is for you. It even has a 2D mode so you can optimize your handheld for extra long battery life. This is one quest I recommend you go on.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
First, I need you guys to read my review on Yakuza: Like a Dragon here.
Now, imagine that game, but 90% of it is improved upon and made even better. That’s what you get with Infinite Wealth. This is a HUUUUUGE game. Not new to the RGG formula, there are lots of reused assets like the Yokohama map and various minigames. But then you have a section of Honolulu added and with it, so many things to do and people to meet.
Aside from Ichiban, you also get to play as the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, this time, in turn-based combat (explained in-game as Kiryu being weakened by cancer, hence needing to “wait” his turn). The story intertwines both protagonists’ fates and then unravels them towards their own respective endings. For Kiryu, this game is a send-off (for the nth time) as we revisit Kamurocho and replay his memories from all the previous games. In Ichiban’s case, it’s a quest to search for his long-lost mother while uncovering another hidden Yakuza secret.
Aside from the main story, the usual RGG shenanigans are here. Heaps of side content and substories. These are all mostly hits with some misses (Ichiban gets “sexually assaulted” a lot in this game). Exploring Hawaii, playing Dondoko Island (a minigame that can be its own game), catching and battling Sujimon (a mini Pokemon tournament), and reminiscing about Kiryu’s past was immensely satisfying and this game will go down as one of the most fulfilling games in the franchise.
The only thing I can complain about would be with the game’s ending. It did not satisfy me enough and felt like the game’s writers didn’t know how to wrap everything up neatly. That, and how Sega locked most of the post-game content behind a paid DLC. I will never pay to play the new game plus, see some additional character skins and a grind in a measly new dungeon. These aside, the game was an incredibly fun experience for the first 95% of the main story.
Infinite Wealth is a love letter to all the previous games of the franchise, so it is best enjoyed after playing games 1 to 7. Once you’ve finished that time-consuming but worthwhile task, this game is a great reward for sticking with the series this far.
Plus, I have to commend RGG Studios for their optimization. This plays incredibly well on the Steam Deck. I played most of it with my mighty handheld, only switching to PC for the juicy story cutscenes.
The future of the Yakuza series is going places I don’t particularly know or like, but that’s why I fell in love with the franchise: because RGG Studios keeps doing the most unpredictable things. I can’t wait for their next releases. Pirate Yakuza is already on my wishlist.
Persona 3 Reload
From the first boot of this game, I was enchanted by the opening cinematic. “Full Moon, Full Life” is one of the greatest songs in the Persona franchise. After listening to its entirety, I can say that the entire OST is a certified banger. So much so that even months after finishing the game, I still listen to it on Spotify. Lotus Juice is the GOAT.
Aside from the soundtrack, the game shines in all the important aspects. The gameplay is similar to Persona 4 Golden, which is still my favorite Persona game. The graphics are slick, responsive, and played smoothly on my Steam Deck. I spent a lot of weekends just grinding through Tartarus (the game’s dungeon system) and trying to create powerful Personas for my team.
The gameplay outside of the combat was a bit tedious, but still an integral part of the Persona experience. The need to only maximize three social stats is nice, because you get more time to do other things. I roughly followed a guide, but I was able to maximize all social links and stats without micromanaging everything. There were some remaining free days to do stuff I chose. That’s rare for a Persona game and just means that P3R is more lenient than the others.
The characters were memorable and had their own quirks, though I didn’t quite connect with the villain during the final encounter. It felt like a generic “destroy the world” scenario in the end. Overall, the individual characters and their interactions with each other were juicier than the actual main plot. What do you mean these people who started out as outcasts in their own respective lives ended up as a family WHILE fighting actual demons during midnight!?!? I like it.
What I didn’t like much is that in order to optimize the social links, you can’t choose the responses you want. That’s an “entire Persona franchise” problem, but it’s especially hurtful in this game because you get some incredibly unhinged dialogue choices. Some social links were also questionable and didn’t really add anything of substance, but there are some I really liked (The online gamer substory is peak).
While I didn’t play the additional PAID DLC that some fans claim to be as important to the story as the main game, I felt satisfied with what I got. I will not buy an outrageously expensive DLC for any game. The base game, however, I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun and modern turn-based JRPG. I think everyone deserves to hear the soundtrack at least once in their life.
Promise Mascot Agency
There is something inside me that hungers for a “CarPG“, a game with a thrilling story that requires you, the player, to explore an open-world map with a vehicle. Previous games that satisfied this hunger are Mad Max, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2005. And now, another game that fills this void is Promise Mascot Agency.
In this game, you play as a Yakuza (voiced by THE Kiryu Kazuma, Takaya Kuroda) who aims to repay his family’s debt by working as a Mascot Agency employee in the quaint town of Kasomachi. In the process, you make friends with the locals, solve some of the town’s mysteries, and ultimately revitalize it. It’s a unique story, but the premise is simple enough to understand. The key to exploring the town is with your Kei Truck. All exploration is done via this vehicle so you do form a connection with it as you use and upgrade it.
The game showcases a unique, retro aesthetic that can be jarring at first, but is something that I got used to and eventually came to love. It does its best to make you feel the archaic-ness of the setting and it succeeds very well. Despite the age it tries to represent, the gameplay is smooth and responsive. The menus and interface are funky-looking but work as they should.
Aside from the exploration, there is a recurring mini-game where you have to save some mascots whenever they encounter problems during their work shifts. These encounters are hilarious, from random stray dogs attacking, to your mascot getting stuck in a door. Here, you have to utilize “hero cards” to solve the problem. It takes a bit of mind power to win because of the limited turn economy, but if you did some exploration like I did, you get to discover some powerful hero cards as well as upgrade the ones you already have. Nothing too difficult that pushes you out of the “cozy game” boundary.
The plot is linear, but in-between the major story beats, you have free reign of the exploration and you can do whatever you want to earn money and make your Agency rise through the ranks. The mascots you hire are weird af but that’s normal for the culture this game is emulating. Lots of comedy is packed in as well as a handful of heartwarming moments.
I enjoyed completing all the achievements just because of how much I loved exploring Kasomachi. Once you unlock jet boosters and wings for your Kei Truck (yes, you can fly in this game), a whole new world opens up. This is one game I will always have fond memories of. I recommend playing it as a short breather in between the more heavy games in your lineup. Another one I fully completed using the Steam Deck.
Persona 5 Royal
This game took me sooooo long to finish and I had to use a guide to maximize my playthrough. I used this guide which was very informative without spoiling anything, plot-wise. With that said, this was the usual turn-based JRPG with time-gated activities on the side that the Persona series serves up.
I enjoyed around 80% of my time with Persona 5 Royal. The characters were fine and had their moments, but they also had their particularly unlikable quirks (Mona is one of the most annoying video game mascots I’ve seen and Ryuji is just straight up a moron). But I can see the appeal and why the internet loves this game a lot. The concept of changing a person’s heart is pretty compelling plus the main villain being a government guy is very realistic.
The game differs from the previous Personas in that it doesn’t have Shuffle Time. What replaces it is Shadow negotiation and this is even more powerful because in the mid-game, you can easily get overpowered if you want to. Add to this the very generous Velvet room mechanics like turning personas into items and you can easily form a dream team for all combat situations.
Another change in the game is that enemy shadows are actual personas now, instead of the generic-designed monsters from Persona 3 and 4. This makes it more of a Pokemon game where the enemies feel unique and you can capture more intentionally instead of having it be a random draw from a Shuffle Time. These changes are very welcome and help distinguish this game from the previous ones I’ve played.
However, I did feel that some parts in the late game are far too dragging. The times outside mementos and palaces (the game’s dungeons) take too long, I was just looking forward to grinding and defeating the bad guys. There were definitely some days I was thankful I was following a guide because I would absolutely HATE wasting more time thinking about what to do in the game.
Aside from that small gripe, I enjoyed this game a lot. The interface is beautiful and despite the locked 30fps on the Steam Deck, the game felt snappy and I loved the sound when you press the “back” button. The jazz soundtrack isn’t my cup of tea though, and I found myself wishing I could play this game with the Persona 3 Reload OST instead.
I am glad to have this game marked as done. I even went to places in Tokyo featured in the game and I was impressed with how faithful they were to the real thing. Now, if only there was a real Leblanc Cafe so I could taste Boss’s coffee…
Steins;Gate
Tutturu~!
This was my first ever visual novel game and it was… interesting to say the least. I believe that this is an anime story that would have resonated more if I played it 15 years earlier. I am now too old to enjoy these tropes, so I found myself cringing more than usual while playing through this.
Cringe aside, this is one of the best time travel stories I’ve come upon. The fact that it is explained in a way that makes sense to my monkey brain is proof of the writers’ expertise about the subject. Plus I also enjoyed the homages to other pop culture and real life icons like CERN, Gundam, Akihabara, and maid cafes.
At first, I didn’t know how to play the game so I had to search for a guide on how to get the other endings. After that, everything went smoothly and I was able to get the true ending (with heavy thanks to the “skip dialogue” function). I appreciated the fact that the main character has a personality (even if it can get annoying sometimes). His banter with the other cast members are great and each relationship is unique. The tight-knit cast helped the game’s plot feel lighthearted and/or heavy, depending on the choices I made.
I suggest making lots of save files if you want to see everything this game has to offer. It’s very easy to miss an action point and lock yourself out of something important for the rest of the story.
All in all, a well-researched and solid sci-fi game, only brought down by the anime tropes that I’m personally just tired of. Really? A nerdy scientist who happens to be the crush of all the women (and an androgynous guy) he interacts with? Right. Aside from time travel, a harem must be one of the fantasies of the writers.
That said, Mayushi best girl.
Biped
This was a fun and quick game that my partner and I enjoyed. We only finished the story levels, the challenge levels are still there waiting for us to pick it up, but I don’t think we will. We are both the kind of gamers who put narrative first, and without a story, we don’t have the motivation to keep playing.
In this game you control two robotic creatures, a square one and a round one. You maneuver around the map using the controllers’ joysticks to move the creature’s left and right legs. You grab on to stuff, step on triggers, throw stuff, slide, and more, with the goal of rescuing your friends and escape from the world you’re stranded on.
Despite the simple plot and mechanics, this game provided us with a handful of hours of fun, especially since it took us an entire evening to finish each stage. While we didn’t aim for a completionist run, we got our money’s worth from the game.
The controls are very simple and new mechanics are introduced gradually. The difficulty of the game is decided by the coordination between you and your partner. While it’s not as rage-inducing as something like Overcooked, there were some moments where we had to take a break to regroup.
This is the first co-op puzzle game we’ve finished and now we’re just waiting for It Takes Two to go on a deep sale so we can finally play a co-op game on a huge scale. I’d suggest most couples to try this one first to discover how you both work under pressure.
Caravan SandWitch
I knew going into this game that it was going to be a short and cozy ride, but I didn’t expect it to captivate me and leave me wanting more from its world. Prior to the lore, what attracted me to this game was its art direction. This game tickles my fancy when I look at it. The art style is low-res, but the saturation of the colors and the design of the game’s assets is something special.
You play as Sauge, a girl who receives a distress signal from her sister who went missing 6 years ago. She must return to her home planet which is a dystopia after being ravaged by an interplanetary, capitalist super-corporation to start her search. In order to roam the wild-lands of her destroyed homeworld, she uses a beat-up truck that she must upgrade to fit her needs. Yes, that means this game fits my description of a “CarPG“.
This game fits the description of a cozy game because there are no hostile encounters. There is a mystery to be solved, but this is done purely by platforming and puzzle-solving. You scavenge components from old technology in order to make tools for your truck that will help you access more areas. The map isn’t that big so you do come back to a lot of key places, but it didn’t tip the scales to being tedious. There are lots of side quests and item collecting that will keep you entertained as you go from place to place.
Caravan SandWitch just took me 11 hours to beat the game, but I really enjoyed every minute and I am hoping for a sequel that would expand more on this world that they created. I felt that this game is a proof of concept for something that could potentially be far bigger and grander than what it is now.
I would recommend this game for fans of puzzles and platformers who want to try a unique story and see how low-poly graphics can be breathtaking when used correctly.
South Park: The Stick of Truth
While not having watched an episode in a long time, I am familiar with South Park, as my friends in high school would tell me stories about random episodes. It was even a guilty pleasure of ours as we watched the first movie during a sleepover once the parents were asleep. Thus, I am familiar with the boys as well as the gags and the humor.
However, this was not a game I was expecting to play because it was published by the ultimate video game evil, Ubisoft. But while scrolling through reddit, I was informed that Stick of Truth didn’t require the 3rd party Ubisoft account in order to be played. Seeing that it was on sale, I bought it and promptly tried it out.
In this game, you are the “new kid” who arrives in South Park and must make friends with the show’s cast. Despite not being up to speed with some characters and plot happenings, I found the entire game hilarious. The fact that the RPG elements are integrated into the kids just being kids playing in their backyards is fun. In this game, farts are magic and Cheesy Poofs are healing potions. Fun.
You also get to explore the town and in the narrative’s “few days”, shit hits the fan and crazy things happen, just like in the show. Story-wise it was like watching things unfold in an extra-long episode of the show. You do get to make some choices, but nothing that changes the game’s ultimate experience.
I enjoyed the exploration and side quests. These include some detours into the town’s sewers, a trip into Canada (very funny), and even turning into a tiny gnome in order to squeeze into tiny cracks everywhere. There’s a lot to do in this game aside from just the main story. With the show’s 28 seasons, there are tons of Easter eggs and inside jokes to find.
The combat is addictive. While it was easy for me to get over-leveled just because of how much I love to grind, I found a lot of aspects unique to this game. Real-time blocking is now famous because of Clair Obscur, but a basic version of this system is in Stick of Truth and I found it useful to keep me engaged in battles. Certain mechanics linked to blocking make sure that if you learn the enemy’s pattern, you are rewarded for it.
I loved every moment of Stick of Truth, but just as with every episode, there must be an ending. I’m the type to finish all available side quests before moving the main story forward so once I reached the true ending, there was nothing left for me to do. The game doesn’t have a post-game or a new game plus. After all the hilarity and action, the controller must be put down.
Everything about this game impressed me and I’m pissed that the sequel is locked behind a Ubisoft account requirement. Hopefully things will change in the future so I can continue playing as the “new kid”.
And that’s all the games I’ve completed for the year. To conclude, it was a fantastic year of gaming thanks to my Steam Deck. I hardly booted up my PC to play games anymore. I will never get tired of saying that this device is one of the best purchases I’ve made in my life.
Right now, I’m playing through Octopath Traveler II. It’s a long game so I see myself crossing over into the new year with this title. It’s a blast so far but I’m still waiting for the incoming sales so I can add more games to my backlog.
What games did you enjoy this 2025?
Let’s continue this hot streak until 2026. Keep gaming!
-jgzn
P.S. All game photos belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
