Welcome to 2025! Congratulations, we made it! A new year begins and with it, comes new games, new experiences and new writeups! This year will mark the full transition to the review card format here at The Pixels; I’ve done one and I can honestly say it’s been a game changer! We’re also holding a massive celebration of RPGs! This year marks the 50th anniversary of the very first Role Playing Games, and we’re marking the occasion by declaring 2025 the Year of the RPG. Go check out the announcement post or keep an eye on social media for upcoming events as we honour this venerable genre. Now, let’s recap what’s been happening during this first month of 2025:
Winstolf started the year off strong with a look at Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for the Xbox Series X. He puts it succinctly when he says that this game “belongs in a museum!” and gives it a mighty recommendation. A smorgasbord of RPG reviews dominates the rest of the month; first off is Red taking a look at Xardion. One of the few mech RPGs on the Super Nintendo, Xardion scores high on uniqueness, but its bland platforming and so-so dialogue didn’t do it any favours. Red also reviewed Unicorn Overlord; a gorgeous tactical RPG that is also very accessible to new players.
Continuing on the RPG train, new writer Josh A.K.A agentclarke001 shared his thoughts on the GOTY nominated Metaphor: ReFantazio for the PlayStation 5. While not a major fan of Atlus-style RPGs like Persona or SMT, Metaphor: ReFantazio won Josh over with its tight narrative, well-written characters and strategic turn-based gameplay. And then, yours truly comes in with a look at Shining Force for the Sega Genesis. Our first Genesis review in the review card format, Shining Force was, for me, a fun title. I’m not a fan of SRPGs, but Shining Force’s lack of permadeath and ability to escape and replay the same battle for more experience won me over. I’m looking forward to playing the sequels.
Finally, Octorock1982 rounds out the month with a look at Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana for the Nintendo Switch. The game is an HD refresh of a remake of Ys III: Wanderers of Ys. Octorock writes that the game is a “refreshing echo from a lost age of more focused gameplay experience.” He’s not wrong on that front; short, action-packed RPG experiences like that feel almost foreign in this day and age.
With the wrap-up wrapped up, here’s what’s been going on behind the scenes:
A new year calls for a refreshed commitment to clear out my backlog. Given that this year will be focused on RPGs, I thought, what better way to kill two birds with one stone than by focusing on all of the RPGs that are on my backlog! As you know from the intro, I played through Shining Force. It was a fun little Sega title that made me rethink my stance on SRPGs. I’m currently working on Shadowrun Returns, which is based in the same universe as the Shadowrun TTRPG. It’s also a game that I’ve been trying to beat ever since I became a member of The Pixels, haha. Cyberpunk elements make me slightly squeamish, but the inclusion of magic and classical D&D races (orcs, trolls, elves, etc.) makes those elements much more palatable.
I’m also concurrently playing through Landstalker for the Sega Genesis. Though not technically an RPG (it’s more of a Zelda-like, if anything else), it’s one game that’s been on my list for a long time, given that its spiritual successor – Alundra – is one of my favourite video games on the PlayStation. It definitely shares its action, puzzle-solving and platforming DNA with the PS1 hidden gem, though the controls take a bit of getting used to. It’s amazing just how many hidden gems exist within the Sega Genesis library. Despite all of the flak the library gets, it definitely does have some bangers in it.
Entering this year with somewhat high expectations for myself when it comes to gaming goals in 2025! I have been somewhat productive in replaying games I love this month. It just kind of happened and it’s where my heart went even very well knowing that I have the 50th year of RPGs challenge to accomplish.
First of all, Hatsune Miku is in Fortnite and I’ve been playing that. A very good friend bought me the Hatsune Miku pack, so it’s been on my pallet. Shout out to my friend, you’re the best.
I watched some Awesome Video Games Done Quick and it inspired me to pick up Hollow Knight (again). I was originally going to try to run a randomizer, but I decided that I’d enjoy a vanilla playthrough of the game again. It had been long enough. It still stands as one of my favorite video games of all time and it is in my opinion a golden standard of its genre. I’ve clocked in 100+ hours of Hollow Knight, so I’m very familiar with the game. I don’t have a whole lot to say about the experience that I haven’t already said by now. It’s always wonderful to revisit the scenery and challenge of Hollownest again.
Was at a friend’s house, watched him play No More Heroes, and it inspired me to replay the game. I played it as a kid around when it had released, and I hold it in somewhat high regard for it being stylish and somewhat iconic. I’m really enjoying my time with it. Not many games where you can go mow a lawn and then assassinate the CEO of Pizza Butt. I’m currently ranked 5, so I’m halfway there, on mild difficulty.
I’ve started the year strong with a couple of games finished already, though most are ones that I started last year. Starting with Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland. It’s the retro-styled game that was released in 2024 that also had a native NES print. I played it on PC where I could switch between the 8-bit and modern HD graphics, but I wish I could do it at the push of a button as other games have done instead of in the options screen. The game started off enjoyable, but then I quickly realized that this is an old-school platformer in every sense of the word. Awkward hitboxes, janky jumps, sections where you need to be too precise, etc. It would be fine if they included save states or any other quality-of-life features from modern games but that’s not the case! If it wasn’t so short I would’ve just given up, cause I was just not enjoying my time with it anymore, unfortunately.
On to a more positive experience, I also finished Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. I had a fantastic time with this game! The story is interesting and felt very true to Indiana Jones. The gameplay and exploration were fun and kept me engaged through the end. The AI is dumb as bricks but that added to the charm and the campiness of the game, which again feels true to the spirit of Indy. Going to every nook and cranny to find and solve all the puzzles was very satisfying. And I enjoyed the Uncharted-like big setpiece type of moments that are mostly scripted but are a lot of fun to experience. I recommend playing it if you don’t mind that stealth is mainly how you get through most sections.
It’s 2025 and happy the Year of the RPG! You’ll likely find quite a few RPG reviews on this site throughout the year, so stick around if you’re a fan. Don’t forget to check out the link there for our RPG challenge. It’s fun. It’s about RPGs. What more could you want?
Speaking of, I recently finished Unicorn Overlord and Xardion. Two completely different RPGs. One is this massive, sprawling, high fantasy epic that plays as a Tactical RPG whereas the other is a short, action-oriented, platformer with RPG elements set in a scifi future where the player takes the helm of mechs.
To give myself some breathing room and avoid burn out (burning out on RPGs is bad, you guys), I started LEGO DC Supervillains with my kids. We’ve always been a DC over Marvel household (put down your pitchforks) but this one in particular is great with tons of references, fan service, stages, an open world, and LEGO comedy. These games somehow don’t get stale despite essentially being the exact same thing every single entry.
Seems like the month has just flown by, hasn’t it? Like I said at the end of December, my goal for 2025 is two A-Z challenges: one for Steam games, one for Retroachievement games. It’s still the first month of the year, so the urge to tick off the to dos is still going strong. So how’s it looking?
I managed to mark off four Steam A-Zs and three RA A-Zs over January. I was debating whether to go in alphabetical order or to just do whatever I feel like and pretty quickly settled on the latter. Better to play what you want out of order than postpone playing because you’re just not feeling anything on the next letter right now, right?
Steam:
A is for Aka, a cute little life sim of a red panda returning to his home after a war and dealing with the literal ghosts that haunt him. Peaceful, but a bit buggy.
H is for Haven Park, a chill park ownership game where you explore your grandma’s (now your) campground, build up campsites, and repair things while meeting campers. Kinda like A Short Hike, though it didn’t quite measure up.
I is for I Am Dead, a hidden object puzzle game where you use your powers as a ghost to delve inside objects in search of precious things to other ghosts. Very different and unique form of hidden object game.
P is for Pizza Possum, a stealth game meant for multiplayer, but still fun in single player, where you eat your way up an Italian village to rob a pizza-hoarding tyrant.
Retroachievements:
B is for Banjo-Tooie
D is for Donkey Kong Country 3
K is for Kirby’s Dream Land 3
What needs to be said about these? Three of my all time favorites, still delightful to replay.
On top of these, I also beat a western shooter styled similar to Hotline Miami called 12 is Better than 6 for an Infinite Backlog challenge, The Curse of the Golden Idol (a fantastic deduction puzzle game), and Dadish 2 (a basic but solid platformer). All in all, a strong start to the year.
It’s 2025! Being a new year means new ambitious projects to work on, including a brand new podcast I have entitled The Gamers Mind and Mana Podcast. Having a (ahem) brief history of content creation, I have come to find the process more daunting than I remember, but it is happening. I’m also working on my art, now that I have been included in Eugene Retro Gaming Festival’s artist and vendor line-up this year. With all of that said, I’ve been stepping back a little with games…but not completely.
My guiltiest of all pleasures is the 2024 GOTY contender, Balatro! Yes, it is a poker/roguelike hybrid, but to say it is ONLY that would be to discredit its genius. With it’s creative use of chip multipliers and rule manipulation, the game allows for nearly limitless ways to play an incredibly familiar game. Honestly, don’t knock it until you’ve try it.
Although I do own a PS5 with a Plus Subscription (a great purchase, by the way), I rarely use it because my children hog it, which is something I allow. My teenage son is obsessed with Marvel Rivals, and my daughter is currently in a cycle of rage playing/quitting Hollow Knight. I have stayed safely on my cell phone and buckled under and purchased the mobile version of a childhood favorite of mine, Chrono Trigger. Nothing beats the original SNES version, but I will say that the mobile port is pretty refined. The pixel art is smoothed over (boo), but the content is extended to include the additions brought to the DS version (yay). Also, the graphics are no longer stretched to fit wide screen, which is a nice improvement. I’m enjoying it right now and will probably spend a great amount of time “plusing” the game over and over again to get all the endings.
Ah, January, that odd month of middling horror movies and missed gym memberships. Despite resolutions that’ve still yet to materialize, I managed to snag a few new titles for an unsung hero in the handheld market: the Sega Game Gear. Mention handheld-gaming in the 90’s, and odds are Gunpei Yokoi’s legendary GameBoy will be the first console that springs to mind. It and its brethren dominated the portable scene for more than a decade, but that doesn’t mean other challengers didn’t take a shot for the gold. Thanks to the Analogue Pocket and its range of adapters, I’m finally able to try out games for consoles I never had access to as a kid. When it comes to the Game Gear, local game store hunting has seen me encounter plenty of Sonic 2 and Echo the Dolphin, but you didn’t come here for common fare. Buried in the stacks of Columns and various sports titles, I came across a title that truly reminded me of the 90’s: Robocop vs Terminator.
Released for multiple platforms, Robocop vs Terminator for the Sega Game Gear takes the concept of a cybernetic police officer and melds it with the Skynet mythos. Essentially, the same technology that revived a bullet-addled Alex Murphy back to life as Robocop has been used to facilitate the development of Skynet, which soon gains self-awareness and decides that humankind is better off nuked. Luckily for us, the same Robocop who’s software was used to generate Skynet is still around to assist in fighting it. As such, gameplay sees you take on the role of steel soldier against an oncoming apocalypse full of cybernetic assassins.
Fitting for a cyborg, character-controls are clunky. At its heart, Robocop vs Terminator is an action platformer, so jumping is at a premium. Unfortunately, Alex Murphy’s jumps are just as concrete-slow as you’d expect for his chrome exterior. You can, and most certainly will have to, generate a bit more lift if you’re moving forward while jumping, making many of your leaps awkward affairs. It takes a while to get used to, made even more difficult by the steady stream of enemy fire coming your way. Despite the Cyberdyne uprising, early enemies appear more as human foes than they do machines, as evident by the geyser of bloodspray that erupts when you pepper them with bullets. The surprise-gore is amusing at first, but quickly gets old as enemies suddenly appear onscreen and fire before you’re able to respond. You’ll take them out quickly, but suffer a surprising amount of damage in the meantime. It’s frustrating to take damage so easily, but it does force you to take your time as you explore the multi-leveled stages. Before long, seemingly-human adversaries give way to metallic endoskeletons, taking far more hits, and patience, to bring down.
Although Robocop vs Terminator for the Sega Game Gear is no masterpiece, it’s an interesting early cross-over adaptation to look back on, especially in today’s age of multiverse-franchise glut. The idea of these mechanical warriors facing off on the big screen seemed outlandish in the 90’s, but you wouldn’t bat an eye if you heard it announced for a 2025 release. While the game would certainly be improved by tightening character controls and adjusting enemy placement, it’s a solid platforming shoot-em-up that stands as a time capsule to the era.
New year, new gaming goals! There I was, busy making plans for what series I wanted to play my way through this year – and then promptly threw them out on account of a certain crimson-clad mage with an incredibly fancy chapeau issuing the 2025 RPG Challenge. Twelve games from the backlog over the course of the year, all in honor of (at least) fifty years of the genre. Being the resident CRPG guy, how could I refuse?
Rather than pick a single series as has been my wont these past couple years, I formed my list of the initial entries of twelve different CRPG series, all of which I’ve been meaning to experience at some point but still haven’t got around to yet. I’m planning on going through the twelve chronologically, so if all goes well, my space in this column will be a nice little microcosm of some of the genre’s greatest hits over the years.
Naturally, that meant I started the month with one of the true OGs. Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is the counterpart to my beloved Ultima, but actually making the attempt of playing it has long intimidated me. I grit my teeth, fired it up – and was near-immediately hooked. The simplicity necessary to make a game work on systems of the early 80s puts its gameplay in sharp relief, and it’s easy to see why Wizardry became the landmark, genre-defining series it did. While it is tough, with the potential to lose a lot of effort (permadeath is a possibility, and it hit one of my characters during what I thought would be my final grinding push!), it seldom felt outright unfair, and even the setbacks just made me that much more determined to find ways to deal with it. It’s a game that rewards taking the time to understand it, to experiment and get to know its underlying systems. I enjoyed it immensely, and when the time comes for me to explore the series in its entirety, I will be most eager indeed to replay this one from a new angle.
Next up was The Bard’s Tale, which rather felt like Wizardry turned up to eleven. More classes, more systems, more dungeons, more more more – and honestly, a little too much “more.” I was enjoying myself well enough for much of the early-to-mid game, even if I found the dungeon design leaning a little too “video-game-y” for my taste, but the late-game stretch in the final dungeon was such a slog. Too many things that could go wrong without having any real way to mitigate – this is a game where you can encounter very large hordes of monsters in a battle big enough to flatten you in one round if you don’t successfully run away, or get inflicted with a debilitating status condition you can’t heal except back outside the dungeon, all in a massive trap-laden maze. I can see why it became a classic of the genre, and it does some interesting things (the bard songs, the various schools of magic and the way it encourages some class swapping/rotation with your mages), but it overstayed its welcome for my taste. From what I know of the sequels, they bloat out even biggerer (yes that extra suffix is intentional), so I think I’m content to leave my experience of this series to just the first one.
So what’s third on the list? You’ll just have to wait until February!
With Indiana Jones completed (excellent ending!) it is time to return to Chernobyl with Stalker 2. The sequel to one of gaming’s cult classics continues to be a fascinating yet frustrating beast. I love the immersive gameplay, the satisfying “loot run” loop and exploration, but sometimes the odd pocket of jank threatens to ruin the experience. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still enjoying it and recent patches do seem to have helped, but I just wish it was that little bit more… well behaved? (Again, it was developed by a Ukrainian studio, absolutely fair play to them for getting this out in the middle of a war at all!)
I’ve also been trying out Arma: Reforger with my brother, which also had a recent massive patch that seems to have made the Xbox version far more enjoyable! It’s a very intense and realistic war sim though, so my lack of talent is often felt as I walk around random towns all by myself, lost. If you can get into the groove, and buddy up with some players who know what they’re doing, it sure can be a good time though. Can highly recommend it!
So far in January, I played Metaphor:ReFantazio (PS5) (which I enjoyed immensely). I just finished Dragon Quest III 2D-HD Remake (PS5), which I did not enjoy nearly as much. I randomly played through Mega Man II (NES), as I just like to randomly play it. I played through some of F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch (PS5). I love Metroidvania games, but this one just isn’t clicking for me. Currently, I’m playing through Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name (PS5). I’m only a few hours in, but I love the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, so it’s great to go back to the more action-oriented roots after playing through the RPG ones.
I’m also going through and doing some plays of every US SNES release, A-Z (I have some encylopedias, and figured it’d give me a chance to experience some games I haven’t played). This is more of a fun project (did this last year for Sega Genesis). Also will get in a few random sessions of Marvel vs. Capcom 2.
And so ends January. What have you been playing recently? What did you finish? And what’s next on your backlog? Let us know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you all again next month! Same Pixel Time! Same Pixel Channel!
Ryan Cheddi – our friendly, neighbourhood caffeine addict – is a man of many talents: an engineer, a gaming historian, a fiction writer and a streamer. He is also a self-avowed Sonic the Hedgehog fan. You can check out his cool beans at his site – Games with Coffee – or find him on Bluesky as @gameswithcoffee, and Instagram as @games_with_coffee. He streams on Twitch, also as GamesWithCoffee.
