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52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

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bikingjahuty:
5. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

After the panic inducing stress fest that was Silent Hill 2 remake, I felt like I needed to play something way more casual and lighthearted, so I decided to pick up a game I've somehow never actually played despite how much of a fan I am of the franchise.


Mario Kart Wii was way better than I expected it to be. Having dumped hundreds, if not thousands of hours into Mario Kart 8, it's been hard going back and replaying some of the older titles just because of how incredible 8 is. I was really surprised by how much fun Mario Kart Wii is despite it definitely feeling less refined than 8 in multiple ways, but it was still an incredibly fun and charming game. The gameplay, while not tight as a drum, is still very good. If not for some wonky physics on the 150cc races and the motorcycles being a bit awkward, the controls and gameplay are very well done. The levels, both original and ported over from older MK titles, are mostly all excellent with a few exceptions too. I'm also a fan of how a lot of the game and its content requires it to be unlocked through playing and winning various cups at differ cc levels. Visually, Mario Kart Wii is ultra vibrant, colorful, and just has incredible stage art that makes this game very appealing to the eyes. Even though the Wii was a significantly under powered console for its time, it still stands as a very good looking game and one I'd barely change anything about. Finally, the OST is also top notch as one would expect with some very catchy tracks, as well as tracks from older MK titles that are just as good as ever. Even in a world where we have Mario Kart 7 and 8, I can absolutely say this game is worth owning and playing even still. (1/8/24) [39/50]

kashell:
3. Chrono Trigger DS - Float Away

For the last month or so, I've been doing a New Game Plus run on Chrono Trigger; a game I've played close to a hundred times. I decided to finish the game for a first time with the adorable Float Away ending where you use your Epoch to battering ram into Lavos and skip part of the fight. I still ship Lucca x Crono instead of Marle x Crono, but there's no denying that this is a cute and heartwarming ending. It's not my favorite, though. That will come when I reboot the game and head through the Black Omen to take down Queen Zeal.

realpoketendonl:
Aight, 2025 challenge let's go! Here to set up my base post :)

Really happy with my 2024 result. 29 games beaten in total, 26 of which for the first time. And played some absolute gems. I doubt I'll hit that number again this year, as I've got a pretty busy year ahead of me, but nevertheless looking forward to what games I'll be playing this year!

Beat:

* Gori: Cuddly Carnage [PC/Steam Deck, GOG]
* Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [3DS]
* Miraculous: Paris Under Siege [PC/Steam Deck]
* Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass (DLC) [Switch]
* Mario Kart World [Switch 2]
* Toree 3D [Switch]
* Urban Flow [Switch]
* Metroid Prime 3: Corruption [Wii]
* Metroid Dread [Switch] (second playthrough)
* En Garde! [PC/Steam Deck]
* Super Mario Galaxy [Switch]
* Super Mario Galaxy 2 [Switch]
* Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition [Switch 2]
* Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed [PC/Steam Deck]
* Haunted House [Atari 2600/Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (PC)]
* Yoomp! [Atari 8-bit/Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (PC)]
* Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (Museum tour) [PC/Steam Deck, GOG]
* Kirby Air Riders [Switch 2]
* Gori: Cuddly Carnage (hard difficulty) [Switch]
* Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies [Wii]
(Purple = started it last year or earlier)
(Orange = already beat it before)

realpoketendonl:
1. Gori: Cuddly Carnage



GORI CUDDLY CARNAAAGE! He's a cat on a hoverboard fighting unicorns!

Hot damn. What a game to kick off the new year with! I started this game in December, but I just beat it, and I absolutely love it. Gori: Cuddly Carnage a fast-paced hack-'n-slash in which you play as a cat on a hoverboard, grinding along rails and taking out hordes of zombie-unicorns and horrific corrupted toys. It's ridiculously over-the-top, with the corrupted toy-enemies exploding in puddles of blood and your hoverboard cursing constantly. And that's how I like it: wacky, over-the-top and wild. That's not all the game has going for it though: its gameplay is also fantastic. Being a hack-and-slash, of course the game is fast-paced. But being on a hoverboard gives it a whole new feel. It becomes a lot more about zipping around your enemies, taking out the right ones at the right time and using your movement to your advantage. It's slick as hell.

I may still be a bit overhyped, but I could see this becoming one of my top 10 favourite games of all time. I'm dead serious. I wouldn't expect it to get to quite that level for others, but it's just the perfect game for me. As a massive lover of hack-and-slashes and of silly, over-the-top, campy madness, this game was just amazing. I'm not even kidding when I say I felt more badass playing this than Devil May Cry 5. It's available on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC (via GOG, Steam and Epic Games). PLEASE go check it out and give it some love. It really deserves it.

dhaabi:
03. A Dark Room || Browser || 01.07.25



By chance, I found myself introduced to A Dark Room while reading about another game which references it as inspiration. After interacting with it for a minute or two, I was curious enough to see what more of the game would play like as it expanded, and I quickly became captivated. Much of what this game offers benefits from a blind playthrough, so those curious may be inclined to skip the fourth paragraph below in particular.

What A Dark Room is exactly is never outright explained, and the experience is heavily dependent on player self-discovery. Be that as it may, online discussion describes it foremost as an incremental game that's completely text-based, devoid of graphics of any kind. Beginning with only a smoldering fire to tend to, players control the unnamed protagonist who, in time, slowly builds up resources from at first one person to eventually a sizable community. During this section of the game, the player is constantly juggling how resources are managed by allocating each villager a role to assume. One item will often require another to be obtained, and at a much higher rate too. For instance, the cost of gaining 1 Cured Meat is 5 Meat and 5 Wood. As the campaign progresses, these resources can be upgraded to increase their efficiency and yield output. However, action cannot be taken freely. Instead, each action is given a cooldown period while villagers who supply resources only complete their work once a predetermined amount of time has past.

During this time, a variety of events may trigger randomly. A fire may become uncontrollable, destroying one of the village's huts. A thief may be apprehended, with their fate being left for you to decide. Plague may overcome your people, decimating upwards of 90% of the population. Additionally, certain events also bring the possibility of player perks which influence other aspects of the game mentioned below. I don't imagine most playthroughs to experience all of these encounters (especially in regards to the events which offer perks as a reward) as I only encountered several of many, so these randomized events introduce a lot to to the campaign while making each playthrough different from another.

After much time has past and micromanaging has been done, players will eventually discover there's another genre of gameplay to experience. Alongside the resource-gathering and community-building aspects, A Dark Room eventually unveils its RPG random battle and exploration mechanics which utilize text characters that represent the world map and enemies. At first, exploration is limited as players map out the world with each new step, though the distance players can travel slowly increases alongside the supply capacity of health and water--two vital resources which must be maintained. The player's main focus while exploring should be monitoring these resources, as exhausting them completely will respawn you back to the village with the inventory of items you took and gained all being removed, and any portion of the map that was revealed reverts back too. Much like the resource management aspect of the game, combat and battle actions are dependent on cooldown meters. What may seem like an approachable challenge is often not as actions taken from both sides of battle are greatly influenced by accuracy. Eventually, combat becomes much more involved and even strategic as players accrue an assortment of weapon types which can be used in conjunction with another, each with their own cooldown meter.

With its minimalist text-based design, A Dark Room is able to focus on the each of its genres' fundamentals in a way that felt rewarding. Naturally, this is achieved through what's visually conveyed such as with the cooldown meters, even in spite of the game's lack of traditional visuals. Of course, sound complements text, though its use is subtle. My favorite example of sound is through the game's very first interactable component, the fire itself which lights the introductory cave. As time progresses, the fire will die back down to a quiet set piece, though using 1 Wood (an entirely expendable resource) lights the flames ablaze once more to a roaring crackle. I'm not even sure if maintaining the fire is required, but it seemed like some symbolic mechanic to manage that represents the start of this adventure, nonetheless. The burning flame especially interests me, because it changes over time yet isn't portrayed visually in any capacity. Only its sounds and text descriptions bring it to life.

Discovering A Dark Room organically by chance brought me the totally rare experience of playing a game on a whim and becoming totally engaged with it, only to then find out its popularity and critical reception. Perhaps it was just the game I was needing to play for my current mood, but A Dark Room is the best game I've played in the last few years.

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