2026 had better be better

It's that time again. I really wish this list were longer, but 2025 was a year more of rest and healing than of doing. 2026 may well prove differently. One thing I can say positive, though: 2025 saw AlphaMurderthon finally get off the ground.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (Switch)
This is my current project, along with occasionally playing Trials of Azra. So far, it's not as immediately enjoyable as its predecessor, but there is a lot of potential for greatness.

Escape from the Planet of Robot Monsters (Arcade via MAME)
I used to love playing and watching others play this one in arcades way back. It kind of moves like Zombies Ate My Neighbors, which leads to me to believe the latter was inspired by the former. My only complaint is that it does get pretty repetitive after a while.



THE GAMES:

---CATHERINE CLASSIC---
~~~PC~~~

A block-pushing puzzle game with themes of eroticism, romance, horror, and comedy? What even is this? I didn't finish Catherine, unfortunately. I got distracted by other stuff. However, I did play far enough to find it quite exhilarating, somewhat exhausting, and mostly rewarding. My god, I celebrated wins almost as hard as its protagonist did. The game involves pushing massive blocks in an effort to climb a structure composed entirely of them. Other men who appear to be anthropomorphic sheep do the same, sometimes stymieing your efforts. As time passes, the lowest blocks fall into an apparent oblivion. One misstep not only sends you plummeting the same, but also shatters the illusion that the pit is bottomless. It's actually quite finite, revealing this to you with bleak 'game over' screens depicting the protagonist splattered on a pile of stone or dead in his bed with a look of horror on his face. You see, the wall climbing is a dream that the man has been sucked into, likely brought on by a girl he met named Catherine—a blonde-haired, seemingly ditzy and innocent woman with a voracious sexual appetite that has brought the man unknowingly to bed with her numerous times. This wouldn't be such a problem if the dude weren't already in a committed relationship with another woman, named Katherine with a K.

Everything outside of the long conversations the man has with his friends at a local bar smacks of tension. Its easy to put this game aside partly because of how uneasy it might make you feel. I surely wouldn't fault someone, though I actually do enjoy this piece.


---COLOR BLOCK JAM---
~~~ANDROID~~~

Why would I bother posting about mobile puzzle games? Well, because there were a couple that actually helped me though hours of boredom, inactivity, and mental shutdown. Sure, they came as distractions, but they also kept my wits sharp while my mind worked to mend itself. This one involves pushing colored blocks that resemble LEGO pieces into similarly colored grinders. Abiding a time limit, you must guide all blocks to their corresponding grinders before advancing to the next challenge. This is often no easy task because the blocks are quite tangled up, forcing you to experiment and think logically to get them moving. It's addictive to a point, but like all simple mobile games, it eventually becomes too familiar to scratch any itches. Still, there is a period where this one manages to make long waits at the grocery checkout or ages in a waiting room more tolerable.


---ELLIOT QUEST---
~~~PC~~~

Like Catheriner, Elliot Quest is one I didn't complete because other stuff came along to distract me. This one plays a bit like Zelda II, though without so many overly puzzling moments. You can make your way through good portions of this side-scrolling adventure title via exploration and experimentation. It also comes with a fair challenge, though it doesn't smash your jaw as badly as Zelda II does.


---FIRE PRO WRESTLING WORLD---
~~~PC~~~

I've written about this one before, and I don't feel like going into details much again. This year, I pulled the trigger one much of the DLC and had fun downloading wrestlers others have created. Plus, you can finally do Undertaker's tombstone piledriver properly, complete with the arm-folding pin.


---MR. DRILLER 2---
~~~GBA~~~

Because the game is free in Switch Online's Game Boy Advance library, I finally decided to check this franchise out. Yes, this is my intro to the series. For as simplistic as it is, it's definitely tough, relaxing, and enjoyable. That's a lot of seemingly conflicting qualities all wrapped into one piece, but the truth is the game is somehow both tense and cozy. You work your way down a massive pile of bricks into the depths of the Earth, searching for the cause of their appearance. As you mosey downward, you come across awkwardly shaped pieces and hard stones that deplete your oxygen and bring you closer to suffocation. So you maneuver around things and nab the occasional oxygen tank, only to sometimes cause the blocks stacked above you to come tumbling down. On one hand, they might combine with other bricks and disappear Tetris-style. However, handfuls of them tend to survive elimination via combination and threaten to turn our cute little hero into a gory pancake. It is seriously addictive.

So yeah, this is kind of the opposite of Catherine...


---OUTLAST---
~~~PC~~~

It took me ages to finally get to this one, but gotten to it has been. This first-person horror job goes into an asylum for the umpteenth time, where you avoid mutating maniacs who are subjects of arcane experimentation. At first, the game seems pretty rote, except with higher production values and deeper features than your run-of-the-mill cheapo affair. However, this game's true horror hides in plain sight. As you advance, you don't know which of the identical character models are going to ignore you, which are going to harmlessly grab you for a jump fright, and which are going to track you down and bash you to death. You end up not knowing who to trust and simply assuming everyone is dangerous. There's some compelling commentary somewhere in there...


---OVERLORD---
~~~PC~~~

I drag my feet with a lot of games that would've been better played when they were relevant. In some ways, that allows me to see titles with fresher eyes free from “shiny new toy” bias. See also: BioShock Infinite, which I definitely would not rate as highly nowadays as I did when I reviewed it. Anyway, this one blends action, roleplaying, and strategy, giving you an opportunity to command a horde of goblin-like minions who can perform special tasks and off enemies for you. It's a bit like Pikmin if you replace Captain Olimar with Sauron. Despite the neat concept, it does get tiresome at some points. Still, it's enjoyable enough for a one-time romp.


---RAID: SHADOW LEGENDS---
~~~ANDROID~~~

After its obnoxious ad campaign, I never thought I would play this title, much less ever list it here. Yes, it's super predatory, and I tend to shy away from covering anything with such aggressive marketing. However, I still find myself addicted to this one to the point that I can't deny it's actually well made. The main hook for this gacha title is that you recruit characters from fifteen (and climbing) factions, each one looking pretty damn cool. Granted, a lot of them are reskins, but plenty boast unique looks. Still, it's annoying when you think you've gotten Vogoth, but you actually received Corpulent Cadaver. Taking what you've recruited (which now also includes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, Xena, Predator, and a Xenomorph, if you participated in those events), you then go to war with other players, drop into a campaign or dungeon to gather equipment or other goodies, or engage raids against massive bosses for further goodies. There's a lot to do each day, and in some ways that's also a problem. The game's daily tasks take ages to complete, and in some ways it can be so distracting that you don't get much else done. I guess that's also kind of praise... [shrugs]


---RESIDENT EVIL HD REMASTER---
~~~PC~~~

I bought this game on Gamecube way back, then rage quit it. However, a nagging sensation lingered in the back of my mind, taunting me for giving up on this one and several other games. In some cases, I was proved right by my first impressions. For instance, that lousy Simpsons game on Xbox 360... However, Res-Evil was not one of those titles. Granted, in some ways it still feels like humble beginnings. However, its campaign presents enough difficulty and carefully constructed zombie mayhem in tight quarters that its pull is undeniable.


---SCREW SORT 3D---
~~~ANDROID~~~

Yet another free-to-play puzzle app, and one that's typically geared towards “seniors” in its ads. Come on, I'm no spring chicken, as I am approaching my fifties. Anyway, this one is a much cozier than anything else on here. You carefully remove colored screws from 3D models, causing them to slowly come apart. You do this until you either run out of space for extra screws or you've fully taken the object apart. If the former occurs, you can always “watch” ads to get more chances. Of course, I usually take the ad-watching moments as my cue to hit the bathroom or get a drink.


---SLIME RANCHER---
~~~PC~~~

Speaking of cozy titles, here's one where you kidnap a bunch of slimes, throw them onto a ranch, feed them, and collect their shit for profit. Honestly, I enjoyed this one, though I feel its compaign could have involved more than simply pressing further outward and reading emails. Still, exploring and upgrading your ranch become obsessive enough to while away a handful of hours.


---TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT---
~~~PC~~~

A cel-shaded, side-scrolling platformer where you guide a Rambo-like elephant through numerous stages to destroy terrorists and rescue kidnapped citizens... This one plays like an old mascot platformer, but it justifies its existence in a world where such a category has become unloved by presenting you with a speedy, action-packed experience. My only complaint is that 100%ing the game requires you to find all of its little secrets before unexpectedly passing “points of no return,” and crossing those points may result in you replaying some stages needlessly.


---THE THING: REMASTERED---
~~~PC~~~

The Thing is my all-time favorite movie. Finding out someone was making a video game sequel made me nervous because sequels to things that ended just fine tend to not work out so well. As this game is on this list, you can tell it at least didn't entirely screw the pooch. This one is engaging enough to hold my attention and at least assure me someone didn't completely flub its handling. However, its story goes the predictable route of someone in the US government discovering of the alien's existence and trying to gather it so they can either weaponize it or use it for some scientific boon. Naturally, the Thing gets the upper hand, infects one of the key people in the project, and then embarks on a mission to infect the mainland. Meanwhile, you shoot and burn a bunch of different Things, but also battle humans who are so stupid that you wonder how they didn't manage to accidentally shoot themselves while approaching their carefully plotted positions. Seriously, these guys will do things like run to get in position the instant you appear, making them easy prey for a the first seconds of your encounter; or they'll place trip-wire bombs, then panic when approach them and trip over their own wires. This sort of activity is “How the hell do these guys pick your noses without putting out eyes?” levels of dumb.


---TRIALS OF AZRA---
~~~PC~~~

A fantasy-themed puzzle-platformer that involves taking possession of dead foes, this one is surprisingly well made. I mean, it features retro-style visuals, but they almost look like the kind that might put you off. Thankfully, each challenge is engaging and thought-provoking enough that I find myself occasionally sucked into it without any hope of quitting before a sensible bedtime.


---UNTIL DAWN---
~~~PS4~~~

You know, I fully expected this one to be a lot like The Quarry, which left me with a slight tinge of disappointment despite my enjoyment. Now, I see it as worlds ahead of its follow-up, where you play an interactive horror movie that comes with much of its own challenge and hairy moments. This one sees a group of friends in a cabin trying to outwit wendigos, as well as a masked psychopath who wants revenge on them. It calls back to numerous horror classics, including The Evil Dead, Saw, OG Prom Night, and The House on Sorority Row. My only complaint is that the controller's sensitivity is a bit much during some scenes, causing you to lose for entirely no good reason. Thankfully, quitting out of the app and restarting allows you to try again without having to accept getting screwed over.


---WILD ARMS ALTER CODE: F---
~~~PS2~~~

I wrote about this one over the last couple of years, and I finally finished it this year. I love it still, and I find it one of the best JRPG remakes of all time. Its changes add so much more to the original experience, giving you new characters to recruit (Jane, Zed, and Emma), as well as additional dungeons to search and a mechanic that allows you to import character stats and levels into a new game.


---WORLD OF HORROR---
~~~PC~~~

You can tell this was conceived as a tabletop game. It perfectly captures both that vibe and the old-school computer app feel, complete with 2-bit graphics. On one hand, there's so much randomness, chaos, and messed-up stuff to check out in this title that you're there's always something new to experience. On the other hand, its odd combat system becomes rote once you understand how it works. Still, working to stop a randomly eldritch horror with virtual cards drawn from a deck and chance encounters is pretty cool stuff.


---YS: THE OATH IN FELGHANA---
~~~PC~~~

I mentioned Wild Arms Alter Code: F as being one of the best JRPG remakes of all time, but you can't discuss that point without bringing up this one. Felghana took a pretty meh action-RPG and turned it into an exhilarating and poignant tale with a clear message: humanity can be so strong, yet so weak at the same time. Anyway, this one ditches the side-scrolling perspective for a top-down one, and that decision works tremendously in its favor. It also added a lot of depth, accomplishing such feats as transforming its throwaway first boss into a legitimate character.



FINAL WORD:

Epic 2025 goes to Until Dawn, a game that made me regret screwing up a few times. Seeing one of the characters in the recap beat himself up because his girlfriend was killed by a wendigo seriously stayed with me more than most of the haunting content this one offers.

Best in Show 2025 goes to Ys: The Oath in Felghana. This is one of those games I did drag my feet on playing because I knew I would love it, and I knew once it was over I would have one fewer thing to look forward to playing on my backlog. At least I have other Ys games to check out.

…

That's all I got...

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