Penguin DT's GOTYs 2025!

What am I working on right now?

Improved encounter scripting systems for making creation of varied and intense encounters faster. In TAGAP 1 to 4, all this is done in extremely linear fashion which is logical, but nightmare to tweak once it is set up. The idea is to not destroy what the engine can do, but add a new, more abstract way of doing it alongside it.

To simplify, currently TAGAP's scripting is akin to DOOM or Duke Nukem 3D, whereas the new system, if I can get it to work the way I intend, would be more like the systems in DOOM 2016.

This doesn't really show that much to the player in terms of how the game plays, but will make prototyping and editing multi-waved encounters a lot faster.

Penguin DT's GOTYs 2025

For me, 2025 was marked by one giant thing, DOOM: The Dark Ages and it forcing the generation jump. Nothing new there, I call it the id Software tax. But this means I've been playing catch-up with next gen titles from the past few years.

Best positive surprise:

RoboCop: Rogue City + Unfinished Business

(runner up: Shadow Labyrinth, The Surge)

I had heard good things about Teyon's RoboCop, but in fear of spoilers I had kept my 'media intake' on it at the minimum. Once I finally got to it post next-gen upgrade, I was astounded to find out it is less a shooter and more like a full-blown RoboCop RPG with the best story in the series since the original movie. Complete the package with the return of Peter Weller absolutely owning the part once more and you have an unmissable winner and a half.

After playing through the main game, I immediately pre-ordered the follow-up Unfinished Business and wasn't disappointed. If you have the hardware to run these graphically demanding games, you really should. They won't bankrupt you either, never having carried the Next Gen price tag despite putting most of their piers to shame.

Seriously, I haven't liked a movie based game this much since Riddick.

Best soundtrack:

Metal Eden

(runner up: DOOM: The Dark Ages)

Reikon's follow up to RUINER is a digital adrenaline maelstrom and comes with an amazing soundtrack composed by Reikon's resident Wioleta Wnorowska and Sascha Dikiciyan aka Sonic Mayhem (Quake II, Quake 3 Arena, Eidos' Deus Ex).

The latter has released his work as a semi-stand-alone Sonic Mayhem album and its hands down the most kinetic soundtrack album all year. Considering 2025 gave us both new DOOM and Nine Inch Nails' take on TRON, that's saying quite a lot. Equal parts electronic boombast and dreamy atmosphere weaving, its a perfect cyberpunk action score.

The Game I'm Not Supposed to Like But I Do:

The Surge

(runner up: The Surge 2)

This 'award' is very specific to me, so I have to explain a bit.

DOOM titles have always been so fine-tuned to my taste-buds that whatever I play after a new one ends up tasting like cardboard. Knowing this, I decided to do something unorthodox; as a follow-up to DOOM I chose to play something I was fairly sure I would dislike. Now, it's no secret me and 'souls-likes' don't gel well despite me giving them a fair go. I bought most of the hyped ones and tried to get into them – and bounced off of all but Code Vein. I still had one game left from that shopping spree: Deck13's sc-fi horror Bloodborne-like The Surge.

And you know what? I freakin' loved it.

The Surge takes all the cliches that break my immersion with the 'genre' and infuses them into the very core of the setting. For example the stamina or lack there-of makes sense, as the main character is straight from a wheel-chair and wouldn't even stand without the exorig.

As a whole, the game feels a lot less like a typical souls-like and more like a sci-fi horror ImSim, just with merciless melee combat. I loved the game so much I instantly tracked down the sequel's limited edition. It's a whole different beast, but still highly recommended.

Just FYI, these are among the rare games that aren't fully PS5 compatible. They are playable, but if you still have an older console or a gaming PC, you might want to opt to use those instead.

Best of Backlog:

Alone in the Dark

(runner ups: RoboCop: Rogue City, The Surge)

After years of being both neglected and disrespected by Atari, THQ Nordic's reboot of the franchise is absolutely stellar. It's a properly mind-bending detective horror tale set in the 1920s that feels like, if not fully Lovecraft, a master-class Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu adventure. Both of the game's protagonists are great, with top-notch writing and performances. It isn't two different campaigns, but the two different perspectives they offer makes multiple playthroughs a must.

Though some of the trailers might've seemed that way, it isn't a horror-themed action game akin to Resident Evil 4, but a detective adventure with side-dish of fast paced horror sequences. That is to say, you'll spend a lot of time studying documents and unravelling mysteries – just what I wanted from both Cthulhu Mythos and Alone in the Dark.

Petja's GOTY:

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

FF7 Remake and Rebirth feels like the game (FF7) you played in the 90s. Atmosphere and story are just like I remember from my childhood. It's nostalgic vibes with modern gameplay.

– Petja

Jouni's GOTY:

DOOM: The Dark Ages

(runner up: Shadow Labyrinth)

Let's face it, it was always going to be DOOM. What is most likely the id Software swansong is a medieval-themed SHMUP in first person with a roller-coaster of a story and a crossover the studio fans have waited with baited breath since 1996. And to top it all off, the game's villain is a delight to absolutely hate. Even all the past controversies around the series' soundtrack doesn't prevent the score from being a banger, either – Finishing Move knocked it out of the park.

I also love how the id team absolutely refuse to 'just re-do the previous one because it was a hit' and instead completely change the playbook for each new entry.

I can't wait to see what the DLC holds. From the looks of how things are going at Microslop, it will likely be a send-off to id – the greatest studio that gaming has ever had.

Honourable mentions

There are so many games I've played this year that would, in any less crowded year, get a bigger spotlight and a trophy or two. So here are some others from my backlog I really loved this year.

• Shadow Labyrinth (BandaiNamco)

  It was a given what my GOTY would be – not so much from fanboyism but because it just aligns perfectly with my taste in games. Despite all that, there was one game that was so phenomenally good it came very close to dethroning DOOM... and ironically its the other grimdark rendition of a classic Pinky; Shadow Labyrinth.

  If you've missed it, its reimagining of Namco's arcade classics, particulalry Pacman, as a dark sci-fi Metroidvania. It's everything I love about that genre amped up to eleven. The world alone is massive and exploring it is one serious undertaking – and very rewarding.

  Since the original release, they've added a less-brutal adventure mode. Personally I liked how the steep challenge worked as a guide to push you to explore – seek upgrades you've missed – but if that is not your thing, know that it isn't mandatory in the newer versions.

• Metal Eden (Reikon)

  I already hyped the score, but the game is darn great, too. I described Reikon's RUINER as 'lovechild of Diablo and DOOM '16 that is really into cyberpunk'. Little did I know that its follow-up would be a full-blown DOOM Eternal like. Heck, amusingly I've seen it being called 'a DOOM clone' – a term I haven't seen since the 1990s!

  I don't mind, I welcome it. The More, the Merrier!

• Disgaea sequels (Nippon Ichi / NISA)

  I've been going through the Disgaea sequels on the Weekly Penguin arena all year, so instead of doubling down and repeating myself too much, I'll just say that 'go play these games'. They're great – a downright anarchistic, comedic take on afterlife, focusing on hell and their misfit residents never catching a break and fighting for the position of the Overlord. All played via turn based half-tactics-half-puzzle RPG combat.

  My favourite of the series is Disgaea 4 – however I'd recommend starting with the remake of the original, Disgaea 1 Complete, as it is the perfect introduction to the setting. After that the order doesn't matter narratively – each game is its own stand-alone story.

• Atomic Heart (Mundfish / Focus Home Interactive)

  All the obvious controversies aside, the game rocks. If it weren’t for several years of next gen masterpiece catch-up I've been playing, it would be higher on the main list. It's basically the other side of Bioshock – where Bioshock is capitalist Americana on Plasmids, Atomic Heart is the idealised version of Soviet science in its most extreme.

  Coming to think of it, you could literally call Atomic Heart 'Bioshock 4' and it would likely be better at being one than the official one in development hell.

  Plus Mick Gordon.

• Still Wakes The Deep (Chinese Room)

  This is one of those games that is half-way of being a 'walking sim', but does its story so well it most definitely is worth experiencing at least once. This goes double if you're a fan of aquatic horror of either Lovecraft or r\nosleep variety. Still Wakes The Deep hits all the right spots, plus the really fleshed out setting of a Scottish 1970s oil rig is immersive as hell. The DLC is also very much worth experiencing, it's basically a full sequel set 10 years after the main game.

• 1917: The Alien Invasion DX Remastered (Andrade Games / Red Art Games)

  A fascinating cult classic remastered, this is a bullet-hell pixel-art SHMUP set in parallel history where World War I wasn't amongst nations, but about mankind versus the invasion of Hell through space. Though the gameplay is great, what really makes this one memorable is its depiction of Hell... which is so surreal, twisted and perverted that it borders on modern pixel-art Hieronymus Bosch. Just... wow.

• Karma: The Dark World (Pollard Studio / Wired Productions)

  Another cinematic horror experience is Karma: The Dark World, a dystopian adventure game set in a parallel timeline very reminiscent of and referencing 1984. It's hard to describe too much about it without giving the story away, but you essentially interrogate people by entering their minds, creating fascinating and often surreal scenarios you'll have to piece together.

  It's the debut game from the newcomers Pollard Studio – and among one of the few audiovisual proofs that Unreal 5 can be used for interesting things in the right hands.

• Journey to the Savage Planet (Typhoon Studios / 505 Games)

  It wasn't all DOOM and gloom here at Penguin DT HQ, there was also some dystopian tongue in cheek satire to go along with it. The behind-the-scenes lore of the game is one for the history books, sometimes overshadowing the fact that the game is both darn well written and structured. It's basically a metroidvania, but presented in such organically opening way that you may not even realise that it is one. Plus you'll be too busy chuckling at the game's humour to notice.

  My schedule is wack, otherwise the sequel would also be on the list. Speaking of...

2025 games in the to-play cue

Since I played next-gen catch-up and did a lot of backlog-diving, several 'potential bangers' of 2025 are still in the backlog. These include:

• Atomfall
• Cronos: The New Dawn
• Death Stranding 2
• The Little Nightmares III
• Return to the Savage Planet
• Total Chaos

And these are on top of the pre-25 backlog!

Most anticipated games of 2026

There are several games I'm looking forward to. In no particular order:

• Defect
• DOOM: The Dark Ages DLC
• Reanimal
• Retrospace
• The Sinking City 2

And Hellraiser if it does't get censored (which it will, because this timeline sucks).

Finally, what's next?

For TAGAP X; first third of the first level is fully 'greyboxed', now its about detailing it in. I noticed a couple of assets still needing to be made, so I'll start with those – whilst 'greyboxing' the other thirds.

For the playlist; The first game completed in 2026 turned out to be Gungrave G.O.R.E. and next up is Atlas Fallen, the latest game from Deck13, the developers of the above award winner The Surge.