With 2024 now officially behind us, we’re putting our heads together to talk about our most wanted games due out (hopefully) in 2025. Here’s our ‘Hot Picks’ for the year so far.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Requested by Gary
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an upcoming dark fantasy turn-based RPG developed by Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive. The game includes real-time aspects such as quick-time events and timing-based actions relevant to both offense and defense.
The story takes place in a Belle Époque setting as protagonists Gustave (Charlie Cox), Maelle (Jennifer English), Lune (Kirsty Rider), Sciel (Shala Nyx), Renoir (Andy Serkis) and Verso (Ben Starr) attempt to stop the Paintress, whose god-like powers can kill everyone of a given age she draws in the sky.
Dynasty Warriors Origins
Requested by Angelus
The recurring story of the Three Kingdoms is set in the vast mainland in the late Eastern Han period of China where the population is under the influence of corrupt governments and continuous famine. Rebellions begin as the convictions of different heroes intersect.
This time, we’ll experience this alluring time through the eyes of an original protagonist, a nameless hero martial artist suffering from amnesia, travelling through the devastated land featuring the return of classic Dynasty Warriors 1 vs 1000 gameplay.
Judas
Requested by Gary
Judas is a first-person shooter game developed and published by Ghost Story Games. It is Ken Levine’s first game since BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea in 2014, and is considered a spiritual successor to both BioShock and System Shock. Judas takes place on the Mayflower, a migratory starship travelling through space carrying the last remnants of humanity to Proxima Centauri.
The ship is run by three extremist leaders, a dysfunctional family who each have different plans for humanity. Computers control human society, grooming the residents to be model citizens and reporting those who deviate from expected behaviours. The game’s main character, the titular Judas, has been able to break free of this direction; her actions leading to a revolution aboard the Mayflower.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II
Requested by Estelle
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is the sequel to 2024’s The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak. Set after the fall of Almata, Elaine Auclair recruits Van Arkride in order to investigate a series of bizarre murders which leads them to a mysterious man who can take a monstrous form similar to Van’s Grendel.
Returning to the land of Calvard is something many have been anticipating since the original Japanese release of the title back in 2022. Trails fans finally getting more of their beloved franchise are in for a real treat as early reviews of the Japanese version of the game are already praising this new installment.
Light Fairytale Episode 3
Requested by Gary
Light Fairytale Episode 3 continues the ongoing saga of Neko.Works’ highly praised homage to Final Fantasy VII after many years of waiting for the third of the four planned chapters in this growing drama. More characters, locations, and components of new and familiar designs are set to be unveiled.
The tale carries on from where we left off after Haru’s encounter with a mysterious girl whose allegiance and motivations are still unknown. Now, Haru gathers a party of new and old friends on an adventure full of twists and turns as the group journeys to find the freedom that only the lost ‘Sky’ can bring.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Requested by Alan
Similar to its predecessor, Monster Hunter Wilds is a third-person action RPG. In Wilds, players take on the role of a custom Hunter character who travels to the “Forbidden Lands”, an unpopulated landmass filled with monsters, in order to locate a missing expedition party.
As with previous games in the series, the player’s Hunter tracks and fights monsters, either capturing or slaying them, from which they gain rewards in the form of monster parts and other resources. Using resources collected in the game world, the player can craft new armour, weapons, consumables, and other gear which allows them to fight more challenging beasts. The game world features several biomes, each of which is a large open world for players to freely explore.
Penny Blood
Requested by Gary
Penny Blood is an upcoming JRPG co-developed by Yukikaze, Shade, and Studio Wildrose. It is a spiritual successor to the Shadow Hearts series, with many of the original Shadow Hearts staff returning to develop the game.
Penny Blood follows the magically-gifted detective Matthew Farrell during the 1920s as he investigates supernatural events stretching across America, Europe, and Asia. It carries over several gameplay elements including turn-based battles infused with real-time elements, and lead character Matthew transforming into a powerful monster during combat.
Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster
Requested by Alan
Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars was announced in September 2022 as a high-definition English localisation version of the previous compilation. It includes graphical improvements such as enhanced backgrounds and redrawn portraits, new and enhanced sound effects, a new world map system, and quality of life features such as a fast-forward toggle for battles.
It was originally scheduled for a worldwide release in 2023 but was met with significant delays and console release line-up changes. The game is now scheduled for release on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on 6th March, 2025.
