The 16 games I completed in 2025

Happy new year!

In 2025, I completed a grand total of 16 games which is like 14 more than most years. While there was a heavy slant towards a certain RPG series with the abbreviation FF, the idea of playing a new game to completion and keeping the streak going was alien to me.

I’d seen other people do it (like my friend Matt who inspired this drive) and it seemed unsurmountable. Then I saw a Bluesky post which amounted to “just play games and complete them” which, on paper, wasn’t helpful but it made me realise that I was probably overthinking it and I could just find games that weren’t 30+ hour slogs and play those. So I did.

So this list is a mix of quick games done quick and longer titles that I thoroughly enjoyed. Instead of doing it chronological order, I’m going to try and list them by worst to best based on gameplay, story (if there was one), fun factor, general vibe, and satisfaction when finishing it.

16. Mickey’s Ultimate Challenge (Game Boy)

I picked this from my backlog because it said you could complete it in an hour and I was intrigued. That was where the intrigued stopped as I realised it was very much child’s play. A very young me would have enjoyed it but it offered nothing enriching.

15. X-Men: Mutant Academy (Game Boy Color)

Another quick title from my backlog which you could easily cheese as I discovered with each new enemy. A fighting game that I assume was inferior to the PS1 version but I can say that I’ve played and completed an X-Men title, I guess.

14. WWF Betrayal (Game Boy Color)

This was the last game that I completed in 2025. Had it done in 45 minutes and while the gameplay was rudimentary and the character designs were laughable (compliment), I enjoyed this if not for the so-bad-it-was-good dialogue, packed with all the classic catchphrases from the Attitude Era.

13. Kirby’s Dream Land (Game Boy)

My first Kirby platformer (I put plenty of hours into Super Kirby Clash with my son) and it was a blast. I made extensive use of save states to mitigate the tilt—of which there was A LOT because I’m not good at platformers—but that didn’t detract from the gameplay or the cuteness of the characters. Kirby’s trademark mechanic was fun to use outside of Smash and I enjoyed this one a lot.

12. Kirby’s Dream Land 2 (Game Boy)

Kirby’s Dream Land 2 took everything from 1 and enhanced it with new sidekick characters and more challenging stages (the tilt was even higher). But boy was it satisfying to kick a possessed King Dedede to the curb!

11. Final Fantasy (WonderSwan Color)

My first ever Final Fantasy title and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected given its age and archaic mechanics. Everything was super linear which didn’t bother me but by the end, I was so tired of the game due to the constant encounters and deep dungeons that didn’t suffer fools gladly. As a veteran to 8-bit RPGs, this was a good intro and the only way was up from here (spoiler alert: I skipped II)

10. Sonic the Hedgehog 1 (Genesis)

My intro to Sonic was Sonic 2 which I’d completed during some sick days in 2018 so I thought I’d give the first game a go. I had to get used to no spin dash and no Tails but aside from my poor platforming skills, I had fun going through this and it felt very satisfying to complete it.

9. Final Fantasy III (NES)

As I said earlier, I skipped II because I didn’t like the deviation from EXP-based levelling and III was a great evolution of I. Yes, it was still very linear and the last third was a slog, even if there was a bit more freedom in gameplay and an attempt at a more diverse storyline but I liked the enhancements. So much death though.

8. Final Fantasy IV (SNES)

IV was a wild ride. It felt like a telenovela with RPG elements and I mean that in the best possible way. There wasn’t as much customisation in terms character builds (each character had a fixed class for the sake of the story) and the narrative got a bit silly for me near the end with all the intergalactic moon stuff but it was the best FF game I’d played up to that point.

7. Final Fantasy V (GBA)

I loved V. I loved the job system, the bosses, the silly dialogue, and Gilgamesh who I’d probably hang out with and regret but it’d still be a fun time. I get why some people didn’t enjoy this one as much and felt that the story was tepid but it was all right up my street. I’ll definitely come back to this in the future.

6. Pokémon Legends: Z-A (Switch)

I was very hyped for this, as I often am with Pokémon titles. I have to say the hype was justified and I liked the move from catch-focused gameplay to ARPG mechanics. There’s a lot to do but one thing I noticed is you can get through this quite quickly, including the DLC, and then it’s up to you to find your joy. There’s an element of grind to it (depending on how you define “grind”) but it’s an RPG so it’s par for the course.

5. Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

I really really wanted to love this game but it was an example of playing it too late. I was well aware of VII’s grandeur and reputation going into it and I got swept up in it all during the Midgar section but then it fell off for me. I got increasingly bored by the rough dialogue that aged like milk. I also wasn’t into the constant darkness or the whole Cloud/Sephiroth arc. I know the rest of the world and their dogs adored it all but it wasn’t for me. However, the FMVs were amazing and that ending was superb along with the materia system which all meant this got into my top 5.

4. Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Switch)

I bought this in 2022 and then didn’t play it for 3 years so I decided to get through it and I loved it and I hated it. I loved the exploration and the lore-building and the focus on catching. I hated the boss battles but I knew it was a me problem and, compared to other action RPGs, it was small fry. A beautiful game (forget the haters) and the most satisfied I’ve ever felt after catching the final Pokémon.

3. Breath of Fire IV (PS1)

Confession: I started this in 2024. But I got this over the line in 2025 so I’m counting it. I first saw this in Sean Seanson’s Capcom video and I was immediately drawn to the graphics and the accessible gameplay. Where it really shone was in the story. I loved following along with the dialogue which was brilliantly written and the music was subtle but effective. It was a very cosy game and I would love to play it again.

2. Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

I tried playing VI two other times: once in 2021/2022 [citation needed] and once in 2024. Each time I got as far as Narshe Mines and then stopped. But with 4 of the first five FF’s behind me, it was a lot easier to play through. The first half was okay but didn’t grab me like V did so I wondered when it’d pick up and why it was so revered. Then the second half kicked in and my goodness, I LOVED it. I still think about the Relm and Strago dynamic and storyline and I wish I could hug them in real life. Also fuck Kefka (and also love you, Kefka)

1. Final Fantasy IX (PS1)

What a game. I skipped VIII and went straight to IX after VII and it didn’t take me long before I got hooked, especially because I played it via emulation and with improved graphics so everything looked so detailed and smooth. But aside from the beautiful graphics, the story drew me in from the get-go, the dialogue was mature and whimsical—just what I needed after the seriousness of VII—and gameplay was the peak of pre-3D FF combat with the ATB system. Even the side quests and fetch quests were fun to do (even though I cheated to get them all in numberical order, so sue me). And the music… *chef’s kiss*. The ending made me cry and I still get emotional thinking about it. I love this game so much and it is my vote for best game of 2025 and of all time.

Sidenote

I got a RetroAchievements 2025 Year in Review email earlier today so I thought I’d show you:

• In 2025, I played 24 games on retroachievements.org and unlocked 350 achievements, earning me 2179 softcore points
• I spent 211 hours playing games across 10 systems. 93 hours of that were playing PlayStation games
• I beat 8 games on softcore
• My most played game was Final Fantasy IX at 43 hours and 34 minutes
• My rarest achievement earned was Low-Level Game Enthusiast from Final Fantasy VI, which has only been earned by 3.08% of players