Hello and welcome.
We’re a couple of weeks or so into a new year. And it seems like an ideal time to unveil Story Mode, a brand-new gaming magazine. But we’ll touch upon that in just a bit.
Despite all the job cuts, studio closures, internet toxicity and growing legions of idiots who think DEI is going to enter their homes and cut them in their sleep, it’s fair to say that a majority of gamers have been ‘eating good’ for at least the past two years now. A 2023 that saw the launch of such critical and commercial hits as Baldur’s Gate 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Bros Wonder and Alan Wake 2 (to name but a few) was always going to be a hard act to follow. And yet, 2024 somehow did.
January brought with it two excellent RPGs — the restrained Sovereign Syndicate and the sprawling and majestic Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The latter, with its Animal Crossing-esque built-in management sim, ended up consuming far more of my life than I’d expected. Naughty Dog’s latest remaster dropped like clockwork and expectedly offered very little of note to those who’d already played the 2020 original. But let’s stick with RPGs for now.
As the months rolled on, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Persona 3 Reload, Metaphor: ReFantazio, The Thaumaturge, Dragon’s Dogma II and a whole heap of others would see the light of day. All of which provided a more than adequate appetiser to the entrée that was Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Your idea of what constitutes a hors d’oeuvre and an entrée will probably differ from mine. That’s fine.
For those with a predilection for running around with friends and shooting/blowing shit up, it was a mixed year. While Helldivers 2 and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 showcased the best the genre (or collection of similar genres) had to offer, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League represented the most rank average. And while two hero shooters that borrowed rather liberally from a whole bunch of other games were born in 2024, Marvel Rivals survived and Concord died a quick and painful death.
But this was also a year when surprise packages shone brightest: Whether that was Astro Bot being such a smash hit, Black Myth: Wukong obliterating all expectations and major sales targets in one fell supermonkey-sized swoop, or Balatro that reintroduced millions to the power of playing cards, these were the games that grabbed headlines.
Elsewhere, Elden Ring got a DLC or expansion or something of the sort, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle surpassed all expectations as it emerged as one of the best games of the year. My personal best of the year, however, was a little gem by the name of Until Then. This narrative adventure was a tour de force in terms of demonstrating how evocative, innovative and emotionally charged the genre can be. Honourable mentions for Stellar Blade, Last Time I Saw You, 1000XRESIST and Harold Halibut. On the home-grown front, narrative adventure The Palace on the Hill, horror title Kamla and cosy game Brocula were among the success stories, while the once highly regarded Indus (the harbinger of the Indian gaming revolution, if some were to be believed) continued to stumble from one PR disaster to another.
Which brings us to 2025
At the time of writing, the long-awaited sequel to 2013’s Grand Theft Auto V is still slated for a launch this year. The (not quite as long, but equally fervent) wait for a successor to the Nintendo Switch is also finally set to end in 2025. And although it’s still early days, the calendar already resembles a smorgasbord of treats catering to all tastes and fancies. Here’s a brief sampler:
Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed is an RPG that hasn’t gathered too much hype, but given the studio’s pedigree, it’s definitely worth a look-in. id Software’s Doom: The Dark Ages appears to be a medieval-ish prequel to the original game in the series and looks as brutal as you’d expect. And after months and months of posting mini film reviews and photos of his celebrity pals on social media, Hideo Kojima is expected to launch Death Stranding 2 later this year. Lest we forgot, the twice-postponed Assassin’s Creed Shadows is also set for a 2025 launch, and it’s safe to assume that the struggling Ubisoft has a lot riding on this one.
What else? Sid Meier is still going strong and will be releasing Civilization VII. Monster Hunter Wilds is expected, and so too is the sequel to the most frustrating game I’ve ever played, Kingdom Come: Deliverance. If it’s remakes and remasters that get your blood pumping, Fable and Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater will be here within the next 12 months. Oh yeah, and those crazy cats over at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio will be returning with another twist on the Like a Dragon/Yakuza universe with the bonkers Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. And back home in India, narrative adventure Detective Dotson and Fishbowl are among the frontrunners on the horizon for launches this year.
It’s safe to assume that’s only a tiny fraction of the indies, AAs and big-budget games that are going to launch in 2025. To guide you through the best and worst of the world of gaming this year is Story Mode. Find out about why it exists, who’s behind it and what you can expect from the platform right here.
And now, let’s get on with it!
