Let’s talk more about the games I like and the games I want to play next year. Before I get into that, though, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by one game in particular this year, but I am not going to talk about this now. You can probably suss the reason why, but I’m going to leave it purposefully vague. In the last post, I talked about why I did not like the (heavily assumed) game of the year for this year, but that is not what I want to talk about in this post.
Let’s talk briefly about the game I was most anticipating this year, Hades II (Supergiant Games). I have mixed emotions about this game as well. When I bought the first game, it was after it came out of Early Access. I did not like how it felt when I first started playing it, but by the twentieth or so run, I was into it. I still wasn’t any good at it, but it had it hooks on me.
When the sequel was announced, everyone was surprised. Supergiant Games was known for trying a completely different genre with every game. Hades was their fourth game, and it was drastically different than the game before. So, even though Hades was outrageously successful, everyone assumed they would do a different kind of game for their fifth game.
They followed the same ppath with the sequel–It was in Early Access for over a year, and there were constant updates. True to my nature, I pretended it didn’t exist until it was actually launched for real. Then, I jumped in, curious to see if it lived up to the original.
For the first few runs, I would say that it exceeded my expectations. It was faster, slicker, and felt better (probably because I was already used to the layout from the first game). Except RB being used as the interact button. As a FromSoft person at heart, RB is and always will be light attack. I don’t think I could change the controls, but I don’t remember.
I’m not going to get too into it because I have written umpteen posts about this game as well. I will say that the charm wore off somewhat, and I will never forgive or forget what they did at the end of the game. Yes, they patched it and made it better, but still.
I’ll be honest. I am not getting my hopes up because there is no chance there will be a new FromSoft game next year. Well, except the one that will be exclusive to the Switch 2 and multiplayer. I will not be playing that game, sadly, nor do I have much interest in it. Though FromSoft has said reppeatedly that it isn’t going to stop making single-player action adventure games, I have my doubts. I don’t know why, but I feel like they’re ready to move on. Permanently.
And, while Miyazaki does not like sequels, I can’t see them NOT doing an Elden Ring II. Maybe not next, but pretty soon becaase they’ll want to capitalize on the popularity. If they do make an Elden Ring II, I really hope that it’s at least loosely related to the first game so we can find out more about some of the NPCs (like Melina).
I know this is going to sound weird beacuse Elden Ring is my favorite game of all time, but I don’t want a sequel to it. It’s the same with Dark Souls. A games journalist once said (after Dark Souls III was launched and Miyazaki said it was the end to the trilogy), “Of course if there’s a Dark Souls IV, I’m going to want it. What Souls fan wouldn’t?” To which I said out loud, “Me.” Even though the third game is my second-favorite game ever. I don’t want a new one because I want Miyazaki to move on and dream up something even more fantastical.
Elden Ring was a masterpiece. It’s the closest to a 10 I’ve given (9.75). I adore the game and still play it regularly. I still find new things in it (admittedly little things, but still). I don’t want another Elden Ring because Miyazaki left it all on the floor with this one.
Does that mean I would not play the sequel? No, it does not. Of course I would play the sequel, and it would probably be very solid. But I don’t want it, and I can’t deny that I would be disappointed for a hot sec if that was what came next.
There is no game that I’m anticipating for next year. Or rather, none that I can think of immediately. In a way, that’s more exciting because then I can be open to a variety of games. There are some things that draw me to games more than other things. Cats, dark themes, being hand drawn, and making the characters animals are all things that will catch my eye. I like a good sim, but then I get impatient/bored/frustrated if there is too much resource gathering/management.
I will always give indies more of a chance that Triple A games, and I will always give more leeway to the former than to the latter. In addition, I prefer games that try something new and fail than those that stick to a well-worn path.
I rarely feel compelled to buy a Triple A game upon release. In fact, I am content to wait years before playing them–except From games, of course. Once in a while, I’ll want to be in on the zeitgeist, but that’s rare. I don’t really care when I play a game, and I’m willing to pay full price for an indie game (which is usually twenty or less) much more so than I am for a Triple A game (which now can cost seventy or eighty bucks).
Side note: I have mixed feelings about the hike in prices of games. I am in no way paying that much for a game, but I can understand that prices need to go up. On the third hand, they have jumped too much in one go, and it’s not like the devs get much of it, anyway.
I will keep playing Elden Ring in 2026–that’s a given. Or I might try a dex run in Dark Souls III–and fail once again. I cannot do a pure dex run for the life of me, but I’m going to keep on trying because I’m stubborn like that. I’m currently running a dex (ish) build in Elden Ring, and I’m constantly fighting the temptation to turn it into a different kind of build.
That’s all for now. More tomorrow.