GotY 2025 - Game of the Year

Here we are - 2025's Game of the Year according to our team here at Chalgyr's Game Room. We've talked about so many elements that make gaming worthwhile from memorable moments, to finding hidden gems we didn't expect to and showing our deep appreciation for visuals, music, characters and stories that touched us. It's an incredibly subjective thing, when you're talking about a Game of the Year, because we all interact with this media in our own unique ways. Still, when you're talking about the best of the best, there tend to be some common threads and excellence can be found in every team member's entry here. 

Thank you, our readers, for being a part of our video game journey in 2025. Here at CGR, we look forward to sharing our thoughts about this medium we all love next year in 2026 as well, and welcome any thoughts you've had about our entries this year in the comments section. We hope that you agree that it's been a fun ride in 2025, and we're appreciative that you made us a part of it. 

Nick: Clair Obscur Expedition 33

I mean, this game is probably my favorite in years. Years and years. The visual style is stunning, the music is beyond fantastic (the soundtrack has been a frequent flyer in my Spotify playlists and I have a reservation for the vinyl record release in early 2026) and the characters and narrative made me feel all sorts of things along the way. Also, and perhaps most importantly – the game was just a lot of fun to play. The mix of turn-based combat and timing combined with a rich world filled with reasons to explore, and this right here is my perfect mix for a Game of the Year. It's impressive really, that Clair Obscur is still landing in my social feeds this late in the year, given that it came out quite early in 2025. However, it's emotional impact and brilliant creativity can't be denied, which is why I believe no video game did it better in 2025. 

PY: Clair Obscur Expedition 33

I don’t think by this point there is anyone who hasn’t heard of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

This was an odd one for me personally. Having seen the game cover alone I pre-ordered it. Life being life, I cancelled it for the time being regretting it more because of FOMO than anything else. Then my brother messaged me saying PLAY THIS NOW. My brother plus single player games doesn’t happen often, so I booted it up out of Steam Family Share and promptly bought it on the PS5.

Is it perfect? No, but it could damn near be considered as such. The exploration gameplay is smooth and while mechanically is nothing new, each area comes with its own visuals, exploration music AND battle music. Lorien Testard deserves a memorable music article to him alone.

Then there was the actual combat that keeps you engaged like The Legend of Dragoon and Lost Odyssey where you have to hit at the right times to make a difference in your attack power. Upping the mechanics to not just be another feather in that cap, you also need to dodge, parry or jump to avoid or block enemy attacks. 

Finally there was the writing and the supporting voice acting that just sold the entire experience. Never taking the easy way out and being “cheesy”, everything felt just right alongside the music in which both live rent free in my head.

Susan: Blue Prince

Unlike everyone else on the planet, I didn't get a chance to play Clair Obscur and likely won't be able to do so until 2026. (Don't worry, I will play it!) Anyways, I made a rule a long time ago that I would only list games that I have actually played on my annual GOTY list. This year's game is 100,000,000% Blue Prince (which is interesting because it's also the game Alanah Pearce chose for GOTY :D ). 

So, we all know how much I love puzzle games and how they will always make it to the top of my list depending on what it does. Blue Prince knocked it out of the park and over the water into another continent. There are so many layers to this game that don't become obvious until you get into certain rooms or see something you didn't catch the first time. The amount of times someone said something so completely innocuous that tipped off another player to a solution is WILD. Imagine the phrase, "there are numbers" giving someone the push they need to solving a puzzle. Trust me, this game is just fantastic. And right from the start I knew there was something with the pictures in every room and I wasn't wrong. With each day you can uncover more and more information about what happened. I especially love the puzzle within the puzzle within the puzzle. 

Blue Prince floored me in so many ways. At first you think the game is just like an updated 7th Guest where there are puzzles to each room, but overall they don't seem to fit together. They are puzzles that are meant to be solved which leads to a key for another puzzle, but that's all they are - puzzles for the sake of being puzzles. In Blue Prince, each piece of information you find leads you to uncovering the story being told. People are missing, but why? You see? So many questions to be answered! I live for this kind of game.

Anyways, I have finished the game in terms of reaching the elusive room, but I still have a ton of puzzles to solve! The amount of gameplay time you get without staring at one puzzle for 6 hours is fantastic. (Although, I did stare at one puzzle for many hours. To heck with that damn room!) Anyways, each day is a new challenge and you can work on puzzles at your own pace.

What I'm saying is, this is hands down one of the most brilliant puzzle games next to Antichamber or The Witness or Talos Principle. All of them make you rethink your puzzle solving approach, and I love it. So, I can't talk about this game enough and yet I don't want to so that I don't accidently spoil anything! Do yourselves a favor and play Blue Prince. Trust me, it's worth it if you are a puzzle aficionado. 

Valerie: Blue Prince

Blue Prince made my GotY because of many factors and also many thanks to the friend who gifted it to me! You've heard above that it is reminiscent of 7th Guest, but the similarities definitely stop there. This game tops the list of puzzle games for the many factors of puzzles within puzzles, red herrings, obvious shots, and many 'back rooms' LOL (pun intended!).

I have yet to find that elusive 46th room, but everytime I pop back into the game a new clue presents itself. I have definitely invested tons of time in the screenshot taking just to keep a clue for the next time I run into a puzzle I have yet to solve. So many and sometimes so little time to play. I will keep coming back and I will up my count of puzzles solved as the new year rolls around!

The story in this game is slowly being revealed as I go along and I can't wait to get all the information needed to discover it all! 

If you love puzzle games as much as I do, get this one! You won't regret it! 

Richard: Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

Sequel to Ender Lilies and a hell of a good metroidvania title, Ender Magnolia was a pleasure to play from start to 100% finish. I loved the gameplay, the art style, the soundtrack, the characters. Beautifully well done, and out of the titles I’ve reviewed so far this year, Ender Magnolia definitely takes it. Check out my review here!

~~~ 

Read More

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist - PC(Steam) review

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist by developers Adglobe and Live Wire and publisher Binary Haze Interactive—PC(Steam) review written by Richard with a copy provided by the publisher.  

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

---

Well folks, here we are!! Have you been waiting in anticipation like I have? Well lucky for you, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist finally has its full release! Did you try out the early access? Are you coming here after playing Ender Lillies? Perhaps you’re just looking for a neat new game to play and don’t know about it yet? Either way, it’s time to delve into the world of Ender Magnolia!

Ender Magnolia is set in the Land of Fumes, a land of magical might where artificial beings known as Homunculi have been created to help advance the land’s prosperity. Everything did not go well however, as toxic fumes from beneath the Earth have risen up and driven the homunculi mad. You awaken as Lilac, a young girl with the power of an “attuner”, one who can purify the taint of the fumes from the homunculi. So you set off on an adventure to help the homunculi driven mad, to explore the layers of the city from the lower district upwards, all in search of a way to make life better for the inhabitants.

Unlike in Ender Lillies, Ender Magnolia takes a bit of a different approach, having characters you can actually converse with, both human and homunculi, as not everyone is dead in this land, at least not yet. As you explore you will interact with the inhabitants and learn more about the world you are in.

Ender Magnolia, like its predecessor, is a 2D side-scrolling metroidvania. With a somewhat revamped battle system, Mili returning for the musical composition, and beautiful artwork, Ender Magnolia certainly hasn’t been slacking off after Ender Lillies. For those new to the games, and genre as a whole, no worries! While there are parallels and aspects that either make more sense or are more understandable if you’ve played Ender Lillies, it isn’t necessary to do so to enjoy Ender Magnolia. So let’s jump in and take a look at things!

Your basic gameplay in Ender Magnolia involves exploring the world and defeating the enemies in your way, both in relatively equal measure. As you explore the Land of Fumes, you will encounter various homunculi and humans in need of help, whether by assisting them or purifying the homunculi of their madness. As you do so, various homunculi will join you on your adventure, giving you access to more attack types and movement and exploration tools. When you start out you may not be able to do too much, as there will be items on ledges too far away, weird walls you cannot get through, and other obstacles you may not be able to deal with. By finding new homunculi friends, these obstacles can be overcome.

A few notes on some improvements Ender Lillies here, but the exploration tools tend to be a lot smoother to use than in Ender Lillies. There’s also a run button, which is really nice to have! Also, the map has some enhanced functionality, which I will get to a bit later, but it’s really nice.

In terms of combat, you have a wide variety of options available to you. No really, there’s a lot more than it seems. Every homunculi that you recruit that has an attack can be equipped to one of four usage options, and they all have three different attack types. You can mix and match different homunculi attacks and different options within a homunculi’s available options. For example, your first homunculi is a basic attack you’ll likely be using the entire game. The three available options are: sword, axe, and scythe. You can only “equip” a homunculus once, so you can’t equip a sword and axe from the same homunculi, but you are free to switch at any rest stop.

As you explore the world you may find parts you can use to upgrade the homunculi or to unlock the different attack forms. You may be able to buy these from the store as well, so keep an eye out when the store expands its wares. Improving an attack will increase the damage output, stagger amount, and usually includes some third improvement specific to the attack.

Now that you’ve prepared your line of attack, it’s time to tackle the enemies standing against you! Attacking enemies will deplete their health, and they usually have a guard gauge as well. Reducing this will stagger the enemy, letting you get in some good damage while they are unable to react. The general goal is to beat the enemies, dodge their attacks with your dash or counter, and use a healing bottle if you need it while trying not to get hit. New from Ender Lillies, you also unlock a sort of super move later in the game, which can be used by building SP from attacking enemies. It’s actually pretty neat and adds a bit of an extra layer to combat. Beating an enemy will award you a number of things, including experience and potentially scrap, if you beat them in a certain manner or have an item equipped. As you earn experience you will level up, granting you more health and improving your stats, making fights maybe a little bit easier.

Now that you can defend yourself, let’s look at some of the equipable options. Making a return are relics, providing specific unique effects, but you will also be able to equip bracelets to improve your stats, as well as a carapace and totem. Carapaces and totems have their own different effects, such as replacing your dash/dodge with a block/counter type move or restoring health once between rests when low. There are different options, so find something that works well for you!

Speaking of equipment, you can only swap out abilities or equipment, as well as upgrading, while at a rest station, which are handy benches, or bench like objects, liberally strewn throughout the Land of Fumes. Also lucky for you, Ender Magnolia functions like a sort of souls-lite experience. What I mean by that is enemies respawn on resting, but if you die you are just returned to your last rest location without loss. Additionally, very early on you acquire the ability to fast travel between respites, or to return to a respite via the pause menu.

Now, relics, those unique effect equipables, are a little different. See, you have a certain capacity, both in terms of slots and “slots”. What this means is you can equip up to ten different relics, provided the total number of “slots” they consume is less than or equal to your maximum amount. Additionally, relics can be upgraded with scrap, a resource that’s moderately frustrating to figure out initially. Other than equipping a certain relic that has a chance to reward scrap on defeating an enemy, if you hit an enemy with a FULLY CHARGED exploration move that can also deal damage, you will get scrap. The game doesn’t really explain this properly when you first unlock scrap, so be aware of this if once you get to that point. Upgrading relics can reduce their cost or improve their effects, and are generally worth the improvements.

I have some excellent news for you folks: Ender Magnolia is really beautiful, both aesthetically and musically. The wonderful folks of Mili are back to grace our ears with their haunting melodies and thematic tunes, while the artwork is beautiful 2D drawings, both as backgrounds, as enemy and character designs, and during cutscenes. Ender Magnolia is artistically beautiful, and I really hope you share my opinion on this.

You know what else is beautiful? Some of the quality of life implementations. Let’s look at your map for starters. As you explore the world, a map is created for you as you enter new “rooms”, which the game is divided into. A partially explored room will appear in grayscale, in the actual shape of the room on your map, and indicate anything you’ve seen in the room. A wall you can’t pass yet, or an item on a ledge you can’t yet reach? As long as you can see it on-screen, it’ll show up on the map with an icon. Once you’ve fully cleared a room, it’ll color it in blue on the map, meaning you’ve done everything you can there. Furthermore, there is an icon that’ll appear on the map screen stating the name of the area, and a symbol if you’ve 100% completed the area, which is super useful. If you want, you can even make your own markers to place on the map, which I did a few times, to indicate areas that you need to investigate or return to. In addition to the handy map functionality, the gameplay difficulty is extremely customizable. While there are default levels of difficulty, you can actually manually adjust aspects such as enemy health, damage, and attack frequency in order to make the game more appropriate for how you want to play.

Overall, I have to say that Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is an absolutely stellar metroidvanian title that I highly recommend to anybody interested in the genre. The combat is smooth and well set out, the exploration is fun, and there are a lot of hidden techniques to find, the world is expressive and beautifully drawn, and the soundtrack is as gorgeous as the visuals. I sincerely doubt you’ll be disappointed in the experience.

Score: 10 / 10

Read More

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist - PC(Steam) Preview

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist by developer Adglobe and Live Wire and publisher Binary Haze Interactive—PC(Steam) preview written by Richard with a copy provided by the publisher.

 
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

---

Once more do we delve into a kingdom of inflicted madness. Once more do we fight to save the souls of those who have succumbed to the Fumes. Set decades after the events of Ender Lilies, we finally get to take a look at the next title in the series: Ender Magnolia.

Ender Magnolia is a game I was super excited to hear the announcement for. In fact, a few days before I heard about it, I was actually talking to someone how I wanted a sequel to Ender Lilies. Well, here we are now, taking a preview look at the Early Access version of exactly that: Ender Magnolia. Needless to say, I almost immediately got into things. Fair warning if you're looking at getting the Early Access version, Ender Magnolia has limited content for the Early Access, so you may have to wait a bit before the full release to play the whole game. 

For the most part, Ender Magnolia is very similar to Ender Lilies to help give a good idea about how things will work. Good news for you guys, I actually went back and played 100% through Ender Lilies again when I ran out of Ender Magnolia content, the whole 100% map and achievement too, so I can compare them pretty well for you.

Ender Magnolia features a storyline somewhat similar to Ender Lilies. You are a young girl who awakens in a dilapidated lab, sporting a rather spotty memory issue, who shortly afterwards encounters a "spirit knight" who also has amnesia to help you fight your way out of the lab and complete your goals. Now, where Ender Lilies had spirits, Ender Magnolia has Homunculi. More of a flavour text swap than anything, but the difference here is how enemy bosses are dealt with. In Ender Lilies you purify the spirits and can use their abilities. In Ender Magnolia you tune the Homunculi to get rid of their madness, and they then offer you their services. Pretty similar, but it is nice to see your "spirits" are more "alive" now.

Speaking of more alive, there are actually living people in Ender Magnolia! You can talk to them, solve some of their problems, and even purchase accessories and items! It makes the world you explore feel a little more "alive" too, and also lends some weight to your actions trying to resolve the issues around the Fumes and the madness overtaking the homunculi.

So let's talk about the gameplay. Those coming from Ender Lilies, be glad to know the gameplay is pretty much the same, with a few tweaks. For those new, Ender Magnolia is a 2D Metroidvania title with soulsborne-like aspects. You have your different attacks that can be assigned based on what homunculi you've tuned, and they can be assigned to different buttons. Unlike Ender Lilies, at least in the Early Access content, the homunculi you can use do not have a "usage limit" between resting, which wasn't a big deal for me in Ender Lilies, but I imagine some people would find annoying.

Additionally, the homunculi have different forms that their attacks can take, requiring specific materials to unlock and upgrade. For example, your first homunculi companion has a default sword mode, but can unlock a scythe or an axe mode, the latter of which is somewhat reminiscent of the hammer from Ender Lilies, just with more upward swing. In a cool little addition, you also get a preview video of the ability so you can see how it works before upgrading to it.

You will be fighting enemies, opening gates and doors to unlock new areas, and fighting enemies. Along the way you will be leveling up and collecting items, equipment, and a sort of currency. Combat is action oriented, where you can dodge around, jump, and attack to break an enemy's guard or to outright kill them. Guard breaking works on both normal enemies and bosses, and will give you an opening to punish them while they are stunned. You have a set number of healing item uses as well, which will replenish when you rest in a safe area, as well as restoring all the enemies you've beaten, excluding the bosses.

Now, for those of you who are completionists like me, I'm happy to note that not only has the map system come back, where areas you have 100% in change colour, but it's been improved. All areas you pass through now actually show the area reflected on the map screen, with additional notes made when you come across something, such as a note, locked door, or obstacle you haven't cleared, and are clearly indicated on the map. Additionally, when you've done everything in an area, the map turns from a dull grey to a blue colour, indicating you've done everything there.

I mentioned this earlier, but upgrading your Homunculi in Ender Magnolia is a bit different. By completing sidequests, beating bosses, or opening chests, you may discover certain parts that can be used in the Homunculi. Different parts are associated to different types of Homunculi, and you can upgrade multiple times, requiring multiple parts. A few things to note. First off, in addition to your standard attack mode, you have three slots for other Homunculi abilities. Additionally, unlike in Ender Lilies, you only have one command set, at least in Early Access, not sure if that'll change for the full release. Finally, while upgrading a weapon to a different move type doesn't prevent you from using the other move types as long as they are unlocked, you cannot assign the same Homunculi to two different slots, even with different attack types.

So, let's talk equipment. You now have four equipment slots in addition to relics. Relics fill in relic slots, and will provide some form of passive ability, such as reducing ability cooldown or increasing experience earned. The equipment comes as: Carapace, two bracelet slots, and an assist slot. While only bracelets are available so far, or at least that's all I've managed to get, equipment seems to focus more on increasing stats, as opposed to providing a passive effect.

Next up is another new aspect: currency! That's right, you can "buy" things. Well, craft them really. Instead of souls, you pick up scraps that can be turned into items and equipment. We can also now fast travel from anywhere to any rest location while interacting with your map, which is a nice quality of life improvement. For the last new implementation, you can now run if you hold the dodge button after performing a dodge. Yay faster movement!

Once again, we have a package nicely wrapped in a beautiful aesthetic. With gorgeous art style, as well as an emotional and engaging soundtrack, I was super excited to get into the Early Access of Ender Magnolia. My only complaint? I wanted more! You only have access to the first few areas, but I want to keep playing more, exploring more. So hopefully you're like me, and are super excited for when the full release finally comes out! I can assure you, I'll be on it in an instant.

Score: N/A

Read More

Acclaimed ENDER LILIES Sequel “ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist” Ascends into Early Access On PC

TOKYO – March 25, 2024 – ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom In The Mist, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed dark fantasy metroidvania fairy tale ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, which sold more than 1.4 million copies from publisher Binary Haze Interactive as well as developers Adglobe and Live Wire, launches today on PC via Steam Early Access.
 
A king’s desire for expansion leads to the creation of artificial intelligence known as the Homunculi. However, tragedy strikes when mysterious toxins rise from beneath the Land of Fumes driving the human-like machines to madness. As mankind flees for safety, Lilac, the “Attuner” who can purify corruption from unnatural souls, rises to the occasion. But who will Lilac save — the humans or the Homunculi?
 
Slay multitudes of mechanical monsters with the help of the Spirit Reaper who fights at Lilac’s command. Convert enemy bosses into allies by purifying their souls, then employ their skills to add 30 enhanced attack and movement abilities to Lilac’s disposal. Level up abilities at rest points, and equip up to four friendly powers at once to adjust to any combat situation.

Combine double-jumps with special movement abilities to traverse crumbling ruins, and search for relics and lore-filled notes chronicling the Kingdom’s downfall. Collect gold and spare parts scattered across abandoned cities, decrepit dungeons, deserted laboratories, and abandoned sorcerer academies. Then, visit the Blacksmith to trade resources for weapons and stat-boosting items.
 
Delight in the enchanting tunes by returning musical group Mili (ENDER LILIES, Ghost in the Shell). ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist’s original soundtrack will be available for purchase at a later date.
 
Adventure at any pace through a hand-drawn enthralling atmosphere, and witness nightmarish memories through cutscenes that reveal Lilac’s mysterious origins. Today’s Early Access launch invites intrepid explorers to see ENDER MAGNOLIA’s beginning and first third of content planned for 1.0. The 1.0 launch will include hours of added content, including additional abilities, enemies, biomes, bosses, and much more. 
 

“The feedback we received from the ENDER LILIES community has been a major contributor to the development of ENDER MAGNOLIA,” says Hiroyuki Kobayashi, CEO, Binary Haze Interactive. “We encourage everyone to lend their voice during Early Access, and . we have much more to share at 1.0, stay tuned!”
 
ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in The Mist is now available on PC via Steam Early Access for $19.99, with the 1.0 launch arriving on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch in 2024 with language options in Japanese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), and Korean-language support.

For more information, please visit the ENDER MAGNOLIA - Bloom in The Mist - official website, follow ENDER LILIES on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as Binary Haze Interactive’s official account on Twitter.

About Binary Haze Interactive

Binary Haze Interactive, founded in 2020 by Hiroyuki Kobayashi, is a production and publishing company located in Tokyo, Japan, Starting with ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, Binary Haze publishes games with a focus on atmospheric settings for major consoles and PC. 

 #EnderMagnolia #Metroidvania #Indiegame

Article by: Susan N.

Read More