277: GOTY 2025 — The Final Cut

This week's episode is about the wildly creative, utter bonkers, critically divisive Romeo Is A Dead Man, the latest from Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture. It's a game that throws a huge amount at the wall, from classic hack 'n' slash ('n' guns) combat, to '80s pulp cinema, Japanese mythology, UK rock iconography, Lychian surrealism, and classical philosophy. For me, that led to a fun, punk, oddly intoxicating game experience that acts as a valuable counterpoint to the more safe and predictable big-budget games.In the roundup: Resident Evil requiem, Esoteric Ebb, Homura Hime, London Games Festival.Join the Patreon: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildCheck out YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWfsBe3N3bwFollow the Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/Visit the GITW TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gaminginthewildThanks folks!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week's podcast is all about February's Steam Next Fest — a feast of new games that myself and the GITW community enjoyed to the fullest. First we run through my impressions of the 20 or so games I played, then move on to a personal top five, and the community's top ten game picks. We had a record number of particpants, with over 150 demos played — thanks as always to patrons Slater and soccr for making the spreadsheet work and crunching the numbers — it was a blast!In the roundup: Resident Evil Requiem, Esoteric Ebb, Raccoin, Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime, Planet of Lana II, REPLACED, March Indie Games, and the London Games Festival.LinksJoin the Patreon: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildMarch indie games video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkNksga-Q4cSo Many Games article: https://somanygames.co.uk/articles/indie-guide-feb-2026Steam Curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/Follow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gaminginthewild.comAnd thanks for listening!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Duskpunk is a quite brilliant "Sleeper-like" that came out at the tail end of last year. Set in the gritty, murky, war-torn city of Dredgeport, it casts those addictive, multi-functional dice and clock tabletop mechanics in a gritty Steampunk world.In the roundup: Romeo Is A Dead Man, Persona 5 Royal, Raccoin, REPLACED, and Steam Next Fest. Join Patreon for Discord and extras and the Next fest community event: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild. Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/.Buy discounted game codes via this link to support the channel: https://www.fanatical.com/en/?ref=gitwbb.And thanks for listening!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This weeks episode is a bumper one. First, there's a review Cairn, the ambitious granular climbing simulator; then, there's a 50-game guide ot the games we have to look forward to in 2026. In the roundup: Balatro (... yup, again), and Assassin's Creed Origins, of all things.Support the pod & join the patron community: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildYouTube channel: http://youtube.com/gaminginthewildCitizen Sleeper 2 book pre-order: http://lostincult.co.uk/citizensleeper2Follow the Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/ Social media and so forth: http://gaminginthewild.com Thanks for listening!(00:00:00) Intro(00:10:37) Cairn(00:32:59) Indie game guide to 2026(01:13:10) OutroAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

ARC Raiders is a multiplayer phenomenon and a surprise smash-hit that’s drawn in players not usually into that kind of thing: including me. To discuss, I’m joined by my ARC wingperson and MVP Ciarán Daly, to talk player behaviour, AI, emergent gameplay, and more.In the roundup: ROG Ally X, MIO: Memories In Orbit, Cairn, Cauldron.Watch me and Ciarán play the game: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGvXMgrjlCYtRfDNBcQ8AWJimHpMutVz4&si=K7El2MJCFzB7JG7X Support the channel, join the community, and get a free game code: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.Follow the Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/ Social media and so forth: http://gaminginthewild.com Thanks for listening!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After spending December playing GOTY catchup and posting deliberations with various brilliant guests, it's crunch time. This episode is my personal games of the year list for 2025.Support the pod, join the patron Discord, and get a game code for 1000xRESIST, Citizen Sleeper, Ultros, or In Other Waters: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.See the YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5Z4bBENvW0Follow the Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/.And thanks for listening, everybody!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The votes are cast and counted, and it's time to unveil the results of the Gaming In The Wild patron GOTY vote 2025!This annual fixture has slowly eclipsed my own GOTY list as the most-hype podcast of GOTY season in my mind. We had a record-breaking 50 voters, selecting 88 games, and one final winner. And to help me go through the results, I had one special guest: Blinkoom aka Steve from Indie Quest podcast. Enjoy the show, folks, it was a blast to create.Find Blink on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Blinkoom See Blink’s GOTY stream: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2648247802 Find Blink's podcast Indie Quest: https://indiequest.buzzsprout.comIf you'd like to join the community, hit up Patreon — new patrons at any tier get a free game code for 1000xRESIST, Ultros, In Other Waters, or Citizen Sleeper (while they last) — and you can vote next year! http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild  Happy holidays folks — I'll be back before NYE with my personal GOTY episode in the final episode of the year.00:00 Intro04:30 Blink's Top Ten51:54 Patron vote: lower ten01:25:53 Patron vote: top tenAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week's show is me catching up on a couple of intriguing late-year indie releases. Skate Story is a fantastical skating game where we play a demon skating out of hell to eat the moon — it's a masterclass in both skating mechanics and aesthetic. DISPATCH is the blockbuster visual novel that takes an original spin on a superhero story, with very human themes.Join the Patreon to support the show, join the community, and get a free game code, a Discord invite, ad-free episodes, and more: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildSee my videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GamingInTheWildSteam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/Special thanks to my Boss Tier Patrons: ShyGuy, KingChamp, Cerys, SusannaMaria, Nate, and Syd B. And thanks to you for listening :)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week's podcast is a GOTY roundup with Brad Gallaway from the excellent So Videogames podcast. Brad brings a mixture of big hitters and hidden gems, including at least four games I hadn't even heard of before, so open your wishlists, and enjoy his picks!You can find the So Videogames podcast here: https://gamecritics.com/podcasts/Hop into Patreon to support this show and join the listener community: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.See the YouTube videos here: http://youtube.com/gaminginthewild.And find me on Steam and social media via: http://gaminginthewild.com.Thanks for listening, folks!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

GOTY season is upon us! This year's special guest series kicks off with Ben from The Mimic's Veil, who dropped by to talk Silksong hot takes, Clair Obscur, The Game Awards, Consume Me, and some of the indie gems that he's hoping to squeeze in before year end.Find the Mimic's Veil on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/themimicsveil.bsky.social.Support this podcast on Patreon (and join the patron GOTY vote!): http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.See my videos: https://www.youtube.com/@GamingInTheWild.Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/Peace!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy