Thick as Thieves

A screenshot from Elden Ring Nightreign. Three players fly off into the mist, held aloft by spectral birds.

Having proclaimed that 2025 was The Year of Games That Are Co-op and/or Action and/or Rogue-lite (scroll to the section on Risk of Rain 2 if you missed it), the time has come to look back and evaluate some of the games from 2025 that fall under that heading.

As a note: I determine whether something is an action game by asking “Do you have fine control over a character’s movement, and does that movement affect your chance of success?” If yes, it’s an action game.

As for what a rogue-lite is, that’s really a matter of vibes. Is the game run-based? Are you frequently given a choice of 2 or 4 but usually 3 things? Do you collect something that you can spend to become stronger on future runs? If yes, it’s probably a rogue-lite.

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Wish upon a wall

Early in Hollow Knight: Silksong, someone asks for your help building a bridge.

The bug asking for aid is called Flick, the resident fixer of Bone Bottom, a town in the depths of Pharloom. A capable craftsman, he doesn’t require practical help from you, instead asking for raw materials—shell shards, mined from the environment or gathered from fallen bugs along your path.

In the kingdom of Pharloom, there’s a custom of posting requests like Flick’s to wishwalls. The bugs of this land, many of whom are on a pilgrimage to the sacred Citadel atop the realm, leave their wishes on the board and hold onto faith that someone else will come along and make them come true.

Flick’s wish is called “A Lifesaving Bridge.” He means to build this bridge across a pit near the edge of town, one that many a pilgrim has tumbled into. You too have run afoul of this fissure, plummeting into it at the game’s outset.

(I’ll keep the details vague, but there are some spoilers for the game in this post.)

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Sur l’art impossible

“Great art is both window and mirror… whether it’s your mask or theirs.”

– The Mask Keeper

Recto

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has me feeling conflicted.

Befitting its name, Sandfall Interactive’s debut title is a game of contrasts. There are many bright spots. There are also some not-so-bright spots. I want to quickly cover both sides, and I might touch on some mechanical specifics while doing so, but I’m not going in depth on the story other than to say…

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