The Clayton Awards 2025

Game of the Year 2025 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Expedition 33 will keep you guessing, keep you engaged. You’ll quickly come to love and care about these characters. The ending – or rather endings – are brilliant. At its heart, Expedition 33 is a game about loss. About grief. About choosing to move on (or not). If you’ve not lost someone close to you it might not hit you in the same way, but it will hit you all the same.

And if you have, then . . . I lost someone very close to me earlier this year so it hit me hard. And in a way, playing Expedition 33 kind of helped me accept certain things I’d been resisting. It helped me . . . move a little closer to moving on, I guess you could say.

I won’t say any more about the story. It’s best experienced for yourself. But even if you’re someone who doesn’t care about a story or characters, then Expedition 33 still offers a fantastic experience in every other department. It’s great fun to play, to explore, to put together new builds and it will always find new ways to challenge, surprise or delight you.

Oh, and I can’t not mention the absolutely phenomenal soundtrack. The music – like the performances and the game as a whole – deserves recognition and awards. Expedition 33 is truly something special. Go play it. Now. (Full Review)

Most Disappointing Game of 2025 – Ghost of Tsushima

I can’t deny how striking the game looks. How polished it is. The visuals, the music, the VA, the animations, the UI – the production value is clear to see. And maybe that’s enough for some – but not for me.

Because I can’t overlook the bland, excessive combat, poor enemy variety, terribly paced player progression, the repetitive and dull side content, the lack of creativity of the missions, the lacklustre conclusion and the absence of emotion in the story. There’s nothing truly challenging or engaging here – neither narratively, nor in terms of gameplay. (Full Review)