Tails by the Foxfire

Sony added some extra hype to February this year with 2025’s first State of Play. Like many others, I was pretty keen to see what exciting new games lay ahead. There are certainly some games I’d be thrilled to see (Kingdom Hearts 4, our next mainline Final Fantasy, Persona 4, another classic remake or remaster of a gem I thought lost to time) but, as I prefer to with these shows, I went in with a bacon portabella mushroom melt from Wendy’s, some good company to watch the show with, and absolutely no idea what to expect from the lineup. Overall we found it to be a pretty decent showing, so let’s dig in and review what we’ve got to look forward to!

Watch Sony’s 2025 State of Play

Monster Hunter Wilds

Confession time: I’ve never played a Monster Hunter game. My husband enjoys them and has shown me the adorable Palico companions (I am obsessed), and I can see the appeal of each installment’s world design and gameplay–it’s definitely been a series that’s on my list to try, but I’m yet to experience the games first hand. After seeing the State of Play trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds though, I think I’m ready to change all that and take the plunge soon. With epic music, thrilling boss fights, eye-catching characters, and a sprawling and vibrant world, Monster Hunter Wilds looks right up my alley, and promises even more additional content to be added in the future, starting with the beautiful Mizutsune in the game’s first free title update. Get ready to start your adventure and pre-order before it drops on February 28th!

Digimon Story: Time Stranger

Who had a new Digimon Story game on their bingo card for 2025? Because I definitely didn’t. This one got a cheer from the room when it came up on screen, and for good reason: the last Digimon Story game we were given was back in 2015, with Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth–a turn-based RPG with engaging storylines and the ability to collect Digimon that’s considered highly underrated by some. From what we can see in the trailer, Time Stranger gives us a bustling city and some amount of open world exploration with the ability to ride around on certain Digimon. It reminds me a lot of contemporary Pokemon titles–Scarlet and Violet especially–but aside from vibes, I have no idea what to expect from the story. I can’t wait to find out when it releases this year, though! 

Lost Soul Aside

Apparently inspired by the dev’s love of Final Fantasy XIII Versus before it eventually became Final Fantasy XV, Lost Soul aside feels like what could have been cranked up to 11 with top-of-the-line graphics and fast-paced Devil May Cry style combat. Bright yet broody and exciting, and perfectly fitting the dark fantasy sci-fi scene of contemporary story-based gaming,  it’s hard to believe it’s been ten years in the making and even harder to believe this started as a one-man project in 2014. What’s easy to see, though, is the amount of love and labour that’s gone into its development. Showing off a variety of settings that range from traditional Japanese architecture to a futuristic dystopia, Lost Soul Aside’s story promises to transcend dimensions as we embark on an epic quest to save our sister, our world, and our soul. We’ve been waiting a long time for this one, and it’s finally dropping on May 30th of this year! 

Borderlands 4

I’ll admit I was kind of whelmed by the initial announcement at the Game Awards, but the trailer shown at Sony’s State of Play proves Borderlands 4 is here to return some dignity to the franchise after that travesty of a movie. Loaded with brand new features like double jumping, gliding, dodging, grappling and by the looks of it, swimming, Borderlands 4 gives players the freedom to traverse like never before, complete with the poppy visuals and untethered chaos that players have come to know and love. Borderlands 4 breaks onto PS5 on September 23rd, so you should definitely keep an eye out for the in-depth, exclusive State of Play later this spring if you’re interested in seeing more!

Split Fiction

Hazelight already reinvented the coop genre with the award winning It Takes Two and are here to do it again with Split Fiction: a teamwork-based game starring writers Zoe and Mio, who must work together to survive their respective stories and bring down the evil company that’s trying to steal them. I’ve been looking forward to this one since it was announced at the Game Awards, and its release slated for March 6th, there isn’t long left to wait. Fly dragons, flee from cyber-police and more to help Zoe and Mio protect their creativity and shape their unlikely sisterhood in the process. If it’s anything like It Takes Two, it’ll be an unforgettable experience.

Directive 8020

I like reading some good horror game lore, but admittedly I’m a bit too chicken to sit down and play them first-hand. It really takes something special to catch my attention too, like the old-school Silent Hill games–I’m the furthest thing from an adrenaline seeker, I hate jump scares, and I’m not a fan of gore. However, something in Directive 8020 caught my attention even as a non-horror gamer who’s not a big fan of body horror. Set on a spaceship infected with an alien life form that can imitate the cellular structure of other beings, the crew slowly find that they are being killed off and replaced. Mysteries and secrets run rampant as they try to reach the outside world, but is escape even possible when you can’t tell friend from foe? Find out on October 2nd.

The Midnight Walk

I have no idea if I’ll have the courage to play this one but I’ll for sure be looking forward to watching my favourite streamers brave it. Coming our way on May 8th, The Midnight Walk is a dark fantasy story of The Burnt One and a lost lantern creature named Potboy who embark on a dangerous quest to return fire to their world. Created entirely stop-motion, The Midnight Walk has a nostalgic Tim Burton feel, but with a wholly unique style that both enchants and unsettles, and that has the potential to inject some seriously scary moments as you try to outwit the world’s monsters. The Midnight Walk features heartrending instrumentals with a story that’s sure to match and is one of those titles that shows you just how imaginatively the worlds of art and gaming can collide. 

Lies of P: Overture

As with Monster Hunter Wilds, Lies of P: Overture woke me up to the fact that I need to hurry up and look at Lies of P. A prequel to the original game (though the base game is required), Lies of P: Overture takes players to the final days of the city of Krat, currently on the brink of the Puppet Frenzy massacre. There are plenty of secrets and stories to discover here, as well as battles that are said to “shape the past and future of Lies of P”. You won’t want to miss out on this one when it arrives this summer.

Dreams of Another

Coming sometime this year, this fascinating little title defies the norms of shooting games, presenting instead as an exploration game that tells us, “There is no creation without destruction.” Reshape and manipulate the world by shooting at it and uncover the secrets behind this dreamlike reality. 

Tides of Annihilation

This looks absolutely stunning and I actually can’t wait to see more. Stunning visuals, intense boss fights, incredible music, all based in the ruined streets of London and inspired by Arthurian legend. Tides of Annihilation seems like the whole package, and fans of Baldur’s Gate 3 might even have noticed that the main character is voiced by the talented Jennifer English, better known as Shadowheart. There’s a lot of promise here and I’ll be keeping an eye out for the all-important release date. 

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