Danielle J Barth​
Danielle J Barth​
2025 Video Games
This is a compilation of reviews of new-to-me games I have played in 2025. Please note, this includes games that were released PRIOR to 2025 but that I had not played before.
Strange Horticulture
Released 01/21/2022
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC
PC
05/11/2025
This one is different, and strangely harder that I expected. I like occult horror stuff, although I have not personally played much in that category. I know it has multiple endings, and I am about halfway through my first playthrough. It will be interesting to see where the story goes.
Posted on 05/12/2025; 2.7 hours played
My Rating:
Game description:
Strange Horticulture is an occult puzzle game in which you play as the proprietor of a local plant store. Find and identify new plants, pet your cat, speak to a coven, or join a cult. Use your collection of powerful plants to influence the story and unravel Undermere’s dark mysteries.
Welcome to Undermere, a quaint town surrounded by hag-infested forests and rugged mountains. You are the Horticulturist, owner of local plant store Strange Horticulture. As a cast of colorful customers come by your shop, you are quickly thrust into an occult mystery stretching back hundreds of years.
Tavern Manager Simulator
Released 08/13/2024
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC
PC
04/07/2025
Another little fun tavern simulator. Very much like Ale & Tavern but not as lackadaisical. I haven't gotten very far in it yet, and there are some things that I hope are unlocked later for QoL stuff.
Posted on 05/12/2025; 2.1 hours played
My Rating:
Game description:
Restore your fantasy tavern to its full glory. Repair, improve and expand the establishment. Cook delicious food and keep an eye on the mood of the visitors. Create a unique atmosphere for unforgettable adventures!
Tavern Manager Simulator is an exciting process of rebuilding, expanding and improving a tavern. Take different approaches to running an establishment and meet the challenges of the outside world to create your own unique story.
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That's Not My Neighbor
Released 03/11/2025
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC
PC
04/07/2025
This is a very Papers, Please-esq game. I first learned of this game when Scary Game Squad on YouTube played the demo.
It is a fun little game. Some of them really make you think, and the premise that Dopplegangers, which are Skinwalker-like beings, are trying to takeover everything is funny.
Posted on 05/12/2025; 0.5 hours played
My Rating:
Game description:
It's 1955, and for unknown reasons, doppelgangers are more common than usual. Therefore, the Department of Doppelganger Detection (D.D.D.) has taken action. You are the doorman of an apartment complex, and you must decide whether to let in those who claim to be your neighbors.
Immerse yourself in the experience of working as a doorman in an apartment complex infested by beings that take on the appearance of your building's neighbors.
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Oblivion Remastered
Released 04/22/2025
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC/Xbox/PS5/Switch
PC
04/23/2025
Posted on 04/28/2025; 17.8 hours played
This takes me back to my childhood. I played the original on Playstation and Xbox; I wish I could go back and see how many hours I lost to this game, but if I had to guess, it was 400+ hours. I remember when I first played this, I was so afraid that I never left the capital city.
This remaster is beautiful. For some reason, half of the characters have their eyes way open and their facial expressions remind me of the Sims. Otherwise, the game is smooth and I have no qualms with it. It makes me want a Morrowind Remaster, although I know that is unlikely to happen.
My Rating:
Game description:
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion™ Remastered modernizes the 2006 Game of the Year with all new stunning visuals and refined gameplay. Explore the vast landscape of Cyrodiil like never before and stop the forces of Oblivion from overtaking the land in one of the greatest RPGs ever from the award-winning Bethesda Game Studios.
Journey through the rich world of Tamriel and battle across the planes of Oblivion where handcrafted details have been meticulously recreated to ensure each moment of exploration is awe-inspiring.
Schedule I (One)
Early Access 03/24/2025
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC
PC
03/29/2025
Disclaimer: I do not condone or support the creation, distribution, or use of illicit substances.
With that being said, this game is addictively (ironically) fun. The art style works to make it obviously not realistic. The music hits hard. There are some exploits that will probably be patched out eventually. I hope they had things like undercover cops or raids and other such mechanics. For a first game, the developer has done very well.
Posted on 04/02/2025; 24.4 hours played
My Rating:
Game description:
From small-time dope pusher to kingpin - manufacture and distribute a range of drugs throughout the grungy city of Hyland Point. Expand your empire with properties, businesses, employees and more.
You're a small-time drug dealer rolling into a fresh town with no cash, no product and no connections. Build your drug empire from the ground up in the grungy west-coast city of Hyland Point. Contend against intensifying law enforcement and deadly cartel competitors to expand your empire and reach the peak of the underworld.
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Released 02/13/2018
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
PC
03/19/2025
I had heard about this game in passing, but when the sequel grew closer, I decided to purchase it. Man, this is another game I slept on. I am not very far into it because I decided to restart after understanding more of the mechanics, but I am looking forward to see where it goes.
Posted on 03/25/2025; 18.1 hours played
My Rating:
Game description:
Story-driven open-world RPG that immerses you in an epic adventure in the Holy Roman Empire. Avenge your parents' death as you battle invading forces, go on game-changing quests, and make influential choices. Explore castles, forests, villages and other realistic settings in medieval Bohemia!
You're Henry, the son of a blacksmith. Thrust into a raging civil war, you watch helplessly as invaders storm your village and slaughter your friends and family. Narrowly escaping the brutal attack, you grab your sword to fight back. Avenge the death of your parents and help repel the invading forces!
My Sims Cozy Bundle
Released 03/18/2025
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC, Switch
PC
03/18/2025
This brought back memories. I played MySims on its original system (Wii?). I won't rate it yet because I have barely spent time on it.
My Rating: PENDING
Game description:
Befriend Cute Characters and discover creative adventures across retro re-releases of two lovable games in MySims: Cozy Bundle. Use your imagination to rebuild a town in MySims and help a cute magical land become an even better place in MySims Kingdom. There are stories to uncover, locations to explore, and lots of characters with big personalities to meet.
Posted on 03/25/2025; 16 minutes played
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Retail Company Simulator
Released 08/06/2024
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC
PC
03/18/2025
The premise of this game is really fun. The little bit I played of it less so. The theft mechanic is a little frustrating in the fact that there doesn't seem to be an audio cue or anything about it until after the thief has gotten away. I'll probably give this a try later on and possibly re-evaluate it.
My Rating:
Game description:
Run your retail company. Sign contracts with leading brands, order products, hire workers, expand your store, and never let your customers leave the store empty-handed. Play with friends or go solo, and enjoy the growth of your shop.
This is a first-person simulation game where you run a retail company.
Expand your humble store into a huge retail company.
Posted on 03/25/2025; 36 minutes played
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Brewpub Simulator
Released 07/21/2023
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC
PC
03/16/2025
Fun little timewaster. Some mechanics aren't explained very well, and there is a little overlap in some default controls that are frustrating (like trying pick a mug off the tray and instead kicking someone out of the pub.) If you get it on sale for less than $10, it's worth it.
My Rating:
Game description:
Quit your day job, open a bar! Decorate the place, create your own beer and design your labels. Keep your kegs full and your customers happy, and never stop growing!
Have you ever wanted to open a pub? Now you can! Give new life to an old run-down brewery that you just inherited. Serve the best (or the worst) beer in town and make a reputation for yourself.
Posted on 03/17/2025; 4.1 hours played
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Thief Simulator 2
Released 10/04/2023
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC
PC
03/13/2025
This one is much tougher than the first one. I like being able to break out of jail and the addition of the dogs. There a lot more tools and other new mechanics as well. Overall, it is fun, but certainly not my top game of the year.
My Rating:
Game description:
The door to your robber’s career is waiting! Just crowbar the lock off and force your way through the threshold. Learn skills, collect tools and become a master of the thieving trade!
Thief Simulator 2 will transport you to a world full of valuables, expensive cars, and rustling banknotes. As long as you find a way to steal them.
Monster Hunter: Wilds
Released 02/27/2025
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PS5, Xbox X/S, PC
PC
02/27/2025 (and betas)
I first started playing Monster Hunter with Monster Hunter: World, and I have nearly 400 hours in that game. I was so excited for this game, and while I have overall enjoyed it, it has not enraptured me like World or Rise. Monster Hunter is KNOWN for being grindy, and while there are several quality of life things I love about Wilds, it was almost too easy. I didn't have to repeat a hunt more than once until High Rank.
Over time, I am sure I will end up with hundreds of hours in this game as well, but after one week, I was already turning back to other games.
My Rating:
Game description:
The unbridled force of nature runs wild and relentless, with environments transforming drastically from one moment to the next. This is a story of monsters and humans and their struggles to live in harmony in a world of duality.
Fulfill your duty as a Hunter by tracking and defeating powerful monsters and forging strong new weapons and armor from the materials you harvest from your hunt as you uncover the connection between the people of the Forbidden Lands and the locales they inhabit.
The ultimate hunting experience awaits you in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Released 12/05/2019
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PS4, Xbox One, PC
PC
02/05/2025
I have been sleeping on this masterpiece. The world-building and interaction is SO good. I have 36 hours in the game and I'm still in chapter 2. The banter and humor is so great, and the graphics are phenomenal.
My Rating:
Game description:
Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are outlaws on the run. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.
Motel Manager Simulator
Released 08/26/2024
Available for:
Platform played on:
First played:
PC
PC
01/10/2025
I love simulation games. There is almost no simulation game I won't give a chance. This one has some bugs/jankiness, but the kind that adds to its value. There are some QoL stuff that could be added/changed to make the game better, but I had a good time playing this.
My Rating:
Game description:
Restore an old motel alongside a shop and a gas station. Design, furnish, decorate and rent rooms. provide products for customers and fuel for cars. Hire employees to help you and be the boss of your own empire.