Green PrinceA fascinating puzzle game about discovering a mysterious villa is never the same from day to day, is the first breakthrough independent game of 2025. It is also the best rated game in 2025 completely. You will think that you will put it in the controversy for Game of the Year at the game award, and maybe you will be right, if it’s November, not April. But Green PrinceThe position of those who go ahead is not as safe as other games, such as Fictional And Wild monster hunter. Because at game awards, all video games are equal, but some are more equal than other games.
The main prediction of the success in the race for gaming is an important consensus, as reflected in the ranking of a game on general websites to evaluate Metacritic and OpenCritic. (With 92 metascore, Green Prince Is this stitched.) But some types of games, such as racing or strategies, are never nominated for Game of the Year, no matter how well they are evaluated-while others, such as role-playing and adventure, tend to dominate.
In the middle of these independent games, a class is determined not by its genre that (more or less) by the number of people did to make it, and how much it costs to do. (How independent games are determined by the game award are their own worms, but enough to say that no one will argue. Green PrinceIndependent information.) Independent games are often well shown among the best rated games in any year, but in the 11-year history of the game award, only five independent games have been nominated for the game of the year-and never more than once. No independent game has won the desirable title. For independent games, barriers to participate in Gaming’s leading awards are only slightly higher. And once one is anointed, the rest often doesn’t have luck.
Take the prize last year as an example. BalatroThe extremely popular card game of the Solo Localthunk developer has guaranteed a Goty nomination as well as won three other awards in the night. But other great independent games like UFO 50 And Good animals has been adopted in the main list, although the important reputation is as strong as BalatroAnd much stronger than one of the other candidates, Black legend: Wukong.
For an independent game nominated for Game of the Year, the high appreciation and welcome of Universal is even more important than the more official games. But the profile is also important. What is separate Balatro from UFO 50 And Good animals is the scale of its popularity between the players and in particular, in the important community. It sold very well when launched in February 2024 and had a handy collision from a mobile release at the end of September, just a few weeks before the game’s voting window. Simply put, everyone played it.
The same thing is true, to a larger or lower level, in four other independent games that have succeeded in overcoming Game of the Year: Stray In 2022, Hades In 2020, Celeste In 2018, and Inside In 2016. All of these games have a viric, a moment when they dominate gaming. Cat Adventure StrayIts moment is so important that it has overcome a warm metascore of 83 to ensure a nomination. (It has helped Stray There are also lush production values, something that the game jury is very attractive, but most independent games can be understood.)
A little early to say, but Green Prince Certainly seemed to be destiny in such a moment. Normally, I know many people in the game communication community this game is better than any other release this year – even Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Green PrinceThe mysterious story and complex puzzles will also maintain a long conversation about it. Like other independent candidates, it feels very authored; You feel a strong voice behind it, in this case is the designer, writer and director Tonda Ros. And while its initial vapors show a modest shot, its usability on both the game pass and the PlayStation Plus game category will help strengthen its records.
However, there is a big warning. If another independent game appears well and is even more popular, then Green PrinceNomination is toast, even if it deserves more than some of its main competitors. Hades 2 A clear candidate. The sequel to Supergiant in the Goty candidate in 2020 has found a huge audience in the early access version. It has the light and confidence of the sequel made on the back of an important hit and huge commercial. This is also a more accessible game than the mystery Green Prince. If it leaves early access and runs fully on both PC and Nintendo Switch for 2 years, Hades 2 Definitely steal Green PrinceTheir nomination – if another independent feeling does not come from to do that first.
Maybe both Green Prince And Hades 2 It will appear among the last six people to the end of the year, but that will be unprecedented. We should live in a world where two independent and well -made games can be recognized as among the best people of the year, especially how these two people are different. We should also live in a world where one of them can really win. But, now, we don’t.
