Feature: Nintendo Life's Alternative Awards 2025

Hello, well met stranger, and welcome to Jurassic Park! Nintendo Life's Alternative Awards 2025!

It's been...well...it's been a year in which we have all existed, that's for sure, and as a result games happened. Loads of them, in fact. Of course, and as is tradition at this time of year (it's Christmas, mate, wake up), you've got your usual shoe-ins for Game of the Year, your fancy writing awards, nice acting, and good gameplay nods. All that stuff and nonsense for people who do everything right all the time.

However, and as anyone who's drunk as much festive sherry as we have over the years will tell you, there are many more games worthy of a mention in any given year when you broaden your horizons ever-so-slightly. Who needs the pomp and circumstance of a Silksong, for example, when you've got the guns and squirrels of Squirrel with a Gun? That sort of thing.

Now, that's not to say what follows is in any way less prestigious, mind you. We've got some absolute bangers in here. It's just that some good games come at you from unexpected angles. Y'know. Like those wee Christmas vol-au-vents. You just never see them coming.

So, without further ado, and before these delicious flaky pastries go cold, let's dig into our 2025 Alternative Award choices. Regarde!

Nintendo Life's Alternative Awards 2025

Best 'Game We Wish We Liked More' 2025

Winner: Daemon x Machina: Titanic Scion

When Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion was announced for Switch 2, this particular writer couldn't quite contain their excitement. The reason? Well, it seemed as though this sequel to a super-solid predecessor was going to give early Switch 2 adopters exactly what they wanted to see on a new console. Huge big open worlds, high-octane robot fights, and all the other sorts of things that made the original Switch crap itself.

In the end, and as you can read about in more depth in our review, what we got was a very good game at its core, but one that just didn't satisfy when it came to performance at all. This 30fps effort stuttered too much, it's too janky overall, and combat that sings on other platforms feels well mushy and unsatisfying at points here as a result. A shame! There have been updates and fixes, so there's hope yet.

Runners Up: Pokémon Z-A, Shadow Labyrinth

Best 'Game Featuring A Squirrel With A Gun' 2025

Winner: Squirrel with a Gun

One of the tougher categories to judge, as we're sure you can imagine. *cough* This prestigious — and also very large and expensive — award goes to a bit of a left-field choice in this category. Yes, that's right, it's Dee Dee Creation's Squirrel with a Gun.

Congratulations to everyone involved in a game that sure did make this writer's children laugh a lot. They also know the names of loads of types of real-world guns and weapons now, too. LEARNING BONUS MULTIPLIER X5!

Best Retro Remake / Remaster / Re-Release 2025

Winner: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

This very (bald) writer gave Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles a great big juicy 9/10 in our review back at launch, and he'd do it again!

Yes, some folk haven't taken to the way in which some War of the Lions content was cut, but honestly we reckon the remix works better overall. Also, the extra fighting you got in War of the Lions...who really needed it? Seriously. You just had like 40 hours of top-notch combat and you're kicking up a stink for more?

With meaningful quality-of-life enhancements, gloriously slick visuals and performance, and CPU tweaks to make battles even better, this is the best version of one of the best FF games. So there.

Runners Up: Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3+4, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD Remake

Best 'Game Featuring A Glass Skater Whose Soul Is Chained To Their Board' 2025

Winner: Skate Story

Unbelievable scenes here at the awards. Unreal stuff. We were up all night (this writer pulled all of his own hair out), but in the end the decision has been made to award Best Game Featuring A Glass Skater Whose Soul Is Chained To Their Board 2025 to...*drum roll*

It's Skate Story! Devolver has given us another one of those games, you know the ones, like your Hotline Miamis and whatnot, that immediately...as soon as you start to play...you just feel x100 cooler. The plot (involving hell, souls, demons, glass things, skating) is exactly mad enough that you simply must know how it ends, and on this chaotic hook is then hung some supremely good skating.

Like, actually. The skating is great. Who knew?! We just thought it was gonna look nice, but it's got the whole lot this one. Check out our 8/10 review if you don't believe me.

Most Improved Performance For A Switch 1 Game On Switch 2 2025

Winner: No Man's Sky - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

The folks at Hello Games are no strangers to pulling off a late save and turning things around on a game (or in this case port) that looked all but out to sea. Or maybe that should be out to space or something. Something clever.

We loved the Switch 1 port, but No Man's Sky is a game transformed on Switch 2, now with all the bells and whistles you'll find elsewhere. And it runs good. And it looks great. It's also a game that benefits hugely from having portable mode on the table - exactly the sort of thing you can leave on your console for years and pick at during lazy periods (Mon-Fri, 9am - 5pm).

Runners Up: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, Apex Legends

Best 'Game With Poisonous Centipedes' 2025

Winner: Labyrinth Of The Demon King

You might think there'd be a whole lot of competition for this one. Centipedes have long been a fundamental and core part of gaming. However, and as we can see, these modern game-makers...they just don't honour the classics amongst...eh...computer game insects?

Anyway. Labyrinth of the Demon King is absolutely stonking (and stinking) stuff. It's a belter. And you, my friend, should play it. It also has some great big centipedes in there. And they are poisonous. The good stuff.

Best 'End-Of-Year Arrival That Dropped Too Late To Make Our GOTY List' 2025

Winner: Despelote

Now this was a shame, actually, because Despelote really is a special game - a December arrival in the US and we don't get it on European eShops until 13th January. A roughly two-hour experience, it's something we can all make time to play, and something we really should, too.

Set during the Ecuadorian team's historic 2001 World Cup qualifying campaign, this is a beautiful thing to just lose yourself in for a single sitting, and it's also the sort of game (given the running time especially) that you shouldn't let anyone ruin for you. So no spoilers here. It's a top tale told well. It's also a game that displays a deep knowledge, not just of its subject matter, but of video games and interactive stories and how they are told in a way that best conveys the emotion, alongside a time and a place that is universal to anyone who's ever been a child (that's, like, loads of people).

Seek it out, submit to its story and enjoy a very special thing indeed.

Runners Up: Terminator 2D: NO FATE, Octopath Traveler 0, Skate Story, The Rogue Prince of Persia

Most 'Oh Crap, That Came Out This Year?' Game 2025

Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition

This one is terrifying for this writer because I was on reviewing duty and it's genuinely hard to believe this wasn't about two years back.

Regardless of how long and tiring you may or may not have found this year, one thing is for certain: it's always worth giving XCX a shout.

This Definitive Edition makes good on the promise of the OG, adding performance boosts and other enhancements that make for one of the best open-world games (and/or Mecha games) on Switch consoles as of writing. We're really feeling it! Still.

Runner Up: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

Best Switch DLC 2025

Winner: Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant DLC

Who wants 20 more hours or thereabouts of premium-grade Chained Echoes content? We'll tell you who.

Me. We. We mean we do! And also, you. Perhaps. Let's forget about this sentence. Chained Echoes is one of the greats of recent times, a belter that everyone should dig into. Ashes of Elrant (and keeping it vague, so no spoilers) adds more of everything you may have loved about the main game. Hey, it's got 15 new songs in it. 15!

Runner Up: Atari 50 - Namco Legendary Pack, Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker, Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush

Nine down! Turn the page for nine more alt awards that didn't fit nicely into their own ranked 2025 lists...