We’re approaching the halfway point of 2025, and us Gaming Respawners continue to live the gaming life. Check out what titles we’ve been playing lately in Gaming Respawn Plays May 2025. Enjoy!
Peter Keen
Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Beyblade X: Xone
It’s all about Yakuza this month! I finally finished Yakuza 6: The Song of Life to fill in all the blanks of the Kiryu Kazuma storyline. I’ve now played each of the mainline Yakuza games, from Yakuza 0 to The Man Who Erased His Name. What an outstanding saga it has been. Eight games in all, and each of them superb (apart from Yakuza 5….we don’t talk about that one lol!).
So, after the credits rolled, I immediately started the Ichiban Kasuga saga and loaded up Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I’m 20 hours into this game and enjoying it but not quite as much as the mainline Yakuza games. Ichiban, as a character, I am warming to, despite the hard act he has to follow, but the turn-based combat isn’t winning me over. I was hoping, as some reviews said, that it is a great Yakuza/Persona gameplay mash-up, but for me, it just doesn’t have the same panache of either. It’s okay and fun still, but it is not as thrilling as I had hoped it would be.
I’m playing this so that even though I’m not a fan of Infinite Wealth, I can play through that to THEN get to Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii! Yes, I’m that dedicated to the cause! When I’m up to date with the Yakuza games (at some point), I’ll then go back to play the second Judgment game, Lost Judgment. I REALLY enjoyed the combat in the first game and the mini games too, so I’m keen to play the second as soon as possible. I’m even dabbling with the idea of playing Sleeping Dogs again and going for the platinum. Bit of a gangster overload at the moment, but I’m loving it all the same.
Aside from that, I’m really getting into playing Beyblade X: Xone with my daughter. I have the game on the Switch, so I’m definitely going to revisit it sometime soon.
Will Worrall
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
This month, I’ve been revisiting an old favourite of mine from my childhood: Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee. Yes, that’s right, not the New n’ Tasty remake that gives it a coat of shiny modern paint and smoother controls, I’ve gone back to the old 32-bit-ass step-platformer filled with more unfairly hidden Mudokons than I remembered from my childhood.
If you’re not aware, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee was the first in a supposed quintology of Oddysee games about various goofy-looking creatures living in a place called Oddworld. While the rest of the games basically didn’t happen (it’s a long story, but we only got two Oddysee games and one hinted-at Oddysee), Abe’s Oddysee did release, and it tells the story of Abe, a Mudokon working in a hyper-industrialised factory that makes food out of local creatures.
One day, Abe discovers that as the other creatures become extinct, the Glukkons who run the factory are planning on turning on their Mudokon workers and turning them into their next product: New ‘n Tasty. With his people’s safety on the line, you need to help Abe escape the factory, find his people, and save them all from the clutches of the Glukkons, if he can just about pull it off.
So, the basic gist of the game is that it’s a step-platformer (a.k.a.= cinematic platformer, realistic platformer) where you mostly have to escape from the clutches of your murderous bosses and their workers. On the way, you’ll also be tasked with saving as many of the other Mudokon workers as you can. In fact, as you reach the end of the game’s first level, you’re told in no uncertain terms that escaping means anyone else who is left behind in the factory will be killed, something made very clear if you ignore the warning when the death counters scattered throughout the game suddenly jump up by a pretty sizable number, especially if you don’t know where all the secret rooms are.
During my playthrough, I came to two conclusions about the game: 1) It was harder than I remembered it being, and 2) The developers really wanted the player to get pissed off. There are so many hidden screens that contain Mudokons that you’re pretty much guaranteed to miss at least one of them on your first run of the game, unless you’re using a guide. Even the literal first screen of the game has an entrance that you straight up cannot see, followed by another one on the next screen. I will remind people that if you miss a single Mudokon in your entire run of the game, then you get the ‘bad’ ending when you finish the game after several grueling hours of step-platforming.
Insanity with hidden Mudokons aside, I’ve enjoyed playing through the game immensely. Sure, it’s rough around the edges compared to the swanky remake, but nostalgia and charm can cover for a lot, and personally, I feel like many games become a bit soulless when removed from their original context. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go back to spending my time in the game where it really counts: the opening ‘Game Speak’ menu.
Tasha Quinn
Kingdom Hearts and The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
It’s been a while since I played Kingdom Hearts. I don’t think I’ve touched the series since 2019 when Kingdom Hearts III was released. There’s no telling when we’ll see the fourth entry in the series, and I’ve missed stepping into Sora’s oversized shoes. I’m currently playing the first game. After Birth by Sleep, it’s probably my favourite in the series, largely because of the nostalgia I feel whenever I play it. It has its faults, though. I absolutely loathe the non-optional Gummi Ship mini-game you’re forced to play when travelling between worlds. You do eventually unlock the ability to fast-travel to previously visited worlds, but it’s still tedious. Then there’s the widely disliked Atlantica map — I’m glad they included Atlantica as a musical mini-game level in the sequel, because the swimming and combat were painfully awkward. That said, Kingdom Hearts is a great game that kicks off an awesome series, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. The other game I’ve been playing this month is The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy. Part visual novel, part tactical RPG, it’s a whole lot of fun — but at 15 hours in, I’ve barely scratched the surface. It’s a game with 100 different endings, so yeah, there’s a lot of content. It’s actually a little overwhelming.
