Into the Aether - 2025 Game of the Year Spectacular

Hosts: Stephen Hilger & Brendon Bigley
Date: December 31, 2025
Producer: AJ Fillari

Overview

The annual Into the Aether Game of the Year Spectacular returns for its eighth installment. With their beloved producer AJ away but “here in spirit,” Stephen and Brendon recap a bizarre, changing year for video games—one full of indie triumphs, blockbuster stumbles, and a shifting industry landscape. The duo, now doing the show part-time thanks to Patreon supporters, celebrate favorite discoveries, reflect on the year’s industry upheaval, and reveal their individual and collective top games of 2025, plus "Games of the Other Year" (GoTOY) honors. Throughout, they maintain their signature “low key” warmth, nostalgia, and care for the game-playing community.

Podcast Structure

• 00:00–06:00: Introductions, show context and Patreon notes
• 06:00–31:30: The year in review—industry trends, indie rise, AAA struggles, personal and show milestones
• 31:30–89:18: “Games of the Other Year” - favorite games played in 2025 that didn’t release this year (GoTOY)
• 89:20–181:26: Main Game of the Year list countdowns (both hosts’ top 10s)
• 181:26–295:47: Pizza break, Patreon/Vita update, collective deliberation for the show’s Top 5 “Five of the Aether”
• 296:02–380:21: Listener awards (Discord voting, honorable mentions, community voices)
• 380:21–end: Reflections, thank yous, future look ahead, and prize giveaway instructions

Main Themes & Industry Reflection

2025: Year of AAA Collapse, Indie Ascendancy

• Indie games flourished as big-budget AAA releases underperformed; most major GoTY lists had “1, 2, or 0 triple-A games” (13:00).
• Sales down: “Worst year for console sales since 1997 during the holiday season.” (13:20)
• AAA failures attributed to “unchecked greed,” mass layoffs, and a “hollowed out” industry structure. (15:29, 15:54)
• Indie success is driven both by audiences’ hunger for new/unique voices and viral discoverability culture; games “need to go viral, and you need to be prepared to support virality.” (19:00)
• Authenticity and community have become the critical engines for creation and discovery, especially in the “friend slop” genre: “You just want to hang out, right?” (17:31)

“I think indie games used to be thought of in a separate category. And I think now… the games I’m genuinely more excited about happen to be indie games.”
— Stephen, 17:00

“This is a year where AAA totally flopped... it’s allowed a lot of new teams and creators to shine.” — Brendan, 11:41

Changing Careers, Changing Media

• Both hosts now do the podcast part-time; compared the own independent success (and precariousness) to broader trends in media and creative industries (26:08).
• The podcast’s style—"we only bring up games if we’re really enjoying them"—contrasted with games media obsessed with release cycles (2:00–3:00).

“Most of it is crowdfunded… the infrastructure is so gone that we basically have to all find other ways to pay ourselves.”
— Stephen, 26:53

Personal/Show Milestones

• Hitting Patreon goals; a PlayStation Vita retrospective planned for Spring 2026, and a big public PlayStation 1 episode for the summer.
• Both hosts shared personal stories: attending multiple weddings, nostalgic game store trips, and remembering “how to tie a tie” (30:06-31:08).

Key Discussion Points & Memorable Quotes

Industry Trends, AAA vs. Indie

• “Even the triple-A games this year that were good... were inherently, ‘here’s the thing you liked last time in a new package.’”
  — Stephen, 22:32
• “2025 to be a kind of bizarre year... how much I think I have branched outside—the spaces that I normally would have.”
  — Brendan, 24:40

The Podcast’s Evolving Structure

• “The flexibility has allowed us to kind of follow our interests more... I think my favorite [bonus] are the Ocarina and Majora's Mask ones.” (3:22–3:28)
• “We're in, like, the freak zone... Oh my God, like the .001%.” (22:06)

Community Comes First

• “Despite there being fewer people to cover these kinds of indie games, they are still popping off in such a huge way… inherently community is the driving force that is, like, keeping everything together.”
  — Brendan, 29:45

Nostalgia and Gaming Rituals

• “You know it’s a life-changing event when you finally learn to tie a tie.” (31:11)
• “That's kind of what keeps me optimistic, is that… your own authenticity. Especially right now in the age of, like, AI bullshit.” (21:27)

Highlighted Sections & Timestamps

Introduction — Show Context & Patreon

• [00:22–06:00]
  • AJ couldn't join this year, but is “here in spirit.”
  • The podcast’s mission: only discuss games they really love, focus on any era/platform, foster critical re-evaluation, and “low key vibes.”

Industry Retrospective & 2025 Themes

• [11:41–29:45]
  • AAA's collapse (“the year AAA flopped”), the “friend slop” genre’s emergence, indie virality, and the existential state of the industry.
  • Personal anecdotes on quitting jobs, industry burnout, YouTube as community resource, and tying a tie.

Games of the Other Year (GoTOY)

• [36:00–89:18]
  • Deep-dive on favorite non-2025 games the hosts played.
  • Standout titles: Valkyria Chronicles 4, Theaterhythm Final Bar Line, Idle Slayer, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, Metroid Fusion, Scarlet Hollow, Puzzle Quest, Jeanne D’Arc, Ridge Racer 2, Metal Gear Solid, Voice of the Void, Trails in the Sky, Yakuza 0.

“Scarlet Hollow is maybe the only game that is starting as a go toy and could end up becoming Game of the Year. When it’s done, I think it’s... right up there with the landmarks of narrative design.” — Stephen, 61:51

Collective GoTOY Pick:

• [88:10] Yakuza 0

Individual Game of the Year Lists

(Top 10 countdowns with timestamps)

| Timestamp | Brendan’s Top 10 | Stephen’s Top 10 | |-------------|-------------------------------|--------------------------------------------| | 99:29 | 10. Peak | 10. Q Up | | 115:31 | 9. Ball Pit | 9. Donkey Kong Bonanza | | 131:09 | 8. Hades 2 | 8. Detective Instinct: Farewell My Beloved| | 147:48 | 7. Mario Kart World | 7. Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake | | 158:13 | 6. Consume Me | 6. Digimon Story Time Stranger | | 203:18 | 5. Sectori | 5. Hades 2 | | 230:26 | 4. Q Up | 4. Despelote | | 251:12 | 3. Dragon Quest 1+2 HD-2D | 3. Starvaders | | 295:24 | 2. Blueprints | 2. Hollow Knight: Silksong | | 295:24 | 1. Hollow Knight: Silksong | 1. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy |

Games in bold appeared on both lists.

Notable Quotes on GoTY Deliberations

“I have a hunch as to what [your number one] is this year, but I’m still not 100% sure—which is the first time ever!”
— Brendan, 196:15

“Let me say it: I think Silksong should be number one, because it was number two for me and your GoTY. ...I think it’s the game that we’re closest to being on the same level on.”
— Stephen, 349:13

The Five of the Aether: 2025 Show Consensus Picks

([355:45])

1. Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
   • Brendan’s #1, Stephen’s #2; also top Discord pick—an extraordinary sequel, perfecting the Metroidvania genre, offering not just mechanical brilliance but deeper storytelling, world-building, and character growth (esp. Hornet).
2. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy (Tokyo Games)
   • Stephen’s #1, a wild, ambitious supergroup visual novel tactic hybrid exploring genre-breaking narrative design, replayable branching structure, and the meaning of community, survival, and humanity.
3. Despelote (Julián Cordero)
   • A meditative autobiographical game set around World Cup fever in Ecuador, praised for capturing youth, memory, and the uncertainty & melancholy of growing up.
4. Q Up (Team Overhead)
   • A “coin flip” esports satire that expertly lampoons modern multiplayer progression, while being genuinely fun and unexpectedly deep—“the joke is that it’s actually good.”
5. Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia)
   • A vulnerable, unique “autobiographical WarioWare” about adolescence, routine, family, and body image—a singular art game exploring the beauty (and pain) of self-improvement and self-acceptance.

(Order reflects the show’s consensus after extensive deliberation; see 349:05–355:45)

Notable Quotes from Deliberation

“This list feels like the kind of list that only could have happened this year.”
— Brendan, 347:33

“I just feel so lucky that this game [Silksong] is good... It’s a culmination of everything I like about playing video games.”
— Brendan, 277:52

“The game that I had finished and was still playing was the Hundred Line. …You can feel they were willing to risk it all for this game.”
— Stephen, 261:27

“Despelote... this game is interested in what is gained and what is lost by trying to recreate a place in time.”
— Stephen, 216:14

“Q Up is so, so good... one of the greatest jokes is that it’s actually a great game.”
— Brendan, 220:23

Discord Community Game of the Year Results

([298:10]–[305:00])

1. Hollow Knight: Silksong
2. Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
3. Hades II
4. Blueprints
5. Donkey Kong Bonanza
6. Ball Pit
7. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
8. Trails in the Sky: First Chapter (Remake)
9. Peak
10. Death Stranding II: On The Beach

Community GoTOY (# of votes over 5):

• 13 Sentinels, Baldur’s Gate 3, Chrono Trigger, Infinite Wealth, Persona 3 Reload, and more

Honorable Mentions

Each host highlighted a wide set of games that nearly made their lists, including:

• Trails in the Sky: First Chapter (Remake)
• Promise Mascot Agency
• Silent Hill F
• Dispatch
• Blueprints (Stephen)
• Demon School
• Nubby's Number Factory
• Sektori (Brendan)
• Unfair Flips
• Detective Instinct: Farewell My Beloved

Notable / Memorable Moments & Quotes

• The “A2 effect,” referencing the anime character’s impact—used to describe how evaluation of a game can change with time or in community context (148:06).
• “Vita means life.” (often repeated throughout; archival meme for their audience)
• “Tie trial was like the Mad Max version of learning how to tie a tie.” (31:27)
• “Part of the reason I love these episodes is you and I always fold to ourselves and each other in the top five.” — (359:41)
• “Happy New Year’s Weave, everyone!” (382:09)

Looking Forward to 2026

• PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 1 “console retrospectives” planned for patrons/all.
• Discussion of anticipated 2026 releases: new “Trails,” Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, Monster Hunter, Ace Combat 8, LEGO Batman, new Resident Evil, Witchbrook, Fields of Mistria 1.0, Duskbloods, Tomodachi Life Switch, and more.
• “There’s always going to be something else that somebody’s going to recommend that will pique our interest and maybe we’ll do later.” (195:13)

Surprise Giveaway

• 20 listeners receive a free month of Patreon (“Full Aether” tier).
• One receives a PlayStation Vita.
• To enter: DM or tag Into The Aether on BlueSky with “Vita means life” + a picture of your favorite game (details: 362:04–364:02).

Closing Sentiment

“Thank you all again so much for listening, especially if you made it this far. We love making these episodes. They’re a lot of work, but a lot of fun... Happy New Year’s Weave, everyone!”

End of 2025 GoTY Spectacular

Additional Resources

• Bonus Episodes (Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, PSP, DS, 3DS, GameCube, Dreamcast) available on Patreon.
• Airtable: Manually updated, comprehensive database of games discussed.
• Any Percent & Shore Leave Society: Patron-exclusive bonus podcasts.

For more, visit intothecast.online.

(Appendix) - Index of Major Segments

• 00:00 - 06:00: Introduction, Patreon setup
• 06:00 - 31:30: Year in Review: AAA collapse, indie ascension, bigger picture media industry
• 31:30 - 89:18: Games of the Other Year (GoTOY)
• 89:20 - 181:26: Individual GoTY Top 10 Countdown
• 181:26 - 295:47: Vita/PS1 announcement, Honorable Mentions, Discord results
• 295:47 - 355:45: Collective Top Five Deliberation (“Five of the Aether”)
• 355:45 - end: Year ahead, awards, thank yous, closing