Tackling My Gaming Backlog: March 2025 Check-In

We are now a quarter of the way through 2025. So far, it has been an interesting year, and it has also been an interesting year for me as a gamer. This year, I have pledged to get through as much of my gaming backlog as possible. Over the years, my gaming backlog has been left to fester into a catastrophic beast. A beast that I adore but also feel shame about. January was a successful month, February was a disappointment, but March has arguably been the best month so far.

Click the link here to learn more about my gaming backlog.

Click the link here to see my progress from January.

Click the link here to see my progress from February.

Gaming Backlog: March Check-In

Like February, half of the games I played this month were titles from either Apple Arcade or games to review. However, I did get through a few games from my backlog. The games I played left a much more pleasant impression on me than the games of February.

Here are the games I played in March, and here are my quick thoughts on each one.

Batman: Arkham Origins — PC — 10h 40m — 8/10

Now, I should preface that I have played Batman: Arkham Origins before, when it came out in 2013. I played it on my PS3, and I really enjoyed it. However, for whatever reason, every time I finished the main campaign and continued to finish the side missions and collectibles, a soft lock glitch came up, and I could no longer engage in conversations with anyone. Talking to NPCs is essential to beating most of the side missions, so I was unable to continue post-campaign. 

I bought the game again for PC and played through the campaign once more. I played the game on my ROG Ally, and it was an absolute joy once again. Playing an Arkham game at 70-80 fps was unfathomable, coming from a console gamer. The story is great, and the combat follows the same incredible formula as the other games. This game is the hardest Arkham game to play on standard difficulty.

I reached the end of the campaign in just under 11 hours, and I was gearing up to do the rest of the side missions. However, THE SAME SOFT LOCK GLITCH HAPPENED. Arkham Origins is cursed, and it is the only Arkham game that I have not completed 100%. I have the game on two different systems, and I will never buy it again. I doubt I will play it again, despite how great the campaign is.

PGA Tour Pro Golf — iOS — 4h 2m — 6/10

Click the link here for my full-length review of PGA Tour Pro Golf.

Enter the Gungeon — PS5 — 19 Hours — 9/10

Over the years, my favourite gaming genre was platforming. Crash Bandicoot, Mario, and Spyro were my favourite styles of games. Having played more games now, my favourite niche genre is roguelikes. Hades is my favourite game of all time, and that game introduced me to the challenge, satisfaction, and endless possibilities of roguelikes. Enter the Gungeon is another game that cemented my feelings towards roguelikes.

Enter the Gungeon is not for the faint of heart. It is a very difficult game, much more challenging than Hades, and that is where the game stumbles. Hades is a very approachable game that anyone can pick up and play, and you can upgrade Zagreus’ base stats to give you an advantage even before you start a run. Enter the Gungeon gives you the option to get better weapons, and there are multiple different characters to play as, but you start every run weak and have to work with what you get on every run. Sometimes, you will get a very powerful gun, and sometimes, you will get a weak weapon. Other times, you will get loads of keys to unlock chests at each level, and other times, you will get no keys. 

Enter the Gungeon feels more luck-based than Hades, and that will make some players shy away from the game. But there is no denying how addictive, satisfying and visceral the game is. The enemies are aggressive, the dodging ability becomes second nature when you learn its timing, and every single run feels unique in its level design. If you are a fan of roguelikes, you have to try Enter the Gungeon, but I cannot say that the game is for everyone.

Split Fiction — PS5 — 13 Hours — 9/10

Click the link here for my full-length review of Split Fiction.

Creaks — iOS — 4h 48m — ?\10

Stay tuned for a full-length review of Creaks, which is coming soon to Gaming Australia.

Alan Wake II — PS5 — 18h 17m — 9/10

Alan Wake Remastered was a fantastic experience, and I feel very privileged to say that I own a physical copy of the game on PS5 (the price of these on eBay is insane). Now that I have played Alan Wake II, there is no doubt in my mind that the sequel takes the core gameplay of the original and excels it to new territory. The gameplay is much more streamlined and satisfying, the enemies are just as freaky, the story is a lot darker, and the characters are some of the best I have seen this decade. Switching between Saga Anderson and Alan Wake in the campaign was a genius move by Remedy; Alan is in a constant panic attack during the story, and Saga Anderson is a brilliant character that the plot desperately needs.

My only complaint with Alan Wake II is with the horror elements of the game. The game excels in its psychological horror themes for the most part, but it often relies on jump-scares to shock the player. Most of the time, the jump-scares are not too frequent, but there are a few chapters where they happen every 15 minutes. It makes some of the horror feel cheap because aside from the jump-scares, I was not as scared or nervous in this game as I was playing Silent Hill 2 or Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

Despite some of the cheap horror scares, Alan Wake II is an incredible game that I advise anyone to play. Start with Alan Wake Remastered and then journey through Alan Wake II; you will not regret it.

Gaming Backlog: Summary

Three of the games I played were from my backlog: Batman: Arkham Origins, Enter the Gungeon and Alan Wake II; the other three were either on Apple Arcade or game review titles. I massively enjoyed my gaming this month, and most of the games I got through were very memorable experiences.

In total, my gaming time for 2025 is currently at… 164 hours exactly!

Gaming Backlog: Closing Thoughts

April is now here, and I can not wait to see what the month will hold for gaming. I will be back at the beginning of May to summarise my gaming for this month; until then, happy gaming, everyone, and remember to give your gaming backlog love and attention.