Best of 2025

Just like last time (rather, last year), here are my various lists, in no particular order, of my favourite pieces of art and entertainment released during 2025. And just like last time, I only managed to get it out on the last hours of the last day of the year.

It fun to put this together, but also felt like a adrenaline rush to finish it before the actual end of 2025. Here we go:

Music #

Rosalia’s LUX #

A daring, bittersweet, mournful, and blissful masterpiece. Not a mere collection of songs but a complete journey with a beginning and end. And what an end. I believe an album is only as great as its closing track, and Magnolias is a stunningly powerful and heart-wrenching closer. "Yo que vengo de las estrellas, hoy me convierto en polvo, pa' volver con ellas". Favourites: Reliquia, Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti, Dios Es Un Stalker, Magnolias.

Deftones’ private music #

I'm not really a Deftones fan but on each of their albums there's always a couple of songs that hook me and become part of my regular rotation. However, when I first listened to my mind is a mountain, its energy and crisp, unique sound captivated me and made me excited to dig into the entire record. And the rest of the album is a fantastic mix of unique guitar riffs, tight and interesting drum rhythms, and Chino Moreno's one-of-a-kind vocals. I've been spinning this one a lot ever since it came out. Favourites: my mind is a mountain, locked club, milk of the madonna.

Dream Theater’s Parasomnia #

The band's first album since Mike Portnoy's momentous return to the lineup, and exactly what I needed; their previous album A View From The Top Of The World did almost nothing for me. As expected, Portnoy's return meant an injection of a different type of energy that, as much as I really like previous drummer Mike Mangini, I feel the band needed, to get a good shake up. A mostly heavy concept album exploring various terrors of the night, Parasomnia is a blast all the way through. The album artwork/cover is terrible, though. Favourites: A Broken Man, Dead Asleep (the main riff is killer!), Bend the Clock, The Shadow Man Incident.

Darren Korb’s Hades II: Original Soundtrack #

As far as I'm aware, Darren Korb is a musical god. That he can put together this immense collection of tracks that explore and melt together different styles and soundscapes while keeping it consistent throughout with satisfying leitmotifs and insanely great ear-worms, is nothing but an insane display of musical prowess. All the Skylla and The Siren songs are bangers. Favourites: Coral Crown, King Vermin, (Thrashing) Into Tartarus, The Necropolis, Rock and a Hard Place, Bewitching Eyes, The End Of Time.

Honourable mentions: Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos; Lorien Testard’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Original Soundtrack, Between The Buried And Me's The Blue Nowhere.

Cinema #

One Battle After Another #

Amongst my favourites from Paul Thomas Anderson and might be my actual favourite film of the year. Surprisingly funny at times, but mostly dark, tense, frantic and filled with memorable characters and tremendous, heart-pumping moments.

Train Dreams #

This one felt to me like it came out of nowhere but it immediately captivated me and wrecked me when it ended. An absolutely beautiful film where every frame could very well be a painting.

Sinners #

Another visual stunner where music is a protagonist. I still think about that scene with the "music incantation" during the party; a visual and musical spectacle that makes the entire experience worthwhile.

Wake Up Dead Man #

Might be my favourite entry in the wonderfully brilliant Benoit Blanc/Knives Out series. A visual delight, an impossible crime, a great and super fun cast, and super engaging performances to tie it all together. Rian Johnson keeps on delivering jewels.

Honourable mentions: Weapons, 28 Years Later, Predator: Killer of Killers; KPop Demon Hunters, Bugonia, Frankenstein.

TV #

Pluribus #

More Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn was all I needed to know, to show up for this. And it delivered exactly what I expected: an astonishing performance carrying a slow burner, methodical, and engaging mystery that ends up asking some interesting questions about humanity, loyalty, individuality, and community.

Andor Season 2 #

An ground-breaking political thriller that happens to be set in the Star Wars canon and therefore makes arguably the best piece of Star Wars-anything in a long time. Simultaneously, it felt like a warning for how authoritarianism creeps in and how it crumbles.

Adolescence #

Jaw-dropping in every sense. A technical wonder and a galore of tour de force performances, all presenting a real-life, deeply troublesome epidemic.

Honourable mention: Severance Season 2, Alien: Earth.

Games #

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 #

The best modern version of what classic Final Fantasy would be if made today. Full of charm, with a fascinating setting, a tragic and engaging story, multi-dimensional characters, a ridiculously fun and super challenging combat system, and unbelievably great music. It's the whole package.

Hades II #

Alongside the previous Hades, these are only action rogue-like games I really like, and it's doubtlessly all thanks to that Supergiant Games' phenomenal combo of superb writing and flawless presentation.

Death Standing 2: On The Beach #

An extremely polished, massive-budget, high-production experience overflowing with its auteur's idiosyncrasies. There's a lot of crazy, wild, convoluted stuff going on here, but it's done with such earnest and polish that I could't help but love it. The freedom and possibilities provided by the gameplay mechanics makes every playing moment deeply engaging and rewarding. Hideo Kojima did it again.

Öoo #

This one came out of nowhere and quickly became one of the year's highlights for me. It's a puzzle platformer where you cannot actually jump; instead, you propel yourself by setting off the self-generating bombs that up your body (the "oo" in the games title!). It's a compact, tight, charming, and super satisfying brain-tickler of an experience.

The Roottrees Are Dead #

An investigation game - which my wife and I loved playing together - where you must figure out a huge family tree and all of their history and inherent drama. Some of the deduction mechanics reminded me of Obra Dinn, and the in-game internet was very fun to explore. All in all, it's a brilliant mystery that's highly satisfying to uncover.

Dispatch #

Another year highlight that I played together with my wife. It’s almost spotless, but it might just be that the plot, characters and their relationships and evolution is so, so sharply and hilariously written and presented, that at times I just wanted to get over the gameplay bits (which were still fun!) to see how it would all progress. Absolutely brilliant.

Honourable mentions: Bionic Bay, Sword Of The Sea,