Yo! We’ve arrived at yet another weekend in the year that just keeps on giving. And by giving, yeah, I’m referring to all the horrors of the modern era that you might be looking to escape from with some video games. This week we’ve got a promising entry to the point-and-click genre, the return of a certain platformer featuring a big ape, some sneaky challenges and, uh, a skiing game (it sounds really cool!). Let’s get into it.
Slender Threads
Play it on: Windows (Steam Deck N/A)
Properly good point-and-click adventures are few and far between, with 2024 being a bit of a stark drought for the genre. 2025 is looking better already, especially with today’s release of Slender Threads. I’m still less than halfway through (by my own guess), but this is already a stand-out game. That’s in no small part thanks to the stunning voice acting and solid writing, but it’s also via the way the game has already twice had my jaw hanging slack in shock at specific moments. This is a bright, breezy, even silly game, with the sorts of inventory-combining nonsense you’d expect from a cartoonish point-and-click game, right up until it isn’t. And wow, those moments are effective.
I don’t yet know exactly where it’s going with them, but I have my suspicions, and I can’t wait to find out. — John Walker
Play it on: Switch
Current goal: Bask in some Aquatic Ambience
I wasn’t planning on buying Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. It is, after all, just a graphically touched-up, barebones port of a game first released on the Wii almost 15 years ago, and Nintendo has the temerity to charge 60 bucks for it! But, then, these are not ordinary times, and as my desire for video game escapism kept growing in response to the relentless horrors of the current moment, I decided that a tropical vacation was just what the doctor ordered. DKCR’s tropical atmosphere remains a delight, the music is top-notch, and when I get into the flow of a level, rolling and leaping seamlessly through the environment, for a few minutes at least, everything is okay. With his recent redesign, it’s clear Nintendo is thinking about Donkey Kong’s future as well as bringing back his not-too-distant past, and I’m eager to find out what adventures may await that big goofy gorilla who’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember when the Switch 2 comes along. This weekend, though, I’ll just be enjoying the beaches and barrels of Donkey Kong Island like it’s 2010. — Carolyn Petit
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
Current goal: Shoot more Nazis from the shadows
Maintaining silence, exercising patience, keeping your wits about you at every turn as you try and plan several steps ahead—that’s the vibe I so love about stealth games and immersive sims. Sniper Elite is definitely more of a stealth game than an im sim for sure, but thus far I have found its contained, focused mission objectives to be a wonderful little challenge of staying hidden while lining up perfect shots.
And if you’re like me, you might not have thought much about this long-running franchise in the past. But after hearing that stealth plays a prominent role, and given my hunger for a great, linear stealth game that focuses on completing concrete objectives with specific constraints and risks of death (Hitman doesn’t do that for me, sadly), I had to give the latest release a try. And oh my god, am I glad that I did. The game’s title does not convey just how delightfully sneaky Resistance can be.
Sure, the gory glory kills which see the camera follow your bullet into specific organs of your enemies are fun (you can adjust how often the game shows them, and even toggle them off entirely if you wish), but the emphasis that element gets in marketing might make you think that’s all the game has to offer. Dash those thoughts. After playing the game for a few hours recently with the difficulty ramped all the way up, I’m happy to report that Sniper Elite offers a great, somewhat old-school stealth experience in which the more you stay out of sight, the easier your life will be.
To be clear, the game sometimes feels a little rough around the edges. There are some wonky animations here and there, the protagonist chats a bit too much for my taste, and I wish I could vault over waist-high barriers more consistently. But the core stealth experience, which is satisfyingly heightened by more intense difficulty options, really tickles the brain of this stealth fan. Enemies have a more realistic, and punishing, field of view. Death is swift and punishing. There are multiple ways you can tackle an objective despite the broader linear structure of the levels. It reminds me of stealth titles of yesteryear that I used to burn hours away on.
Sure, it ain’t no vintage Splinter Cell or pre-Snake Eater Metal Gear, but if you’re looking for a test of how quiet and invisible you can be, Sniper Elite: Resistance is well worth checking out. It also runs wonderfully well on Steam Deck! — Claire Jackson
Play it on: Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
Current goal: Finish every blue trail
I have zero interest in skiing, but Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders won me over anyway. It’s part racing game, part zen walking sim, and one of 2025’s best surprises so far. It’s a follow-up to Megagon Industries’ 2019 lo-fi mountainbiking game Lonely Mountains: Downhill, and it beautifully takes the pleasant, playful mix of off-road exploration and time trial leaderboard chase and adapts it for a winter wonderland. Going from rolling to gliding doesn’t just change the mechanics, it also shifts the overall feeling. There are times in Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders when instead of trying to master the terrain, I gave myself over to it, letting the white-powder-topped slopes pull me down the path of least resistance.
Not that I haven’t died a bunch. Like OlliOlli and Trials, half the fun is failing in the most spectacular way possible. As frustrating as it can be getting snagged on the same boulder or curve in the trail over and over again, every mistake in Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is accompanied by an unnecessarily satisfying thud and ragdoll collapse as your faceless avatar bites it. There’s also a co-op and online race mode where things can get really hectic and stressful. I’ll probably play around with that mode more once I’ve mastered the single-player tracks. For now the hills are alive only with the sounds of my frequent defeats and occasional successes, and that’s more than enough for me. — Ethan Gach
And that wraps our picks for the weekend of February 7, 2025. Stay safe and happy gaming!
