Tackling My Gaming Backlog: April Check-In

We are now a third of the way through 2025. In my rash journey to get through my gaming backlog, I have accepted that my efforts are not going to be as profound as I thought they would be. However, I am still persistent in knocking off as much of my backlog as I can. April was a fantastic month for gaming, and I did play a number of games. However, most of these games were for review writing rather than backlog commitments. Nevertheless, I stuck through it, and these are the games I managed to play in April.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition — Nintendo Switch — 24h 28m — 7/10

Click the link here for my full-length review of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. 

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary — PC — 10h 36m — 8/10

Yes, I have never played a Halo game before. I never grew up with an Xbox or a gaming PC, so Halo was a franchise that I never had access to. I played one Halo 3 match at an arcade about 15 years ago, but I am far from familiar with the lore and world of the series.

Stepping into the armoured shoes of Master Chief for the first time was absolutely fantastic. I was expecting the game to show its age and feel clunky compared to modern first-person shooters. Happily, the movement, shooting and all-around world-building were better than I could have anticipated. My only criticisms of Halo: Combat Evolved were the story and the difficulty. The story itself is not bad, but I did not find it very interesting; most of my enjoyment was in the gameplay. The difficulty is the main sticking point because it feels like the game spams dozens and dozens of enemies at you at once. There is a fair amount of trial and error in the late-game encounters where you have to work out what position to be in to avoid specific enemies, whilst other enemies like to sneak up and attack you.

Despite the sometimes unfair difficulty and rather simple story, I loved Halo: Combat Evolved. As I clear more of my gaming backlog, I cannot wait to play the rest of the series.

Sonic Dream Team — Apple Arcade — 4h 27m — 8/10

Click the link here for my full-length review of Sonic Dream Team.

The Last of Us Part II: Remastered — PC — 25h 50m — 8/10

Click the link here for my full-length review of The Last of Us Part II: Remastered.

The Wolf Among Us — PS5 — 7 Hours — 9/10

Oh my God, The Wolf Among Us is incredible! Telltale is a company I know more by name and reputation rather than by their games themselves. I have only played The Walking Dead: Season One from them, and I am still a broken man from the ending. The Wolf Among Us is a game I have always known about, but I did not look into it too much before I played it. After my seven-hour playthrough, I am certain that this is the best single-player choice-based video game I have ever played. Not only do I like it more than The Walking Dead, but it is also better than Heavy Rain, Detroit: Become Human, and even Until Dawn.

If you have never played The Wolf Among Us, I strongly suggest that you do so. However, if you are not a fan of long cutscenes and quick-time events, I am not sure I can recommend the game to you. The Wolf Among Us is a narrative-driven game where every decision you make impacts the rest of the story. Luckily, The Wolf Among Us has one of the best video game narratives I have seen in a long time. The story clicked with me from the very beginning, and the game held me in its grip as it forced me to make very difficult decisions.

I really hope we get The Wolf Among Us 2 soon. The game has been in development hell for years, and there is still no release date. The Wolf Among Us ends on a cliffhanger and leaves you questioning many character threads. Because of the ending, the wait for a sequel has been excruciating, and now, I completely understand the hype for the sequel. 

Space Invaders Infinity Gene Evolve — Apple Arcade — 7h 28m — ?/10

Stay tuned for a full-length review of Space Invaders Infinity Gene Evolve, which is coming soon to Gaming Australia.

Gaming Backlog: Summary

This month, I played two games from my gaming backlog: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and The Wolf Among Us. The other games were Apple Arcade titles and games for reviews. April has been my favourite month so far for my gaming backlog because I thoroughly enjoyed and loved every game I played.

In total, my gaming time for 2025 is currently at… 243 hours and 49 minutes!

Gaming Backlog: Closing Thoughts

May 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 June to summarise my gaming for this month; until then, happy gaming, everyone, and remember to give your gaming backlog love and attention.

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.

Click the link here to see my progress from March.