It’s a Sprint (and it’s almost Spring): Games Leaving Game Pass March 31st 2025 Edition

Monster Hunter Rise by Capcom

Crawls out from beneath a pile of moonstones, saw blades, and shattered blue crystals.*


“I beat Lies of P.” 


It nearly pushed me to my limit, though. And it wasn’t  just the time investment necessary to hit credits before Microsoft cut its strings–it’s also one of the more difficult games I’ve played in recent years. So difficult, in fact, I settled for a bad ending (I beat the final boss–but not the ultra hard final FINAL boss). It’s getting DLC later this year which I’m very interested in. If they release some sort of Game of the Year Edition that packs in the new chapter (titled Overture, it’s out sometime this summer), I’ll do another run-through to make things right. 


Ultimately, I have no regrets–it was a dark and wonderful experience. I feel confident in saying that it’s the best Soulslike not made by FromSoftware. If you enjoy a challenge, don’t miss this one. 


Have you ever had to make compromises when finishing a game? Leave a comment down below. 


(There is no comment section, don’t bother looking). 


Here’s everything leaving Game Pass in a couple weeks: 




Yakuza Kiwami

Metacritic Score: 80

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 18-82.5 hours


Yakuza Kiwami 2

Metacritic Score: 85

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 18.5-80 hours


Yakuza 0

Metacritic Score: 85

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 31.5-144 hours


Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Metacritic Score: 84

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 45.5-103 hours


MLB The Show 24

Metacritic Score: 80

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 27-42.5 hours


Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged

Metacritic Score: 77

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 9-22 hours


Monster Hunter Rise

Metacritic Score: 88

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 23-179 hours


The Lamplighters League

Metacritic Score: 73

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 37-44.5 hours


Open Roads

Metacritic Score: 67 

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 2.5-3 hours


Lil Gator Game

Metacritic Score: 84

Playtime estimate according to HowLongToBeat: 3-5 hours





Another rough month for Yakuza fans. 


My easy recommendation from this batch is Lil Gator Game. It’s a quick (and clever) take on the Breath of the Wild formula. If you’re interested in learning more, I wrote a full review for it on the blog at my other site last spring (www.nohappyendings.net). It’s also getting DLC later this year. 

While grinding away on my newest Game Boy title, I’ve been taking breaks to hammer in the basics of C# (so I can start working in Unity). I tend to roll my eyes any time someone chooses to describe new things in their life as a “journey”--but man, learning C# has certainly been a journey, so far. I’m sure I’ll have it mastered by the next “It’s a Sprint” update (though maybe not the PlayStation Plus update–that will most likely go up tonight or tomorrow). 


As always, thanks for reading and have a fantastic week. 

Previous
Previous

It’s a Sprint: Games Leaving PlayStation Plus April 2025 Edition

Next
Next

Virtual Console Dreaming: Donkey Kong and Mario Picross Update