I'm Convinced I Already Have Favorite Game of 2026.
Having experienced in excess of 200 new releases this year, I'm formally turning the page on 2025. My annual roundup is live, and I'm satisfied with the concluding selections, despite being aware a host of fantastic releases probably slipped under the radar. Currently, my only job is to but sit back, unplug a little, and possibly go for a nice walk in the— ah crap, discovered one more great game. And just like that, goodbye to my intentions!
A Surprising Front-Runner Appears
With my casual gaming time, typically earmarked for a selection of unusual games, I've come across potentially my initial top game of 2026. Sol Cesto is a peculiar roguelike for Windows PC that breaks down a conventional dungeon crawler into a luck-based game of major consequence danger and payoff. Take this as a hipster's insider tip: If you relish being aware of a game before it hits the mainstream, sample Sol Cesto so you can make a dent in your wallet for unique titles.
A Tactical Dungeon-Crawling Innovation
Sol Cesto is a strategy-focused dungeon crawler that's different from everything I've previously experienced. The setup is that you are tasked with descending into a dungeon, descending floor after floor in search of the sun, which has disappeared from its world. Mechanically, this creates some recognizable genre framework. Pick a hero who has parameters and powers, fight through each level of foes, collect some passive buffs (which are teeth), and overcome a few area guardians. Straightforward, right!
The Novel Central System
How you truly navigate a area, however. Whenever you begin a fresh level, the game presents a sixteen-square board of boxes. Each square holds a monster, a loot box, a trap, or a health-restoring fruit. To explore a room, you choose on one of the horizontal lines, but the specific tile you select is determined by luck.
You could encounter a row with a pair of enemies, a strawberry, and a reward box in it. You start with a 25% chance of selecting any given square in a row.
Then, you'll probabilities change. So do you go for it, or do you click on a safer line first and aim for less risky choices early? This is the risk-reward dynamic at play in Sol Cesto, and it's engrossing after you develop an understanding of it.
Influencing Chance
The roguelike twist is that your odds can be manipulated during an attempt by collecting teeth that alter which objects you're more likely to land on. For example, you might get a perk that will decrease your odds of encountering a trap, but will concurrently lower the odds of landing on a reward too.
- Creating a build is about manipulating math optimally to have a higher chance at selecting the optimal square.
- During one attempt, I invested my power boosts toward melee prowess and selected all the teeth I could that would improve my probability of attracting me toward monsters aligned with that strength.
- During a separate session, I constructed my hero around treasure chests and paired that with a perk that would weaken adjacent enemies every time I opened a chest.
The strategic possibilities are not endless, but they are sufficient to work with to enable you to influence the odds according to your strategy.
A Constant Gamble
Unsurprisingly, it remains a game of chance. There remains the risk that you have an 80% chance to select the desired tile but wind up hitting a foe that would eliminate your remaining life. Every move is a gamble, so a persistent nervousness exists as you clear a floor out and determine if to keep clicking or when to move on to the subsequent stage as opposed to testing fate.
Items like enemy-killing bombs aid in reducing the chance, as do some special skills. A particular character's unique ability, powered up by clearing four squares, allows players to click on a column in place of a row on a turn. If you play this strategically, you can hold that ability for a crucial point to avoid a risky decision. It's a surprising degree of depth in the simple act of clicking.
The Road to 1.0
Sol Cesto is still in development, and it has another update to go before the final game is released. An additional hero and a fresh guardian are scheduled to arrive sometime in January. The full launch likely won't be far behind, but the studio haven't announced a concrete launch day yet.
A Concluding Thought
Regardless of when the complete game arrives, you might want to put Sol Cesto on your wishlist. I have been thoroughly captivated with it, discovering its little secrets and banking my earned gold in each run to unlock a steady stream of permanent unlocks, featuring additional heroes and items I can buy while playing. As of now, I am yet to reached the bottom, and I have a sense I'll continue working on that task when the official release drops. Count me in for the long haul.
