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Having experienced well over 200 fresh titles this year, I am officially wrapping things up on 2025. My best-of compilation is live, and I feel content with the ultimate rankings, despite being aware a host of fantastic releases likely fell under the radar. Currently, my only plan is to other than unwind, take a short break, and possibly go for a refreshing hike in the— ah crap, found another great game. And just like that, goodbye to my plans!

A Premature Contender Emerges

In my more laid-back sessions, typically earmarked for a selection of unusual games, I've come across what might become my initial top game of 2026. Sol Cesto is a peculiar roguelike for Windows PC that deconstructs a traditional labyrinth explorer into a luck-based game of major consequence danger and payoff. Consider this a hipster's insider tip: If you enjoy being aware of a game before it's cool, give Sol Cesto a try so you can punch a hole in your wallet for unique titles.

A Tactical Dungeon-Crawling Innovation

Sol Cesto is a strategy-focused dungeon crawler that's unlike anything I've ever played. The premise is that you are tasked with descending into a dungeon, going down level by level to find the sun, which has gone missing from this mythical realm. When you play, this results in some familiar roguelike structure. Choose an adventurer with their own parameters and powers, fight through each level of monsters, collect some stat improvements (which are teeth), and defeat a few stage-ending champions. Straightforward, right!

The Distinctive Central System

The method by which you actually clear a chamber, though. Every time you enter a new floor, you're shown a sixteen-square board of boxes. All spaces features a monster, a loot box, a trap, or a health-restoring fruit. To proceed, you choose on one of the four rows, but which square you select is a matter of probability.

You might see a row with two monsters, a strawberry, and a reward box in it. You initially will have a one-in-four probability of landing on any given square in a row.

After that, the odds shift. So do you take the risk, or do you choose on a safer line first and attempt some safer moves early? This is the push-your-luck gameplay on display in Sol Cesto, and it's captivating once you get an understanding of it.

Manipulating Probability

The roguelike twist is that your probabilities can be influenced over the course of a session by gathering teeth that change what things you're more attracted to. For example, you could acquire a perk that will reduce the probability of landing on a trap, but will concurrently lower the odds of finding a reward too.

• Crafting a loadout is about tweaking the numbers optimally to have a higher chance at selecting the optimal square.
• During one attempt, I focused my attribute improvements toward brute force and picked as many teeth possible that would increase my odds of attracting me toward monsters of that variety.
• On a different attempt, I constructed my hero around reward boxes and coupled it with a perk that would weaken adjacent enemies whenever I secured loot.

The customization choices are limited, but they are sufficient to experiment with to let you manipulate probabilities to your preference.

An Ever-Present Risk

Unsurprisingly, it remains a game of chance. There's always the risk that you have an 80% chance to select the square you want but end up landing on an enemy that would eliminate your remaining life. Every move is a gamble, so there's a constant tension as you work through a stage and choose whether to keep clicking or to proceed to the next floor instead of pushing your luck.

Consumables including explosive devices help cut down the chance, just like some hero powers. An adventurer's signature move, powered up by selecting four tiles, allows players to choose a vertical line instead of a row on a turn. If you play your cards right, you can hold that ability for an optimal time to sidestep a dangerous choice. It's a surprising amount of nuance in the seemingly straightforward task of clicking.

The Road to 1.0

Sol Cesto is currently in development, and it has a final update scheduled before the complete edition is launched. An additional hero and a new boss are scheduled to arrive sometime in January. The full launch may not be far behind, but the studio haven't announced a final date yet.

A Concluding Thought

No matter when the complete game arrives, you might want to put Sol Cesto in your sights. I've been thoroughly captivated with it, finding all of hidden nuances and banking my earned gold per attempt to reveal a continuous trickle of permanent unlocks, featuring new characters and items purchasable mid-attempt. I still haven't completed the dungeon, and I have a sense I'll still be attempting that goal when the full version launches. Count me in for the long haul.