[COLUMN] Two Janitors Made One of the Best RPGs of 2025 in Kingdoms of the Dump | by Marty Sliva

By the time December rolls around, I usually think I’ve seen most of the big gaming surprises that the year has to offer. Barring any last minute reveals at The Game Awards, I feel like I’ve either played, made the choice not to play, or at the very least know about all the standout games of a given year, from budget-busting AAA to the strangest indies on Steam – I’m looking at you, Warm Monkey. I’m always looking at you.

But then a game like Kingdoms of the Dump comes around and proves that a banger can exist in the most unlikely of places. For instance, an indie RPG that draws heavy inspiration from SNES classics like Chrono Trigger, EarthBound, and Final Fantasy VI. Oh, and the developers of said RPG at Roach Games were two full-time custodians who self-funded the game using their savings before launching a successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2019, and now finally delivered on its promise six years later.

And even more impressive than that entire last paragraph is the fact that Kingdoms of the Dump is really, really good. Honestly, as far as indie RPGs trying to channel the energy of that SNES Golden Age go, this one understands the humor, pacing, visuals, and sense of exploration better than almost any I’ve played, and I can’t recommend it enough.

The game is set in the Lands of Fill, which is the exact kind of Adventure Is Nigh!-flavored wordplay that you can expect throughout the adventure. You play as a trashcan squire named Dustin Binsley, who sets off on an adventure with his trusty pal Ratavia to save the recently kidnapped king. Along the way you’ll travel to various trash-themed kingdoms, meet an array of pals to add to your party, and ultimately unravel a grand conspiracy plaguing the Lands of Fill.

I’m really loving the exploration throughout the game on both a micro and macro level. Areas have a sense of verticality to them and are filled with hidden nooks and crannies containing helpful items, equipment, and cash. Aside from being able to jump on command, each member of your party has a different ability to aid in that exploration, like being able to scamper up vines, destroy pieces of machinery, or briefly transform into the local wildlife. Zooming out, the Lands of Fill are presented exactly how you’d expect from a throwback to SNES-era RPGs, including a Mode 7-like world map that contains hidden areas for those who really scour every inch of every continent.

But when you’re not hoarding trash and testing out your platforming skills, the main thrust of Kingdoms of the Dump comes in the form of its turn-based combat. The battle system pulls from a few different places, including timing-based hits and blocks inspired by Super Mario RPG. They also unfold on these relatively small grids, meaning that party and enemy placement plays an important role in how the battles will turn out. Individual squares on the grid can be fused with different elements, such as oil that can then be lit on fire to cause massive damage to anything on the spot. There’s also neat reactions such as enemies in the form of glass bottles, and when they’re defeated the spot they were on becomes filled with shards of glass that harm anyone who attempts to move through it.

Also, there are no random encounters here – all enemies can be seen on their given maps, and avoided if you choose to do so. But where’s the fun in that? You can zone out a bit while grinding through standard enemies, but bosses will take 100% of your concentration to make it out alive, which is the balance that I like in my RPGs. Further pulling from Mario RPG, each time a character levels up, you can add additional points into either strength, HP, or your special attacks, allowing you a bit of flexibility in how your party grows.

I absolutely love how this game looks. The pixel-art is brimming with life and charm, while still feeling like it could’ve existed back on a ‘90s cartridge. The characters and enemies have distinct silhouettes and small movements that build an immediate sense of personality. I also love that whatever you choose to equip on your party members is reflected on these little character portraits, leading to some outfit combos that really embrace the dumpster diving DNA present throughout the entirety of the game. And tons of small details pop off the screen and give life to the world, like trees swaying in the wind and low clouds slowly moving across the sky. It’s the kind of art that looks great in a screenshot, but even better in motion.

Quick side note – I have to take my trash every weekend to a city dump a few miles from my house, and despite having been there literally hundreds and hundreds of times, I never thought to myself “hey, this place would make a great setting for a grand JRPG.” But that’s why I’m just some schmuck on the internet and not a game developer, because the folks at Roach Games absolutely saw the depth, malleability, and potential of this trash theme. Using stacks of tires for platforming, finding moldy food in fridges, filling your party out with rats and cockroaches, saving your game in porta-potties, and playing dress up with literal garbage all gel together for an excellent cohesive theming across the game. 

It also helps that the writing contains a similar wit and charm found in classics like EarthBound, with dialogue and observations that bounce between dry humor and absurd statements. It’s one of those RPGs where I’m talking to literally every sentient being I come across, just because I want to see if they have any goofs or guffaws in store for me.

Kingdoms of the Dump is available on PC at the moment, though it runs perfectly on a Steam Deck, which is where I’ve been spending my time with it. Hopefully it comes to consoles at some point down the road, because this feels like the kind of special experience that a larger audience would absolutely gravitate towards. 

2025 has been a bit of an odd year for JRPG fans. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 obviously made the biggest splash in the genre, though like all good things, online discourse kinda lost the plot on that one. The rest of the year was filled with a ton of great remakes, remasters, and rereleases, from Suikoden and Lunar, to Dragon Quest and Trails in the Sky. And then there’s the gems that slipped under the radar like The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, which I desperately need to get back into over the holiday break.

All that’s to say, Kingdoms of the Dump might have come from an unexpected place, but I fully believe that it can sit proudly alongside those other games as one of the very best JRPGs of the year, and one of the best indie RPGs in a long, long time.