Golden Lance Game That Most Respected Your Time
The staff here at Lords of Gaming varies wildly in age range, from early 20s to mid-40s. Fundamentally, that means that the amount of time we have to dedicate to gaming each year also varies wildly. There are constant conversations amongst the staff about what games we should be playing. We all have our favorite genres, of course, but games that provide high-density experiences are always sought after. These are games that, whether you spend a ten-hour marathon or a 20-minute chunk, you get something out of them. They are games that recognize that we go out of our way to play games, and they give us back memorable experiences. With that said, here are the winners of Lords of Gaming’s 2025 Golden Lance Award for Game That Most Respected Your Time.
The Game That Most Respected Your Time – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
As someone who plays a lot of JRPGs, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that the barrier to entry for the genre can be pretty steep for most titles. But I am not talking about price so much as I am the time to actually play it. Asking for 60-100+ hours just to complete a game’s story because of level checks that require tons of grinding can be very disheartening for many people who just want to play the cool new JRPG on the block. And that is where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 comes in.
The game is only around 30-35 hours to complete, which is much more digestible for the average gamer. That is due to how expedient (har har) the game is to get you from one place to another, and also giving you just the right amount of XP to level up to where you’re going to be in the story at all times. The game never asks you to sit and grind to finish the main story; it just asks you to understand the combat system and the customization surrounding it.
Runner-Up – Kirby Air Riders
Kirby Air Riders stands as Masahiro Sakurai’s masterclass in rewarding player engagement without wasting a single moment, delivering a racing experience that constantly respects your investment through its ingenious structure and pacing. The game’s massive checklist system featuring 750 separate achievements across all modes creates a near-constant drip feed of meaningful rewards—unlocking new riders, machines, music tracks, cosmetics, and classic courses—that makes every single race feel worthwhile and purposeful rather than grinding for the sake of grinding. Road Trip mode exemplifies this philosophy perfectly, offering bite-sized challenges that seamlessly blend Air Ride races, City Trial chaos, and Top Ride competitions into a fast-paced campaign where matches never overstay their welcome, constantly shifting between modes before repetition can set in while steadily upgrading your character into a powerhouse.
Online Air Ride races and City Trial matches maintain this respect for your time by being short but incredibly satisfying, delivering complete competitive experiences in just minutes that leave you wanting more rather than feeling exhausted. The brilliant quality-of-life decision to attempt most checklist challenges directly from the menu by pressing the plus button eliminates tedious setup and lets you jump straight into the action, while the online Paddock allows up to 32 players to gather and organize matches without endless matchmaking waits. For understanding that modern players crave constant progression, meaningful unlocks, and respect for their limited gaming time—delivering an experience where you’re always just “one more race” away from something new and exciting—Kirby Air Riders earns its spot as runner-up for the Golden Lance Award for Game That Most Respected Your Time.
