After two and a half hours, I’m sitting in front of the screen with a huge grin on my face, wishing it could go on. Finding Polka proves that a game doesn’t have to be complicated to be captivating. One analog stick, one button, and an artist with boundless imagination are all it takes. The gameplay is simple, almost minimalist. Anyone looking for challenging puzzles or demanding gameplay will be disappointed. But that’s not the point: with his pen, Kumazawa has created a world I could get lost in for hours without ever getting bored. Every corner, every page of this hand-drawn universe bursts with detail, humor, and passion. You don’t play Finding Polka to win, but to marvel at it. And that’s exactly why it has earned a permanent place in my heart.
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Excellent dungeon design, a versatile digging mechanic, and rewarding progression make for an outstanding adventure. While the story falls short of its potential and the difficulty can be unforgiving, this is a must-play for fans of challenging action-adventure games.
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If you enjoy narrative role-playing games that let you immerse yourself deeply in a world, I can recommend "Zero Parades: For Dead Spies." However, if you're not keen on reading a lot, you're better off staying away from this game.
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The Day I Became A Bird delivers a brief, quirky, and heartwarming experience that achieves a lot with very simple means. Frank remains a likeable protagonist: naive, sincere, and funny. The interactive picture book strikes a perfect balance between humour and emotion without ever becoming sentimental. On the gameplay side, it is deliberately straightforward, yet never boring.
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“Darwin’s Paradox!” is short but excellent. Its simple concept shines thanks to challenging gameplay, creative puzzles, and a wonderfully atmospheric presentation. Despite a few minor weaknesses, such as the stealth sections, it’s an easy recommendation for platformer fans.
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Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection” isn’t flawless. The story drags, most characters barely register, and too many cutscenes feel like filler. But the combat and progression? Pure satisfaction. The fail‑learn-master loop is addictive, and exploration always rewards you. This one’s for players who live for deep gameplay over cinematic storytelling.
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The Mermaid’s Curse doesn’t beg for attention. It remains quiet, focused, and at times unsettling. It trusts me to read, to think, to fail, and to try again. That trust makes it one of the strongest adventure games I’ve played in recent times. It’s bold, innovative, and channels the spirit of Square Enix’s golden era in the late 1990s.
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Reanimal's cinematic camera work, outstanding sound design, and varied set pieces pull me into a suffocating world steeped in horror. From a gameplay perspective, however, the experience falls short of its potential. Trying to equally accommodate both single-player and co-op seems to limit creative freedom. There’s a noticeable lack of ambition when it comes to meaningfully evolving the established formula or experimenting with new ideas.
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Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the definitive version of a classic, proving that bloated JRPG epics can benefit from intelligent streamlining. The developers have managed to preserve the heart of the original while shedding unnecessary baggage and eliminating the weaknesses of the PS1 title.
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MIO: Memories in Orbit is an impressive Metroidvania that stands out above all for its breathtaking hand-drawn graphic style and innovative movement system.
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If you like the "Octopath Traveler" series, you'll enjoy "Octopath Traveler 0". It sheds light on the history of the world of Orsterra and offers a strong combat system as usual. However, after a great start, the narrative loses momentum and the city-building system fails to reach its full potential.
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Square Enix delivers a charming remake of two JRPG classics. The opulent pixel graphics and orchestral soundtrack breathe new life into the over 35-year-old games, while modern features such as fast travel, battle acceleration, and optional quest markers make the game mechanics more accessible. Despite the successful modernization, the simple good-versus-evil stories and repetitive grinding cannot hide the age of the games. For fans of the series and JRPG nostalgics, however, the remake is still highly recommended.
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The hand-drawn animations are beautiful, and the voice acting is excellent. The gameplay, on the other hand, is simple and sometimes frustrating.
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"Digimon Story Time Stranger" captivated me more than I expected. As a newcomer to the series, I quickly got to grips with the system – even though it is complex. What's particularly great is how all the gameplay mechanics interlock, so that even the smallest interaction affects the big picture. It's addictive! My main criticism is of the presentation. The graphics are mediocre and the linear dungeons can feel repetitive. But these are minor issues that have little impact on my excellent overall impression.
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At its best, Hirogami is a great platformer that impresses with its origami visuals and mechanics. But it's often too frustrating an experience for me to recommend it without reservation.
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This delightful upgrade more than justifies the extra cost of the Switch 2 Edition.
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"Fast Fusion" is a fantastic racing game. It plays great, with the gameplay concentrating on a few, but superbly implemented elements. With the fusion mechanic, it also offers a fresh approach to adapting vehicles to your own driving style. For me, the only rather minor points of criticism are the limited choice of tracks and some graphical imperfections due to the upscaling. The high level of difficulty, especially at the beginning, might also put off newcomers.
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“The Alters” convinces with a great story that brings a new twist to the Robinsonade with the cloning. I have come to love and hate the various Jans, which is mainly due to the brilliant performance by voice actor Alex Jordan.
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I will remember “Berserk or Die” not for its design, but for its unique controls. The fact that I can control the strength and distance of my attacks by pressing several keys on the keyboard at the same time draws me incredibly into the game.
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“SpreadCheat” is a Sudoku-like puzzle game with a lot of 90s charm. In terms of gameplay, it is unspectacular and not very challenging. However, the crude humor kept me entertained during the short playing time.
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