Farming Simulator 25 introduces interesting improvements like new crops, animals, production lines, and an Asian map, but while the AI is improved and contracts are varied, it still feels quite similar to Farming Simulator 22, with some persistent issues such as clunky menus, a lack of world liveliness, and minor performance problems on consoles.
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Guerrilla and Studio Gobo’s LEGO Horizon Adventures delivers an unexpectedly fantastic combination, blending the world, machines, and gameplay of Horizon Zero Dawn into LEGO with impressive style; the environments look fun and the gameplay is engaging, with a lighthearted story full of puns and dry humor that keeps grinding to a minimum, making achievements enjoyable to pursue—though short and priced at seventy euros, the game’s high level of detail makes it worth the cost, even if the final Expeditions could have offered a bit more.
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As a Dragon Age fan, you're better off avoiding Dragon Age: The Veilguard—the once-dark fantasy world has been transformed into a Disney-like fairytale with childish, shallow dialogue, limited and inconsequential choices that restrict you to being nice, and a linear storyline that disregards the deep lore, impactful choices, and character-driven narratives the series is known for. Enemy design is laughable, side missions are shallow, puzzles are overly simple, and while the flashy combat is fun, it feels out of place, lacking strategic depth, making it painful to accept that this beloved franchise may meet its end in 2024.
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Greedfall 2: The Dying World shows potential with its beautiful world and fresh perspective, but is currently a disaster due to a weak story, emotionless characters, poor combat, numerous bugs, and technical issues that Spiders must address during Early Access.
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Amber Isle is a wholesome game where you manage a shop and restore an island, offering relaxing and varied gameplay with no energy meter, allowing you to set your own pace, though early repetition, missing quality of life features, and some bugs may detract, but its charming dinosaurs and well-designed recipe system make up for it.
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I struggled to stop playing Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom to write this review, and with its creative puzzles and vibrant world, it's a must-play, despite the minor hassle of navigating the echo-filled menu.
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Ara: History Untold enhances the 4X genre with a deep crafting system and simultaneous turns, where you earn Prestige across multiple categories, like population welfare, to win. The game shines with its diverse leaders, nations, and wonders, and while random events and cultural visuals could be more varied, it remains a polished and rewarding 4X strategy experience.
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All Possible Futures' The Plucky Squire offers a beautifully creative game featuring a vibrant world with wordplay, combat, and puzzles, alongside seamless transitions between a 2D book and a detailed 3D desk environment.
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Frostpunk 2 offers a robust survival city-builder with a strong focus on social and political aspects, appealing to newcomers and fans alike, though it may leave existing fans with mixed feelings due to its broader scope and diminished focus on individual connections and survival.
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"Artificer’s Sumerian Six is a standout in the strategy game genre, offering a challenging and unique experience with quirky characters and a storyline that blends history and folklore. While the game starts off tough and requires players to master the basics and adjust keybindings, it soon allows for creative strategy through character abilities in real-time action, complemented by a planning function that could use some fine-tuning. The well-designed levels and optional challenges provide a detailed and customizable experience for players seeking varying levels of difficulty."
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Age of Mythology: Retold blends nostalgia with modern appeal, offering a well-polished experience with expansive content. Despite minor flaws, the game’s mythological elements and orchestral soundtrack steal the show.
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There’s little positive to say about Stormgate; it lacks identity, creativity, and feels like an alpha product even in Early Access.
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Puzzle enthusiasts and train lovers can dive into Train Valley World. The game not only boasts strong gameplay but also excellent level design. The creative levels are colorful and progressively more challenging. With new obstacles and more complex production chains, you'll be kept busy for quite a while. If you're looking for a challenge, you can try to complete the levels as quickly as possible, but you can also aim for the other two optional goals per level first. By earning stars, you unlock new trains and conductors, giving you more options. Since Train Valley World is so fun to play, it's a shame there are only sixteen levels. The Level Editor isn't available on the release day. However, the game currently offers enough content for the price, making it definitely worth recommending.
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The theme of this review is clear. SCHiM is a simple game, which makes it not only enjoyable to play but also accessible to everyone. You jump from shadow to shadow with your Schim, meaning you need to make good use of your environment. For example, you can be transported to different places via animals and people. The color schemes are beautifully chosen, ensuring everything is immediately clear. As a Dutch person, you'll also recognize some environments since the game is set in our own country. Not all levels are the same length, as they are tied to the story, which has a nice ending. If you want more of a challenge, after completing the game, you can tackle the extra difficulty options or try to collect all the collectibles in a level. These relate to the story within the world, and helping the little Schimmen feels good. It’s a small moment of joy before you continue playing. However, the lack of a free camera can make it difficult to find them at times.
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Nintendo has clearly polished Luigi's Mansion 2 HD and as a result, the levels look sharp. However, not much else has changed, so the game still feels outdated. It’s nice to control Luigi and the Poltergust with two thumbsticks, but the controls could be more precise. Additionally, there are no checkpoints, meaning you have to complete a level once you start it. The mission structure in Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is theoretically fine, but the professor causes too many interruptions, and you are automatically teleported back to the bunker. This frequently disrupts your flow, and since Elvin Glad tends to talk a lot, these interruptions sometimes feel longer than the gameplay sessions themselves. It’s a shame they didn’t reduce this. If you already own the game for the 3DS, the price for this version is quite high. It would have been better if they had included Luigi's Mansion as well. The gameplay is solid, and it's a fun introduction for newcomers. The various mansions and ghosts provide diverse levels with plenty to collect. You should expect to spend at least fifteen hours with Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, offering a nice and humorous single-player experience. Overall, it's a good remaster, but Nintendo could have done more with it.
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The developers of Nordic Ashes: Survivors of Ragnarok have unleashed their own vision to create a game with elements from both the bullet hell and roguelike genres. I'm already delighted with the Viking theme, which is also well executed. The colorful art style is refreshing and ensures that everything is clearly visible. Roaming around is also rewarded by the altars in each realm that provide your artifacts, provided you complete the tasks. The question is whether you focus on your current run or on the long term, as you can unlock upgrades for all future runs at the Yggdrasil tree. RNG does not play a role in leveling. Each character has a Constellation Ability Tree, and that remains unchanged. This means you have less freedom and fewer choices compared to a typical bullet hell game. However, since you can shop after a wave, you get a break and can prepare for another round. With various difficulty levels and ten unique characters, the replayability factor is high. This is perfect for a game where a run only lasts about thirty minutes. You hardly notice the time passing because the soundtrack is fantastic.
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Manor Lords launches slightly early in Early Access, but it's impressive that the game was developed by just one person. The medieval setting is utilized fantastically, and this also influences the village upgrades. As a result, the gardens of the houses have a purpose, and you need to upgrade the houses to progress. The Early Game is well-designed and requires planning. The problem is that there are few buildings and upgrades available. Due to all the missing components, I can't say that Manor Lords has a mid or endgame. Completing a scenario can quickly become monotonous. You can create an army, but combat is only a small part of the game and offers little strategy. Besides the missing content, it's also unfortunate that there is minimal information provided through statistics, making it difficult to keep track of everything. These are all issues that can be addressed during Early Access. The future looks promising, so if you want to provide feedback, feel free to purchase the game.
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Moon Studios is already well on its way to delivering a five-star game with challenging Soulslike combat, a dark fairy tale world, and an addictive gameplay loop.
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Broken Roads starts strong with its fantastic Australian setting and intriguing moral system, but ultimately falters due to a lack of clear story, impactful choices, and engaging combat, leaving it still short of the experience it could be.
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Ereban: Shadow Legacy, developed by a small studio, offers intriguing stealth gameplay similar to Aragami, with a mysterious story and impactful choices, though it could benefit from more character development and freedom in its short, linear levels.
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