Sascha Ritter's Reviews
Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary is a solid remake of the classic. The new graphics look nice, but the game impresses above all through its numerous new levels. Also the integration of the first three parts of the franchise as well as the level editor are a plus point. Nevertheless, in my opinion the game design of Boulder Dash itself is dusty and the many repetitions mean that I quickly lost interest in the game.
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In terms of gameplay, the point-and-click adventure felt largely subdued. It aims to be tedious, but only manages this to a limited extent. Instead, the hour-long game eventually gets lost in its plot and leaves questions about its thematic message unanswered. And the magic of the art style, which also appealed to me at the start, quickly fades too.
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All in all, Jump Over the Age has once again created a superbly written game with a slightly optimised gameplay experience, which, whilst setting new priorities, also feels fresh and brings out new facets of the fantastic sci-fi world of the Sleeper series.
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The Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is not a classic game and based on this observation cannot really be compared to the titles mentioned at the outset. Would it be nice if this title were a free download or pre-installed? Definitely. With this decision, Nintendo would have saved themselves a lot of stress and negative feedback. More people would have approached the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour with a neutral or benevolent attitude.
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On balance, Boxes: Lost Fragments is a great representative of its subgenre. The sliding puzzles are fun and woven into a mysterious staging of the individual boxes. There's always a relaxing feeling when a switch has been activated and a new object is revealed. Or when a larger mechanism is set in motion, which awakens even more secrets.
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And so, ah, two hearts beat in my chest. On one hand, I can only truly recommend the DLC to die-hard Elden Ring fans. Anyone who complained about the late game back then will not warm up to Shadow of the Erdtree either. Many bosses follow similarly brisk, erratic-acting patterns, the challenge is set several levels hotter and considered on its own completely chaotic.
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So – same approach as last year? Almost, because EA Sports has invested considerably in my personal favorite mode this time. Granted, most game modes remain unchanged or only superficially integrated, but FC Rush and Career Mode have finally made notable progress. Yet despite many tactical options and an improved menu system, the truth lies on the pitch. And there very little has changed – FC 25 stagnates on the gameplay front.
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Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars is, in my opinion, a timeless classic that has lost little of its charm content-wise. Although the entire visuals changed radically from pixels to drawings, the game lost none of its visual charm.
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I have – when Exographer let me dive into its scientific world – enjoyed my hours. The puzzles are clever, the platforming is rare, but it fits very well into the puzzle-like tone of the game.
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Age of Mythology: Retold is, in my view, a fantastic time capsule of a genre that has become almost lost, especially among major publishers, even if the 22-year-old game still shows some minor flaws. Yet it never truly drew me in. While playing the missions, I often felt more like Sisyphus, endlessly rolling his boulder uphill again and again. Or like Tantalus, because all the mythology, monsters, and gods looked so enticing, yet never quite managed to fully satisfy me. This may sound harsh, but Age of Mythology: Retold and I—we were not great friends. I can recognize its qualities and its deeply layered systems, but I don’t truly feel them. On a personal level, this is probably the “worst” verdict I can give. Or, more simply, it is a genre game for fans of other genres.
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What Kyle Banks intended mechanically is evident. The open world, though largely linear in effect, is filled with varied tasks. The canoe gameplay proves challenging, and our shepherd dog's core mechanic is simple yet effective. But elsewhere, the design merely scratches the surface—or gets hampered by clunky controls and physics.
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Escape Simulator is largely a social experience. Our avatar can be customized through numerous options to offer individual expression. But what else distinguishes Escape Simulator is the enormously powerful level editor.
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Dicefolk doesn't disgrace itself from a gameplay perspective — aside from the lack of challenge compared to genre peers. Team management is simple and very varied, and the combat system stands out for its strategic component.
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Dungeonoid 2 has an intriguing premise, but never manages to forge its individual elements into a cohesive whole.
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Ebenezer and the Invisible World is a solid game that I enjoyed. Technical minor issues take a backseat to the wealth of options Orbit Studio came up with, particularly in the ghost abilities department. It's a pity only that these diverse options hardly come to full fruition in narrative and gameplay – be it the characters and their quests or the far too long paths between areas of London.
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EA Sports WRC is fundamentally a solid reboot of the long-running franchise under a new studio and engine. The races feel good and the complexity of a simulation is certainly present, so veterans will have fun. Newcomers may not be fully picked up, but should at least feel addressed thanks to the rally school.
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EA Sports FC 24 is an entertaining mix of traditional football simulation and a fresh franchise start trying to break old chains. While some bugs may disrupt gameplay flow and the opposing AI appears surprisingly sluggish at times, the Career Mode offers more complexity than ever before.
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Adore is one of those rare games where I find myself genuinely conflicted about whether I can or should recommend it. It does very little outright wrong, yet so much of what is there merely hints at the game’s underlying potential rather than fully realizing it. Fans of monster-collecting games may still want to take a closer look, but for everyone else, Adore will likely disappear into the overwhelming flood of indie releases. That's too bad for Cadabra Games.
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Doomblade is a Metroidvania that doesn't get that many things wrong. It exudes a dark atmosphere without becoming too grim. And thanks to the fulminating soundtrack and precise mouse/pointer control, it's an adrenaline-driven spectacle. However, the game lacks a bit of direction, whether narratively or in its level design.
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Another Fisherman’s Tale is a sequel to the much-praised 2019 title A Fisherman's Tale, and narratively it does have its heart in the right place. The game offers a number of pleasant ideas, although they only rarely develop into anything truly complex. Several moments and sections are also visually quite impressive, thanks to the imagination and surreal storytelling of Bob. However, there are also repeated moments that were physically very taxing for me. The frequent texture shifts in my field of view, as well as the often unreliable hand tracking, left me feeling quite exhausted. Another Fisherman's Tale did not provide me with a comfortable VR experience in this regard. This ultimately dulls an otherwise rather positive impression, and leaves me still waiting for a truly standout PSVR2 experience this year—at least beyond titles that were already available on PSVR.
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