Dragon Quest Treasures warms my treasure-hoarder heart. Although I didn't recognize every treasure because I haven't played most main series games, I delighted in each monster I did recognize.
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Alchemic Cutie struggles with poor performance on the Nintendo Switch and repetitive gameplay. With the severe frame rate drops, I can currently only give it a red rating. Otherwise, it would be yellow. Even then, the core gameplay largely consists of constantly gathering resources or slimes with very little variety in the breeding process. The colors are often pretty, but there are far too many of them—at least in its current state. Just having information about which color I actually need would already be very helpful. As things stand, I have to guess and experiment too often to find the right color. Not to mention that I currently cannot save my progress at all. But even if I could, Alchemic Cutie would still feel too sluggish. Even for me, despite usually not having any issues with simply picking up random plants from the ground. At present, I can only advise against the Nintendo Switch version of this slime-breeding game. But even independently of that, Alchemic Cutie is really only suitable for players who can derive enjoyment from collecting repetitive resources.
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Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is very well suited for both fans and newcomers. Perhaps a bit more leisurely than the main series, the prequel offers a fairytale story and an interesting world to explore.
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Go! Go! PogoGirl rises and falls on whether players can master the pogo stick. The single-player project offers bouncing fun with platforming that's neither too easy nor too difficult, though personally I missed my jumps frequently right up to the end. The boss battles are also somewhat trickier than the other levels. They can quickly become a bit frustrating, especially since they can bring game progress to a standstill initially. After that, however, the hopping continues in a more relaxed manner. I enjoyed the hunt for the three special crystals as well as the constant hopping, even though I never quite knew exactly when PogoGirl should take off from her spot.
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The Swiss team Naraven Games has created a satirical adventure full of meta-commentaries with Backfirewall, which amused me greatly but also made me nibble at some puzzles.
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Mojiken Studio manages the tightrope walk between slice of life and supernatural threat. Loka City appears plastic and vivid. At least, until the place is shaken up time and again, whereby the contrast becomes particularly clear.
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Burrow of the Fallen Bear: A Gay Furry Visual Novel is an interactive story with some exciting approaches. The world is interestingly designed and each path reveals new details. However, the dungeon inevitably becomes repetitive in one section as soon as one tries to find multiple endings [...]
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Intrepid Izzy is neither particularly demanding nor especially lengthy. Izzy's abilities aren't particularly unique either. Yet the platforming and exploration opportunities kept me well entertained. The number of possible routes, given such a short playtime, offers considerable freedom. While Izzy's attacks have a limited range, they still feel very powerful. Due to the game's scope, the costumes don't find particularly many uses, but they nonetheless add variety to the moveset. I'd highly recommend Intrepid Izzy to fans of platformers and exploration, as Izzy controls well and there's something to discover everywhere.
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Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is a heartwarming game. I enjoyed my time on Illuma, even though it passes slowly.
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A Plague Tale: Requiem is a solid sequel of the stealth-action-adventure that elaborates on existing gameplay further without surprising with revolutionary innovations.
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The survival game Grounded transports us into a garden that, aside from a few details, could actually exist. The setting is internally coherent, and the various effects of the biomes, like heat and toxic air, integrate well. In every moment outside the labs, I feel how incredibly tiny Willow is. The sci-fi story is partly humorous, partly grotesque, forming a comprehensible framework for the events and exploration. However, the difficulty curve ramps up too steeply, and even the easiest difficulty level remains demanding in combat. Hunger and thirst can be mitigated through various means. Still, I wouldn't mind if they increased somewhat faster in fluffy mode.
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For fans of 2D platformers, I would highly recommend Beeny (if the nostalgic look doesn't convince you right away). Anyone looking forward to Super Kiwi 64 and wanting to partake a bit in its backstory can also jump in without any particular affinity for 2D games.
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The gameplay doesn’t offer any particularly new ideas, but apart from the imprecise controls, it’s solidly executed. If you’re interested in an unusual mythical world, I’d highly recommend Catmaze; however, I’d suggest playing it in English rather than putting up with the dreadful German text. Plus: cats!
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Aquadine is a very successful debut from SoftColors. The characters—and especially the world—are well developed, and the cast has a lot of charm and humor. At times, however, their impact may weaken slightly due to repetition. The atmospheric and varied musical score more than makes up for this. Still, it is also a rather sad story, dealing with Torrie’s serious illness, fears about the future, and at times even doubts about the value of one’s own existence. Yet friendships and family can provide a great deal of support, especially when the characters are not too convinced that they must handle everything on their own. Overall, I had a great deal of fun accompanying the girls on their journey and watching them grow up.
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With INDUSTRIA, the Germany-based development team Bleakmill has created a first-person shooter whose focus lies particularly on its story. Already the premise feels surreal, and Hakavik's worldbuilding is impressive. The shooter gameplay is simple, fun, and surprisingly varied. I grew fond of the old man; I would have liked to learn more about his life. However, the number of technical issues is too high given the short playtime. Additionally, the German translation is inconsistent—not available everywhere—and sloppily executed. Furthermore, the abrupt finale left me dissatisfied. Until then, I had been well entertained.
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But the donuts of Freshly Frosted? A box is definitely worthwhile. Not only do they come in great variety, they also don't settle as hip fat! The levels gradually become increasingly complex and offer variance that pleasantly surprised me.
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After all, the main focus of the DLC is the new bears, which don’t appear until late in the game. It’ll certainly be several months before that point. However, the DLC offers a good opportunity to get back into the game after a long break.
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For me, the story is the greatest strength, even though much of it is predictable and the different islands follow similar patterns. But I had great joy in the dialogues and the humor is typical Dragon Quest. Particularly strong is also the duo of Builder and Malroth, who develop a heartwarming, close… friendship.
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Flat Kingdom: Paper's Cut Edition isn't as shallow as the name might suggest. Limited to around five hours, the story certainly lacks exceptional depth, yet offers more than merely rescuing a princess. Fat Panda Games employs Flat's various shapes creatively for puzzles, platforming, and combat.
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My verdict on Horizon Forbidden West is that it's a successful sequel that doesn't need to hide behind its predecessor in aspects like gameplay, sound design, and fun factor. However, when it comes to presentation and immersion, Zero Dawn simply had the edge. Nevertheless, Forbidden West is overall more than just a well-rounded game.
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