Joel Kogler


71 games reviewed
79.5 average score
80 median score
47.8% of games recommended
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74 / 100 - Maid of Sker
Aug 5, 2020

A very atmospheric horror game that suffers from technical issues and punishing checkpoints. The unsettling story based off welsh folklore is worth pushing through the adversities nonetheless. As far as first-person horror goes, this isn’t the best choice, but it’s also far from the worst.

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84 / 100 - Othercide
Aug 12, 2020

Dark, Depressing and Difficult. This interesting mix of tactical combat, existential horror and rogue-like elements punishes mistakes with brutal defeat. Thanks to open information and a boatload of tactical options however, cunning strategists can keep the upper hand and guide their daughters to fight another day.

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66 / 100 - Hellpoint
Aug 18, 2020

Another Indie-title attempting to leave a mark in the souls-like genre. Hellpoint brings in some interesting ideas and at times offers stunning visual design. Imprecise gameplay and frustrating difficulty spikes however mean that this game is better left in space where nobody can hear the screams of frustration.

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While some issues concerning UI and controls occurred from porting this game to consoles, Pathfinder: Kingmaker brings a true pen & paper feels onto the screen. This is easily one of the best console RPGs currently available, as it manages to surprise players with a challenging and long journey into the world of Dungeons & Dragons that’s full of meaningful choices and interesting characters.

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79 / 100 - Windbound
Aug 28, 2020

A Rogue-Like Survival games that put the player in the role of a shipwrecked girl looking for the remains of her tribe. While it’s falling into common trappings for the genre with annoying inventory management and a ridiculously hungry protagonist, the overall charming atmosphere and surprising late-game depth make this indie game worth checking out!

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90 / 100 - Spelunky 2
Sep 23, 2020

While it’s missing a few opportunities to embrace the advancements of the rogue-like genre, “Spelunky 2” still expands skillfully on the base of one of the first games in this popular style of games. With a load of new content and secrets to discover, this sequel offers everything fans of the original wanted, while offering very little to convince those that were repelled by the crushing difficulty. If you have any love for rogue-like games you owe it to yourself to at least check out this modern classic.

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«Ancient Gods Part One» doesn’t do anything too drastically new. Instead it builds on the solid foundation “Doom Eternal” laid out and delivers mostly one thing: More content. It won’t do anything to persuade those that didn’t like the base game, but it offers a gripping new story and a 5-hour campaign that features more challenging gameplay and yet another opportunity to rip and tear through demon flesh.

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“Little Hope” delivers, once again, on the promise of an interactive campy horror movie. This second entry in the “Dark Pictures Anthology” appears more confident in the concept than “Man of Medan” one year ago was, featuring a more complex background story, deeper characters and memorable monsters. For the budget price, you get an interactive horror movie that is best enjoyed online with a friend but can also be played locally with up to five friends. It won’t stain your couch with its scares, but its five-hour ghost story is nonetheless one of the best horror games of 2020 so far.

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66 / 100 - Gods Will Fall
Jan 29, 2021

“Gods Will Fall” has some interesting ideas and on first glance the dynamic story events and risk-rewarding combat system are promising, but the game fails to provide meaningful variation. The design of the world and its cruel and twisted inhabitants are noteworthy, but sadly the gameplay fails to match the promising art design. As harsh as it sounds, there are just too many better rogue-likes on the market for this one to compete.

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"Monster Hunter Rise" was already one of the best games on the Switch without "Sunbreak", "Sunbreak" now offers more content, more challenges and more fun. And it doesn't even stop there, because the developers have announced that more variants of existing monsters will be added in upcoming updates. If you haven't tried it yet: Now is the ideal time to dive into the bottomless "Monster Hunter" franchise and lose yourself in it.

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80% - Stray
Jul 18, 2022

"Stray" had inspired the imagination of many players with his first attempts as "HK Project". The bottom line is that the final product feels far more familiar and generic than you might have hoped for from the first pictures. Nevertheless, "Stray" has its strengths, especially in the level design and in the atmosphere that it builds up again and again through great graphics and music. Playfully, the work moves rather on the easy side and offers experienced players hardly a challenge. But that's not what this is about anyway. "Stray" wants to take you into a world that is dirty and broken, and shows you again and again the bright spots of hope and the beauty that lies hidden.

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85% - Thymesia
Aug 16, 2022

Thymesia may look like an Indie-Developer trying to do Bloodborne, but it ends up being more than that. Thymesia seamlessly blends the fast, often frantic combat of games like Devil May Cry with a more thoughtful approach, giving the players the tools to quickly leap between enemies, while strategically switching between light and heavy attacks, as well as flashy specials. While regular combat is often a fun power fantasy, the game truly shines in its boss fights, where two equally deadly warriors dance around each other parrying and trading blows. The only sore spot in the gameplay is that there isn’t already a Thymesia 2 to sink my teeth into.

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Aug 20, 2022

"Cult of the Lamb" can convince more as an idea than as a product. Minor defects exist at all corners and ends. The balance of the game leaves much to be desired, and it seems as if the progress of the cult is almost twice as fast as intended for the story. Nevertheless, "Cult of the Lamb" captivates not least thanks to the look and the original setting. With around ten hours of play, it is without a doubt rather short for a roguelike adventure.

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Aug 23, 2022

"Rollerdrome" is an excellent game in a genre that is now almost completely extinct.

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"SD Gundam Battle Alliance" is a nostalgia trip, even if you have nothing to do with "Gundam". Because the design of the game itself is strongly reminiscent of titles from the early 2000s

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Sep 8, 2022

"Steelrising" is like "Greedfall" a very positive surprise. Spiders has once again managed to put its own stamp on a very highly competitive genre. The balance of the game could certainly still be tightened, and the areas are not as impressive as we would have liked. The bottom line, however, is that "Steelrising" is one of the best Western interpretations of the "Souls" series and brings a breath of fresh air into a very rigid formula not only with a fascinating setting, but also with new elements in combat and exploration.

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85% - Temtem
Sep 14, 2022

Temtem follows a rather simple premise. What if Pokémon’s first generation was made today? The result is an excellent dose of nostalgia with many modernized features such as campaign co-op and a rich endgame. It’s about time Nintendo’s stagnant franchise gets serious competition and as things stand now, Temtem is the game for those who have dropped off the main Pokémon games for lack of innovation and challenge. A relatively low price and a ton of very polished content makes this an easy recommendation.

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77% - Soulstice
Sep 22, 2022

While the combat isn't quite as fluid as its big siblings, and the graphic style takes some time to get used to, at its core, Soulstice is a very good action game with a solid, albeit predictable, story.

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83% - RAILGRADE
Oct 7, 2022

"Railgrade" is an absolute must for players who like to trim a system for efficiency. Borrowing from games like "Factorio", "Satisfactory" or even the more abstract "Magnum Opus", "Railgrade" pushes itself to the top of the genre thanks to charming presentation, short but crisp missions and an excellent price-performance ratio.

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"Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous" is a role-playing game colossus that not only devours many hours of play, but takes you into a world packed with secrets, decisions and interesting stories.

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