Tin Hearts is a wonderful little game of guiding toy soldiers through the remnants and memories of a toy workshop. While a little light on challenging experienced players, an excellent level progression, heartwarming story, and downright adorable visual design more than make up for it. However, the Nintendo Switch version suffers from muddy textures and occasional stutters that pull an otherwise excellent experience down.
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Despite some technical rough edges, "Age of Wonders 4" offers an excellent gaming experience for all strategy fans and those who want to become one. Not only does the campaign require tactical skill, but it also presents you with an interesting challenge as you create the ideal race for each scenario. The fact that you'll slowly build up your pantheon between saves and unlock new customization options for your races in a separate talent tree provides more long-term motivation than many other 4X titles.
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Arkane Studio's Redfall stretches the very definition of what a finished game should be. It's unfinished, unpolished and uninspired in almost every regard. It feels like a dye prototype years from a full release. The few moments of Arkane's magic, when visual design of the vampires, some fun weapons and frantic co-op gameplay come together are quickly overshadowed by catastrophic bugs, bad performance and an empty-lifeless shell of a game.
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Ravenlok may not be particularly challenging or deep in its gameplay or narrative, but it nails the storybook atmosphere and the child-like wonder of exploring a magical world. Clearly aimed at a younger and/or less videogame-familiar audience, this game makes for a brilliant entry point into the hobby and offers a short, polished, albeit simple dive into a fairy-tale come to life.
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Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak offers just more of the same at first glance. New monsters, a new difficulty, new maps and a new campaign to follow. Those who dare to sink their teeth into this behemoth of a game will quickly notice however, that there have been tweaks and changes to not only empower the players even further by reducing busywork and introducing new, flashy skills, but more critically empower the monsters. This adds some much-needed challenge to the game, even if the overall difficulty is still on the lower end of what fans of the series have come to expect. The follower quests need to be especially highlighted as a clever and fun replacements for the unpopular rampage quests.
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Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak offers just more of the same at first glance. New monsters, a new difficulty, new maps and a new campaign to follow. Those who dare to sink their teeth into this behemoth of a game will quickly notice however, that there have been tweaks and changes to not only empower the players even further by reducing busywork and introducing new, flashy skills, but more critically empower the monsters. This adds some much-needed challenge to the game, even if the overall difficulty is still on the lower end of what fans of the series have come to expect. The follower quests need to be especially highlighted as a clever and fun replacements for the unpopular rampage quests.
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As more and more strategy games make their way to consoles, Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition brings its unique blend of real-time strategy with deep, tactical combat to a new audience. While the single player campaigns not only offer two vastly different takes on progression and gameplay but varied and exhilarating combat, the multiplayer modes feel like a side offering. Anyone wanting to play this mainly by themselves will have an amazing time, while competitive players should stick to older titles of the series on PC.
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There's no denying that "Crime Boss: Rockay City" is, at its core, a brazen copy of Overkill's "Payday 2." The supposedly dark gangster story about the "charismatic" Travis Baker is more in the wake of the trashiest B-movies of the 1990s. Whether intentional or not, "Crime Boss: Rockay City" has a certain charm and can inspire over a longer period of time thanks to a solid solo campaign. The game is certainly not for everyone, but it also shows that first impressions can be deceiving.
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Exoprimal is just a few unfortunate missteps short of being a hidden gem. The base gameplay that mixes hoard-based PvE and high-stakes PvP is unique and interesting. Even the absurd story about dimension-hopping AI dye and mechanized soldiers fighting dinosaurs had us intrigued. However, the variety of gameplay on offer simply does not justify the price tag and is especially disappointing in regards to the rampant monetization through battle-pass and premium skins. On Gamepass, however, this is a must-try for sure.
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Whether alone or with up to two friends in co-op, "Remnant II" is already one of the best titles of the year. With around 25 hours, the campaign already offers plenty of content, but can be played slightly changed again and again thanks to various generated elements. "Remnant II" offers many elements that are known from other Souls-like games. In particular, spectacular boss fights, versatile character development and an exciting world that can only be slowly opened up via items and from the context are among the strengths that "Remnant II" takes over from modern action role-playing games.
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Starfield may not reinvent the wheel when it comes to Bethesda’s formula for role-playing games, but it cleverly combines the best elements of past games in a very appealing sci-fi setting. The highlights are no doubt the many well-written and well-designed quests that you’ll encounter throughout your journey through the settled systems. No matter what appeals to you as a player, be it nail-biting gunfights, the quiet construction of your own base or the thrills of laser-dodging dye dogfighting, Starfield has hours upon hours of content for you to lose yourself in.
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Black Skylands follows modern Open World design a little too closely sometimes and relies on resource collecting, outpost clearing and repetitive side quests a little too often. Nonetheless the core gameplay is fun, and the presentation of the pixelated world is charming. Due to the gameplay remaining largely the same throughout its runtime, this is best enjoyed in smaller sessions and some breaks in between.
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The sadly last title of Mimimi Games sends the German developer out in a blaze of glory. While there’s nothing really new or unheard of, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is an absolute love letter to the tactical stealth genre and blends in excellent, varied gameplay with a charming, albeit superficial pirate story and a vibrant, colorful look. The gameplay style may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you enjoy the idea of planning the perfect heist with a band of undead pirates, this is your dream come true.
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Lies of P blends a dark and gritty reimagining of the classic Pinocchio tale with FromSoftware inspired Action-RPG gameplay. While it stumbles in some smaller ways, the result is one of the most polished and consistently enjoyable dye Souls-Likes I have played. The combat with its many special maneuvers and nuances can be overwhelming to newcomers, but the atmosphere, the variety in building weapons and the unique take on a familiar story more than make up for the shortcomings.
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With patch 2.0, "Cyberpunk 2077" fulfills many of the promises they made three years ago for release. However, just as many remain unfulfilled and since "Phantom Liberty" will remain the only DLC content, "Cyberpunk 2077" will never live up to the initial hype. Patch 2.0 nevertheless ensures that "Cyberpunk 2077" not only plays much better, but now almost all glitches and bugs have been eliminated, so that the base game alone is definitely worth a new playthrough. The "Phantom Liberty" expansion offers a lot of new missions and tells a very exciting story, but if you expect a new "Blood & Wine" like in "The Witcher 3", you will be disappointed again. The scope of the DLC is okay for the price, but by no means sets new standards.
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The Lamplighter’s League may look like a chance to play out your own pulp adventure fantasy, but it turns out to be an intricate combat puzzle full of synergies and silly combos. While performance can be a bit of an issue and the story fails to leave much of an impact, the core gameplay is fun enough to keep this title memorable. It won’t deliver the instant mainstream appeal something like X-COM will have, but passionate fans of turn-based tactics shouldn’t miss this hidden (albeit slightly unpolished) gem.
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Sonic Superstars won’t change anyone’s mind on the Sonic franchise, but instead serves as somewhat of a soft reboot.
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"Endless Dungeon" is first and foremost a multiplayer game. In the coordination of the defensive towers and the joint restraint of the horde, the game unfolds its full potential. Together with friends, the negative points, such as the rather minimalist progression system, the meager weapon selection and the fluctuating game balance, are much less significant. For solo players, there are far better roguelikes, making every single playthrough a new, exciting adventure.
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"Jagged Alliance 3" perfects the mix of management simulation, tactical battles and role-playing elements and inspires with humorous dialogues and a constantly surprising game depth. Even if minor flaws in controls, camera work and overview in the battles are occasionally frustrating, the game is one of the best titles of the year for strategy fans. However, one drop of bitterness for all those who want to get excited about the series for the first time remains: The high level of difficulty and the very many, very poorly explained elements make the introduction to "Jagged Alliance 3" a test of patience. But if you take the time, you will definitely be richly rewarded here.
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While inevitably overshadowed by its big brother, Persona 5 Tactica definitely has its own legs to stand on. The accessible, yet engaging combat system, a new story with its own twists and turns, as well as the excellent art style make this an easy game to pick up and play. What it lacks however, is anything truly outstanding. While competent at all aspects of the game, nothing stands out as particularly new or captivating, dooming this to remain forever trapped a shadow in the metaverse that is Persona 5.
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