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Remnant: From the Ashes is an uncompromising Loot-Shooter in the Souls garb, who doesn't succeed in combining the best of both worlds despite his great ambitions. But if you disregard the small technical weaknesses and some questionable design decisions, Remnant knows how to motivate over longer distances, not least thanks to his reward system. The new procedurally generated levels are a nice, diversified bonus, but not every genre fan should like them. If you've always wanted to play a Soulsbourne title together with friends, Remnant: From the Ashes is undeniably the best chance.

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Stranger Things 3: The Game is a must for all fans of the series. With its 16-bit look, beautiful animations and great soundtrack, it captures the charm of the Netflix production almost perfectly. Also, the split-screen mode is simply great, because this feeling of playing together fits very nicely with the series and Netflix in general. In my opinion, you can ignore the slight jolts during big brawls and the relatively poor gameplay, because otherwise the whole package is convincing. For someone who hasn't warmed up with the series yet but wants a retro-adventure, the current price of about 20€ could be a bit daunting.

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Dark Devotion is not the little two-dimensional sister of Dark Souls, but could be the illegitimate daughter of Demon's Souls. If the developers don't want to handle the term Souls-like themselves, others have to. Who has a problem with the term should also think about where the term Rouge-like comes from. Well, it's a Souls-like title! The game story is rudimentary. The focus is on the ungracious gameplay. The title not only manages to break down the typical Souls fighting mechanics to the 2D level, but also lets you get into this feeling mode to have respect for every opponent and every new level section. The wonderfully dark atmosphere does the rest and lets you dive into this two-dimensional, merciless world, especially with the extremely harmonious sound scenery.

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Overall, Windscape is a successful indie title. An affectionately arranged world with many facets invites to some hours of fun. The game isn't perfect and doesn't offer the greatest challenge, but entertains well over the season and has its own charm. For fans of RPGs and Action Adventures it's well worth a look. Due to its rather short-lived quests it can also be played with little time and doesn't need any intensive activity like most RPGs. Windscape is therefore a kind of mini role playing game, which works very well without a skill system.

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In order to do justice to Trüberbrook, one must distinguish between two or three basic aspects: Story/Gameplay and Presentation. While the presentation is on a very high level thanks to the good voice actors and the unique backdrops, the other two aspects are a bit different. Despite its straightforwardness, the story is relatively interesting, but quickly loses its tension because of the rather average game mechanics. Basically, the studio btf proves that everyone involved understands their craft very well and also solidly applies it to video games, but that they can still use some help when it comes to game mechanics. For fans of point & click adventure games it's definitely a nice title for in between because of the low price. All in all Trüberbrook is not a title you have to have played.

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Jump Force is first and foremost an entertaining brawler who lives from his licenses and powerful visual effects. If you leave aside the loveless staging, the graphic style that takes getting used to, and some questionable design decisions, the rapid, albeit quite simple fights are especially memorable. But let's be honest: Jump Force lacks so much fine-tuning, depth and ambition that the brawler inevitably has to live an existence in mediocrity. And yet, the distinctive fan service, which can be found in so many facets of the game, should draw anime and manga fans of all kinds into its spell.

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On the whole, I definitely had a lot of fun with Team Sonic Racing. Graphically and sound technically I was really convinced. Unfortunately, as a switch player, I had to lose a bit during the performance. Team Sonic Racing is a solid, arcadic funracer and, despite some criticism, cuts a good figure. The adventure mode, which unfortunately didn't go down so well with me, doesn't offer a profound story, but crisp challenges and some variety. But Sega: The technology and the concept are great, but please take the "Sega All-Stars" on board again next time. Finally, I can only warmly recommend PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC gamers - even switch owners can access it courageously, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still the undisputed front-runner here.

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At Fallout 76 you can't expect the perfect adventure holiday with all-inclusive service shortly after your arrival. On the other hand, the title weakens with a technically weak framework, which, in addition to performance losses, also comes up with bugs, glitches and a rather old-fashioned graphics performance. While the new skill card system, the camp mechanics and also the cooperative components are very motivating, the technical as well as the graphic framework is clearly behind its expectations. The world itself boasts an immense size, convinces with the ingenious bounty system, but at the same time doesn't manage to make the game world lively enough and catapult the stubborn story into an exciting environment. Fallout 76 offers veterans of the role-playing epic a solid multiplayer experience, but unfortunately leaves beginners mercilessly on the sidelines. Solo players, on the other hand, get their money's worth, even though they can't exploit most of the potential and fun of the game.

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The Nintendo Switch port of Dead in Vinland leaves me with mixed feelings. While managing one's own village and several individuals is a lot of fun, the fear of the permanent death of a character drives me and the size kills me in a positive sense, unfortunately I can't ignore the quirks of the title. The fighting system lacks the necessary depth and the finishing touches, the presentation of the many texts in handheld mode is cruel and the dialogue system isn't flawless either. For the rather low price, however, genre fans get a concentrated load of Survival RPG here, which can tie them up over 40 hours before the switch. But for that you have to be able to overlook the errors.

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"Pizza Connection 3" proves to be a nice economic simulation that skilfully takes up old roots. Despite small improvements, the game doesn't make full use of the given possibilities and lacks a lot of playful variety. We would have liked to see more innovations here, so that the title could also play with the big ones. Nevertheless, fans of the series will enjoy the game and can revive the good old days.

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"Dynasty Warriors 9" presents series fans with tried and tested features and shines with some new game approaches. Even though the tactical battles go hand in hand with the crafting system, the simplified cloppings will cause boredom in the long run. Although the vast world scores with a wide variety of topics, many graphic errors make the overall picture appear uneven and significantly cloud the game feel. We hope that Omega Force will learn from these mistakes and continue to pamper friends of the series with promising titles.

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The fishing role-playing game Moonglow Bay from indie developer Bunnyhug can safely be described as a mix of Minecraft and Animal Crossing. Players of both titles will quickly find their way around the small fishing village and, in my case, won't want to put the Switch down. As a true angler, I am of course delighted that the game is largely about fishing, including the utilisation of fish. I also think it's great that there are real-life species in this title as well as imaginary fish species. I don't see the fact that a large part of the game takes place on the water as a point of criticism, because the game world is surprisingly extensive and, in addition to different fish, also awaits brave anglers with changing weather conditions. The creative team behind Bunnyhug has definitely increased the fanbase by releasing the game on the missing platforms and will bring a smile to the faces of many new players.

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CLeM is a small but lovingly designed puzzle adventure game that is perfect for a cozy evening on the couch or for a short puzzle fun in between. With a playing time of only around three hours, this indie title is not really long-term entertainment, but it doesn't have to be. With a great drawing style, a slightly spooky atmosphere and well-designed puzzles, the title stands out in its very own way and is well worth a place in your games library.

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At first, I thought of Fae Farm as just another Animal Crossing clone. What I got, however, was much more than that. Especially when you consider how much content Animal Crossing had at the beginning on the Switch, Fae Farm has a lot more to offer. But enough of the comparisons, because to always just compare is not fair to the game at all. Do we have an outstanding masterpiece here? No. What we have here, however, is a great indie game with a motivated team behind it, and you can definitely tell. So far, Fae Farm is high on my list of feel-good games and I'm still very excited to see how the game will develop with the announced updates.

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Goodbye Volcano High is humorous, sad, poignant, personal, charming. In short: the full fire side of emotions. The developer studio KO_OP achieves this with a wonderfully written story, which becomes incredibly close thanks to great voice actors, a coherent art style and multi-layered themes. Goodbye Volcano High is not "just" another coming-of-age story, but also a wonderful link to pop culture and the question of "being". Not dryly, though, but in a totally sympathetic way. A truly recommendable indie gem that should please fans of visual novels very much. Accordingly, you shouldn't expect too much gameplay. The passages that it does have, however, know how to inspire me and might have even deserved a bit more space.

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Gosh, I was looking forward to this game! The gloomy presentation, along with the narrative approach in the depths of the sea already excited me at the announcement. Fortunately, there is still plenty of enthusiasm left for the release. Because in its narrative and writing, I'm happy to let Under the Waves capture me and throw me into an emotionally gripping game. Indeed, that grabs you just as much as exploring the underwater world that seems so alien. The only annoying thing is the stiff submarine controls and the heavy tearing in the main menu. This has already been fixed on the PC, but console players will have to be patient. Under the Waves is a moving excursion into the depths, including those of the main character Stan. Dealing with the past, loss and loneliness, as well as dealing with the environment, are skillfully spun into a virtual journey wrapped in exploration. Absolutely recommended purchase!

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Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is the Jet Set Radio successor we never got. The comparison doesn't come out of nowhere, it's practically provoked. Whether it's the visual aesthetics, the cool sounds or the game design. The source of inspiration is obvious. But instead of just copying a great work poorly, an excellent spiritual successor succeeded here, which wonderfully manages to create a gameplay that builds into each other, through which I keep getting lost in the game world in my combo build-up. Thanks in part to the great humor, I can absolutely recommend this title to anyone interested in a mix of Jet Set Radio and old Tony Hawk games. Unfortunately, the story and the battle system don't manage to slide to the same level. In view of the other strengths, this can be forgiven and doesn't change the fact that it's a real insider's tip in the midst of the many AAA games.

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Pikmin 4 lets go of the reins and just lets me do my thing. The mixture of discovering, puzzling, fighting, collecting and multiplying Pikmin works perfectly and excited me because the variety and level structure always motivated me intrinsically. And oh, is it all cute. The night sections fit in just as well as the Dandori matches. Even better, though, is the integration of Ochin the dog, who feels so incredibly natural as part of Pikmin 4 and actually enriches the gameplay. This also lets me overlook the stale visuals. However, it's less easy for me, especially when it comes to the introduction and the dialogs in general. So much blah. So much blub. It unfortunately interrupts the flow over and over again and instead somehow tries to tell some kind of plot, but unfortunately in the end it's a mixture of dull and stupid. But that's not why I'm playing Pikmin 4, I'm playing it because action-strategy is served up in such a likeable, fun and creative way that I rarely get to experience elsewhere. Anyone with even a hint of affection for the genre should not miss it.

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Amidst all the consistent sequels, remakes, and remasters, Viewfinder beckons to me out of the corner of my eye. It seems playful, creative, and visually stunning in a way all its own, so I can't help but love it. I've had hundreds of images merge with the game world now, and even the 101st time still leaves me intrigued by how well the perspective gameplay actually works. It doesn't take the effects fireworks of Final Fantasy XVI or the graphical opulence of a Horizon: Forbidden West to wow me on a visual level. It's also simply enough to blow my physical imagination around the spatial and let me immerse myself in it at the same time. The rather subliminal story wouldn't have even been needed there. What it would have needed, if anything, was a more challenging first third and maybe a moment or two more that would have made me less inhibited in my creativity by a clearly prescribed course of action. Viewfinder is still a wonderful experience for those who can engage in a very unique way of puzzling. And if you're unsure, play the demo!

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New Tales from the Borderlands picks up exactly where the first game left off: An incredibly charming cast of protagonists, the dumb Borderlands humor with gags at every turn, and a completely stupid and therefore no less fun storyline. The game is bursting with charm and, especially from the point of view of every series fan, certainly gets an enormous sympathy bonus.

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