GAMEtainment

Rune Factory 4 Special takes the player into a magical world full of adventure and challenges. If you want to fill your virtual existence with fieldwork and explore the story of Selphia, the game will not disappoint you. The learning process is slow and steady, so that the player is not overwhelmed. When you've had enough of gardening, you swing on an animal and ride through the wilderness, beating up some monsters. The fighting could have been a little more challenging, but Rune Factory 4 Special doesn't want that. The title shines with a mix of simulation and RPG elements. This appeals to people who may not otherwise be involved with JRPGs. The new features are well done, especially the synchronisation is impressive. The developer would have liked to add some more graphic elements. The sprites look partly not well ported. If you feel like a fine mixture of Harvest Moon and JRPG, you will definitely get your money's worth.

Review in German | Read full review

Yes, Warrior's Orochi 4 Ultimate sticks to its principles. You shred your way through masses of enemy hordes and get an increasingly strong troop. The game principle is clear and simple. The total package brings a lot of features that were necessary. Especially the aspect that you can now exchange the holy treasures is something I wanted. The story around Gaia and Hades brings new life into the otherwise boring plot. If you haven't bought Warrior's Orochi 4 yet and you have a preference for the genre, you can confidently go for the Ultimate version.

Review in German | Read full review

All in all Level-5 has created a solid game that will find and keep its fans in the West. The partly short missions are good for short sessions, but you also like to sit at the switch for a longer time to hunt in Snack World. In TV mode, the Grinder was much more fun for us than mobile. This is certainly due to the camera being too rigid. This is our point of criticism for "Numero Uno" and has often caused freaks, because you can't focus your opponents properly. Apart from that, the full-price title is a lot of fun and shines especially in multiplayer with friends. Especially positive is the fact that there were no lags or aborts online. As friends of Amiibo, it's a pity that support has been completely removed. The expensive NFC collectibles are simply not being used enough!

Review in German | Read full review

Devil May Cry 5 is a successful sequel and will make series fans happy. The campaign offers some 15 to 20 hours of decent action and good (superficial) entertainment, on a decent level that is usual for the series. In addition, there are again a lot of secret missions, challenges and (for fans) a given replay value. Technically without flaws and presentable you can say - so far everything done right! A little more plot and especially more narrative content in the cutscenes wouldn't have hurt anyway. A more varied mission design would have been desirable. Nevertheless fans will say: It rocks, it bucks - is gambled to the drop!

Review in German | Read full review

Underhero is a lovingly designed indie title with lots of attention to detail. If you look at the conversations around the colleagues of 745, it is fun to listen to them. It doesn't seem to be a burden to talk to all monsters, no, you want to talk to everybody and get to know the world around the Underhero better. The bouncing passages are the shortcoming of the game. Not only once did the inaccuracy of the jump drive me crazy. But in the end I kept going until I mastered the last jump, even though it took me several years of my life. The fights were a lot of fun. I immediately remembered the Paper Mario parts where dodging and learning the attack patterns was part of survival. If you want to play a mixture of platformer and roleplaying game, spiced with a fun and exciting story, you definitely won't go wrong with Underhero.

Review in German | Read full review

A thirty year old game hasn't looked this good for a long time. The remaster of Langrisser I & II is a perfect success. The new character designs fit wonderfully into the modern game landscape. But if you want to have the original feeling like back then on the Sega Mega Drive, that's no problem either. With about 70 hours of different story paths, you have a lot to do with the bundle. Since the gameplay changes depending on the way you play, playing through the game several times is not boring. You have to endure the frustrating moments with the sometimes really stupid NPCs, but in the end you will be rewarded with an exciting story. There are not many strategy games that can hold a candle to Fire Emblem, but Langrisser I & II is definitely one of them. Strategy fans can take the titles with confidence.

Review in German | Read full review

Dreams is not just a game, but a huge collection of great projects, objects and creative ideas. With a wealth of objects and tools, the extensive editor gives you the ability to make your ideas, dreams and visions come true. Whether you're a dream surfer or a dream shaper, you'll get plenty of stuff to let your imagination run wild. I am incredibly curious about how Dreams will develop in the future and which worlds we will explore. After a bit of patience and getting used to the world, there are no limits to your fun and creativity. An update with support for PSVR is already being planned and Dreams should also be playable on PS5. Maybe we will be allowed to explore your created world soon.

Review in German | Read full review

Whether or not you like the graphic style is not easily answered in a test. I personally don't like this coloring book style at all, but still the game itself was really fun. In the end, if you're not sure about this, you should definitely treat yourself to the demo. The gameplay is monotonous and can quickly become boring. Nevertheless the game manages to cast a spell over you. Often you can't stop like that. This is certainly due to the automation possibilities that make crawling much more enjoyable. In any case, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is worth a look and a second one, even if you don't like the graphics style at first. Fans of the series should take a look here anyway!

Review in German | Read full review

As a long-time One Piece fan, I am thrilled with One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. The story goes all the way to Big Mom Arc and in just under 20 hours you get the main points of the story. The fighting system remains true to a Musou game. You fight your way through a level with a pirate of your choice and defeat several thousand enemies. The special abilities available to you are the graphic highlight. Each character has four attacks typical for the series. Also the innovation with the shield bars and the giant enemies brings fresh wind into the series. Unfortunately, the biggest criticism is the long waiting time for the loading screens. This aspect takes so much dynamic out of the game that it sometimes seems frustrating. Also the level of difficulty is not really demanding. At the highest of the three levels, there are isolated sections where you have to take more care. All in all One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is the best part of the series. If you have fun in the One Piece universe and own a console or PC, the title is an absolute must buy.

Review in German | Read full review

Yes, Resident Evil 3 came out relatively quickly after Resident Evil 2 and yes, it was certainly recycled a bit. But that's not tragic either, because why should an Umbrella transport crate or chemical container look different than in Resident Evil 2, or should vehicles and equipment be designed differently, that would be unnecessary. So here you can already guess that this has saved a lot of time. Only in the design of the zombies a little more variety would have been desirable. Nevertheless, Capcom has nothing to reproach itself technically, neither visually nor acoustically. A little more puzzles and a little more playing time, yes that would have been fine. Nevertheless, the remake of Resident Evil 3 is a successful title that we can not only recommend to fans of the series. We had a lot of fun in Raccoon City!

Review in German | Read full review

Long waited and immediately in love. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a hit not only because of the acute pandemic in 2020, but because it is developed and enhanced with love. However, the game is not necessarily one that you can or should play on the side. It takes a lot of time, if you want to take everything with you. The online functions still need some "love" to finally work reliably, but that is not a problem of this game, but of the infrastructure behind it. From the makeover of the graphics to the soundtrack, everything here is just right and, except for a few small things that will hopefully be fixed or rebuilt in the future, almost perfectly done. Lean back, start your island life and chill through the day into the night and beyond. Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its ecosystem is almost masterful. So plug in the chargers, turn up the sound and go fishing... or catch insects... or look for shooting stars... or just go around in circles!

Review in German | Read full review

Sakura Wars is a good mixture of Dating Sim, Visual Novel and few RPG elements. Because of the LIPS system you have to make many decisions in a short time. Even if it is sometimes not obvious what the outcome is, the fun sequences compensate for it. Through the many romances, you can play the game well and often. The role playing area has several problems and is just too small to convince JRPG fans. But if you are looking for a good visual novel with a touch of Musou action, you will definitely find it with Sakura War.

Review in German | Read full review

The Inner Friend is (on the PS4) not a graphics bomb. It is also not the new gameplay revelation. Instead it is a story monster. Less of a horror-, but more of a psycho trip. Mindfuck at its best!

Review in German | Read full review

Bombastic! You can't say more than that. The idea to move Gears of War to another genre is brilliantly realized and works great as a tactical game. As with Halo Wars, the transfer was successful and you have chosen exactly the right genre. Gears Tactics can easily be mentioned in the same breath as XCOM. Not only fans of the Gears franchise are recommended to take a look, but everyone who is only in the beginning of a fantastic strategy game.

Review in German | Read full review

The remake of Trials of Mana has remained true to its origins. The story, good versus evil, is classic and twists and turns are not to be expected. Through the six protagonists, six different perspectives can be seen in the interwoven story. This allows the title to be played through six times. With a playing time of 20 hours per character, you get a lot from a game. Unfortunately not much can be experienced apart from the story. With almost no side quests, you are "only" busy with the main story. Also there is no local co-op anymore, which could disturb one or the other. If you played the original 25 years ago, it's definitely worth playing it again. New fans have to be satisfied with a roleplay without a lot of gimmicks. But if you get involved, you get a wonderfully animated game pearl.

Review in German | Read full review

Follia - Dear Father is a stealth horror survival adventure with strong borrowings from Outlast - only without a video camera. But what worked great in the past doesn't really work here. A lot of "trial and error", little content.

Review in German | Read full review

Predator: Hunting Grounds has a lot of potential that is currently not being exploited. The asymmetrical game principle is basically well implemented, but unfortunately it is thrown over by the immature balancing. The template is made for this and it is to be hoped that Illfonic will add a little more. Revise the balancing, add a few maps and please improve the technique a little bit, then the whole thing can still develop.

Review in German | Read full review

Locked Up is psycho horror at its best! What the Russian developer Alexandr Reshetnikov has created alone in his debut here made even me, as a die-hard and hardened horror fanatic, shudder at times. And this above all through the fantastic atmosphere, which cast a deep spell over me.

Review in German | Read full review

Code Vein makes the entry into the Soulslike genre relatively easy. But that doesn't mean that the game becomes a pleasant walk through the forest. You will die and not once or twice, but very often, but Code Vein takes the player by the hand. The story is served to you on a plate. You don't have to puzzle the story together with item descriptions. But the constant comparison with the titles of From Software is not really necessary, because Code Vein has its own features that are way ahead of Dark Souls. So the blood codes are an enormous enrichment in the game. You can adapt the game to the situation so that no frustrating moments arise. In my opinion, the title is more of a souls-lite. The game remains challenging to the end, but I never had the feeling to have such a subjective difficulty as in Dark Souls. If you have a soft spot for anime and want to try a game similar to Dark Souls, Code Vein is the right choice. It offers everything you need to get started in the genre.

Review in German | Read full review

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is an indie gem. The exciting look á la Paper Mario and the mature combat system, you will have fun playing the game throughout. You can also see the difficulty level. Quite early you get a coin where you can activate the hard mode. If the normal level of difficulty is not enough, you can safely choose the hard mode. By the adaptation with the coin, the modes can be easily switched on and off. If you want to shorten the wait for the new Paper Mario, you can confidently use this excellent title.

Review in German | Read full review