Probably one of the biggest disappointments for me in recent years. Apart from Super Mario Land, which wasn't developed by Nintendo, I've had a lot of fun with almost every Mario platformer. Sunshine only managed this to a certain extent. I think the basic idea with the water jets is very nice, but it feels like the boring tasks are repeated in each of the largely uninspired worlds. The platforming - the core of every good Mario - is all too rarely put to a fulfilling test ... for me personally almost only in the linear sections without the water jet...yeah? Completely weird experience for me in its entirety.

I was already extremely impressed by the main game. The DLC now explores the gameplay a little more and incorporates horror elements that were previously only in the background. Even if these elements sometimes didn't quite suit me personally, the worldbuilding and the lore of the new area make up for it enormously. What a masterpiece!

For a more detailed (and still spoiler free) view on this DLC, please visit my german review on Gaming-Village.

First review here, oh dear, what a pressure...

Deja Vu is a really simple game in which we control a small dot to activate switches, open doors and avoid dangerous obstacles. The clue: depending on the level, we can create an irregular mass of clones that follow our previous path with a time delay until the time of clone creation. This means there are numerous moments when we have to plan how our clones will move in time and in relation to our actual path to the goal. At times this becomes very tricky and fun. Unfortunately, the concept is largely superficial and the scope is relatively limited for the money. However, I was annoyed by the very inconsistent level of difficulty, which fluctuates greatly from level to level. However, as this may be more of a personal problem for me, I can still recommend you take a look at the game!

It feels like an April Fool's joke, but in the end it's not such a bad visual novel from the Sonic universe. It clearly draws its inspiration from games in the Pheonix Wright or Danganronpa series and you can tell at every point that the developers really put their heart and soul into it. Likeable in its entirety, even if the "game" itself is not more than average.

For a more detailed view please visit my german review of The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

2023

A game that initially looked like a Cozy "Breath of the Wild" in the trailers, but then turned out to have its own identity. Actually, Tchia has a lot of things that I really like. The story has a certain charm and some scenes are unusually grotesque in places. I also find smaller gameplay ideas such as movement, whether through transmigration or on a ship, exciting. Unfortunately, Tchia never manages to use these conceptually strong ideas in a correspondingly wonderful way. Monotony quickly sets in due to the repetition of the same tasks and the usual Ubisoft-esque world design, and Tchia becomes a mere collection exercise apart from its main missions.

I had already played the demo two years earlier and Storyteller suddenly developed into a most wanted game. The end product felt like it had nothing new to offer in direct comparison. The same game elements with no variation and very few puzzle additions. On its own, the gameplay loop with the puzzled story segments is really incredibly good, but the scope hardly justified the purchase price in direct comparison to the demo. A big disappointment for me in 2023.

It felt like my entire community was singing the praises of this game. Expectations rose higher and higher and I knew I was going to love it. It was more than that. It was perfection.

It was definitely not the smartest move of mine to play Batora on the Steam Deck. At the beginning, I had too many problems with the interface and the distant camera on the small screen. But this is a personal fault that I can't hold against the game.

What I do criticize, however, is the lack of courage to break out of the known boundaries of its genre a little. For me, Batora is a prime example of a "solid game" that doesn't want to and won't make a big impression. Too many story and gameplay elements I have somehow already experienced before and surprises were in short supply. But what was there was largely fun and varied. The challenge is also balanced by the different types of magic and enemy types.

After Returns 3D and Tropical Freeze, my only DK platformers to date, I approached this part with anticipation. Unfortunately, I was a little disillusioned. Even though I find the overall design quality of the levels very strong and their style very appealing, the very unsteady difficulty and the far too close camera frustrated me a lot. However, as a step on the ladder towards two of the best 2D platformers of all time, DKC2 is clearly recognizable and was a lot of fun.

A heartwarming and heartbreaking story of two unlikely friends that certainly doesn't reinvent the wheel. But what Odencat has created here is an interesting perspective on how gameplay can emphasize and enhance the story.

For a detailed review, feel free to check out my German review on Gaming-Village.

Incredibly relaxing game that proves how much life there is in the age-old Tetris formula. Tetris Effect clearly shines here with its visual style, which can really shine especially in VR. There is actually very little to say, except that the music and visual quality are almost unparalleled. Personally, the gameplay twist for the well-known game is just a bit lacking.

I think my enjoyment of The Witcher 3 has suffered greatly from two other games: Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring. These two games gave me freedom without taking me by the hand, through their visual interface or the design of the world. I wanted to feel what these two games gave me in The Witcher 3, but I rarely got that. When you enter areas that are not visited until later in the main story, an emptiness with little gameplay variety reveals itself.

Apart from that, I can only agree with many other voices. The fighting gameplay is okay-ish, but also quite lacking in variety. The game really shines with its entire narrative, especially the worldbuilding and the characters. And the voice acting of Geralt is wonderful. All in all, The Witcher 3 is a very high-class game that didn't completely hit my individual nerve, but is still worthy of all honour.

A game for all who should rather not google what hentai means now. Otherwise, dishonest thoughts might interfere with the fun in the overall very cute but innocent puzzle game. Tentacular is just that: an innocent but very fun physics puzzler with some humorous moments and occasionally challenging levels. Unfortunately, there were some inaccuracies in the VR detection that I couldn't really attribute to the game or PSVR2, which can cause some serious motion sickness. Would otherwise be an even much better game!

For a detailed review, feel free to check out my German review on Gaming-Village.

Why didn't anyone tell me what a great game this is?

Ori is sometimes a bit "too" emotional for my taste, especially since Moon Studios really pulls out every trick from the magic book. But the narrative and gameplay are incredibly good. I also love the art design and the inclusion of the really good soundtrack. There's hardly a game out there that has been able to excite me so much over its entire playtime and where I could find so little to complain about.

I like games like The Room and there (environmental) puzzle design. Seven Rooms has some great puzzles and a small nice twist at the end. But it suffers a little bit with its movement and the technical issues as well.

For a more detailed impression, please look at my
review on Gaming Village (german).