Michael Seifert

“Especially in times when games are expected to become increasingly realistic, longer and more demanding it was incredibly refreshing to immerse myself in this slow-life experience and simply dedicate myself to fun minigames, cozy apartment decorating and an overall relaxed gaming experience. Quality-of-life improvements like rewind and quick saves make the gameplay, which despite the tutorials sometimes offers a bit of limited guidance, more accessible by today's standards. And even though I've seen all eight minigames fairly quickly, I remained motivated for the full 40 in-game days.”

“The option to do a test run before battles – as often as you like – is certainly convenient for players but it doesn't guarantee victory and still keeps the battles from becoming trivial. I had a lot of fun experimenting with the various combat skills: they significantly influenced the battles and created just the right "one more run" mentality that makes the Roguelite genre so special for me. Unfortunately, the game often crashed on Switch 2 which led to unnecessary frustration and perhaps you've seen "everything" the game has to offer a little too quickly.”

“I was really hoping to play a fun mini-/micro-game compilation again, one that wasn't WarioWare and could provide some short-term entertainment. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a while longer, because this game doesn't fulfil that wish at all. Quite the opposite unfortunately. DUCK: Dangerous Ultimate Cartridge Kidnapper feels like a blatant attempt to rip off big franchises, pushing every button to appeal to fans of old retro games and then topping it all off with random internet memes, while the minigames themselves are completely unfair, poorly thought out and mostly just plain bad. Eventually I lost all hope that it might get better and that perhaps only a few of the minigames were out of place and in the end I was incredibly relieved when the credits rolled and I knew I'd never have to play this game again.”

“Luto is an exceptionally well made psychological horror experience and especially as debut game from an indie studio it's an impressive achievement. The game's pacing is neither too slow nor too fast and is truly well-crafted and some of the puzzles are really challenging. If you're willing to embrace the somewhat stripped-down gameplay, you'll find a well-written story that's not only entertaining but also emotionally engaging.”

“The worldbuilding, the performances of the actors and the story itself create a damn good symbiosis of escape room, story, and FMV serving as the perfect playground for psychological horror and making Dead Take a truly special experience. The fact that it ultimately became a video game rather than a film definitely made for the right choice of medium. Even if I would have liked a bit more gameplay when splicing the films.”

“Everdeep Aurora offers a retro-styled game world that's fun to immerse yourself in and a story that, while it could have done with fewer text boxes, still works well with its various endings and lovable characters. The different endings make it worth listening carefully and exploring everything attentively and the 7-8 hours you spend underground with Shell will fly by quickly.”

“During its three- to four-hour gameplay the game addresses topics such as loss, aging, family conflicts and the relationship between pet and owner, doing so with a sensitivity yet also a raw honesty that will likely leave no one unmoved. Above all, the gameplay experience of being a cat is convincingly conveyed and it's fun moving through the game world, exploring it as best you can. While you'll otherwise look in vain for truly innovative or new ideas in the gameplay, the compact playing time and gripping story make this forgivable, and what it offers is entertaining enough to carry the story.”

“The battles are fun, the game is challenging but never unfair and the sophisticated artifact system was one of my absolute highlights. The story works regardless of whether you're new to Random or have already played the first game and the characters and setting are not only charming and unique but the unique visuals also make the world look incredibly beautiful. Lost in Random: The Eternal Die probably isn't the sequel you were expecting after the first game, but I'm a big fan of the idea and hope this isn't the last we hear from Random.”

“Even if not all the bugs and errors were ironed out we're still treated to an incredibly charming indie horror that wears its inspirations proudly on its sleeve and will make fans of the old PlayStation era very happy. Post Trauma tells a deeply moving story, perfectly exploits the strengths of fixed camera perspectives despite its technical weaknesses and is ideal for a playthrough in one go. The puzzles are never unsolvable, but still keep you entertained, the combat is more of a secondary concern, and the game would probably have worked just as well without them.”

“Karma: The Dark World strives to be art, drawing on some genre classics and for the most part, it succeeds quite well, delivering an immersive and, above all, creepy experience for players. There are moments when the game is a bit too transparent and lacks deeper gameplay, but overall, these criticisms are ultimately overshadowed by the game's many virtues. I definitely had a good time and hope we'll see more from this team in the future.”

“As a fan of surreal horror the game's atmosphere captivated me from the start. The PlayStation 1-esque look is tailor-made for me and the game's narrative design is incredibly well executed. The story keeps you hooked until the end and aside from a few technical glitches, there's really nothing I can find to criticize about the game. Mouthwashing is exactly the fresh mouthwash you need after AAA titles like the Silent Hill 2 remake to reawaken the beautifully disturbing and creative facets of horror.”