Occult adventure full of alpine mysticism and dark magic. Mundaun delivers an intensive experience far off the beaten track.

Good things come to those who wait. After three years filled with content and with the added Shadow Lords mode Killer Instinct evolved from an ugly duckling that hardly didn’t offer any content to a potential prospect for the beat-em-up throne.

This is like a magical novel. If you’re looking for something different, something quiet, you just might find what you need in this beautifully crafted adventure full of secrets.

It shows the still known mechanical faults, but the story is worth every minute, as it sets the tone for a hopefully tense finale.

Reanimal continues the tradition of Little Nightmares and garnishes it with disturbingly fascinating gore elements. The atmosphere and creature design are top notch, and the couch co-op option is the icing on the cake. Only the game length could be longer.

It’s a pity that the Definitive Edition falls short to the PC in terms of certain texture details. But other than that even two years after its premiere the rejuvenated Dante and his brother show that they still got it.

In Switch’s launch lineup, this is the biggest surprise. A fascinating rhythm game that takes advantage of the touchscreen, sports a wide ranged soundtrack of almost 120 songs and an interesting art design.

An enormous expansion that adds a lot of interesting new features, but also takes the turn based combat to its limit.

It is short, but Rain gives you tons of magical, suspenseful and emotional moments.

Quotation forthcoming.

Behind the stunning but hardware-demanding visuals you’ll find a complex, yet very scalable flight simulation – albeit one that has mechanical as well as technical flaws.

Pixel by pixel, it's an old-school point-and-click adventure—and that's a good thing. Kathy Rain has survived the sequel unscathed, investigating better than Inspector Columbo and Mr. Monk combined.

The dynamic fights could have been more challenging but the bosses deliver and in the grand scheme the fighting is just a small part of the complex Darksiders mosaic. If you like exploration, puzzles, secrets, the hunt for the bigger better loot plus the occasional scythe wielding, this year it will probably not get much better than this.

Like Universal Classics Pinball the pinball adventures into the world of dinosaurs lack some atmosphere in terms of original music, but if you like the Zen approach to pinball, Jurassic Park is a worthwhile and thoroughly entertaining addition to your library.

An indie gem where every pixel breathes love for its characters. An old-school point-and-click adventure whose story starts slowly but then develops an irresistible pull. Perfect Tides: Station to Station is great storytelling on a small screen.

Some problems with AI, story direction and character development still exist. But nonetheless this is beautifully crafted stealth-action that delivers – also thanks to the included DLC.

It might not be the prettiest game, but once you get the idea of utilizing the weapon changing gestures, the Centinels will keep you in a firm grip with their positively hectic battles and challenging boss encounters.

While the level design shows some inconsistencies and there are no real consequences depending on your choice of subtle oder bloody methods. But nonetheless this is a very entertaining and thanks to the competent AI challenging modern interpretation squad based realtime strategic infiltration à la Commandos.

Despite frustrating moments, parkour and action come together culminating in demanding and exhilarating challenges.

Zelda's first adventure is colorful, cute and surprisingly versatile fun. Dozens of echoes provide variety, the friendly game world and Zelda-typical puzzle fun do the rest.

Super Mario Party Jamboree radiates colorful light from every pore. If you look closely, you can see a slight flicker in a few places. The overall lighting is still cheerful.

Even ten years after its premiere, this interactive thriller from David Cage is still great. Sometimes you can sense the age when it comes to visuals, but if you haven’t played this yet, you are in for a treat.

The beautiful platform exploration of Wonder Boy transcends into the present with Wonder Boy adding clever puzzle elements.

It not only looks great, but gives you high quality content: Loads of modes, a well balanced roster, a complex fighting system, accurate controls.

I am pleasantly surprised: Seemingly with ease this twinstick-induced strategy-explosion on a postapocalyptic diorama is more immersive that imagined - and fun to play as well.

On the surface this is "just" another jump&run – one that wouldn't stand a chance against Mario & Co. But add imagery, unusual metaphors and a simple but very moving story you'll get a fairy tale that reminds me of ICO in its best moments.

While topics and storytelling might be a tad too childish and the challenge level of this fairy tale is a little too low, it nonetheless is hard to escape the magic of this beautiful JRPG, with its varied mission and level design.

A very good expansion pack with a strong comeback of religion and a very entertaining steampunk scenario.

Ghost of a Tale has its share of problems and can be superficial at times. But mostly Lionel Gallat brings a charming little hero to life with a coherent direction and a setting in which every element serves one purpose only: to infuse this little adventure with a big soul.

Explosive, difficult and gloriously daft: Broforce brings you pure testosterone in gaming form.

If you're looking for complex challenges and moral choices, Frostpunk 2 won't disappoint. Hours of entertainment are almost guaranteed.

Quotation forthcoming.

Visually as well as mechanically very successful remaster of two skateboard classics. The Tony Hawk franchise hasn’t been served with this quality in a very long time.

Quotation forthcoming.

Aesthetically beautiful pixel adventure in a fantasy world full of despair – the frantic boss battles contrast the dreamy atmosphere.

This year's iteration still has its flaws like the inconsistent career and the coin system. But nonetheless right now this is still the best sports game out there.

Nintendo rediscovers fun for the core gamer: New Super Mario Bros. U is hardly surprising, but delivers quite a challenge with its classic jump & run roots.

This was and still is a very challenging turn based tactics gem with cleverly induced real-time elements and a beautiful, timeless art design.

The characters are lovable and the soundtrack is simply phenomenal. Even with bugs and errors not to be found in the console versions you can’t help but fall in love when Tim Schafer pays homage to the gods of heavy metal.

The omnipresent paywalls are a constant thorn in my side. But still this is the best Lego game Traveller’s Tales has produced since the original Lego Star Wars. The idea to incorporate the Toypad into the puzzles is genius, where virtual and real Lego worlds merge.

This might not be the system seller that Oculus is hoping for, since music games still basically are a niche market. But nonetheless this is a perfect example how known concepts can be enhanced and become more immersive. This is Harmonix’ best rhythm extravaganza since Fantasia: Music Evolved.

Classic dungeon crawling in the likes of The Bard’s Tale with puzzle elements, surprising depth and colorful visuals.

Survival, building, exploration and the best building block sandbox since the invention of LEGO. Minecraft didn’t lose any of its fascination on the PS3.

Tequila Works show how to inject fresh ideas into a theme as worn-out as the zombie apocalypse. The mixture of puzzles and challenging fights works extraordinarily well to make Deadlight one of the most atmospheric XBLA games of the year.

This is the well rounded Pokémon adventure I was longing for. An absolutely worthy gift for the 15th birthday of the series.

If you like your old-school RPG with a big helping of classic dungeons, cartography and party-management than look no further. Under the colorful surface is an experience that is more demanding than anything that Legend of Grimrock can throw at you.

The story is the usual weak point while the visuals are as outdated as ever. But that shouldn’t keep you from playing this gem.

Furious Star Wars action with great cockpit feeling and tense team dogfights.

Lone Survivor is a unique and very intense horror trip into the human psyche.

On every corner you’ll find a new secret or a sparkling metal ornament waiting to be investigated. It is short and offers hardly anything new compared to the predecessor. But is still is very unique – which you can’t say about too many mobile games which mainly consist of match-3 or endless-runner-clones.

A great ending of the bizarre science fiction adventure with a plethora of funny ideas and loads of challenging puzzles.

A very big very little adventure with lightning fast quests, lovable characters and loads of references to roleplaying games.

Realistic, yet extremely playable and enhanced with strategic depth: In the current shooter landscape Squad is one-of-a-kind.

Very good entertainment with a faceted battle system. It looks and feels great on PlayStation 5.

Intense battles in which heroes and cannon fodder soldiers have to work together to achieve victory. Expect a surprisingly long and entertaining campaign plus brutal multiplayer skirmishes, which are in desperate need of more content.

The Arrival pushed me to the edge of sanity. With its clever combination of unsettling pictures and disturbing sounds this is one of the most intense horror experiences available today.

Inspired by games like Journey or Limbo, Lone Sails draws you in on Switch with charming music and an expressive art design. An emotional trip through an apocalypse void of humans.

Borderlands 4 motivates with tons of loot and tight gunplay – it is and remains one of the best loot shooters ever. Now that the story and endgame has returned to most of its old strengths, you can easily spend dozens of hours here before boredom sets in. Only the open world wasn't really necessary.

There’s no other sports game that comes even close to the drama and direction the revamped career is offering. Plus you’ll get a plethora of on- and offline modes. But when it comes to core mechanics the differences to last years’ version are only subtle.

The development team behind Ara: History Untold succeeds in competing with the established titles of the genre with new ideas and creative gameplay, cleverly packing complex economic systems and production processes into a graphically sophisticated and lively framework while retaining the roots of its genre predecessors.

An exciting, interactive gangster thriller with an idiosyncratic look and great speakers.

An improvement over its predecessor in every way. The intriguing story could be told in a more captivating style though.

This is what a nice clean conversion should look like. Visually it is not as crisp as its Xbox One counterpart, but the core delivers the same high octane mixture of acrobatic wallruns and mech-action.

Quotation forthcoming.

Tense as well as emotional journey into the past with interesting characters and lively dialogue.

Flat Heroes is “good old” platform action filled with ideas, challenge and high playability.

If Dear Esther is a dark audiobook, Proteus is an interactive painting. Small things combine to build a living world.

With Warlords of Draenor, Blizzard is back on track.

Evolution was bigger and better in every aspect. But still this is a competent and challenging arcade game that keeps you glued to your pad.

Tetris meets music: The creative concept sill delivers an exceptional arcade-experience.

What a voxelstorm. Nex Machina is a great twinstick shooter that beams you back into the arcades. This explosive experience will dray you into its small but challenging world.

Not quite as well rounded as its predecessor, Ghost of Yōtei offers more variation, but falls short in terms of story and depth of side characters. Nevertheless a great open world-adventure with a fantastic presentation.

Quotation forthcoming.

A great competitive shooter if you are willing to invest time and can accept the slow character progress.

The mechanics would work well in a different setting without the license attached. But add to that the ridiculously well captured look, sound & feel of the tv show and you get a nasty, provocative and thoroughly enjoyable roleplaying romp.

Innovative, refreshing and incredibly entertaining: Donkey Kong Bananza inspires with new ideas without forgetting its roots.

If you like games like Legend of Grimrock, you will fall in love with Vaporum - especially if you enjoy steampunk settings like BioShock.

Regardless if you are a newcomer to the series or a veteran that knows SMT 4 inside and out, this alternate version of the JRPG classic will keep you busy for weeks.

Yes, taking care of your pokégotchis is superficial at best. And for ten years now Square is struggling with good camera positions in the fast-paced fights. But albeit all flaws this is a very entertaining action RPG with an engrossing and multilayered storyline. Oh yes: It looks great, too.

This creative toolbox didn’t lose any of its magic. Minecraft doesn’t need level-ups, xp, buffs or special abilities to motivate – it captivates with its sheer openness and endless creativity.

A great collection of tables for pinball fans, who not only want to enjoy the imaginative design of the tables in gorgeous VR but also their love for Star Wars in general with the fantastic customizable Fan Cave.

Intelligent Systems wears its name with pride: The puzzles are as elegant as they are tricky. Fallblox is a small but enthralling addition to the 3DS download library.

Creative, bold & powerful: a refreshing survival game with a surreal game world, complex game mechanics and an exciting story.

I have to keep an eye on my provisions, I have to leave the safe path and might have to face deadly foes. If I don't want to die I have to face my fears and accept a suspenseful and lethal game of hide-and-seek. I've never experienced a more intense fight for survival in an open world.

Yes, some mechanics feel a bit old-fashioned after ten years. But as a no-frills arcade racer with an open world and hundreds of races, tasks and cars this is till one hell of a ride.

In terms of storytelling and gameplay these shooters still are top-notch. The Switch versions suffer from slight control issues, though.

If it says “Klei” you’ll get quality for sure. The Canadians serve up a challenging turn based strategy gem in a comic style spy world.

Ninja Theory had big boots to fill. But they mastered the reboot of the iconic stylish action series. The fighting system manages the balance between traditional dynamics and contemporary combo madness. The art design is close to perfect. The narrative though is sometimes losing focus and refuses to give the characters room to grow for most of the time. Nonetheless this is the first big action highlight of the year.

Crisp third-person shooter that surpasses its predecessor with exciting fights, great boss fights and high replayability.

Yakuza 6 sure has some weaknesses. But it also is a fitting finale for an underappreciated franchise, where storytelling, compelling minigames and above all, beautiful visuals craft one extraordinary experience.

Enormous content, great fanservice and a lot of attention to detail: The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is a prime example for what a remaster should offer.

The manual boost results not only in a more dynamic offense, but forces you to anticipate on defense. With the enhanced mechanics and the improved AI there's no way around NHL 13 if you're remotely interested in this sport.

Quotation forthcoming.

A colorful and varied 3D platformer full of fun ideas and some surprising cameos. Not simply fans of the genre should get their money's worth - it would not be surprising if Astro Bot wins many new friends with this game.

Arise combines the picturesque appeal of Journey with the challenges of a classic jump-and-run.

Byrne's fight for survival is a unique horror trip into the psyche of humans.

This is a very good expansion, but be aware that the focus on improvements is to be found in multiplayer, while Kerrigan’s revenge campaign delivers rather solid entertainment.

There it is, the first game that runs exclusively on Nintendo's improved 3D hardware. And five years after the original release this is still a grand epic roleplaying experience. But the fascination that the original could spark for its premiere is not there – also thanks to technical shortcomings that I didn’t expect on the new system.