The Switch 2 version of Kirby and the Forgotten Land benefits from its refined graphics including the now stable (and higher) framerate. The Star-Crossed World expansion delivers twelve high quality levels and a demanding boss fight with around three to four hours of additional gameplay. If you have not played it yet, this is your best chance to catch up with this lovely feel good 3D platformer.

Sending your own superhero into the race is a brave move and, at least in terms of play, it really works here. There's plenty of scope to come up with your own solutions, and figuring out the best strategy makes the hours fly by. The fact that the ambitious story is not supported by a corresponding character design is regrettable, but in view of the undeniable gameplay qualities it is easy to get over.

In some ways the developers could have been more courageous concerning innovations, because beside graphics and new arranged score there is not much really new stuff. But playing it safe is fine, because with that Super Mario RPG is a beautiful looking role playing game with a great mixture of round based combat and action elements.

Thanks to its simplified controls, Once Upon a Katamari is a skill game that even genre newcomers can enjoy. It's colorful, crazy, and truly Japanese-cheesy: an addictive combination that never gets boring thanks to the variety of settings.

What a comeback! WWE22 makes its big return and delivers a fun, good-looking and playable wrestling-experience. While the game is far from perfect, its mechanics and overall options are well designed to keep fans motivated. WWE2K22 is definitely worth a buy.

While lacking in presentation and depth in ist career-mode, PGA Tour 2K23 is a compelling golf-simulation. The gameplay turns out to be both challenging yet satisfying and keeps players motivated for a lot of hours.

Few fictional universes are as dense and impenetrable as that of Warhammer 40k. Owlcat Games (previously known for Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous have managed to create a gripping story of the darkness that lurks in man, accentuated by stellar writing and a combat system that masterfully increases in depth as the game goes on. Despite some bugs and technical issues, this easily counts among the very best delves into the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium.

Dead Reset is a labour of love. From top to bottom it shows that every person involved with this project put their everything into it. Be that actors pulling double or triple duties behind the scenes or just the sheer amount of amazing practical effects that are put on screen. As a game it’s obviously extremely barebones. You pick between option A and B over and over again, having sometimes more and sometimes less influence on where the story goes. But if you like campy and schlocky horror movies and like to make tough decisions then you just have to check out Dead Reset.

Overall Rainbow Six: Extraction is a good co-op action game and maybe currently one of the best tactical PvE shooters you can play. It's a little bit too hard on higher levels, the progression fairly grindy, especially if you play it on lower difficulty. But that doesn't ruin the fun you'll have with your friends playing together, trouble-free across all platforms, if you want.

Sonic Superstars won’t change anyone’s mind on the Sonic franchise, but instead serves as somewhat of a soft reboot. It’s drawing from the strength of the old games, while introducing new zones, new abilities and 4-player co-op. At its very core it’s still playing things save and doesn’t change too much about the established formula, but it lays an excellent foundation on which Sega could and should built upon, as unlikely as that is, given the franchises history.

Nikoderiko: The Magical World Directors Cut is a great Easter present from developer studio Knights Peak, with new content, better graphics and many new language editions. Whether alone or in couch co-op, the mongooses Niko and Luna discover hidden treasures and colorful worlds. With different difficulty levels there is something for everyone, but be warned even the easy mode is not that easy.

Although Tales of Kenzera: Zau cannot shine with outstanding gameplay innovations, it does offer rock-solid, well-balanced and very fluid Metroidvania gameplay. The two masks in particular fit perfectly into the beautifully staged African setting and considerably expand the agile Zau's range of abilities. It's also nice how fluidly and responsively everything can be controlled and how much passion went into the soundtrack, the voice acting and the story. There's also little to complain about in terms of level design, although the bottom line is that we would have liked even more variation in the enemy types.

With its very classic approach including five streamlined game boards from the N64 era and healthy collection of 100 mini-games Mario Party Superstarts is an enjoyment especially for veterans of the series. As always, the best way to play the game is with others on the couch or online. But because of the a little better balanced AI solo players can have some more fun as in the predecessor Super Mario Party.

The mix of its timeless presentation and clever little puzzles makes Old Man's Journey plus a trip worth visiting even five years after it first released.

Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown is a love letter to the iconic TV series through and through. Fans in particular will love feeling the weight of Captain Janeway's responsibility on their shoulders throughout. However, newcomers to Star Trek may find it quite difficult to get into due to the unspectacular presentation.

While the PGA franchise has a long history behind it, this Apple Arcade release serves as an easy to grasp introduction for newcomers, while still offering something for more experienced players. Not quite a hole-in-one, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Despite the fantasy setting including a stylish table-top overworld, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a typical Borderlands game at its core. That's not a bad thing, if you like the mostly similar look and feel, the typical series' humor or the sweeping loot shooter mechanics, where you get much more scrap than cool stuff. In other words: If you like Borderlands, you'll have fun in Wonderlands. If not, this game has little chance to change your attitude.

Let's Sing 2025 is the karaoke party for home with many German hits. It's fun and does what it's supposed to do - nothing more, nothing less.

If you are into racing games and haven't yet given Riptide in its previous iteration a try, you should definitely check it out now if you are an Apple Arcade subscriber. The fun gameplay, various modes, multiplayer support and upgrade mechanics are sure to keep you entertained for a while.

Forgive Me Father 2 rocks hard! The lovecraftian setting combined with an alien arsenal of weapons and powers as well as non-stop Boomershooter action and a Metal soundtrack that just rips can be tremendously fun. On the other side there is the mostly mundane leveldesign, upgrades that are barely worth that description as well as a sometimes pretty unbalanced difficulty in combat. Nevertheless this is absolutely worth a look if you’re intrigued by the genre or the setting itself.

Pocket City 2 is a really well-rounded title that improves upon its predecessor in many ways. It's not the deepest game in its genre, but it offers fun game mechanics that will keep you playing and also offers some nice extra features.

The combat system is weak and some parts of the graphics seem heavily outdated. But Elex II is much more than the sum of its parts. It is a highly atmospheric and intense role-playing game with marvelous quest design, a worthwhile open world with an ultimate vision of freedom for story-driven games whose overall experience will make you forget most of its weak points.

No, Dunkadillo does not reinvent the side-scroller genre, but it offers fun, short levels that are a joy to bounce through, while finding small hidden secrets just adds to the experience.

Forza Horizon 5 still offers great open world racing fun, looks great and establishes a dimension of freedom in progress that is unique for the genre. But at its core, the game delivers the same mechanics, the same kind of events, just a little bit differently. These wear marks don't make Forza Horizon 5 a bad game, but they make it less appealing.

At its core, Farming Simulator 22 remains mostly the same. But, if you want, production chains and seasons expand depth and complexity. But the main reason, why this game is the best part of the series so far, is the technical progression that makes it proverbially from an ugly duckling to pleasant swan.

The Farming Simulator 25 is nothing less than one of the best games in its genre segment. While the gameplay does not change that much compared to the predecessor, there are many technically improvements. But they are not as huge as you might expect three years after the last part. Because of that the new Farming Simulator ultimately retains its class without really expending it.

Lost Judgment is a good sequel to an amazing predecessor. The fighting system is fun, the mission design is very diverse, and you can still put hours into entertaining optional stuff within the vast open world. There is just one thing that makes a huge difference. Takayuki Yagami's new case is not in the least as personal and captivating as his first one. That doesn't make Lost Judgment a bad game, but it makes it clearly stand behind the first part of the spin-off series.

While inevitably overshadowed by its big brother, Persona 5 Tactica definitely has its own legs to stand on. The accessible, yet engaging combat system, a new story with its own twists and turns, as well as the excellent art style make this an easy game to pick up and play. What it lacks however, is anything truly outstanding. While competent at all aspects of the game, nothing stands out as particularly new or captivating, dooming this to remain forever trapped a shadow in the metaverse that is Persona 5.

Retropolis 2 is a very successful indie game. It pleases with good puzzles, a coherent game world and an exciting story. If the whole thing gets bigger in scope, we might even have a system seller with part 3.

To sum it up: MotoGP 25 is a huge leap for the racing series and the best instalment in ages. Milestone scores points with two major changes: the switch to Unreal Engine 5 and the customization options in Arcade and Pro gameplay. If you were looking for a motorcycle-racing-game, then MotoGP 25 is a very good alternative.

Reigns: The Witcher neatly combines the two Franchises and delivers another worthy entry in the now decade-old Reigns franchise. With plenty of Witcher source material to work with, this entertains for hours, as the formula works as good as we have come to expect.

Once Upon a Puppet is a lovingly crafted 2.5D platformer with a fresh setting. Theater fans can certainly forgive minor flaws in the performance.

Whether it's the puzzle design, the presentation or the background story, the third entry in the House of Da Vinci franchise delivers just like its predecessors did. If you are interested in puzzle games at all, you need to play The House of Da Vinci 3.

Mafia: The Old Country uses a very conservative approach especially concerning its gameplay. But the stirring, not just visually great presented story and the grippy, varied and well paced action makes it a worthy series' legacy and a story driven gangster game not only the fans will appreciate.

Creative Assembly stays true to Total War's series core - and that’s not to be understood negatively. It guarantees a strategy adventure with dozens of hours of exciting gameplay that brings some interesting new additions to the table: The hunt for the four demon souls. A racethrough the Chaos Realms that offers new dynamics to the Warhammer battlefield.

Nearly as fast as Sekiro dye, but still with a lot of tactical options in its duel-based fights, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty delivers a unique mix of different Soulslike attitudes. If the first boss wasn't a little too hard and the difficulty curve flattening more and more afterwards, Wo Long maybe could have beaten Nioh 2. That way it's not outstanding, but just a well done action RPG that can easily be recommended to any fan of the genre.

Iron Harvest is one of the few RTS games on console and it seemingly knows that players won’t have many alternatives when it comes to the strategy itch. This game has an intriguing setting in Jakub RóżalskiIron’s 1920+ fictional universe, but its technical aspects are minimal and unrefined. Despite looking like at least two console generations too late, it’s prone to frame-rate drops and at times even crashes. Those willing to look past the rough exterior find campaign that is definitely worth playing and tells a compelling story, as well as a competitive multiplayer that suffers from poor balancing and extreme snowballing. Iron Harvest is not an easy game to love, yet I can understand anyone who does nonetheless.

The developers behind Golf Peaks once again show what they are capable of. Railbound manages to engross the player through its playful graphical stile as well as through its clever puzzles. If you are yearning for a fun puzzle game and don’t hate trains, don’t miss Railbound.

Steelrising entices with a steampunk reimagining of the French Revolution and combat heavily inspired by Dark Souls. While it nails many aspects of its presentation and shows just how far developer Spiders has come from games like Technomancer, the combat still doesn’t flow quite as smoothly as with competitors. What it lacks in interesting environment design, it balances out with excellent atmosphere and a welcoming approach to difficulty. Thanks to an accessibility function and optional waypoints, it’s never been this easy to get into a Souls-Like. Steelrising is an excellent addition to Spiders’ portfolio and an easy recommendation for fans of Action-RPGs and those with an interest in the mysterious and enchanting world put on screen.

This is certainly not a game for fans of realistic racing action, but if you are up for over the top craziness and quick challenges, What the Car? is a game Apple Arcade users absolutely should not miss.

With the so called Premium Edition of Farming Simulator 22 players gain the complete package with any DLC that has been released since the launch of the main game in November 2021. There is a lot of stuff in it you can easily expand with quiet a lot mods even on consoles. But the weak points stay the same especially concerning the partly bad player guidance or the poor physics engine. A good farming simulation, but still not a perfect one.

Despite a few now-outdated design decisions, we were positively surprised how well these games hold up after over 3 decades. The effort that was put into the updated presentation together with the well-written stories and characters make this a package well worth your time.

Despite a few now-outdated design decisions, we were positively surprised how well these games hold up after over 3 decades. The effort that was put into the updated presentation together with the well-written stories and characters make this a package well worth your time.

Skyward Sword has never been one of the top games of the Zelda series, but with it's unique setting and sword fighting mechanic it's still a great action adventure. Essentially the HD version on Switch doesn't change anything about that. There is more comfort as on Wii, but also Nintendo could have done more for bringing the graphics in the year 2021. Nevertheless the game is a must play for Zelda fans, at least for those, who did not play the original so far.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is still a fine JRPG with nice story, tactical round-based combat and cool job system for varied gameplay without typical classes. But the king is still the strong atmosphere thanks to a fantastic soundtrack and mostly beautiful, if not in any aspect refined graphics. If you love JRPGs and did not play the original, the remaster is a good choice. If you already played the 3DS original, there is hardly anything to find, that can easily surprise you.

Kombinera is an absolute no brainer for puzzle fans. It offers more variety than the simplistic appearance initially suggests and will entertain you for many hours with its 300 levels.

Fae Farm is a typically complex farming game that casts a spell over you with a (too small) touch of magic and enchanting creatures. You'll be chronically broke, tired and drained, but pretty happy.

Planet of Lana is exceptionally beautiful and atmospherically dense. The side-scroller offers classic platform puzzling, which gains in complexity through Lana's companion, Mui. Mui is a brave little guy - and one of the cuddliest representatives of his guild.

Being a simplistic game doesn’t mean that “One Btn Bosses” is boring and simple. It has a surprising amount of depth and can offer an enormous amount of replayability if you’re into chasing highscores or the roguelike-mode. The campaign is a fantastic tutorial but the story and the presentation of it are rather lacking. It plays fantastic on a Handheld-PC and can offer fun for hours and hours if you’re willing to dive into the additional challenges of beating the five floors of R&D.

If you're just focusing on graphics and performance or if you want everything to make sense, No More Heroes 3 might not be your game. But the quality of Suda51's new game consists of something else. It's the number of crazy ideas making you laugh out loud over and over again. It's the spectacular fighting action, the crazy characters and the many references to Japanese and western popular culture that makes No More Heroes 3 an enjoyable trip that's worth buying and a must-play for Suda fans.

With scribing, the developers have brought a sophisticated system into the game that, on the one hand, does not influence the current game balance too much, but gives the player some freedom and space to experiment. “Gold Road” also impresses with many funny side missions and a large scope.

Combining the three best games in its series, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania offers great value for very little. While the game certainly primarily seeks the attention of a younger audience, core gamers might also enjoy it due to precise controls and a neat challenge mode.

Hogwarts Legacy is a fully fleshed action RPG with everything that belongs to that. The fights are fun, the magic based riddles are nice, the presentation is beautiful, even if the game does not deliver a technically through and through next-gen experience. Don't think so much about the open world, think more about a magical atmosphere, that should reach any RPG player, in particular fans of the Harry Potter franchise.

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos unlocks a universe in which there is a lot to discover - be it the ever-changing monster variants or the bizarrely beautiful landscapes. The cel-shaded look of the game is a feast for the eyes, the soundtrack skillfully emphasizes the sometimes threatening, sometimes almost idyllic atmosphere. However, iIt takes a bit of getting used to the fact that the world can't be explored completely freely, but rather guides us through circled areas.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a tightly crafted real-time tactics game that blends stealth, puzzle-solving, and emotional storytelling. Set in a beautifully rendered, dystopian city, the game follows a trio of characters with complementary abilities who must work together through intricately designed missions. With its smart level design, intuitive isometric controls, and a surprisingly personal narrative, Eriksholm stands out as a hidden gem in the genre. Minor frustrations aside, it’s a strong debut from indie studio River End Games.

Life is Strange: Reunion does a good job narratively and atmospherically. Gameplay-wise, it's quite varied, but typical of the series, it's not particularly challenging. Fans clearly benefit from their prior knowledge and love for the heroines. However, newcomers to the series will noticeably miss out on something because of this.

Cult of the Lamb takes a much more casual approach to the Rogue-Like genre and presents a much smoother and streamlined experience. This however means that the randomness of runs, the variance and challenge all get left on the wayside with the latter being relegated to the higher difficulty settings. No matter the difficulty, Cult of the Lamb seems to struggle in balancing its many progression systems with many players maxing out aspects of cult progression halfway through the dungeon progression. Despite those flaws and a relatively short completion time of roughly 10-15 hours, we thoroughly enjoyed time spent with Cult of the Lamb and may even return to it sometime later for a second playthrough.

Ride 6 delivers a solid evolution of Milestone’s motorcycle series, with improved visuals, flexible handling options, and a more engaging career structure. The AI can feel overly aggressive at times, and the presentation isn’t always top tier, but overall it stands as the most complete and accessible entry so far.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is a nostalgic trip to the past, dressed into a modern graphic robe. It combines a more lineare action-adventure approach while providing a lot more freedom than in its role models like Assassin's Creed II. This way, Mirage is made for long-term fans of the series. But because of some inauthentic gameplay mechanics in combat and stealth, it cannot fulfill the highest expectations.

If you ever wanted to learn more about the city of Berlin and its history or if you just want to enjoy a short but smart and emotional narrative game then you should look no further than The Berlin Apartment. While the gameplay is too simplistic and doesn’t really elevate the stories that are told it rarely gets in the way of enjoying the story of Berlin and the people that lived there during several times of human and political turmoil.

Dairoku is a good otome game, though not necessarily a great one. The love interests are interesting and have fascinating characters, but the main storyline doesn’t quite catch up to them in terms of quality. The character graphics are very beautiful, yet the backgrounds are too simple. The music is fitting, not standout. Knowing this, if you love the Japanese ayakashi setting you should still try this game. The individual storylines of the bachelors make it worthwhile.

Sand Land is a charming desert adventure that wonderfully captures the spirit of Akira Toriyama's work in its atmospheric game world, thrilling vehicle battles and exciting story. Even if there are a few game mechanics that are a bit sandy, this action RPG is a little insider tip.

Revised for VR with stunning ghost train effects this slightly aged classic pumps some fresh blood through its steel veins. Doom 3 VR makes a good party game with splatter and jump scare galore although a halfway convincing story or witty ideas are still missing. On your trip to hell and back again you won't need them anyway.

After many years we finally get to play “Replaced” and if you care about the story, the setting and its impeccable atmosphere you will have a tremendous time. The combat mostly flows excellently and looks amazing, the platforming feels nice and fluid if it doesn’t get annoying by the weird checkpoints and odd camera positions and the story offers a lot of depth if you are willing to read a lot of text. If all of those mentioned “buts” seem like a dealbreaker to you then you probably will be frustrated by all of it. If you manage to look past them and just immerse yourself in this gameworld you will be thoroughly entertained though.

Yomawari: Lost in the Dark is a creepy horror adventure, where you need to find clues from your past to resolve the curse put on you. Don’t get barlowed from the cute and children friendly first impression, since it turns into a nightmare real quick. Its not only visually very creepy, it also plays with typical human fears and great sound effects, so be prepared for some mean jumpscares and a great storyline.

Patapon 1+2 Replay proves that ingenious game ideas never get old! Even though the music game may seem cute at first glance, it's packed with depth and complexity. The battles are tactically challenging, but also require maximum concentration. There's much more to Patapon than you might initially imagine, making the remake collection both worth playing and highly recommended. If you haven't tried Patapon yet, you should do so now.

When Pokémon GO meets the strong storytelling of The Witcher, a very entertaining role-playing-AR-smartphone-game comes out in which you cover a few (kilo-) meters.

While Mortal Shell cannot completely fill the big shoes of "Dark Souls", it is an impressive debut by Cold Symmetry. We especially liked the unique art design and the motivating battle system and are looking forward to a successor.

If you want to be challenged or if four hours are not enough for you, Keeper might not be yours. But if you're searching for a dense and unique experience with creative gameplay, beautiful graphics, and a strong atmosphere you should absolutely play it.

Nintendo Switch Sports is not a series revolution, although there is a special, partly Rocket-League-like new football mode. But the game does not need to be a revolution. It is just an entertaining sports and party game, with a lovely presentation that's a pleasure to play, even alone, but especially together with friends.

While it has its rough edges here and there, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a must-play for any fan of deep and heavy RPGs in the style of Pillars of Eternity or Divinity Original Sin 2. The underlying system of Pathfinder gives the game incredible complexity at the cost of having to read through item and ability descriptions that sound like they’ve been written by the nerdiest accountant in the world. If you can manage to push through the obtuse calculations and the vastly fluctuating difficulty, you’ll find an incredibly immersive story that branches in unexpected and impressive ways, allowing you to forge your very own path through a demon-infested crusade.

Dorfromantik offers a video game experience without any violence, multiplayer or deep storytelling; and with this successfully creates a pure, relaxing building game.

Developer Purple Lamp successfully brings the Wii original into the year 2024 with mostly fully new graphics that (more or less) make the remake look like a current production. The action adventure is too undemanding for a must-have. But with its creative gameplay and as an atmospheric Homage to Disney classics it's worth buying not simply for fans of the original.

MotoGP 26 delivers refined handling and a solid racing experience, but lacks meaningful innovation. A good entry for newcomers, yet only a modest upgrade for returning players. The core is strong, but progression and career depth still feel underdeveloped.

During its strongest moments Darwin’s Paradox! is an absolute joy. No matter if you have to solve simple puzzles, escape from danger at high speed or just jump through complex platforming sections, Darwin feels great to control and offers fun and varied gameplay. On top of that he is a lovely and great looking protagonist and the design of other creatures and the world itself is topnotch. The game suffers from issues with the camera, dips in the framerate and some traps and dangers during the gameplay are just too well hidden to spot on a first playthrough. Ultimately these things don’t matter too much as “Darwin’s Paradox!” is just a blast to play.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger may start off slowly, but it soon unfolds into a rewarding RPG with challenging Titan battles, deep progression systems, and a heartfelt story. Fans will appreciate the familiar themes and the well implemented vibe of the anime, while newcomers can enjoy a solid, content-rich adventure that captures the spirit of the Digimon universe.

A good sequel with high replay value for this kind of games and with some minor technical advantages for users on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. If you like the series, you need to play it. If not, House of Ashes won't change your mind about the series.

One of the most fun horde shooters since Left 4 Dead 2 thanks to an excellent progression system that motivates through several playthroughs of a surprisingly varied campaign featuring three unique enemy factions, as well as spectacular cross-faction battles. Especially on higher difficulties, this becomes tactical survival rather than a light-weight horde shooter, but thanks to in-depth weapon customization and class abilities the challenge never feels unfair.

Rock and stone! But this time it’s from a different view. Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor does a great job of capturing the look and feel of Deep Rock Galactic while mostly going a different way in terms of gameplay. The loop of killing thousands of bugs, gathering valuable resources and building your perfect space dwarf on each run and in between is incredibly satisfying. If you are completely new to the genre or even Deep Rock then everything might be a bit too complicated and messy at the beginning. The menus could be cleaner and offer a better overview. This is luckily not too bad because the gameplay feels great and makes Survivor one of those games that make you go for just one more run to unlock that upgrade. Again. And again. And again.

Going through the procedurally generated levels, blasting away enemies and picking up items only to lose them again in typical rogue-like fashion doesn't get old with this 2023 iteration of Downwell on Apple Arcade.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a creative and diverse 3D platformer with an adorable hero and a beautiful audiovisual presentation that suits any age group. But Kirby's new adventure does not only maintain the typical strengths of the series and transforms them successfully into the third dimension. It also retains the low degree of difficulty, what makes it more accessible, but demands too little from advanced players.

Mario Tennis Fever offers good and, thanks to its many game modes, varied fun sports entertainment. However, this spectacular, sometimes very chaotic arcade tennis game doesn't quite reach the thrill and scope of Mario Kart World.

Reanimal is a stylistically and atmospherically excellent, varied horror platformer. You can also experience it across platforms in local and cross-platform co-op. The puzzles are somewhat lacking, but the action is particularly intense. However, this doesn't detract from a gripping horror experience, as good as Little Nightmares 3 should have been.

Have you spent a lot of time in games like Theme Park, Planet Coaster etc.? Then you will also spend many entertaining hours with Park Beyond. The campaign could be a bit longer, but the eight missions offer a lot of variety and nice challenges. And then of course you have the sandbox mode with its 27 great maps. There's no question that randomly generated scenarios, a map-sharing option and a multiplayer mode would have been nice extras, but hopefully they'll follow in the form of further patches that also fix more of the remaining bugs.

Thanks to its exciting post-apocalyptic setting, varied gameplay, and innovative follower system that allows for indirect cooperation between players, developer DixiArt has significantly improved upon its previous offerings with "Tides of Tomorrow." While the action elements are mechanically mediocre and technical flaws become more frequent later on, these shortcomings are easily overlooked given the game's other strengths.

Kings Bounty 2 takes many good aspects of the predecessor and expands them with new mechanics and extras. Thanks to differences in altitude and obstacles, the fights are now much more tactical, but also not 100% balanced.

Crimson Desert is a beautiful and technologically impressive collection of various gameplay and simulation ideas that struggle to find together into a cohesive whole. Over dozens of hours the game meanders, only to hit you with a moment where every obtuse element suddenly clicks together, offering a truly groundbreaking experience. Though immediately after you're tasked with something so odd, such as cleaning chimneys that you can't help but wonder if this is all an elaborate social experiment.

Shredders may not be the most graphically impressive game, but the small developer studio FoamPunch manages to do what they set out to accomplish. Shredders is a worthy successor to titles like Amped and brings the accessible but deep controls of Skate to the snowboarding genre while focusing on what’s most important to the sport. The freedom and joy of finding your own path down a mountain through deep snow.

For a small price you not only get Casey Jones as a playable character but also an entirely new region to fight through on your way to save Master Splinter. While Casey doesn’t feel too different from the four available Turtles he is still a fun character to play and the new enemies and bosses in the titular junkyard bring something fresh to the table as well.

Sudden Strike 5 seems to develop the storied franchise into different directions. On the one side, the new card system for commanders allows for more flexibility and some of the new mission designs lean towards faster, more accessible action. Yet the almost complete lack of handholding or explanation of deeper game systems makes it extremely hard to get started for newer players. However, despite these flaws, the core game is excellent, even if it leans towards learning through failure.

We already gave Steel Seed the insider tip label in our hands-on-preview. And … we weren't far off the mark! The action-stealth-game impresses with its well-implemented gameplay formula and also boasts a great design for its science-fiction world.

While it can't quite live up to the cult status of its older sibling, Vampire Crawlers is a surprisingly robust adaptation of the visuals, charme and gameplay feel of its predecessor. Especially the twist of trying to build your deck around seamlessly flowing cheap cards into expensive cards is both original and enough to carry the weight of the otherwise very familiar experience.

Expectations for Battlefield 2042 were high, very high. Unfortunately, the game has not yet been able to fully satisfy them at the start. Problems range from balancing issues in Hazard Zone mode to the lack of standard features such as an in-game voice chat. Any yet: In hardly any other DICE shooter have we experienced such entertaining, exciting and completely crazy multiplayer matches. In order to survive within the contested multiplayer market, DICE now has to optimize the fundamentally strong pillars of Battlefield 2042 step by step.

Yes, Outlanders 2 is in many ways just more Outlanders, but that's not a bad thing at all. With plenty of improvements and an engaging yet relaxing gameplay loop, this is definitely a game Apple Arcade subscribers should check out.

Alone in the Dark scores with its intense atmosphere, exciting story and overall good puzzle design. There are deductions for the sluggish controls, the average fights and the backdrop-like game world. Overall, however, THQ Nordic and Pieces Interactive offer you a gripping and balanced action adventure with survival horror elements.

Atelier Reseleria combines the typical JRPG Atelier formula with small management elements in the form of a shop and other extras to help the protagonists rebuild their hometown. Thanks to numerous cameos from other Atelier protagonists, the game feels like a magical class reunion that doesn't overdo it but plays pleasantly.

While Sunset Hills by no means reinvents the adventure genre, it nonetheless manages to captivate through its presentation, story and characters, making it an easy recommendation for fans of the genre.

The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a cute story-side-scroller with great music, a fantastic storyline and lovely art-style. Voicelines are only available in Japanese, but you will have English subtitles to enjoy the storyline. Its a great game for kids, but also for adults and a real feel-good-comfort-zone to escape this cruel world for a bit.