Like its predecessor, Age of Imprisonment serves up highly enjoyable power-fantasy action against a competently translated “Zelda“-backdrop. While the title avoids major innovations (too much so), it tweaks the right elements and improves greatly on the performance and visuals. If you only bring a love for the underlying franchise, the repetitive gameplay might tire you rather quickly. However, for genre enthusiasts, and especially fans of the first game, this title is a no-brainer.

Resident Evil Requiem delivers one of the series’ best survival‑horror campaigns with Grace Ashcroft and a brutal, visually impressive action romp with Leon in ruined Raccoon City. However, its generous resources economy, the action-focus in the second half and split identity keep this ambitious anniversary entry just shy of true masterpiece status.

A tense and atmospheric sci-fi horror story that starts familiar but grows into something distinctly its own, powered by strong characters, smart branching structure, and a chilling sense of distrust.

Dungeons of Hinterberg skilfully combines the social aspects of Persona with linear Zelda dungeons, leveraging the strengths of its cultural influences.

A strong, emotional story, a good, if not outstanding, combat system and plenty to do in terms of exploration and collecting: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden should come as a positive surprise to most gamers, and certainly not many had it on their radar as a spring highlight.

In regards to its content, The War Within is the best expansion for WoW to date. The story is fantastic, the music incredible, and on top of the group-based content fans have come to expect, from raids to battlegrounds to arena battles and mythic dungeons, the new Delves finally offer a great opportunity for smaller teams, lone wolves and casual players to make meaningful progress, get stronger, master their class and receive powerful gear. Warbands make powering up and gearing new characters easier than ever. Granted, these are all features, which other MMOs have been offering for years in some form or another, but if your heart beats for Azeroth, you may not be interested in any alternatives. Issues such as deleted guild banks and balancing problems with the crafting system, classes, hero talents and delves are a source of frustration. Still, now is a great time to go on a(nother) trip to Azeroth, even or especially when you don't have as much time to play as you did 20 years ago.

The horror adventure The Midnight Walk impresses with its dark, grotesque atmosphere and exciting stories – but don't expect any tough brain teasers.

Even if this reinterpretation of Alone in the Dark occasionally stumbles a little in technical terms, you can feel the love for the original and the horror genre in every fibre of the game. It's a great conundrum of mysterious characters, supernatural forces and classic gothic horror.

Wanderstop questions the classic ingredients of cozy games. To truly heal emotionally, much more is needed than relaxing gardening and tea making.

Karma: The Dark World is not a classic survival horror - but an audiovisual experiment with a political undertone that feels like a fever dream. A project that should rather be understood as an interactive work of art, possibly even as a critical statement. Atmospherically, it is brilliant, its content deep - but playfully often too slow and stiff to reach a wide audience. For anyone interested in symbolic narratives, dystopian systems and artistic forms of fear, it's a game that will stay with you for a long time.

If you're looking for a cleverly balanced puzzle platformer with a great atmosphere and memorable characters, Planet of Lana II is the perfect choice. The rather subtle depiction of violence also makes the game interesting for families. However, Planet of Lana II doesn't offer any real challenges for hardcore puzzlers.

Animal Well is an extraordinary Metroidvania with a dense atmosphere, as well as creative puzzles and platformer passages that often lure players out of their comfort zone.

I would have liked a little more courage: Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater plays the “remake game” as safely as possible so as not to scare off old fans. However, this overlooks the fact that not everything about the original was perfect for a long time - especially from a modern perspective. But Konami's luck is that the original game was still pretty great then as it is now, and so it remains so in this version.

Assassin's Creed Shadows breathes new life into the stagnating series and, despite its immense running time, remains entertaining without a dull moment. It's an extremely successful blend of fiction and historical fact with a great deal of respect for Japanese culture.

Dying Light: The Beast is an action-packed open-world game with powerful and brutal combat and a high paced parkour system allowing me to glide elegantly across rooftops. Even though quests and storylines quickly become routine, the smooth gameplay keeps me hooked with constant new challenges and noticeable improvements.

Wicked Isle is a successful story DLC for Atomfall. Rebellion builds on the strengths of its genre mix without greatly changing the player experience. The strengths (freedom, scenario) and weaknesses (AI and endings) remain the same.

Oddsparks is a strategic automation game that relies on well thought-out production chains. You use buildings, paths and connecting elements to guide your Sparks towards working all by themselves. A complex task - despite the cute and innocent look - that requires you to think a lot and get creative.

Invincible VS is a visceral, mechanically intriguing 3v3 tag fighter that rewards creative problem-solving over rote memorization. While it lacks the ultimate strategic depth and frame-data nuance of the genre's titans, its sandbox approach, satisfying hit feedback, and rock-solid rollback netcode make it a standout entry and a genuine recommendation for both fans and FGC enthusiasts willing to experiment.

Tormented Souls 2 is a love letter to the heyday of classic survival horror. It's not a game that attempts to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it takes a tried-and-true formula, understands its strengths down to the smallest detail, and refines them with the precision of a craftsman. The result is an experience that feels both nostalgic and modern. And it fits well with the current renaissance of horror games that are springing up in all shapes and sizes. My recommendation is therefore clear and specific: If you're looking for a modern action-horror game with fluid controls and cinematic staging, you might not be happy here. But if you miss the days of color ribbons, fixed camera angles, and slow, methodical exploration, Tormented Souls 2 is a definite recommendation. Dual Effect has not only created a worthy successor but also set a high standard for the neo-retro horror genre.

Sonic X Shadow Generations is a neat combination of remaster and brand new game that can get a little frantic at times, but always stays perfectly playable.

Man, machine or both? Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector tells the story of its protagonist with great linguistic skill and an ingenious dice mechanic.

Epic, detailed and brutal: Space Marine 2 is a true ode to the 40k universe! But as entertaining and technically impressive as the bloody battles against endless hordes of enemies are: Titus' campaign against the Tyranids and Thousands Sons could have used a little more variety. Nevertheless: Space Marine 2 is a new must-have for every 40k fan.

Sword of the Sea focuses entirely on exploration and flow and does it really well. If you're looking for a truly relaxing game, you won't find a better one right now. Overall, Sword of the Sea didn't move me as much as Journey did at the time: yes, there is loneliness and vastness here too, but the pilgrimage on the Hoversword just doesn't feel as destiny-fueled as that of the Journey protagonist. Nevertheless, Sword of the Sea enchants with its incredibly dense atmosphere, pointed cutscenes and wonderfully animated landscape.

Foundation is a cozy and beginner-friendly city builder, which is particularly suited for those who like shaping beautiful settlements. Even with a lack of challenge and long-term motivation in between, the organic and aesthetically pleasing building style draws us back into the game time and time again.

Star Wars: Outlaws is an action adventure that captivates with its story and an open world to freely conquer and explore. It exudes Star Wars atmosphere from every pore and shows us new, surprising aspects of the galaxy. Even though the mix of fighting, stealth and exploration is quite fun in itself from a gameplay perspective, Outlaws tends to stumble over its own ambitions and clunky controls there.

A wonderfully atmospheric adaptation of the Dune license. The survival mechanics are motivating, while the combat system offers solid standard fare. The framework for future expansions is built on solid foundations, while the genre, like the desert sand, remains in flux.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is an epic, beautiful and authentic medieval adventure full of fun, love, cruelty and war. Warhorse Studios tell a dramatic and twist-filled tale of friendship, loyalty, betrayal and politics that fills at least 65 hours of playtime. The depiction of late medieval statehood is just as captivating as the small sidequests and stories with their strong and authentic characters from sheperds to sword masters. In addition, there is a picturesque world, with probably the most impressive medieval city depiction I've ever seen in a video game. But not everything is perfect. The game design is annoying with forced stealth on top of a frustrating save system. That's especially true for some of the longer story missions. On top of this, the combat mechanics are extremely inaccessible and, with their mercilessness, put far too many obstacles in the way of the players, especially at the beginning. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is nevertheless an utterly unique, ambitious and, in large parts, very good adventure. But it's also a video game that misses important points a little too often in the gameplay details and does not respect the player's time in certain places.

Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined is a much tighter experience compared to the original, even though it over-corrects in some places.