Gaming-Village's Reviews
This certainly made the experience more enjoyable, but I never fully warmed up to how heavily I had to rely on target tracking against moving enemies, especially since many opponents simply seemed far more maneuverable than my own aircraft. The story mode is also not particularly long. After finishing the game, the total recorded flight time was around nine hours, although that figure also included an abandoned run on Normal difficulty as well as a few free missions.
Review in German | Read full review
As it turned out for me, AI: The Somnium Files is not the psycho-splatter experience I had initially imagined in my mind. There are a few moments that gave me a slight feeling of nausea, but overall that is negligible. Instead, alongside the tension and oppressive scenes, there is also plenty of humor, a fair amount of absurdity, and quite a lot of sexual thoughts—especially from the protagonist. Overall, I felt well entertained.
Review in German | Read full review
Even though stealth games are not among my favourites, I still found Aragami: Shadow Edition quite entertaining. I chose a rather brutal approach: waiting for enemy movement patterns, warping between nearby shadows and striking, hiding the bodies again, and returning to the darkness. If a guard became alerted, I would eliminate them with an ability and make them disappear as well. The fact that enemies show no concern for missing people or bloodstains? Well, for me that was secondary—the fun came first. I also liked the idea of displaying shadow energy and selected abilities through markings on the character’s cloak. With a mostly slow and cautious playstyle, I was able to progress through the game quite comfortably. Of course, this does make the pacing suffer somewhat. At times, I also would have preferred more generous checkpoints. In the Nightfall campaign, I had to abandon my approach of eliminating as many enemies as possible, as the difficulty became too high for that style of play. Additional challenge is provided by the third difficulty level and optional medals. Unfortunately, performance issues slightly detract from the experience. I would also have preferred full voice acting, as it would have supported the atmosphere better. At times, it is also not entirely clear why certain areas—such as rooftops—cannot be reached, even though they appear to be within range and sufficiently shadowed.
Review in German | Read full review
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative entertained me just as much as its predecessor. I also mostly enjoyed the humor, even if its often sexual direction will definitely not be for everyone. Some scenes, as mentioned above, are deliberately over-the-top and absurd. I personally like that the game and its characters often lean into a light, and perhaps for some players overly exaggerated, tone. The mystery remains unclear for a long time, with only individual pieces being solved before most of it eventually comes together. The fact that I did not fully understand every detail myself is, in the overall context, not something I would count as a criticism. The structure with its different routes can also occasionally lead to some confusion. During the Psync segments, I often had to experiment a bit, and sometimes I ran out of time—but I found that unproblematic. Once you focus on the known correct interactions and use the skip function, you can quickly return to the point where you previously failed. Anyone who enjoys a mysterious case with puzzles that do not require excessive brain strain should definitely consider taking a look at AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative, provided they can handle—or even appreciate—its exaggerated tone and humor. I look back on it with mixed feelings: one half because I was well entertained, the other because it’s already over, even though it certainly wasn’t lacking in content. I would gladly see more entries in the series.
Review in German | Read full review
Aquadine is a very successful debut from SoftColors. The characters—and especially the world—are well developed, and the cast has a lot of charm and humor. At times, however, their impact may weaken slightly due to repetition. The atmospheric and varied musical score more than makes up for this. Still, it is also a rather sad story, dealing with Torrie’s serious illness, fears about the future, and at times even doubts about the value of one’s own existence. Yet friendships and family can provide a great deal of support, especially when the characters are not too convinced that they must handle everything on their own. Overall, I had a great deal of fun accompanying the girls on their journey and watching them grow up.
Review in German | Read full review
Airoheart is a decent Zelda-like clone, but it struggles significantly with navigation, suffers from technical rough edges, and unfortunately brings very few fresh ideas to the table. Anyone looking for an indie experience in the style of classic Zelda games is arguably better served by the two Ittle Dew titles, the two Blossom Tales games, or Oceanhorn. It’s a shame, because the initial impression from screenshots and videos was quite solid.
Review in German | Read full review
Another Fisherman’s Tale is a sequel to the much-praised 2019 title A Fisherman's Tale, and narratively it does have its heart in the right place. The game offers a number of pleasant ideas, although they only rarely develop into anything truly complex. Several moments and sections are also visually quite impressive, thanks to the imagination and surreal storytelling of Bob. However, there are also repeated moments that were physically very taxing for me. The frequent texture shifts in my field of view, as well as the often unreliable hand tracking, left me feeling quite exhausted. Another Fisherman's Tale did not provide me with a comfortable VR experience in this regard. This ultimately dulls an otherwise rather positive impression, and leaves me still waiting for a truly standout PSVR2 experience this year—at least beyond titles that were already available on PSVR.
Review in German | Read full review
Alchemic Cutie struggles with poor performance on the Nintendo Switch and repetitive gameplay. With the severe frame rate drops, I can currently only give it a red rating. Otherwise, it would be yellow. Even then, the core gameplay largely consists of constantly gathering resources or slimes with very little variety in the breeding process. The colors are often pretty, but there are far too many of them—at least in its current state. Just having information about which color I actually need would already be very helpful. As things stand, I have to guess and experiment too often to find the right color. Not to mention that I currently cannot save my progress at all. But even if I could, Alchemic Cutie would still feel too sluggish. Even for me, despite usually not having any issues with simply picking up random plants from the ground. At present, I can only advise against the Nintendo Switch version of this slime-breeding game. But even independently of that, Alchemic Cutie is really only suitable for players who can derive enjoyment from collecting repetitive resources.
Review in German | Read full review
Aragami 2 was something I was curious about after hearing that it would feature a more developed combat system. For me personally, however, this did not turn out to be an improvement. I do appreciate the option to incapacitate enemies without killing them. Unfortunately, the voice acting is once again largely unintelligible apart from a few recognizable terms. The shift toward more open areas, and with it more aimless wandering, is something I enjoyed less. In addition, not only do you revisit the same areas too often, but there also feel to be simply too many missions overall, making the game come across as unnecessarily stretched out. Ultimately, my conclusion remains that different does not automatically mean better.
Review in German | Read full review
Adore is one of those rare games where I find myself genuinely conflicted about whether I can or should recommend it. It does very little outright wrong, yet so much of what is there merely hints at the game’s underlying potential rather than fully realizing it. Fans of monster-collecting games may still want to take a closer look, but for everyone else, Adore will likely disappear into the overwhelming flood of indie releases. That's too bad for Cadabra Games.
Review in German | Read full review
Overall, I enjoyed my roughly 20–25 hour journey into the year 2037. Of course, this can vary depending on how effectively one uses Hacking Trigger, or even deliberately plays toward a Game Over scenario—which I did not. The total playtime also differs depending on whether you advance text immediately after reading or wait for the voice acting to finish. This time, voice output is available not only in Japanese but also optionally in English. Personally, that was not particularly important to me, but others may certainly appreciate it. The story was engaging and entertaining, although some characters remain somewhat flat or are not given enough opportunities for deeper development. I found the musical accompaniment fitting and well-implemented. In general, I had little trouble identifying the right moments to use Hacking Trigger in order to avoid a Game Over. Near the end, there was one section I found a bit less clear, though that may simply be subjective. Even though there are some connections to other entries in the series, I feel that Anonymous;Code can also be recommended without prior knowledge of the franchise.
Review in German | Read full review
I find it really unfortunate. On its own, Ad Infinitum is not a bad game, but for me it simply falls short when it comes to its horror elements. On top of that, the gameplay can feel somewhat too shallow at times. In contrast, the story and its moral exploration of the horrors of war are genuinely well done. It is clear that the developers at Hekate put a lot of effort into this aspect. However, because of that, I can unfortunately only recommend the game to players who are specifically interested in experiencing its themes and narrative. If you are expecting a genuinely frightening and mechanically engaging horror experience, Ad Infinitum sadly leaves a lot to be desired.
Review in German | Read full review
Another World Mahjong Girl did not turn me into a Mahjong expert. Even by the end, I still hadn’t memorized all the possible winning hands. You also shouldn’t expect much of a story here, and the flavor text for the opponents is not particularly meaningful either. That said, I do find the character style quite appealing. In the gallery, you can view individual girls you have either recruited or defeated. You can also interact with them for reactions, although many of them are not particularly positive. After all, winning at Mahjong alone is not the same as winning someone’s heart—who would have thought?
Review in German | Read full review
Alan Wake 2 overall entertained me, even though some of the combat encounters and the limited save points occasionally caused more frustration than genuine tension. The game also crashed frequently for me, even after several updates. With plenty of exploration included, my playtime ended up being around 30 hours. I did enjoy the atmosphere, and the quieter sections did not bother me. Fans of the original and of other recent Remedy Entertainment titles will recognize quite a few familiar elements. The radio broadcasts return as well, although this time there is a running gag that I personally did not find particularly funny. Additionally, songs are no longer automatically played after them, though radio shows, music, and other content can still be replayed—just not ideally during dangerous situations. Visually, the game also looks solid on Xbox Series S, although some character models occasionally fall into the uncanny valley. I consider Alan Wake 2 a solid continuation. Anyone who enjoyed the predecessor will likely not go wrong with this one.
Review in German | Read full review
Age of Mythology: Retold is, in my view, a fantastic time capsule of a genre that has become almost lost, especially among major publishers, even if the 22-year-old game still shows some minor flaws. Yet it never truly drew me in. While playing the missions, I often felt more like Sisyphus, endlessly rolling his boulder uphill again and again. Or like Tantalus, because all the mythology, monsters, and gods looked so enticing, yet never quite managed to fully satisfy me. This may sound harsh, but Age of Mythology: Retold and I—we were not great friends. I can recognize its qualities and its deeply layered systems, but I don’t truly feel them. On a personal level, this is probably the “worst” verdict I can give. Or, more simply, it is a genre game for fans of other genres.
Review in German | Read full review
Amanda the Adventurer 2 definitely has a distinctive core concept that I have not really seen in any other game—apart from its obvious predecessor. The “horror” could certainly be much more intense, and it would also be helpful if it were easier to get into the main gameplay experience more directly. Aside from that, however, this analog horror puzzle game already gets a lot right simply through its idea alone. I am hopeful that future entries will further refine and expand on this concept.
Review in German | Read full review
At least Albatroz is a short experience—within about eight hours you’ve already seen most of what it has to offer, unless you accidentally spent the entire time walking in the wrong direction… I cannot recommend Albatroz, primarily due to its poor technical state. Rarely have I encountered such a rough implementation. Long loading times, bugs that obstruct progress, stuttering, and even complete freezes all contribute to a consistently negative experience.
Review in German | Read full review
The fact that I personally felt rather emotionally distanced is a shame, but I don’t hold that against the title. What is actually more problematic are the obstacles present in each subsequent playthrough after the first. Repeated sections can usually only be fast-forwarded slowly rather than skipped entirely. With a single ending, this would not be much of an issue, but with a total of four character routes, large portions of the playtime end up consisting of repetition. This is especially unfortunate because the individual routes can be quite compelling, yet overlapping events significantly lose their impact. In a sense, it makes it difficult to find a way forward.
Review in German | Read full review
April Grove builds its woodcutting loop quite effectively, with skill upgrades, increasingly difficult trees to fell, and a gradually expanding movement range. However, the integrated idle mechanics make the grind feel somewhat excessive, as the game does not automate progression enough for its cutting requirements, while at the same time the automatic woodcutting is too slow to fully satisfy active play. In addition, side characters and the surrounding world lose much of their significance over time, fading into the background. As much as I enjoy chopping and collecting wood, the slow progression makes this woodcutting simulation unsuitable for everyone.
Review in German | Read full review
Anno 117: Pax Romana will not disappoint those who already enjoyed the previous entries in the series. Of course, there are a few bugs, but everything important runs smoothly and feels very well designed. At times, there is simply nothing more satisfying than watching your own island go about its work and hoping that no production chain breaks down right in front of your eyes.
Review in German | Read full review