DeVuego

«The Stone of Madness» überzeugt mit intelligentem Gameplay und stimmungsvoller visueller Präsentation. Es gibt zig Wege, um in dem wunderbar grotesken Kloster, das zum Irrenhaus umfunktioniert wurde, vorwärtszukommen. Der aus den «Blasphemous»-Spielen bekannte Artstyle gibt in meinen Augen Spanien zu Zeiten der Inquisition perfekt wieder.

“Spirit of the Samurai” feels unfinished. A lot of gameplay elements feel half-baked – especially the annoying platformer passages. The story didn't grab me either, although the dark setting in feudal Japan would actually be right up my street. In the end, the stop-motion look is by far the best aspect of the game. And that alone is not enough for me to recommend it.

“Neva” looks and sounds phenomenal. It also has an emotional story that manages without any dialog at all. The gameplay is not revolutionary, but the protagonists control flawlessly. Despite the limited moveset, the game manages to avoid becoming repetitive throughout. The developers at Nomada Studio achieve this through clever changes to the game world and increasingly intelligent enemies. The fact that the game is relatively short also helps. It is just the right length. The developers have improved and expanded the already sensational principle of their first game, “Gris”, in key areas. In short: “Neva” is a must-play.

American Arcadia is the surprise hit of the year