Aliens, samurai, and a dog: Three Gamescom insider tips that will make you want more

Gamescom is bigger than ever. The record number of exhibitors is good news for the organizers and the industry, but it makes it all the more difficult for attendees to decide which games are worth their valuable time. ntv.de has three tips.

Five developers from the Hamburg studio are responsible for "Ikuma: The Frozen Compass," which can be played at Gamescom in the Indie Arena. "Ikuma" follows cabin boy Sam, a teenager who is stranded in the Arctic with his sled dog, Ellie. Players can either seamlessly switch between the two or take on each character in co-op. After just a few minutes, in which we padded through the snow as a dog to the wonderfully cozy soundtrack and marveled at the beautiful Northern Lights, it's clear: "Ikuma" is a game that's great to play on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate. In addition to the atmosphere, the Hamburg developers' work scores with survival elements, exploration, and classic puzzles in which you can switch between Sam and Ellie or coordinate in co-op.

If the developers can deliver a polished gaming experience, fans of cozy games are in for a real treat. The developers' goal of creating an adventure with a playtime of 5 to 10 hours is also encouraging—just the right length for a cozy adventure in the snow. And most importantly: Yes, you'll also be able to pet the dog.

Four against alien hordes in "Dark Swarm"

First of all: "Dark Swarm" won't be available to play publicly at Gamescom. However, anyone interested can sign up for the closed alpha on Steam, which starts on September 2nd. "Dark Swarm" is a dark top-down shooter from the small Danish developer studio "Ghost Ship." It can be played solo or in co-op. However, upon playing, you quickly get the impression that this is a game designed for shared action with friends. Disgusting aliens scurry through narrow corridors, everything is infected, everything is alive. We fight back with flamethrowers, explosives, and plenty of projectiles.

The developers have done a great job of capturing the feeling of precarious infiltration into enemy territory. Quick in, quick out, just in time to jump into the portal after completing a mission before the overwhelming enemy swarm arrives. Communication and quick decisions are essential, and the mechanics are simple and accessible. There's still room for improvement in terms of clarity, which is quickly lost when everything goes haywire. With a little more fine-tuning and the right long-term motivation, Dark Swarm promises plenty of co-op fun.

New add-ons for the "Age of" series

Admittedly, calling the "Age of" series an insider tip is at least provocative, perhaps even sacrilege. But if you look at the lines at the Xbox booth, you'll quickly notice: People are mainly there for other games like "Hollow Knight: Silksong." The previews of the next expansion to "Age of Mythology: Retold" and the new game mode in "Age of Empires 4" are attracting less attention. Presumably because there were no major announcements about them. That's a shame, because both are really fun.

"Age of Mythology: Retold" presents a mission from the new campaign centered around the equally new Japanese civilization, centered around the "The Heavenly Spear" add-on. In this nearly 20-minute mission, we defend a base and try to hold on. A classic in terms of mission design, but ultimately, quite rightly so. The new civilization is fun and well-rounded—the animations of the new god abilities, in particular, look great.

The innovations in "Age of Empires 4" are more far-reaching, introducing the new game mode "The Crucible." It combines the gameplay of the base game with rogue-lite elements. For example, during a game in which we have to protect our Wonder of the World from incoming enemy hordes, we can repeatedly choose between three upgrades. In our test game, for example, we opted once to give all our units permanent health regeneration. In another, we opted for 1,600 wood, which we invested in a few towers.

That should make you sit up and take notice, because the real-time genre needs such exciting new impulses and genre combinations that attract new players without alienating the old ones. And let's be honest: Choosing between three options is always fun. The upgrades are particularly cool, with their exceptionally powerful capabilities but also introducing a penalty. Fans who love roguelikes or strategy games can check it out for themselves at the Xbox booth in Hall 7. What fans of the original can probably ignore is "Age of Empires: Mobile." There's now a PC version of it. It might work on mobile, but on PC, the concept doesn't quite make sense.