Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams – Rise of the Owlverlord

Giana Sisters – Rise of the Owlverlord is the latest standalone expansion for the 2012 platformer Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, which is a successful and highly acclaimed remake of the classic from the early days of the computer games era. Rise of the Owlverlord remains true to its origins in terms of narrative and setting, offering a total of seven new colourful and exciting levels, as well as a new boss enemy, the mysterious Owlverlord. There are also 19 new achievements and collectables to unlock.

The blonde Giana can perform incredible pirouettes through the air, thereby protecting herself from injury, whilst Maria, with her purple hair, transforms into a fireball when necessary and can then tear down walls or catapult herself through the air. In the two richly detailed parallel worlds – one colourful and bright, the other darker and somewhat eerie – the journey is, in a sense, the destination. If you get stuck in the friendly world, you can search the mysterious world for a way to reach the end of the level.

The two worlds are set to music in an excellent and very different way. The contrasting music is provided, on the one hand, by the legendary Chris Hülsbeck and, on the other, by the Swedish rock band Machine Supremacy. This ensures the game is accompanied by a very harmonious musical score.
The gameplay demands are well balanced: on the one hand, they ensure there’s never a dull moment, as the overall pace is quite fast; on the other hand, the player has an infinite number of lives and can therefore keep trying to master difficult sections. The game is certainly great fun, as crazy things are constantly happening and the two lively sisters have to react to ever-changing challenges.

The DCP Jury 2014