Kraken Academy!!

With the grim news that the world is going to end in three days, you start out as a new pupil at a run-down boarding school. Absurd humour and compelling characters are the hallmarks of Kraken Academy!!, which, with its excellent blend of a whimsical and touching story and cleverly employed time-loop mechanics, stands out as a highlight of the German gaming scene.

Kraken Academy!! amazes and surprises. The unique characters are just as captivating as the bizarre world. The RPG-style gameplay fits perfectly with the rest of the game and is complemented by entertaining mini-games, collecting returnable bottles and clever puzzles. Trapped in a three-day time loop, you must help the giant kraken restore the school’s guardian spirits in order to prevent the end of the world. It never gets boring, as items you acquire travel back in time with you, constantly opening up new ways to interact and explore further areas.

If you fancy a break from saving the world, you’ll find what you’re looking for in the fabulously eccentric side quests: help the bottle return machines set up a trade union, or try not to make a fool of yourself whilst watching a horror film. So if Broccoli Girl fancies a picnic on Monday, we’ll get a barbecue for it on Wednesday and – thanks to the time loop – give it to her on Monday. The best bit is: no one but us remembers having already lived through those three days.

Kraken Academy!! is packed with easter eggs and pop culture references, so despite the relatively short main campaign (6.5 hours), there’s plenty to discover and do.

The 2022 DCP Jury