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Flint: Treasure of Oblivion isn’t without its flaws. The lack of a map showing where you are on it, the occasional bugs, and the reliance on dice rolls might put off some players. However, the game’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. The comic-book storytelling, atmospheric music, and pirate-themed adventures make it a must-play for fans of the genre. Savage Level have created a world that’s as charming as it is challenging, and while it might not be smooth sailing all the way, the journey is well worth it. So grab your dice, recruit your crew, and set sail. This is one treasure you won’t want to leave buried. With its engaging presentation, tactical depth, and sheer pirate charm, Flint: Treasure of Oblivion earns itself a Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Home Sports is a delightful entry into the mixed reality gaming space that may not redefine sports gaming, but it successfully bridges the gap between nostalgic fun and future innovation. This game is a must-try for Meta Quest 3 users seeking an engaging, family-friendly MR experience. There are many VR sports games but this title deserves a chance or two for everyone. I award Home Sports the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
The gameplay itself is okay and does its job at entertaining you with various weapons. I renovated the church rather quickly, which is a little disappointing, because I wish there was more to do with it besides confessionals. The exorcisms are fun unless attempting to beat Parson’s time, mainly because I’d get caught on the smallest thing. And my currently equipped gloves would keep switching out, making me lose time. I never fully understood the story, apart from Olok wanting his powers back and to get home to his Batoom. The story was just weird and a mess. Priest Simulator: Vampire Show primarily focuses on the dry humour, rather than making the gameplay better. Which is ultimately it’s downfall. Personally, I am just not a fan of this type of comedy. Maybe it is funnier in Polish, but not so much in English. Now, I’m giving Priest Simulator the Thumb Culture Silver Award simply for the fact that the game runs fine, and the gameplay is somewhat decent.
Blood on the Thames is one you have to experience for yourself to get a true feel of what’s on offer. I’ll certainly be playing on, savouring every reveal and twist the story has to offer. There is a lot of narrative to get through, which may deter some gamers who relish action and fast-paced games. The story plays out over time instead of suffocating you with narrative exposition all in one go. The game reveals random weirdness over time. For example, it has scenes of computer coding, alluding to a simulation type backstory. Overall it’s a solid point and click murder mystery. I award Blood on the Thames the Thumb Culture Silver Award!
Since starting Enigma of Fear, I just haven’t put it down. The levels are well designed, back-tracking does become annoying, but with the amount of fun I had, it’s easily forgiven. I love the puzzles in the game that really challenged me, such as the statues. Lupi is adorable, and the cast is great. Although I’m not a huge fan of Agatha’s voice. The music fits the scene and really helps set the tone. The game is just so interesting and captivating. Enigma of Fear is going into my replay pile, right with Crow Country. Gameplay is fun and engaging, but I do wish there were less notes. I understand developers use them for world building, but I wish they would try other ways. Such as videos or just another cinematic. I appreciate this is more a pet peeve of mine with games in general rather than just this one though. The teams at Dumativa, and Cellbit achieved something great here. Now, honestly, the only thing mystery I have is, why isn’t anyone playing or talking about Enigma of Fear more? Enigma of Fear is fully deserving of the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Go Home Annie is fun with some interesting aspects but the story, while straightforward, feels like it’s missing key parts. One being the bounding with the two side characters you can talk to. I feel like we should have more interactions to better develop them. The actual SCPs are great, although it feels like they take a backseat in the game. The puzzles were enjoyable, especially the house ones with the four rooms. The car segment went on too long honestly and the driving was a little clunky. A few bugs occurred during my play through where the map wouldn’t load, leaving me in a black room. It was easily fixable by loading a previous save, but it happened a couple times. Now, Go Home Annie is a fun short mystery game with little twist, but as a game based in the SCP Universe. Personally, I found it lacking, but for more adept SCP lore lovers, you might think otherwise. If you love the SCP Universe, this might be up to your alley. I’d also recommend checking out SCP: Secret Files. I’m giving Go Home Annie the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Being a massive Disney fan, I’m surprised it has taken me so long to really get stuck into Dreamlight Valley, but The Storybook Vale has well and truly started that addiction. With gadgets and gizmos plenty, it’s clear to see why people love this game. The Storybook Vale expansion receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Dav Pilkey’s world of Dog Man has been recreated lovingly. I’m sure he would be proud of the game. Dog Man: Mission Impawsible is platforming at its best. It’s also a lot of fun to play through. I’ve spent a few evenings playing the game along with the TC Mini Crew and it’s given me an experience that can’t be replaced. Those core memories will live with me for a lifetime. Dog Man: Mission Impawsible receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
I had a pretty decent time playing through The Cabin Factory. It’s a really unique and interesting approach to the horror genre. It definitely has the ability to eventually be a contender for one of the best. That being said, the ending (which I have and haven’t mentioned) really did disappoint me. I also found that once you were in the post-game and just had endless cabins coming at you that things got really repetitive for very little reward. I really am looking forward to seeing where this game goes and I will revisit it at some point but for right now, it just didn’t live up to the hype. As a result, I have to give The Cabin Factory the Silver Thumb Culture Award.
When I first reviewed Maestro as a base game I said it was “Pure, Brilliant, Indulgent Fun” In fact I was quoted on that! The Double Jack team have somehow taken a brilliant VR game and improved upon it with even more fantastical musical masterpieces. I was already hooked on the game but the Maestro Secret Sorcery Pack has solidified it for me. I for one hope this isn’t the last pack we see either. I’d love to see more of John William’s works in Maestro, perhaps of the space opera variety? The Maestro Secret Sorcery Pack receives the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Completely Stretchy is just a fantastic game to switch off to and be your best sticky and stretchy self. I had so much fun playing and I am itching to get back to it. It’s been a while that a game has offered so much delight in one place like this before, for me anyway, and I revel in this silliness of this world. I can’t wait to recommend this game to everyone I know and watch them experience the same wonderful moments. I love how the game just lets you loose into this world and rewards your curiosity. Based on the fact I had a massive smile on my face watching the trailer and was in hysterics playing Completely Stretchy, I happily reward this game with a Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Murky Divers is supposedly playable in solo mode. It might just be because I suck at the game, but I heavily advise against this. The submarine has a lot to manage, and although it’s not demanding, trying to run away from the oncoming threats like the Leviathan and Kraken makes it challenging. I wasn’t able to check sonar, quickly swim to the engine to move the sub, then once again swim quickly to the wheel. It might just be a skill issue, but when it’s done solo, it just wasn’t fun. However, when I was joined by the TC crew, we easily organized and operated the submarine. With the submarine conquered we came across another issue. When arriving at the expedition, we could barely survive due to how aggressive the monster was. Often these beasts were blocking the entranceway of the building we had yet to enter. Which became a chore. Add to that our wanted levels were nearly full after two missions, meaning the ocean police were gunning for us, it all became a bit tedious. I had fun with Murky Divers, I did, but as mentioned above, it removes the fun when you’re just getting trapped or killed instantly by a giant ghost fish time time and time again. Maybe others might fair better than me, or maybe I’m better suited for Lethal Company. With all that, I award Murky Divers the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Ballionaire is a charming game that is here for a good time, not a long time. It doesn’t ask too much besides wanting you to have fun. Doesn’t matter if that’s a fair weather visit, or if you get the infamous “one more run” feeling. The presentation is immediately fun and delivers a carnival-like atmosphere. The gameplay reinforces this, but also offers a surprising challenge. Exploiting synergies are the key to success! As a full package, Ballionarie personally resonated with me as a reminder what the joy of playing games is. Even if it’s sometimes frustrating, and would benefit from accessibility improvements. Ballionaire profits from earning the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Shop Simulator: Supermarket is like most sims I’ve played lately, doing the same mundane thing over and over. In the end, it comes down to preference for what occupation might spark your interest. Issues that did appear were small and a quick restart fixed it. Gameplay is okay and you can kill time by easily with it. I think making the game multiplayer definitely helps make it fun. You can bring your own bitchy gossip and work place drama to life to really help with the immersion. In conclusion, Shop Simulator: Supermarket is what you make of it, I can’t say I hated or loved it. Time to scan it with the Thumb Culture Silver Award and shelve it with the rest.
I really enjoyed my time with Short Trip. It was not as short as I had feared. The time I mean. The game itself is very short. I was quite weary going in that I would play once and be done. Instead, this slow play game left me feline relaxed. It’s beautiful and tranquil. Just as intended. I do wish there were some cosy achievements in it. Not even just ones for getting high scores in Scheduled mode. Things like “Completed a Journey” or “Took your time” just to lean into the unwinding and cosy vibes that are present. We all like being told we’re doing a good job. And Short Trip is a great little game that I wouldn’t be surprised to see on some positive vibes and mental health gaming lists. Who could say no to a game that costs less than £2, I was gifted the game for review, but I would pay £2 an day for the amount of joy and relaxation the game brought me. I award Short Trip the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
The Thaumaturge has been on my radar for a while. With everything outlined above and much more that wasn’t spoken about due to story spoiler reasons, it definitely reached the high expectations I had. Dare I even say it surpassed them! Yes, the game has it’s flaws however they do not take away from the main experience. Which at it’s core, is absolutely amazing. I will happily be awarding The Thaumaturge the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Despite the minor bugs that I experienced, there wasn’t a single moment where I wasn’t having fun with this game. It was a spooky breath of fresh air that twisted horror into something that I haven’t seen in other games. The infection of the real world added another layer of tension which made everything feel that much more intense. How far can an infection spread between video games? I’m very excited to see what comes next from Rat Cliff Games! I can’t wait to play whatever mind-bending horror they release in the future. I knew within the first hour of playing Among Ashes that the only award that it deserved was the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
From my first time playing Railroads Online, the game’s steep learning curve and lack of in-depth tutorials could make it intimidating for new players. While the single-player sandbox gives you time to learn and improve, it is truly the multiplayer element that gives the game a fun community-driven side to it. Railroads Online receives the Thumb Culture Silver Award!
MySims Cozy Bundle has certainly taken me back to the days of hiding my DS under my pillow when I was supposed to be asleep. It is a great addition to the Switch line-up, and I am excited to see if there are any more MySims games EA will bring back as well. I think for the price, you honestly cannot go wrong. If you are considering MySims Cozy Bundle then I implore you to buy it as soon as possible! I will be award MySims Cozy Bundle the Thumb Culture Platinum Award!
Overall Ravenswatch has definitely scratched my recent overbearing itch for roguelikes. With a great cast of characters, amazingly crafted art and an addicting gameplay loop, it brings a fantastic roguelike experience. The little details really bring together a great game which made me come back time and time again, just one more run, I said for the next 5 runs. Whoops. With everything taken into consideration, I will be granting Ravenswatch the Thumb Culture Platinum Award. What a fab little game! Really lived up to the hype after the previous roguelike by Passtech Games!