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Honestly, Viking Frontiers is an unfinished game that should never have made its way to consoles. I have a soft spot for other games of its ilk, such as Bellwright and Sengoku Dynasty. But this is one I absolutely cannot recommend this. There are countless games in the survival genre worthy of your time, but Viking Frontiers is not one of them. As much as it pains me to say this, Viking Simulator, unfortunately, is getting the ThumbCulture Broken Award.
The game offers some fun puzzle with more of a spooky vibe, rather than an overall horror. As most of the jump scares come from failing tasks. Escape From Umbra is extremely easy when it comes to avoiding minions or even umbra herself. And if you managed to use the lanterns every time you passed one, then you don’t have to worry about loosing progress. I’d give the game a solid Thumb Culture Silver Award. If you want a nice little game to stimulate your brain then Escape From Umbra isn’t a bad shout.
The idea of Forensics: Crime Scene Detective sounds really good on paper; however, I am not sure if this has translated well. I can certainly see the game being rather repetitive and becoming tiresome to some people. However, if you’re a lover of simulation games, then this may be one to add to your list. I enjoyed the time I spent with the game, and I would be interested to see how it develops. However, it is not all there for me to say that it is a game that I would come back to again. Therefore, I will award Forensics: Crime Scene Detective with the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
I have had a really good time with Celestial Return so far and look forward to playing more. There is a surprisingly complex narrative and socially relevant too. There are lots of shades of grey and not just because of the dystopian cyberpunk setting. Leaning into Howard’s 5 mental traits was interesting, especially when feeling a little gung-ho. I do wish the dice mechanic was more generous, as it often led to hitting a wall in the story. The graphics and audio were great at setting the tone and scenes, especially as there’s plenty to do in the game. I give Celestial Return the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Cat Mail Co. was actually an unexpected game I felt like really needed at the time. It helps calm all the noise in my head to just help fellow cats send mail over to family and friends. Sure there are times that some of them made me want to put a laser pointer towards the door. However, it made it feel like I was part of a community on an island all over again. This game is a great addition to my cozy/brain off collection. I give Cat Mail Co. the Thumb Culture Platinum Award
The Mermaid Mask is to me difficult to say if it’s great or amazing. The reason I hesitate is because of the fact, that I don’t want to discourage SFB Games from making another entry into this series. Sure the last game was back in 2019 being Tangle Tower and I cannot blame them. Making something as great as the Tangle Tower is difficult. However, they should know that they lived up to that game with The Mermaid Mask. It goes to show that since Newgrounds when they made the first Grimoire game. Then made the next entry on PC which surpassed the Newgrounds version. Following after with Tangle Tower and now Mermaid Mask are all showing that you guys haven’t lost your touch. Here’s to hoping for another entry in about 6 or 7 years from now. I give The Mermaid Mask the Thumb Culture Platinum Award
If the overuse of perfect didn’t give it away, I have to give LIFTED the Thumb Culture Platinum Award. This game really is just a nice break from other games that are coming out at the moment. After seeing how highly Stu rated the demo I was a little apprehensive, but I can fully agree that this game definitely deserves to be added to everyone’s Steam library.
Rhythm Paradise Groove is a great game, one that you will absolutely love playing. I personally wouldn’t wait to pick this up and go and get it now. For me, this is an essential Switch 2 purchase. Rhythm Paradise Groove gets the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok is a really good expansion to this great game. My only thing is the heavy amount of monster quests that need to be done in order to start the content. With a wall like that, it slightly killed my momentum next to the grinding needed to continue. Luckily, we can get early access to the Conflux Surveys and can start the smooth grinding. But to me that’s just like using a coaster on a wobbly chair. I hope that if they make another DLC to this size or larger…please let us start the story before making us have to drag the grinding fest. I give Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok the Thumb Culture Gold Award
All in all, Moonlight Peaks is such a lovingly crafted twist on the cozy farming genre. From the incredible attention to detail and cute atmosphere, to the great story and massive quality-of-life features, the game just has so much going for it. The slow pacing isn’t the biggest issue in the world, just a personal preference, and any lag issues or bugs can easily be fixed with updates down the line. If you are looking for a new charming farming sim to pick up, you should absolutely give this one a go! Today, I am giving Moonlight Peaks the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
I may have mentioned several other games in this review; however, Denshattack! is really unlike anything else. There is virtually nothing negative I have to say about this game. Sure, it can get incredibly challenging, which leads to some frustration. But that was down to my own skill issues, rather than any unfairness from the game’s design. This is an incredibly fun, well-crafted title that I believe could be an indie smash hit. If you have any interest in original game ideas, you absolutely need to check out Denshattack! Who knew extreme sports: trains edition could be so much fun? Therefore, Denshattack! receives the ThumbCulture Platinum Award!
My main issue with The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is that it isn’t too solo friendly. I have died too many times to the amount of hordes that just appear with no real way to clear them. As I said above the A.I. companion solo players get does little to actually help, with it firing off gunshots. Or just being another enemy you will need to constantly have to watch your back for. For the beginning of the game I wasn’t expecting so much aggression from creatures as they will easily out number the player. The cart has a terrible pacing to the player too, making it more punishing if you wish to explore even a little further from it. Since you will be waiting forever for it to come to you, and of course I don’t wish to run all the way back just to unload two items. After teaming up with fellow TC memeber Stu, it did not make the hoards any easier. There are just too many to deal with, and thanks to the enemy being able to disarm or grab the player at any point. Frame rate and combat When it comes to the combat, striking monsters feels impactful, but there isn’t a lot that helps the player defend. We get a shove but with how close you need to be, can make it risky to do. Maybe adding dodging or at least a block would really aid in the players’ survival. Until something like that is added, I’ve used the bot to goad enemies to attack him, then I would attack. Which does make fights a tad more manageable in The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu. The amount of monsters that spawn can differ a lot, as at time there would be hardly any enemies. I have enjoyed the game to some extent, and I am curious to know just what is causing everything. But most of these issue might be easily resolved when playing with friends. I did suffer with a lot of frame issues and no matter what I did in my settings the frames wouldn’t get better. What I did find strange however, is that when I played with friends there was no stuttering at all. So it could not be my computer. So from a more solo I think The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is very trial and error based. With just a smidge of a gamble on how many monsters you will get, this makes it a lot more challenging compared to friends. Which might leave you feeling more annoyed and dropping the game entirely. But on the other hand, if you manage to play with a few friends, then a lot of scares and fun is to be had. So I will be giving The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
I was a big fan of Black Flag upon its initial release. In fact, I’d say it was one of my favourite Ubisoft games ever. Now, 13 years later, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced has made me fall in love with it all over again. Re-experiencing Edward Kenway’s adventure from privateer to assassin feels better than ever thanks to the reworked controls and improved mechanics. An easy recommendation for both series newcomers and veterans alike. For being a great remake of one of the best pirate adventures in all of gaming, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced receives a very appropriate ThumbCulture Gold Award!
Exo Rally Championship is a fun time spent racing outside of the norm. It takes some getting used to and even on the lowest difficulty settings, completing various runs in a timely manner can prove difficult. The tutorial does a decent job of informing you how to best use your vehicle, but it doesn’t really get into more of the nitty gritty when it comes to tweaking them or really explaining how or when to use different tire sets and spares. If you’re a fan of racing games, especially those that are rally format, you should check it out. I’d have to give the game the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round feels like little more than a cash grab designed to sell more DLC. With no upgrade path for returning players, there is genuinely nothing here that I could recommend over DOA6. If you’re a newcomer, however, then this is still the same engaging, deep fighting game from 2019. A disappointment for long-time fans, we can only hope future updates will add new features. Preferably ones not locked behind a paywall. As it stands now, Last Round is less of an updated version of DOA6, and more of a current gen version of it. Therefore, DEAD OR ALIVE 6: Last Round receives the Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
If you want something chill and nostalgic at the same time then Monopoly: Star Wars is the game for you. Grab it before it’s too late. With all the fun of Star Wars, and all the fun of Monopoly you really cant go wrong. Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs Villians receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Gothic 1 Remake really blossoms and shines once players get through the excruciatingly slow start, with the seemingly endless back-and-forth conversations and tasks. Whilst I do appreciate how heavily this game focuses on NPC interaction, and its importance in forming alliances, Gothic fails to make me care about any of these Old Camp Shadow thugs, Brotherhood of the Sleeper cultists, or New Camp Mercenaries. Diego is the only character that even comes close to being likeable. Gothic 1 Remake’s biggest achievement is to truly deliver that vintage gameplay experience to players. If you’re a big fan of old-school game design, minimal guidance, and unforgiving difficulty, then this game is for you. For players who have grown accustomed to modern quality of life features like fast travel and auto-saves, Gothic 1 Remake can feel rather frustrating. One of my personal pet peeves was the trainer-based progression system. I had to track down one of the many NPCs who can train me to level up a certain skill. Yes, I know I sound like I didn’t enjoy the game. On the contrary, it brought me back to my childhood, when games didn’t have guides, floating arrows pointing where you had to go next, or glowing objects that stood out so you knew which ones you could interact with. If you’re looking for that old-school feel, Gothic 1 Remake will not disappoint. Gothic 1 Remake gets the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Overall, The 7th Guest Remake handles its transition to modern PCs incredibly well. Even though I was sceptical about how they would replicate the visual magic of the original, and even if the new Stauf didn’t hit as creepy for me at the start, the gameplay changes win you over. Being able to freely explore the rooms, rather than being teleported by a mouse click, completely changes the vibe for the better. It’s a wonderful trip down memory lane that stands on its own two feet, and it proved to my 13-year-old self that Stauf’s mansion still has plenty of secrets left to tell. I give The 7th Guest Remake the Thumb Culture Gold Award!!
All in all, Cheap Car Repair has a fun premise, but I feel like it doesn’t live up to its full potential. The bootleg repairs and improvisations are great when they actually happen. The main feature of the game feels pretty underutilized outside of some select story missions. Between the janky mechanics and the genuinely unnecessary use of AI, the game definitely has its flaws. Still, the fun quests and quirky story missions can give you a decent few hours of gameplay. Just don’t expect it to keep you hooked forever. Overall, I am giving Cheap Car Repair the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Copa City takes a refreshing approach to the football management genre by shifting the focus away from what happens on the pitch. It instead puts you in charge of everything that surrounds matchday. Organising transport, entertainment, security, and fan experiences creates a unique challenge that helps the game stand out from the crowd. That said, issues with the interface and camera controls can make the experience more frustrating than it should be. Even so, Triple Espresso deserves credit for taking a risk on such an original concept that feels genuinely different. While it ultimately wasn’t a game that clicked with me personally, fans of management sims and football culture may find plenty to enjoy here. For its solid foundations, ambition and originality, I’m awarding Copa City a Thumb Culture Silver Award.