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The Sinking City 2 impressed me immensely. I was unsure at first if I’d like the drastic change in gameplay, but those uncertainties were quickly put to rest. If you’re a fan of Lovecraftian horror, or horror games in general, this is definitely worth a look. Frogwares have stepped out of their comfort zone with this title, and the gamble has definitely paid off! Therefore, The Sinking City 2 receives the ThumbCulture Gold Award!
ReStory is a cosy game that takes cosy to the next level. It’s easy to get into, and it’s easy to pass the time with. It creates that itch where you spend your day thinking about it and can’t wait to get back to it. Giving ReStory the Platinum Thumb Culture Award was an easy decision to make. I’ll be playing this game for the foreseeable future, and I’m sure I’ll keep going back to it as my fallback game when I can’t decide what to play.
I absolutely loved Twisted Towers; the level design was fun, although not too crazy, and the gunplay worked well. Sadly, the story was rather obvious with its plot, but boy, the little twist at the end made me laugh. No real twist with the story, just a snippet of dialogue that took me by surprise. The decent amount of weapons are all good to use; however, some do tend to shine more than others. The pistol felt underpowered at the get-go. I wasn’t sure if BioShock played a part in some of the design and music choices. But it gave me that feeling, and I loved it. Only suggestions are maybe a tad more detail in the environments and more enemy types. Twisted Towers is fast action, fun, and short, making it worth another playthrough with all your gear. So I am giving the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Although the game is simple by design, you will have a blast with swapping modifiers and creating your ideal spinner. The mouse-only control makes it a lot easier, and once you’ve played a couple of runs, you get used to it rather quickly. Battles are fast and enjoyable, and the flow of the game never left me bored, adding even more fun to the classic Beyblade-style. I’d highly suggest picking up Slayblade for how good of a time killer it is. So I’m going to be giving it the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
It’s rare that a life sim keeps you engrossed as a game and also makes you want to see it turned into a show. Lou’s Lagoon taps into those warm nostalgic fuzzies of simpler times with cosy crafting and exciting adventures. The world is vibrant and enticing, the characters are full of heart, and the gameplay elements have you hooked from the get-go. It more than earns the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Dodo Duckie is a great debut title from the studio. I’m not usually a fan of playing platformers on my PC, but I had a surprising blast here, even if it was short. I can’t wait to see what the developers bring to the table next, because I’ll definitely be giving it a shot. It’s for this reason that I give it the Thumb Culture Platinum Award!
Project P.I.T.T is more on the slow burner side when it comes to its gameplay. It was interesting at first, but I just felt as if you don’t get rewarded at a steady pace. At the point of this review I had only reached the second item and that was the cash register, and this was fully upgraded. I was expecting horror vibes to gradually build as well, but sadly I was mistaken on this side too. A couple of issues I would like to point out, the physics are at times unpredictable causing some of my fans to launch stuff randomly. At first, they were being knocked out of place by the rumbas you are able to get. But I locked them in place and still had the same results. Panels can get stuck when accidentally clashing with one another. Project P.I.T.T isn’t a bad game and does well if you wish to take your time, so it’s getting the Thumb Culture Silver Award. For me, it was just too grindy, and making the constructs was such a pain.
As much as I wanted to give this game a Platinum Award, it just doesn’t deserve it in my honest opinion. This was supposed to be an easy home run for Halo Studios and Xbox Game Studios. This game was supposed to entice new players on the PS5. I’m not convinced it does much more than cater to its home base. Despite my harsh criticism, Halo: Campaign Evolved is challenging, gorgeous, fun, nostalgic, and most importantly, incredibly replayable. It is for this reason that I give Halo: Campaign Evolved The Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Gameplay is bog-standard, and if you don’t mind walking with minor interactions then you will be good. Story-wise, I think Nightmare Shift could have been a little better. Mainly with dropping better hints as to what might be going on or building up on some events. I would have replayed the last couple of chapters but for some reason the chapter select reset. Which is a shame as the game is a really easy platinum. So in the end Nightmare Shift is okay, but nothing stood out and the horror was eh. It’s the Thumb Culture Silver Award. One more thing to mention is that the start of the game does have a lot of flashing images so be wary.
I’m pretty sure at this point I should just name my Steam Deck the Roguelite Deck. Yet Another Zombie Survivors will likely join the ranks of others that have taken up permanent residence there. It features depth, design and gameplay just unique enough to make it stand apart from its peers. I’m looking forward to continuing to unlock and progress through the various modes over time. I don’t think I could give its 1.0 release anything less than the Thumb Culture Platinum Reward!
Zombutcher really is a little diamond that I didn’t expect to find. Yes it has its quirks and some minor issues but it really feels like a one of a kind game. I have had a wonderful time testing this game out and will be continuing to play it. I’ve got to give Zombutcher the Thumb Culture Gold Award. It’s a shop sim like I’ve never experienced before.
Cultic is one of the best modern retro shooters available on PS5 right now in my opinion. It’s stylish, brutal, atmospheric, and endlessly fun. If you enjoy fast shooters with horror vibes and clever level design, this is a must‑play. The joy I felt shooting through the levels and thinking of new ways to play was incredible. The amount of tools you are given at your disposal to wreck havoc on the cult members felt truly executed to perfection. Full pun intended. With all this in mind I am happy to be awarding Cultic the Thumb Culture Platinum Award. Don’t hold back and get this game for yourself. You’ll thank me later!
I mentioned that this game reminds me of Papers, Please and if you enjoyed that game, then pick this up. It has really great game mechanics and the changing of the rules keep you on your toes. At first my attention felt split for just understanding the new items and looking at the time. But, once you get a rhythm to bounce on, you can blaze through shifts like butter. It’s fun, creative and some of the surprises you’re exposed to are rather enjoyable. I give Security 51 the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
As far as games go for killing time Toy Shop Tidy up isn’t too bad. The game runs smooth, and the only glitch I had was more of a fun one, where I launched through the ceiling and noticed some flying books. Besides not being able to oddly find one plush – if it clipped through the floor, who knows – I finished the game. So it really depends if the restocking and organizing toys is your kinda thing, but overall not bad. Here’s the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
The Caribou Trail is a powerful, atmospheric WWI narrative experience with minimal gameplay but exceptional emotional depth. Its slow pace and repetitive tasks are intentional, serving the story rather than traditional game design. This may not be for everyone, but I sure enjoyed my time with it! If you value immersion and character drama over action, it’s a memorable and meaningful journey. With this in mind, I’ll be awarding The Caribou Trail a Thumb Culture Gold Award! Hopefully we see more from these developers going forward!
I enjoyed the new levels that The Prisoner had to offer, but was a little gutted with the overall length and main threat. It seems like just a little more time with flamethrower soldier would have felt a little better instead of one chase scene. But I am looking forward to seeing both of our new characters prevail on the dark journey ahead. So if you loved the base game you will love the DLC, however maybe holding off for a complete story might be best. Well, if you hate cliffhangers like me anyways. Reanimal: The Prisoner gets the Thumb Culture Gold Award from me. It would have been higher, but the end segment felt a bit cut short.
Overall Agefield High: Rock The School comes off as just bad from the missions, combat, all the way to the open-world itself, which is rather empty. My time with it was riddled with crash after crash, and it just made it harder to get through. The story seems as if they took the best parts of any high school movies and gave it a mission with no actual build up. This comes from the lack of development with the characters themselves, with most seeming like they’ve known Sam for years. Another thing that disappointed me was just how little you are actually in the school, as most of what happens is out of school. Classes, excpet for Music are all the same which feels cheap and could have offered some different mini-games. The idea for the game is genuinely interesting, more so since I wouldn’t mind another game like Rockstar’s Bully. But in the end Agefield High: Rock The School, just isn’t it, so it’s getting the Thumb Culture Bronze Award from me. Maybe if it was held back a few grade for development, it might be better.
At the end of the day, Angels Fall First can be really kind of whatever you want it to be. Whether that’s a solo game, a server of your own, or just a jump in and fight. Whichever you end up choosing, it allows for robust customizability to tweak things however you want. Although it does have various ways to play and ample customization, it felt very overwhelming as a new player. It is built for a very particular kind of player. There is a dedicated tutorial where you are able to play around with the various scenarios, but it doesn’t really cover loadouts and customization and how those mechanics work. The UI is a bit overwhelming as well. With these items in mind, I’d give the game the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Dystopicon is a really fun little simulator game. It’s story telling is whacky but interesting. It never feels like you’re sat waiting for the time to pass. The management elements of the game are really well done. I’ve given in the Thumb Culture Silver Award simply because the lack of the pointer really did ruin the experience for me. I’m sure this will be something that is fixed in future updates but for the time being I’ll have to leave it at that.
Whatever the world has in store for us, Doloc Town can be ranked up there with the cosy farming sim greats to provide a little bit of happiness. While initially very overwhelming and keeping your inventory organised is rather finicky, the gameplay is exceedingly rewarding. Building up both your farm and Doloc itself keeps you coming back just one more harvesting session. What it lacks in tight combat mechanics and inventory management, it makes up for in spades with charm, ingenuity, and character. A post-apocalyptic pick-me-up that warms the cockles and inspires you to build a legacy from something raw, no matter how small the result or how rustic the tools. I give it the Thumb Culture Gold Award to display proudly on the skull above Zenis’s Tavern. To the future, friends. Cheers!