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In short: Synergy is amazing. A truly fun and captivating game that one can sink countless hours into. Its gorgeous visuals and tons of charm really make it stand out from the rest. I absolutely recommend it for anyone who is a fan of settlement management games. Just make sure to set sufficient time aside. Else you end up like me, wondering why the birds are chirping outside already. Synergy absolutely deserves the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Blue Prince was an amazing puzzle/strategy that has me continuing to solve the mystery inside it. I love the clever ideas and puzzles that are either in your face or hidden away. Having me screenshot everything I come across to only use it when I feel like I have hit a wall is fun to me. It has scratched an itch that Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright left. I highly recommend this game to puzzle lovers and people who think RNG needs a good spanking after the abuse it put us through. I give Blue Prince the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Forever Skies is a slow burn of a game. Whilst the constant hunt for resources means you’ll never stay in one place for too long, it does take a while to start to feel like you’re actually making progress. That said, the environments were just begging to be explored and the often tranquil nature of the game made for a relaxing hunt for items, despite the frequent dangers of infection and beasts out for blood! Although it’s not always clear where to go or what to do next, the sense of discovery and satisfaction was a constant reward throughout. For these reasons, I’m giving Forever Skies a Thumb Culture Gold Award.
The premise of the game is great, it really is. Unfortunately for me, the game just does not cut it in terms of gameplay. The lack of a pause function really hurts the game. Also, in my opinion, and the pacing could be improved a bit. If you are really interested in the game, I would suggest waiting a bit until the game has received some more updates and patches. Perhaps watch a video or livestream of the game to get a feel for the gameplay loop. Maybe even wait for the introduction of the difficulty modes if the missing active pause function is an issue for you, or the saving of station placements if you tend to get attached to your decorated layouts. Keep in mind that all of this is just my personal opinion. I don’t think that The Fool’s Apprentice is a bad game whatsoever; the premise is interesting, and the game has great potential. I just think it would benefit from quite a bit more polish and a couple extra tweaks. For now, however, I will be giving The Fool’s Apprentice the Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy is a remarkable game. And thanks to the remake, it offers people like myself a chance to play what the developers originally envisioned for it to look like. Even when playing the easier mode, the game doesn’t hand-hold you, I hadn’t realized that I only used one hint during my whole play through. Amerzone’s story pacing doesn’t feel rushed, letting the player time to enjoy exploring and immerse themselves. Put simply the game has an intriguing story, delightful gameplay and amazing overhaul in visual/graphical detail. I’m giving Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy the Thumb Culture Platinum Award. You shouldn’t miss out on this gem!
Pilo and the Holobook is a whimsical journey through a galaxy of hand-painted planets and charming critters. It gently nudges you to be curious, kind, and creative, qualities sorely underrepresented in modern gaming. There are some small annoyances: fonts that don’t match, a few confusing objectives, and an occasionally clunky hub system. But the charm, the worldbuilding, and the sheer wholesome creativity of it all far outweigh any minor gripes. Pilo may only say three words, but they’ve already earned a place alongside the likes of Kirby and Sackboy in the ever-growing pantheon of lovable mascots. If you’re after a gentle, heartfelt game that’s as much about storytelling as it is about discovery, this one’s for you. Pilo and the Holobook earns a well-deserved Thumb Culture Gold Award.
I keep calling this game cute and cosy but that is not to its discredit. This game is really well made and you can tell a lot of love went into making it. It was a fun little game to play and I’m sure I will dip in and out of it from time to time. I’m excited to see where this goes and I would love to see some other island types to add a bit more variety to what’s available. This was my first real adventure into a roguelite and I enjoyed every second. All in all, I’m very happy to give Tranquil Isle the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Finding Frankie has become a little hidden gaming gem for me. With a lot of games following suit to the horror animatronic trend, Finding Frankie managed to stand out in the best way possible. The music, characters, and overall design of the game was more than I could have hoped for from a small developer. The hope for a sequel is astronomical. I hope they bring out even more mechanics, characters, and little companions like Deputy Duck. Or even bring this back with more twists. With everything considered, I will be awarding Finding Frankie our Thumb Culture Gold Award!
I’ve absolutely loved my time with Mythic Realms, and I will continue to venture back into the fight. Bringing colourful graphics as well as an immersive adventure. Giving D&D fans an experience in VR that they can enjoy at any time. Mythic Realms receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Electrician Simulator VR is a great game, but it’s not brilliant. However, I don’t think that it strives to be. It’s taking an already successful formula on PC and bringing it into the virtual world. It does exactly what it sets out to do. All you now need to do is go and play it for yourself, oh and don’t forget to turn the fuse box off. Electrician Simulator VR gets the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Crashlands 2 is a charming, hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt survival-crafting game that knows exactly what it is — and revels in it. While it has some bumps, repetitive enemies, vague quest tracking, and the occasional clunky combat moment, the overall experience is warm, witty, and wildly creative. If you’re after a crafting survival game that blends humour, home-building, and space shenanigans with a loveable art style and great writing, Crashlands 2 deserves a place on your playlist. It’s the survival genre in its comfiest hoodie, with just enough chaos to keep things spicy. With its gorgeous presentation, eccentric writing, and an interesting world to explore, Crashlands 2 earns the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
f you’re looking for a cute casual game Care Bears: Unlock The Magic fits that bill. Whilst this isn’t a long game, and the mini games are not always explained in the best way, it is fun. Is it £25 worth of fun? I’m not so sure. I did enjoy my time with it, and as a Care Bears fan it is a game I will pick up again. Just not regularly. Care Bears: Unlock The Magic gets the Thumb Culture Silver Award from me.
Game Over A Musical RPG?? Is an awesome game to play. If you like rhythm games and adventure RPGs, then this might just be for you. With a rich storyline to unravel, as well as enjoyable musical interludes. The game oozes appeal across multiple genres. The only caveat is that you must at least have a slight sense of rhythm to play. All in all such an enjoyable experience it excites me to see what more the developer is going to do. Game Over A Musical RPG?? gets the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
I’ll be honest the more I played Tiny Garden, the more it won me over. I’ve got lost in trying to collect all the seeds and plant types. Deciding between prioritising buying new seed types or more customisation options. Puzzling together how to get the right soil type in the right place in order to maximise my space. It’s been like a cosy puzzler but without the stress. Ao Norte and Super Rare Originals are currently offering the game at an introductory price of £9.59, and honestly you should be snapping it up. Even for it’s full price of £11.99 this is a cosy game that packs a lot in a compact environment. I said it in my preview, but I’m saying it again louder. If you ever wished your Polly Pocket/Mighty Max toys were real, Tiny Garden is the game for you. I award Tiny Garden the Thumb Culture Platinum Award, and I’m off to buy the DLC now too!
So, what do I think of Atomfall in general? It’s bloody brilliant. I’ve enjoyed so much of my time playing through the game and I’ll probably go back and explore some more. Its environments and characters make the world breathe with life. Add a sprinkling of mystery with what happened at the Windscale Nuclear Plant. Atomfall easily receives the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was the second game I’ve reviewed being placed in the Sengoku period recently. In fact that gives me a good idea for a feature: a comparison of both games and what one did better than the other. But back to this game. I loved that the two protags had different fighting styles idea since you can’t just have use keeping doing the same thing on loop. Having something different is always refreshing for the body and soul. It honestly has me wanting to get the rest of the games and see what else I’ve missed out in this series!
If you are someone who enjoys relaxing puzzle games, who loves plants or just enjoys decorating cute spaces, Urban Jungle is a real gem. Its gameplay is simple and charming, yet still keeps you engaged. The story and character development are fun to follow, the visuals are adorable, and the vibes are just there. Plus, you can pet a cute orange cat! What more could you want? Since I am unable to give the game a “Green Thumb” Award, Urban Jungle will instead receive the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
The game improves slightly on its predecessor, but still there’s no case explanation, and you can brute-force solutions. I didn’t need pen and paper, which is why I finished all three scenarios in just 55 minutes. The killer never changes, unlike in recent murder mystery games, reducing replay value. As a genre fan, some murderers and motives felt overly simple. As a solo indie developer, I respect the effort involved. However, taking notes seems to just be a feature to artificially extend the playtime past Steam’s refund window, which is a bit dishonest in this writer’s opinion. Although this isn’t the case on PS5. I am giving DETECTIVE: The Test a Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
After playing the game for four hours, I was honestly done and bored. The grind to earn levels in Cinemaster Cinema Simulator is rather tedious in comparison to most sims. Like, not to sound harsh, but the game feels rushed and lacks any real creativity behind it. From the A.I. art, to the rather dumbed-down gameplay, which is there to drag hours out so you can’t refund it. I’d say pick it up on a sale as, sadly, this is one of the more boring simulations out there.
In a sea of unnecessary remasters, Croc is a breath of fresh air and a game that actually warrants a remaster. I have had so much fun going back to this classic game. It’s been the most fun I’ve had in a while and is easy to just pick up and play. I have given Croc the Thumb Culture Platinum Award because I had fun every second I was playing. I think the flashing gems need adjusting by the devs to make the game easier on the eyes. Aside from that, this game was perfect. It deserves nothing less than the platinum because it clearly isn’t planning on giving me one!