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Across the Obelisk is a standout title in the deckbuilding genre. It offers a deep and satisfying experience that is both challenging and rewarding. The game’s blend of strategy, tactics, and deckbuilding makes it a must-play for fans of roguelite and deckbuilding games. If you’re looking for a game that offers variety and keeps you returning, Across the Obelisk is worth your time. Its rich world, engaging mechanics, and deck-building make it a game that you can sink hours into. Overall, Dreamsite Games and Paradox Interactive have crafted a game that will captivate and challenge players for a long time.
House of Golf 2 is a fantastic mini-golf game that allows you to simply have fun. With amazing holes to play through as well as the fantastic setting that you get to enjoy them in, you will quickly find new and wonderful ways to get the golf ball from A to B. If you want something to play that is friendly, casual and enjoyable by the whole family then Starlight Games have certainly nailed it.
With what is possibly one of my favourite VR experiences, Something Random have created an absolute winner. Toy Trains VR lives up to the hype, it delivers on every element of the game design and the devs should be commended for making such an awesome game!
Racing isn’t a genre of game I’d usually associate with the term ‘thoughtful’. This isn’t to say they aren’t well thought out – more that they provoke a player’s reflexes and timing more than anything else. You focus on the next turn coming, not the third. Phantom Spark bucks this trend, however. I found myself invested in each track, willing my Spark to make a turn just tight enough to speed through, to shave a thousandth of a second off my time. If I came into this looking to redeem my eight-year-old self, I failed. This game isn’t a successor to Wipeout Pure. Instead it’s a great time trial game in its own right; stylish and smart. If you like racing games, you should give it a go.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles is an anime game adaption I hope can get others onboard. Although as a fan of the anime, the game contains some things I wished it didn’t, I know these were included as something needed for the story. There are also the huge leaps of time we go through in the game that had me questioning the order in which we played certain events. I wished the developers had instead placed us at other points in time and had the two arcs at another juncture, so cannon events were not spoiled. Luckily I’ve been reading the manga and light novels to know when certain events happened, but not everyone would have done that. Overall this game was a fun and joyful experience for both me and the missus. I would love for other game studios to use this game to improve themselves. If there are any developers reading this that are hoping to make an anime video game adaptation in the future, please learn from these mistakes. Don’t do this kind of story cutting. The anime fans will be grateful!
Just Crows Things has been a breath of fresh air and a great addition to my “turn off brain” list of games. You can simply enjoy flying through the sky. Or live your best chaos crow life by dropping items or flaming poops on anything and anyone. The only thing the game made me wish for, was more of it. Some co-op options to make crow chaos alongside friends would be amazing too. I would recommend anyone to play this amazing game.
Arcade Paradise VR feels like a natural adaptation from flat-screen to VR. A great job has been done utilizing the PSVR2’s features like haptics and adaptive triggers to enhance immersion. While this VR version will likely be more enjoyable for fans of the base game rather than newcomers, Arcade Paradise VR remains a unique and immersive experience. It offers some of the best gameplay you’ll find in the simulation management genre.
Hellbreach: Vegas is hands down the most fun I’ve had playing a zombie FPS in years. I cannot wait to get some more friends on board to spend some late nights having some old school fun. It has multiple game modes, several different maps, and unlocks to boot. I’m proud to award it the Thumb Culture Platinum Thumb Award!
Creatures of Ava is a peachy little pep tonic for those who crave exploration and discovery of a whole new world. The creatures are charming, the world is rich and stunning and the character interactions are first-class. While it may not be the deepest or most complex adventure out there, it warms the heart and delivers cosy adventuring in a way you don’t necessarily expect. And at 12 to 20 hours long (depending on your completionism tendencies), it’s the ideal length for adventuring. Neither too short nor too bloated. If you’re looking for the next Pokemon or Palworld, you won’t find it here. But what you will find is cosy fun and a journey that will leave you with a smile on your face and your cockles warmed.
Into the Pit was a top-notched horror experience. The game lets the high detailed cinematics do the talking and isn’t reliant on jump scares or loud noises for the fear factor. The creepiness of the Abomination itself had me saying “Naaah” out loud. The overall gameplay is simple, although I did find on the fifth night some button prompts wouldn’t work now and then. As I previously mentioned, I haven’t read the book of the same name. I did, however, look into if this game follows the story to a T, and from what I could find there are some differences. Having previously had no interest in checking out the books, playing Into the Pit has made me want to read them, just so I can compare the stories. In the end, what surprised me the most was how great this small three hour game was. I really hope that Mega Cat Studios adapts the other short stories from the books for more visual splendour, creepiness, and scares.
DarkStone Digital has created a horrifying, wonderful experience with The Mortuary Assistant. Aside from the issue with some of the controls in the tasks, the move from PC has been seamless. The vibes are immaculate, the game is really intriguing and there is so much to uncover that I’m excited to play through everything all over again just to see the different endings. Even with the issues with the controls, this game was one of the best single player horror game experiences I’ve had in a while. Because of that, The Mortuary Assistant is receiving the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
There are things I would have liked to have seen, but there is no doubt what the team at BearBoneStudio have produced is incredible. Minds Beneath Us should absolutely be the next game you buy. It provides a fresh and interesting story. One you will not be disappointed with. And that is why I am awarding Minds Beneath Us a Thumb Culture Platinum Award!
I really enjoyed the investigations in Nobody Wants to Die, but I felt that one crime scene I will name the “Red Room” was a bit too dragged out. The way you can rewind time was excellent and reminded me of the game, Remember Me. Nobody Wants to Die, has fun dialogue and intriguing story to tell, while successfully doing the classic Noir-style. I wouldn’t mind a little action with some gunplay, but that’s just me nit-picking. Honestly I wish I could rewind time a play for the first time again! And for that reason I’m awarding Nobody Wants to Die, the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
I found Let’s School a bit of an anti-climax. While the premise was there with the management mechanics, it just didn’t get me excited. I apologize if I appear to have come across negatively however the fun just did not come across for me. Let’s School is too repetitive in its tasks and lacks social interactions which in turn affected my long-term engagement with the game. Whether this was my experience due to playing it on the Nintendo Switch, I do not know. For now, Let’s School scores the Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
The story of Tiny Terry is wholesome, wacky, and witty. Terry goes on a tiny journey of self-discovery of what it means to live among the residents of Sprankelwater, and what it means when you achieve your goals. The best part of this game, besides being able to play at your own pace and having amazing side quests and challenges, is the dialogue of all the characters you interact with. The narrative writing of the personality and humor of the characters in Tiny Terry is unmatched and is just a joy to read and experience. Exploring the city of Sprankelwater, even when it's a small map, is full of life, densely packed, and vibrant.
Until Then isn’t just my game of the year (so far) it’s up there with my favorite games of all time. The jaw-dropping artstyle alongside the witty dialogue and emotional beats all combine to make a visual novel that is In my opinion, a masterpiece, and a true labor of love. Some mini-games slightly sour the experience, but winning is not necessary to progress the story. And that story is too good to care. This game is 100% worth your time and money. Give it a go…or three.
Killer Klowns offers an incredibly enjoyable experience that is ultimately marred by game-breaking bugs, constant disconnects, and a general lack of polish. Things such as locking doors not having an animation, and overall jankiness. This prevents Killer Klowns from reaching the heights it should with both the amusing gameplay and quirky IP. Unfortunately, in this state I have to award Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game the Thumb Culture Bronze Award. I’d love to revisit this review of the game and award it based on the gameplay in the future.
V Rising stands out as an excellent survival game held back by a few minor issues accompanied by the fact that players will most likely get value out of their first playthrough, but feel tired during their subsequent ones. However, the game shines brightly (ouch) with its vampiric charm, extensive base building, and satisfying and varied combat mechanics making it one of the best survival games I’ve played period. The game’s dedication and love for its theme are palpable, evident in its systems, even with weaknesses like garlic being turned into a fun mechanic. Due to these reasons, I am awarding V Rising the Gold Thumb Culture Award.
Paper Trail is, at its core, a wonderful adventure through page bending worlds. Paige is an adorable main character and the atmosphere that it creates through its design and music is stellar. The reason I’m not giving a platinum award is because the difficulty curve felt a little too steep. I would still recommend Paper Trail to any fans of puzzle or cozy games. That’s why it has been awarded the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes was fiendishly difficult to put down or stop thinking about. I would load it up even in short 15 minute bursts to try a puzzle solution. If I'd been playing on the Switch it would have accompanied me everywhere. I play a fair few games that have puzzles within them, and if I get stuck for a short time, chances are I'm going to go looking for a solution online. With this game though, I always felt like either the answer was staring me in the face, and I just needed a little more brain time or power to crack it, or that I had other options to progress. I never felt a sense of frustration, my sense of pride never truly threatened. That's a really delicate balance to strike, and I think Simogo have nailed it. I can't recommend giving this game a go enough. I've barely scratched the surface above as I honestly don't want to give anything away. Do yourself a favour, grab a notebook, pencil and cuppa, and go play it.