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Frank and Drake is an awesome experience that delivers. Not only is it a feast for the eyes with some truly beautiful art and animation but the narrative and how it is delivered gets its hooks into you. It will really have you flex your cognitive might.
One of the biggest strengths of the game is the freedom in how you can approach play and succeed. You can focus on building strong relationships between villagers, or you can optimise the employment prospects. You can expand your village through recruitment, coupling with outsiders or filling houses with children. You'll probably find yourself bouncing between these different options during a playthrough to help firefight your current predicaments. This really helps to keep the gameplay loop fresh and challenging.
The gameplay of Exoprimal plays really well, with the suits being easy to learn and feeling like each brings something to the team as intended. The story is where the game starts to lose my interest, as sadly, playing multiplayer repeatedly to get some data or cinematic is pretty boring.
Even though this game has its issues, I still enjoyed the gameplay. That’s why I’m giving it the Thumb Cultures Gold Award.
I found Strayed Lights too quick to finish and with little content. The lack of dialogue or notes ruins what could’ve been an interesting story. The combat and bosses were fun, apart from the final boss since its attack let up.
Though Final Fantasy XVI is a fun game in its own right, much of the appeal comes from the visuals. The combat is fun, with its flashing colours, but spamming square for forty hours isn’t much fun. Though the boss fights look great, once again, it’s all visuals and doesn’t leave much for the player to do except do enough damage to trigger a cinematic and then do some quick-time events. Story-wise, they do well, with the overall goal being for Clive to destroy the Mother Crystals. However, how the story goes about this is rather messy. Characters don’t get enough development for me to care, with Benedikta Harman being a good example. Without spoilers, it felt as if they couldn’t decide her role in the story. Unless the enemies are large or bosses, they don’t really fight back and will just get smacked around. The game says you can do builds but doesn’t offer a proper way for the player. There are no different weapon types or spells. The only two stats used for combat is solely staggering and attack. They decided to go with smaller maps instead of a larger open world. Which is fine, but these areas are lifeless and lack any secrets. I was shocked to see that for a game about gods who control the elements, the elemental effect didn’t play a part in the game. Final Fantasy XVI relies too much on its visuals and not enough on the gameplay. That’s why I’m giving it the Thumb Cultures Silver Award.
The game Inner Ashes bravely tackles the sensitive topic of Alzheimer’s disease with great skill and sensitivity. The developer’s approach is both educational and tasteful, showcasing a deep understanding of the subject matter. As a result, the game is a beautiful and impactful experience. It is for this reason Inner Ashes is awarded the Thumb Culture Platinum Award
F1 23 really nails the driving experience like no iteration has done before. Catching slides makes you feel every bit the seasoned F1 driver. It’s a game changer. The Breaking Point story mode is really well done with some great acting, story twists/turns and some top notch cutscenes that heighten the drama. It’s time now for the franchise to move up the grid and onto current gen only release, carrying forward the pieces that have been mastered. Codemasters must press the foot to the floor and finally put some of the quirks that have been hanging around the game for a few years now firmly in the rear view mirrors. This one takes the chequered flag with a very strong Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Overall, Cruise Ship Manager is a basic simulation game that’s not all that engaging. From its low-poly graphics and repetitive music to its boring and sometimes creepy-looking characters, the game feels lifeless. If you’re a fan of simulation games or just looking for a fun way to pass the time, Cruise Ship Manager is likely to feel devoid of a real game. So lay anchor up, set down the sails and disembark; this cruise isn’t worth going aboard. I award Cruise Ship Manager a Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
Martian Panic was okay for what it is. For someone like myself who doesn’t play many rail shooters, it was easy to pick up and play. The dialogue was fun, and the visuals were enjoyable. I wish there were some unlockable art or modes to toggle on and off. For example, a classic black and white filter or unlimited ammo for power-up guns. If you’re looking for casual fun or simply to check out the rail shooter genre, then pick this up. I give Martian Panic the Thumb Cultures Silver Award.
Park Beyond goes beyond just a fresh coat of paint in the genre and sets a new standard for future games with innovative ideas and challenges. It invokes fun and nostalgia reminiscent of Theme Park, which must have been its inspiration.
I did encounter a few issues during the review. One crash took me out of the game completely, and one creature quest started me in a location where the specified creature didn’t spawn. Other than that I only saw some minor issues, such as mistranslated dialogue or jitter on some enemy animations, so overall the quality was good.
Overall, Planet of Lana is a side view, semi-3D platformer at its best. Give this game a little of your time and it will give you back a wealth of entertainment from its puzzles to the rich story told with very few words. The game has tons of character which shines through in its characters, picturesque landscapes, and wholesome narrative. Definitely give this game a try. I award Planet of Lana the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Playing Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine was honestly hell (but in a good way). I came looking for a challenge, and it was delivered. I admit sometimes I wanted to give up and ditch the game altogether, but I just couldn’t put it down. Every level I beat felt like a reward in itself. I would highly recommend playing with small breaks for both your mental health (and the controller’s health), as this game will get you angry with some of the traps. The little fun game at the end of the credits was adorable, and I would recommend this to people looking for a challenge. This game has a lot of charm, and the team at Headup Development has outdone themselves. If you are still curious after reading this review, a demo is available now on the Steam Store. I award Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine the Thumb Cultures Golden Award.
Having been away from the wrestling genre for around 5 years, AEW Fight Forever is a great return for Yukes! Taking on the newest and most exciting wrestling franchise is no hard task and I’m sure with the increasing popularity of the AEW, future games are only going to get better and better. All I hope is that the core gameplay stays as fun as AEW Fight Forever is. Thumb Culture is All Elite, awarding a Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Street Fighter 6 delivers some tight, fun gameplay with gorgeous visuals and a litany of content for longtime fans. The game is far from perfect with a half baked World Tour mode that feels more like a “work-in-progress” than a fully realised new path for the iconic series. Whether you are a lapsed fan (like me), brand new to the series or a die-hard savant, then the excellent arcade mode. Some great character designs and responsive controls make this a strong entry in the beloved Street Fighter franchise.
I had and continue to have a fantastic time with Tears of the Kingdom. It starts with a very strong opening and maintains this engaging story throughout. The new and returning elements worked well together and encouraged exploration and creativity. TotK really did take Breath of the Wild and crank it to 11 with the whole experience. The detail of the game and the creativity of other players really were unreal to see. The visual and audio designs were both fantastic and made travelling across Hyrule a delight. They went hand in hand together, especially Matt Mercer’s Ganondorf. Players will find their money’s worth here as many hours in I still have lots to do. I have had an incredible time and no doubt will continue to do so. Nintendo has knocked it out of the park and I can’t wait to see what comes next for the Zelda series. I hope you enjoyed my review, it was a pleasure to write. You can find my hands-on preview of Solasta: Palace of Ice if you’d like to read more.ll I’m delighted to give The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
My time with Aliens: Dark Descent has been a great experience. I enjoyed building up my squad and exploring each area carefully. The game runs really well, and I haven’t had any frame issues, but I did have to replay a mission as one of my marines bugged out. I feel if Tindalos Interactive were to make an RTS like AVP: Extinction. Then it would be in great hands. I was happy I could play this on my Steam Deck even though it isn’t verified yet. I would have liked to have been able to use more than one squad, and my initial thought was that combat was turn-based like XCOM, which was a shame, but still fun. Adding upgrades to weapons would be a good addition, or maybe adding some attachments that increase stats. I did find it annoying that I couldn’t manually save my game. If you love Xenomorphs or anything from the Alien franchise, then I highly recommend picking this game up and supporting the developers so we can get more games like this in the future maybe even one based on predator Honestly Aliens: Dark Decent is an excellent game that’s why I give it the Thumb Cultures Platinum Award.
Playing Amnesia: The Bunker was a great horror experience that scratched a long-time itch I’ve had for a while. The game ran smoothly, only stuttering when entering a new area like the Arsenal zone. The notes found around left me wanting to learn more about what happened in the bunker.
On the surface, Dordogne is a bittersweet story about a woman rediscovering her memories of childhood joy and adventure. However, there are also other threads exploring complicated familial relationships and struggles. While I feel the main story had a satisfactory conclusion, some of the other plot lines could use some more clarity or closure. In terms of gameplay, the exploration and light puzzle elements are a fantastic complement to the narrative and are engaging and fun. I imagine this game will be playable by a wide audience, as intended by the developers. If you enjoy narrative games, Dordogne is for you. If you do play and enjoy it, be on the lookout for future projects that will explore the story further, including a short film called Les Ricochets, and comic books.