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The old adage that “Gameplay is King” holds firm and true here. With some frustrating gameplay driving the story, players may find it hard to give this game a chance. Like No Mans Sky, Final Fantasy XIV and Destiny before it, I hope that with time The Last Oricru can evolve and garner itself a passionate community of players. I would definitely like to return in the future to see updates and find out how my story pans out.
LEGO Bricktales, like the design idea that inspires it, is in a league of its own. It’s a game to be savoured,
I didn’t know what to expect going into Steelrising. Expecting a challenge but on the whole, it was quite easy to pick up once I had gotten used to what I thought was going to be a complex battle scenario. I really enjoyed my time in-game, however, it felt like there was something missing when it came to the combat formula. I, therefore, award Steelrising a Thumb Culture Gold Award.
What you have here is a charming love letter to the point-and-click genre. It faithfully replicates the feel and style of those types of games. I, as a veteran of the genre, would have preferred more challenging puzzles, more places to explore, and more NPCs to interact with. As stated above though it’s a great introduction to the genre of games for those who have never played the style before. Overall, it’s a short, but very intricate adventure game with time and effort put into the graphics and sound. It’s bound to keep you entertained for a while as you explore its charming fantasy world. I give The Dark Prophecy the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
I must say that I have massively enjoyed New Tales from the Borderlands. The comedic dialogues, graphics, interactions, and of course storyline, are each fantastic! It will certainly capture not only the hearts of Borderlands fans around the world, but also appeal to new players far and wide.
What a game! It nearly defeated me in all honesty. The unforgiving gameplay was reminiscent of Elden Ring and its Dark Souls-like counterparts so much so that you’d be forgiven for initially believing they had just taken the game code and just put another theme on top of it.
Overall I didn’t enjoy my time in Session: Skate Sim, I understand that it is meant to be a realistic simulation title. However, even the easier difficulties are still hard to master. Personally, it felt like there was a massive gap in the tutorial for someone who doesn’t skate.
My final thought on Whiteday: A Labyrinth Named School is that while it’s a huge upgrade from the original version. It just doesn’t give you that feeling of playing a survival horror game that shakes you to the core
Despite some performance issues and minor bugs, Dakar Desert Rally delivers bags of fun. The stunning environments, wild weather and plucky opponents paired with the excellently realised sense of speed make for some truly epic racing. Danger lurks around every corner.
Way Of The Hunter does have potential, however with the high bar set by the Hunter: Call Of The Wild, there is some catching up and improving for it to do
While some of the background graphics didn’t appear to be top-notch at times, the overall gameplay and welcomeness of PGA Tour 2K23 was an amazing experience.
Ruins Magus does provide a good gameplay experience, the movement and combat are fun, but everything else seems to be lacking. It almost feels like the budget ran out as fast as the ideas, but it didn’t end up a total mess.
Overall, Trifox is hands-down one of the most fun games I’ve had the opportunity to play lately. I thoroughly enjoy the game’s atmosphere and mechanics. Though I’m not the best platformer player the game doesn’t make it feel extremely challenging or frustrating to complete. I’m hoping that the game will become Steam Deck verified so that I can take it with me when I’m away from my desk. If not though, I may just have to pick it up on the Switch. I feel this game is definitely deserving of the Thumb Culture Platinum Award! If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out my other reviews here.
This game came about from humble beginnings as a passion project from game devs Holy Wow Studios. They didn’t expect it to reach the lofty heights of popularity as it has done. It went viral quickly and it’s easy to see why. The hilarious visuals, silly sounds and Wii console-esque graphics make this game something unique and special. I hadn’t laughed so much playing a game as I did with Trombone Champ. I did find myself fatigued by all of the tooting and colourful visuals, however. Give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments. I award Trombone Champ a Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Haiku, The Robot wears its 8-hour runtime well, especially if you’re looking for a shorter, action-heavy, well-made experience. Once the bosses are all dispatched and the simple story is completed, finding the final few ability-expanding computer chips (Hollow Knight parallel: ability-expanding charms) may take another hour or so. Overall, Haiku, The Robot made me nostalgic for Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight in all the right ways. I’m not sure what Hunter S. Thompson did with his copy of The Great Gatsby—but Mr. Morris gets to count this game as a well-earnt win. It gets the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
I had a great time playing Hob’s Barrow and I’m excited to play more soon. The game delivers an engaging folk horror story in 1800s England that we don’t see very much of and feels like a fresh take on the genre. Experiencing Thomasina’s story in this point-and-click adventure mystery can have its moments of frustration and unintentionally feeling silly but overall is excellent. The game looks and sounds great with the graphics & audio going hand in hand with the gameplay as well as delivering plenty of content for players. I am delighted to give The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow the Thumb Culture Gold Award. I can’t wait to see what Cloak and Dagger Games bring out next. If you enjoyed my thoughts on Hob’s Barrow then why not click the link for my review of the interactive horror game The Quarry?
Overall, what you have is an quick, amazing linear first person shooter with twist of a rhythm game thrown in. It’s an exciting concept and even more exciting to play. The game left me wanting to play more as the pay-off for tackling the beasts is so addictive. It also made me want to see if I could beat my own high score. I would have liked to have had a bit more humour thrown in as it came across very serious. Not as much as Brutal Legend, but enough to balance it out somewhat. I’d recommend that you try this game at least once as it’s one of a kind. I award Metal: Hellsinger the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Great ideas, sadly stifled by mediocre execution. Oxide Room 104 came off as a little confusing at times, lacking in direction. There are some really good ideas here, but it feels and plays like a mid-life PS3 game. It’s not a terrible game by any means and is good for a few hours. I would have appreciated this more if it played a little less cumbersome and if it looked a lot gorier than it was. Oxide Room 104 gets the Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
Sometimes less is most definitely more and Beacon Pines is a magnificent example of how much more. Keeping gameplay simple and letting the story lead the way, it has a way of thoroughly enveloping the player without even realising it. You’ll be compelled to find every little nuance, every aspect of what makes the leading trio who they are. Every facet of a great conspiracy. A glorious Gold Award for the not-so-sleepy town of Beacon Pines and its branching, all-encompassing tale!
Overall Construction Simulator is a great game to play. It isn’t perfect, there are a few strange camera angles, but what it does well, it does really well. The construction side of the game, is absolutely perfect, and for that reason I award Construction Simulator with the Thumb Culture Gold Award