Thumb Culture
HomepageThumb Culture's Reviews
OlliOlli World is a game that definitely sticks the landing. Every aspect of the game works well in tandem, with the chill soundtrack offsetting the frustrating challenges and the simple control scheme going hand in hand with gameplay that’s difficult to master.
My final thought on Edge of Eternity is that after a rocky start, the game is fantastic and one that every RPG player owes to themselves to play. The story is great, the characters are witty, funny, and you make a connection with them. I can’t wait to get stuck back in and find the cure for Corrosion.
Sir Brante is an excellent narrative-driven RPG delivering an engaging story in a richly detailed world. The game does stack the deck against you but hopefully, wise choices see you through it. Being played in the pages of a book paints a picture in your mind including some black and white landscapes too
was left underwhelmed, the “horror” aspect is more a light dusting to a first-person puzzle game. Numerous aspects feel frustrating, the lack of direction and character speed being huge examples. Whilst it isn’t all bad the segments that shine aren’t as rewarding because they are few and far between.
Unbound: Worlds Apart left me pleasantly surprised, featuring some of the most gloriously designed gameplay mechanics I’ve ever experienced in a game. It will hook you in with its finely balanced challenge and dares you to come back for more.
My final thoughts on S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored are varied, this had the potential to become a great game but for me, the execution did not live up to my expectations If the game stood with its first five minutes and kept it like that with progression this game would have been a big baller for me.
Whether or you’ll like 6Souls or not depends on your temperament and, possibly, your dexterity. If repeatedly failing a level and starting from the beginning frustrates rather than delights, perhaps give this one a miss and save the cost of replacing your TV after you’ve embedded your controller in it. Personally, this might just be me; my fingers constantly confused the jump, wall grab, and dash buttons. I’d jump, wall grab and fall to an untimely death instead of jumping and dashing. I also found myself dashing in the wrong direction quite often, which, after you’ve successfully chained several together, is galling. That said, I did enjoy 6Souls. It’s good, honest, and challenging platforming fun. Finding the one true way through a level leads to some enjoyably head-scratching moments and pulling off a flawless sequence of jumps, dashes, and wall grabs to reach the end. If you like challenging platformers, then give 6Souls a whirl. It’s undoubtedly worthy of Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Which is a shame, at the end of it all. SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash is a good card game that is starting to show its age. Poor tutorials, a grinding lack of progressions and a lacklustre UI might have been forgivable 20 years ago, but they really take the shine off what’s otherwise a good time. If a proper remake gets announced, count me in.
Rugby 22 is a big step in the right direction for the rugby sim genre. I can’t help but wonder though how much more enjoyable and engaging the game would be if it had managed to secure licenses for the English league and international teams and the South African international team. There’s still plenty for fans of the All Blacks, Wallabies, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and many other nations though!
I had a decent time playing Startup Panic overall and found it to be a solid game. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, the game does feel different enough than others in the genre like Game Dev Tycoon. It is engaging but some gameplay can feel awkward to navigate and some mechanics are better explained than others. Visually and audibly it is very good from the vibrant colour scheme to peaceful background music. I also feel there are many hours to spend here playing Startup Panic.
.I didn’t think the story was that great and enemies to be weak, I really enjoyed myself playing PopSlinger. Is it for everyone, no, but is it something people will enjoy, absolutely? If you grew up with classic arcade games and SNES side-scrollers, I think you will enjoy yourself playing PopSlinger. And even if you want a casual game to play, this is also first in that category. I can see myself playing this again someday. But I do think that the game needs more improvements and a better story. I’m not expecting a masterpiece of storytelling but I would at least like something that’s memorable. Like every time a new cut scene happened, I had forgotten what happened in the previous one. Besides that, PopSlinger is a good game, but not a great one.
If there’s one word I could use to encapsulate Summertime Madness it would be potential. This being DP Games maiden title there are some true flashes of brilliance here, notably in level design and exquisitely designed artwork. The aforementioned Neo Prague level is a real stand-out statement of the talent at the studio and I hope that they use this section of the game as a benchmark to work from as they build their next title. If you’re a console gamer looking for a game that will flex your cognitive powers then go check it out when it releases to consoles on January 26th
Gravity Chase is a decent futuristic, anti-gravity racer. It doesn’t bring anything new to the genre. It also doesn’t come into the game space severely lacking in content or quality. However, after looking over Repixel8’s website and watching some video clips of Velocity G, I almost feel like Gravity Chase is just a knock-off with updated/improved graphics.
Nerf Legends is an FPS shooter that fails to hit the target. Despite being based on the iconic foam dart firing toys it’s sad to say that this is not a title that lives up to its expectations. Without multiplayer and a relatively dull single-player experience, I am afraid that if it is “Nerf or nothing” then I choose “nothing”.
I enjoyed my time playing Rescue Party: Live! though I definitely recommend playing co-op. It has strong similarities to Overcooked and that same sim genre but is different enough to stand on its own. I found it is friendly for all ages in gameplay and look & sound. And with plenty of variety in maps and challenges within which kept playing from feeling stale. From playing with friends to mastering levels and unlocking trophies, there is plenty to keep you busy here.
Featuring well-designed and well-balanced gameplay, great graphics, and a host of maps and modes to suit every player. Personally, I can see myself returning to the game every few days for an hour or so, enjoying some casual but explosive FPS fun. Halo Infinite is balanced, fun and introduces just enough new features to make it interesting. It caters to players of different skill levels and allows both casual and hardcore to enjoy hours of gameplay. Did I mention, it’s also free? What’s not to love about that.
Bloodshore is the game that just keeps on giving when it comes to replayability. While the longevity of a single playthrough is roughly around two hours. The number of choices that the game has to offer will always give you another playthrough. There are so many different endings and choices and different narrative choices to make. I would estimate that there are at least 20 hours of gameplay to keep you going back. Because trust me when you finish one playthrough. You just have to play another one to see a different outcome by making different choices from the previous game.
Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is just what horror games need right now. Zombies are such an oversaturated idea and they are everywhere. So it is nice to have something truly scary in a paranormal survival horror. It is a great game to introduce new fans to the series who possibly weren’t even born when it came out. Though controls are a bit finicky, it is very unique and stands out well in a slew of subpar horrors that rarely even raise a whimper, let alone have you losing sleep at night. The drab setting, story, lore, and atmosphere created would fit snuggly amongst other J-horror media. With jump scares here and there, it’s the subtle ones that got to me. What you think you saw, you did not see…or did you? If it raises my heart rate a little, that’s a good thing because horror doesn’t usually get to me. A job well done! Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water gets a Thumb Culture Platinum Award from me!
Red Ronin is a fun, addictive strategy game with great level design that constantly evolves to keep the game fresh. The power-up mechanics allow you to be creative with your strategy although some of the later levels do feel restrictive. A lack of story polish does hold it back a little but ultimately Red lets her blade do the talking. If you’re into fast-paced puzzles with a smattering of blood and guts, I’ve no doubt you’ll be dashing out to buy Red Ronin. I give Red Ronin the Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
Despite the odd flaw here and there, Crysis Remastered Trilogy remains highly playable today. The remaster treatment may look better in some places than others, but it still looks really good as a whole. What you get is three great games with a fantastic story and good gunplay, which costs less than a new game today. It’s a no-brainer and perfect for anyone who fancied Crysis in the past but missed out on it. If the whole trilogy had the same control and quality of life improvements as Crysis 3 it would have scored higher. That said, Crysis Remastered Trilogy takes home a respectful Thumb Culture Gold Award