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My final thought is that Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is a great game with a rich story into Chinese mythology. You really create a bond with the characters and you just wish it had a longer playtime. For me, twenty hours is nowhere near enough for a game of this much potential. Even with some graphical flaws I had an absolute blast playing it and would highly recommend it to any RPG fan. So I would like to give Xuan Yuan Sword 7 the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Here are my final thoughts of Inked: A Tale of Love. It is most definitely a great little puzzle game and I enjoyed playing it. The graphics and audio are really good in the game. The only thing was I felt I could only play an hour or so at any one time. Otherwise, I felt as if I was getting bored, even though I was enjoying the game. Of course, this is no fault of the devs or the game itself, it’s just me. I give Inked: A Tale of Love the Thumb Culture Gold Award
Overall the developers have done a great job. The game has some interesting twists on the genre and I really think it will appeal to a wider audience. There are a few things I would like to see improved, which I touched upon a little already. It would be nice to see some more weapon types in Arboria, maybe some take on a bow and arrow or crossbow? Some ranged spells, perhaps? From the time I spent playing I was only able to find melee weapons, and while they do behave differently it still feels a little bit repetitive. I award Arboria the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Overall, I believe that AWAY: The Survival Series has a lot of potential. While there may be some bugs in its current state once these are fixed then gameplay and longevity would greatly improve. Despite its current flaws, it is still very much playable and very enjoyable. A hybrid between a platformer, a puzzler and also a nature documentary. This is definitely one to keep an eye on, for this reason. I award AWAY: The Survival Series a Thumb Culture Silver Award.
A wonderful addition to the Life Is Strange series, True Colors has everything that has made the series a success. Bringing back Steph was great as she is the standout character of the series for me. Deck Nine have produced a superb title that I really enjoyed. It is for these reasons that Life Is Strange: True Colors gets the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Combat is great, exploration is exciting, Rots are cute, the world is beautiful, the music is perfect. Buy it now, and again in November when it is released on disc. I award Kena: Bridge of Spirits a very high-spirited Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
There’s no doubt that A Juggler’s Tale is going to leave you wanting more. Whether you feel that is down to the game being too short, or just that you would love to spend more time in the world will be personal to you. I fall into the latter category. I’m happy that the game is well structured and very well executed. It’s important for an initial impression of a game and a developer to be strong and A Juggler’s Tale is a fantastic first foray into the world of game development. To avoid spoilers I’ve been unable to delve too deep into certain part’s of the game, but just know that there’s more to the story than you may think. You’ll have to go and check it out! With all that being said, A Juggler’s Tale gets the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Is Sonic Colours Ultimate a bad game? By all means no it isn’t. It is certainly a fun time, albeit not very long-lasting. It’s just sad that is marred by overly complex level design and finicky controls. The Wisps add that replayability factor to the game for completionists, and it sounds and mostly looks great. I think the new generation of young players will enjoy this with its simple and easy-to-follow story. It is undoubtedly the best way to play Sonic Colours, but for now, I will be sticking with my 2D pixelated Sonic games. I award Sonic Colours Ultimate the Thumb Culture Silver Award. It’s a high Silver though, just not quite enough to be a Gold.
Encased is a game that plays into fond memories of similar games that came before it. Although it is a theme that feels a bit overdone at this point, it still adds value to the genre in its own right. If you have been itching to play something that reminds you of the other games mentioned above, I highly suggest you pick it up. It’s a healthy balance of turn-based action, exploration, and story. I am looking forward to my next playthrough already. From what I’ve experienced, Encased receives the Thumb Culture Gold award.
UnMetal is a top tier game from a low tier developer. This is some fantastic work from @Unepic_Fran and I can not wait to play the next game from him. UnMetal earns the highly coveted Thumb Culture Platinum Award from me. Fantastic work dude!
Hot Wheels Unleashed brings the ultimate car collection to the current generation. Gamers young and old will no doubt have an insane amount of fun playing through each environment with plenty of nostalgia at the ready! Hot Wheels Unleashed gets the coveted Thumb Culture Platinum Award
My final thought is that even while writing up this Dustwind Xbox One review I had the urge to go back and just do one more mission. But we all know one more mission just isn’t one more mission. There may be some faults for players but I found the game really enjoyable and great to pass the day with. If there were some more original ideas that went into it then maybe it would have been better. But I just can’t shift the fact that it is so like Fallout that it seems hard to see past that. Therefore I am going to give Dustwind on Xbox One the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Tails of Iron is more of an adventure game with RPG elements. This is a really charming game, and quite cute, but not in the traditional sense. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and meeting new characters, even the unique bosses of which there were many. The combat is challenging and punishing, but rewarding when you do take down a boss that you have been stuck on for half an hour. The art style is fantastic and suits the game exceptionally. And of course, the legendary Doug Cockle narrating is just the icing on the cake. Add into that, this game is great value for money and isn’t one you can complete in an evening. The best part is that it is out now! What are you waiting for?
Overall, what Flat Hill Games have produced is a joy to play. With bright colours, straight forward gameplay, it brings cooking simulators into the living room. Clash of Chefs VR receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award
Super Arcade Football really surprised me, it is a smashing game. From the moment you start to the moment you stop, you will have fun. I see some controversy online, particularly Steam reviews, about this game how apparently it completely changed when the game launched on September 6th from the Early Access program on Steam. It was a 3D-based football arcade game and of course as we now know it’s a 2D retro-inspired football game. However, for me, I think this game has taken the right direction. I absolutely love it. Great work OutOfTheBit Limited. I award Super Arcade Football the coveted Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Lost in Random was a complete surprise to me. I had not heard of it until I saw it become available for review. So I watched the trailer and simply thought “Wow, that looks class!”. Boy, this game did not let down. The team at Zoink Games has done an absolutely phenomenal job with this game. You can really tell they have put their heart and souls into this game. From the moment you pick it up to that moment you finish it, you will be laughing, enjoying the action, and taking in the top-notch story. Great work! I award Lost in Random a very much deserved Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Having waited for 9 months to play I can say that it didn’t disappoint. Bloober team have done a brilliant job at bringing this title to Playstation 5 with a lot of unique features. I thoroughly enjoyed The Medium, the writing was great and the story was very engaging. It isn’t a game that sets out to scare you for the sake of it. I can think of only 2 sections that actually made me jump. So bear that in mind especially if you are worried. As a gamer with Epilepsy, it is nice to see a very clear warning about photosensitive seizures. Whilst I didn’t experience any problems please stick to the recommended guidelines when playing this or any title. Having thanked the team on Twitter for a superb title it will not come as a surprise that I award I am giving The Medium the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
How long is a piece of string? yes, I know twice the length from the end to the middle. However, Bus Simulator 21 will give you hours and hours of gameplay. I guess you could compare the amount of game time to the amount of real-time you would be waiting for a bus replacement service in central London. Getting stuck into having multiple bus driving routes around the city is just such a success story. Thankfully you can share that fun with a friend in the coop mode. Final Thoughts Overall if you are a fan of simulation games then Bus Simulator 21 is for you. Don’t delay because you don’t want to miss the next bus. Bus Simulator 21 receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award
For a game that claims not to be a roguelike, it sure does have a lot of those elements to it. It’s also impossible to not draw comparisons to other games made by Arkane such as Dishonored and Prey. But, Deathloop shifts its way to us and feels very fresh. Whatever you learn in the aforementioned games, just forget about it. The player doesn’t feel forced into playing stealthily or guns blazing. It’s entirely the player’s choice. Coupling the Infusion system with the time loop mechanics is a stroke of genius. For such a small world, the sandbox-style gameplay offers a lot to discover and will keep you intrigued throughout. Deathloop is fun and frivolous and the combat whether you’re going sneaky-sneaky or just want to blow some heads off is a blast. I award Deathloop the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Beyond Mankind is a game that is good in theory but in practice not so much. The game has an interesting story and worldbuilding. The actual gameplay and design are where this game fell short. I felt it was poor across the board in that regard from the environments to combat. Not even touches like survivor diaries could redeem it. Visually also poor and aside from some of the voice acting the audio was low quality too. This is just my opinion of course. But if you enjoy Beyond Mankind there is plenty to you occupied for several hours at least. I do enjoy sci-fi RPGs but I just didn’t gel with this particular game but feel free to comment below how you felt about it. And if you did like my review then feel free to click here and learn about the upcoming Saints Row game. I award Beyond Mankind the Thumb Culture Bronze Award.