Thumb Culture
HomepageThumb Culture's Reviews
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
I had a lot of fun with You Suck At Parking and really enjoyed Happy Volcano’s take on driving/racing games. It is very creatively made and the gradual introduction of new obstacles and challenges made playing feel fresh and engaging. I did have my moments of wanting to rage quit but the occasional issue kept me playing. YSAP looks and sounds great, going hand in hand with the light-hearted overall tone. With plenty of content, both single and multiplayer, you will find plenty to do and achievements to complete. I can’t wait to see what Happy Volcano releases next and I’m pleased to award You Suck at Parking the Thumb Culture Gold Award. If you enjoyed this review, check out my thoughts on Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2.
SD Gundam Battle Alliance is primarily a game for those that are familiar with the IP. Focused around replayability, it makes the player build an admittedly interesting cast of characters. Sadly, it stumbles and falls with repetitive gameplay, strange design choices and overly long, intrusive dialogue. The goal of the game is admirable, but it almost sets itself up to fail. Bringing together things from such a storied franchise is no easy feat. It’s a fairly decent introduction, with lots of history and some context to dive into. At the very least it has piqued my interest regarding Gundam. I wouldn’t say I had fun playing though it, with there just being too many flaws overall. It is a love letter to the wider franchise but not one addressed to this reviewer. Unless you are a hardcore Gundan fan, or want a rough and ready introduction to it, I would probably give this a miss. Overall, I give SD Gundam Battle Alliance a Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
My final thoughts on Dreamlight Valley are that after a shaky start, the game has built up some speed and is an enjoyable game to play for a few hours. The nostalgia is there for Disney fans with the likes of Goofy and Minnie Mouse. Then there is the appeal for the new generation with Moana and Frozen. It has the potential to be really addictive if Disney adds new characters sometime in the future, like Star Wars, then it will certainly hold a place in gamers’ hearts. With that in mind, I am going to give Dreamlight Valley the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
So there we have it. F1 Manager 2022 review done and dusted. So what do I think about the game? Personally, it’s great. There is plenty to keep you interested. Yes there are going to be some people that don’t quite get on with the amount of stats and everything else involved, and that is fine. Any F1 fan though should really give this a play. Being able to manage your own team is the thing of dreams. Just don’t stand for it if anyone “fok smash your door” F1 Manager 2022 receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award
When Sam And Max was announced, I was excited about returning to it after so long. Being a big fan of point-and-click adventures and episodic games this had a lot going for it. The humour throughout gave me laughs and that wasn’t always limited to the main characters. What I would love to see next is a brand-new adventure. However that is my one criticism of a number of titles lately. It is for this reason Sam and Max Remastered receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award
My final thought on Soul Hackers 2 is that it was definitely worth the wait for a sequel. You fall in love with the cast instantly and root for them the whole way. While the game has a few snags here and there, you barely notice them. It’s a game to be loved by any JRPG fan and especially of the Persona franchise. So with all that in mind I feel it would be only fair to give Soul Hackers 2 the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
The remake of the original achieved a lot of positive reviews. Destroy All Humans 2 – Reprobed, sadly suffers from a number of remakes being released. I believe these should be judged individually and not review bombed on sites without experiencing the game. I contacted THQ Nordic regarding the problem with rendering within cut scenes, and it is being worked on so expect a patch in the not too distant future. This was the only aspect of the game that for me was a negative. Destroy All Humans 2 was the last game that was featured on the PlayStation so this may mark the last outing for Crypto unless a new title is created. The characters, and the inuendo’s within provide the comic value. This is alongside a really good and enjoyable adventure and for this reason I award Destroy All Humans 2 – Reprobed the Thumb Culture Gold Award
I must say that I enjoyed my time playing Train Life – A Railway Simulator. Despite the initial simplicity of what I was required to do, I still managed to pick the wrong tracks and slam into buffers countless times causing no end of problems for myself. If you fancy playing a sim game that is chilled at times but can be a little more practical than the usual run-of-the-mill management games, then I would say this is for you. Train Life – A Railway Simulator scores a Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is, without a doubt, a fantastic title. The nostalgia that oozes out of this title is unreal for hardcore fans. There is so much content to be had. Having said that I personally think if you aren’t a TMNT fan from back in the day then this title will not hold you for long. I also think for the casual TMNT fans who just love a quick trip on the original Turts arcade title. Then unless the price drops drastically you are probably better off having a quick trip to the Arcade Club for some IRL arcade action. For me personally, this was a treasure trove of titles. It even gave me the chance to play some Game Boy titles that I never had a chance to pick up back in the day. I award Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection a Thumb Culture Gold Award
My time with Cult of The Lamb was a delight. I have recommended it to a lot of my friends already. Massive Monster and Devolver Digital are likely to grab a stack of awards for this “Cult” hit. I award Cult Of The Lamb the Thumb Culture Gold Award