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Hello Kitty Island Adventure is exactly what you think it is. A Sanrio character filled Animal Crossing. However, this isn’t a negative. There is comfort in knowing exactly what you’re going to be doing when you sit down to play this. Do some quests for people, fix up an island and make more friends. This game could fill the void the lack of a new Animal Crossing game has created. Especially if you’re a Hello Kitty fan. My only reservation about the game is its price point. Whilst I appreciate games have increased prices over the years I ultimately had to ask myself if I would have paid £36 for this one. And I’m not sure if I would have. I certainly wouldn’t pay the £54 for a non-physical deluxe edition. It’s cute, and fun, and I loved interacting with my favourite Sanrio characters, but the price still feels a bit high for a cosy game with such simple gameplay. Then again based on the “£1 per hour of gameplay” model, and with 80+ hours worth of gameplay you could well get your monies worth from it. Wait, did I just talk myself around? Ok so maybe the price isn’t that bad, but still, I do wonder if it would become a bit too much of the same thing over time. In any case, Hello Kitty Island Adventure receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
While the game has roots in becoming a successful cyberpunk game, it is unfortunately lacking in the detective area of the game. It seems that DeTechtive 2112 focuses more on the action, rather than the problem-solving associated with being a Detective. However, it must be said that those behind the game are a small indie company. And they have committed to continue to improve the game where problems have been identified. For now I will be awarding DeTechtive 2112 the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Now, A Game About Digging A Hole keeps it simple and fun. It doesn’t try to do anything too wild, which I’m okay with. The game knows what it wants to do and I Dig it. The only improvements (well, more like suggestions) are to add some secrets while digging or maybe bones. Other than that, the game is enjoyable and great for killing some time. So I would recommend it and I think it deserves A Thumb Culture Gold Award.
I had a great time playing While Waiting, which conveys the feelings behind these moments very well while gamifying them. And as someone in their 30s, a lot of the game did hit close to home. Optillusion has delivered a great game taking a relatively simple premise and crafting an engaging, funny and heartfelt story. I do wish there was more time for each scene for puzzles and being on keyboard and mouse it was less finicky but it does give an excuse to replay it. The visual design is fantastic and the audio works well enough with the game. A complete playthrough takes 5-6 hours but with plenty of scenes to unlock, there is plenty more. While Waiting has earned the Thumb Culture Gold Award! I’m looking forward to seeing what Optillusion bring out next.
Despite the few frustrations that I faced, I enjoyed Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter. I love to see small studios create games they’re passionate about, especially when the studio is close to home. Odd Bug Studios have carved out a great identity for their Tails of Iron series. I’ll be checking out the first title, and whatever they create next. If you’re looking for a medium length game, with tough as nails combat to test your metal, try this. Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter gets a Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Overall, Human Within is a great experience, especially from a narrative point of view. The story definitely started to ramp up towards the end, and even though there may not have been a point to them, I felt that when completing puzzles I was on the clock. Which did have me fretting when I kept getting them wrong. Thankfully the storyline was such that it was relative. I felt that it was believable and if you are a tech head then you will probably see some elements of real life in there too. Human Within receives the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
The main issue with Ambulance Life is the amount of visual bugs/glitches. I’ve seen heads disappear during cut-scenes, hair be pulled across the screen. And full on buildings not loading in. These graphical glitches really need to be fixed. Gameplay wise, I haven’t had that many problems. I enjoy doing the treatments for patients and trying to figure things out, although I think I’m always messing up. But one thing that annoys me is heading to a scene and only being able to really help one patient. Yeah, you’re able to stop bleeding and do minor treatments. But when three people have the same injuries and you can only take one to finish the call, it seems pointless, especially for the Catastrophe Events. I had to treat 5 people, but since one was having a cardiac arrest, the other got ignored and the mission finished. All in all. Ambulance Life is okay, but I’d say try it yourself. This is why I’m giving it the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Overall, Codex Lost is a game that’s rough around the edges but has some pretty good content. Considering it’s not a triple A game, it does a lot well. The effort that the devs have put into creating it is clear from the offset. As I’ve said, I will keep going back to it because the premise has me locked in. Unfortunately, I can’t give it more than the Thumb Culture Silver Award as the issues I did face were enough for me to walk away for a bit.
I found that Cat Detective Albert Wilde is more of a playable film noir novel than a brain puzzler of a game. While the environment, story, characters and Albert’s inner monologue create a dark but humorous film noir experience. The music and lack of challenge I felt let it down. It was fun at first however I did find my attention slipping at times. As all I needed to do was simply click on the next place to go to on the map and talk to the next character. While the visuals are amazing, the game felt quite railroaded and simple. Perhaps I was expecting something more and am not used to flipping through a novel. Cat Detective Albert Wilde gets the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
If I told younger me that he hadn’t played the complete version of this game, he would ask me two things. First, “who are you?” and secondly, “got any sunflower seeds?” You thought he would call me a liar? Nah, he’s played enough Stein’s Gate to know slightly what’s up. But I digress, getting to revisit what I believe is number three in my list of best entry in the Tales of series was a great reminder of what I love and miss the most about the series. I know the people who played the original will enjoy going down memory lane when playing. While newcomers will see the peak of what the battle system for this series can reach. Now, got out there with you bag full of Purple Gels and don’t skip the skits….please. I give Tales of Graces f Remastered the Thumb Culture Platinum Award
The game still plays great for me, even after all this time. Combos take some getting used to. And learning to defend better is something you should learn very early on. There are times I feel that the game is tedious rather than challenging. One example is the Water Dragon (that is its name). But I’ve always remembered dreading that fight, anyway. I was a little disappointed that they had removed two bosses from this version. One is the giant Buddha on the first level and the Statue of Liberty. There were two fights I loved in NINJA GAIDEN 2 Sigma. And with all that said, if you’ve played it before, you won’t be disappointed. If this is your first entry into the franchise before 4 drops, then all I can say is if you like challenge, enjoy. If not, play on a lower difficulty and have fun. I was gonna be petty and give it the Gold Award for removing the fights mentioned above. But I just couldn’t. So instead I’m awarding NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black, the well-deserved Platinum Award.
Overall, Achilles: Legends Untold is a pretty decent game. Unfortunately, the Switch port does some injustices. The graphics aren’t the best and the longer-than-usual black loading screens leave little to be desired. I can’t blame the game devs for that but it does diminish the experience a little bit. As mentioned, the voice acting isn’t the greatest and can, at times, be off-putting. Aside from this, it’s a good game. I enjoyed the combat, despite it not being as souls-like as expected, and the devs did give an in-depth look into the Achilles story. As a game, I definitely recommend it to fans of RPGs and fans of mythology across all consoles, not just the Switch.
Though there are occasional pangs for the dungeon-delving days, Rift of the NecroDancer dives fully into the rhythm genre and comes out in a blaze of glory. With a killer soundtrack, a winning art style, and plenty of different modes to keep things fresh, you’ll be rocking on long after the rifts are closed. A Thumb Culture Gold Award for this brutal but bopping musical masterwork!
Ultimately, Star Trek Legends doesn’t do enough to justify its existence on the Switch. While the UI is slick, and the game runs well on the Switch, there’s no escaping the feeling that this is still, at its core, a mobile game awkwardly forced onto a console. The long loading times, lack of voice acting, uninspired environments, and mobile-first design choices make it hard to recommend; even to die-hard Star Trek fans. If you’re looking for a turn-based RPG with Star Trek flavour, this might scratch a minor itch, but it won’t leave a lasting impression. The mobile DNA is impossible to ignore. The structure of daily tasks, resource collection, and character unlocks all scream “mobile-first.” It might have made more sense if this had been released as a free-to-play game with optional purchases. But as a premium Switch title, it feels like a hard sell—especially when better Star Trek experiences exist elsewhere. Set phasers to ‘missed opportunity’. This title gets a Thumb Culture Bronze Award.
If you saw Cuisineer release on PC and thought it would do great on the consoles, then you’d be right. Not only does every aspect of the game feel incredible to play, it looks and sounds it to boot. Taking Pom on an adventure in dungeoning, cooking and paying your taxes is one that I will continue to go back to time and time again. With ease, Cuisineer receives the Thumb Culture Platinum Award. Again.
Citizen Sleeper 2 Starward Vector did all the right things to improve on the first game, they didn’t over do it either. There was no need to absolutely destroy the wonderful structure and solid foundation the series has. So instead they decided to innovate on this and make the game more challenging for those that seek it. While also bring a few new things in to keep interest. The idea of having your own crew and travelling the wonderfully crafted world is nothing short of perfect. Whilst it may not be to everyone’s taste, it certainly was mine. With all this being said I will be awarding Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Overall I have to say that Rally Mechanic Simulator is a simple but also complex, relaxing sim. It could be just a bit more friendly to the more casual or lacking of knowledge player. But learning as you go brings an oddly satisfying overtone of gameplay. For this I award Rally Mechanic Simulator the Thumb Culture Golden Thumb Award!
After the great success of Lonely Mountains: Downhill the bar will have been set very high and let me tell you, they developers have done a great job. Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders has a fun and challenging vibe. It really peaks at the constant supply or thrill just like Downhill did. I spent a solid 4 hours into the late night playing this and was completely frozen in! The only thing I would add as a slight negative is that the game started with a lower amount of content than I thought. But again with the amount of content Downhill got after release I am hopeful this will get the same incredible and loving treatment. I will always support a developer that throws their passion into the game. This is definitely one of those! With everything taken into consideration I will be awarding Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders with a Platinum Thumb Culture Award. Now I’m back off to the snow! See ya!
This time round, playing FREEDOM WARS, I wasn’t really enjoying the gameplay as much as I did back then. The game itself runs fine, and I only had one freeze that quickly stopped. Control-wise, it feels much better than it did on the Vita. The story isn’t captivating me and it just seems like it’s dragging. Missions take a bit too long for my liking. For later missions, enemies just seem like damage sponges, and no matter how much I upgrade my gear, it doesn’t change. It’s terrible commanding the A.I. bots since no matter what, it feels as if I’m doing everything. I command them to focus on reviving. They stop shooting all together, so I have to attack alone. Instead, I set them to focus on an enemy, then they ignore reviving allies and me. Now, that’s all said and done. The game just might not be for me. I’m giving FREEDOM WARS Remastered the Silver Award. Although I would add that I believe you’ll have more of a golden experience if you play the game with a group of people.
Tyrant’s Realm is a wonderful little gem. I enjoyed it so much it’s now a constant on my Steam Deck and I wil be playing it through to completion. The ability to try out different builds is one of the hit points for the game that will keep me returning. It really filled the everlasting void I have for soulslikes and roguelikes. With a roadmap in sight I cannot wait to see what the developer does and the updates they bring. The only constructive criticism I have would be the controls being there in the corner constantly. Wish there was an option to turn this off. Just gets a little annoying an distracting after a while but honestly that is the only thing that stood out to me in terms of any issues. So is Tyrant’s Realm worth it’s price? Yes. The game has incredible charm and really stood out for me. With everything outlined above I have decided to give Tyrant’s Realm the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.