Thumb Wars's Reviews
Directive 8020 is a love letter to iconic sci-fi horrors that terrified us in years gone passed. While certain aspects could be improved for example the efficacy of the Turning Point System, the real meat and bones of the game, the environments, the audio, the graphics, are outstanding and easily the best that SuperMassive Games has ever brought us. I enjoyed nearly every minute of my time with the game, and it succeeded several times over in scaring me. It’s the best that SuperMassive Games has ever given us.
007 First Light is exactly what a modern-day James Bond game should be. Action-packed set pieces, decent combat, fun shooting, a story that feels like you’re responsible for the world and a smattering of sex appeal. All wrapped up in a beautiful, globe-trotting adventure that makes you stop and stare, whilst Bond, played by Patrick Gibson, spits out some snarky, witty comment to anyone that’ll listen. Great fun, great first entry in the IP and a game that’ll be up there come award season.
While playing through Hollowbody, I found the game’s world to be quite interesting to explore, as the various locations that varied from small, cramped locations to large expanses with twisting and turning paths were very fun to explore and had me on edge constantly as I waited to see what area I could explore next. In terms of the gameplay within Hollowbody, I enjoyed the combat very much, with it being very challenging, especially due to the various camera angles and the limited amount of ammo. However, there were occasions in which I found the combat to be rather glitchy, especially when the camera began to bug out. Along with the combat, I also enjoyed the puzzles within the game, even with one puzzle causing me distress, as most of the puzzles were very intuitive and made sense, creating an easy path forward for me throughout the game. The overall story of Hollowbody was very compelling, and I was constantly curious as to what had caused the world to decline into what it was, finding as many lore documents as I could so I could learn more about the game’s history, while also being rather curious about how the game would end, and especially what ending I would earn by the end of it.
During my time with Necrophosis: Full Consciousness, I had a fun time exploring the game world, as it kept me intrigued, even with the pit in my stomach, as the general tone of the game was oozing uncomfortable vibes. In terms of the gameplay loop, it is quite basic as it allows the player to walk around, solve various puzzles, and talk to different characters in an attempt to move forward within the game. When it comes to the game’s story, it is safe to say that it is a rather confusing and complicated story, both with the dialogue and the overall tone; however, it does stay with you after the game ends. Along with the base game, the DLC is a lot of fun and continues with the same gameplay and overwhelming atmosphere that makes players feel uncomfortable in many ways.
While playing Thick as Thieves, I found myself often enjoying the landscape of the game world, both inside the maps and out, as they were well designed with most rooms having a reasonable amount of detail, if not a lot. The gameplay of Thick as Thieves is a lot of fun, allowing stealth players to use all they have mastered, along with various tools, to their advantage in order to steal everything that isn’t nailed down. In regard to the game’s story, it was really interesting to see, as it didn’t just explore the game as we explored it, but it also expanded upon what we didn’t see and the hidden lore that was buried within.
Pragmata feels like a love letter to numerous sci-fi IPs, and while it may have taken six years to actually release, it seems every single day was one well used by the developers. Gorgeous to look at, fun to play and like a brain worm that’ll keep you thinking about it, Capcom is having an incredible 2026, and a great flagbearer for taking a risk on new IPs.
For me, the overall world of Aphelion was incredible to behold, as the scenery was very beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to see what was waiting for me around each corner. The gameplay was very challenging in the sense that it was fun to play, but there were a few issues during my run that made it very problematic and made me lose my patience. The game’s story was fantastic, with emotions bursting at the seams with every cutscene, dialogue, and location being filled with so much emotional impact that even a person like me, who doesn’t feel emotion that often, was able to feel for Aphelion.
Drop Duchy scratches an itch that I didn’t realise needed itching. The randomness of nodes, variety of deckbuilding cards, boss battles and the simple, if unexpected combat mechanics add a different flavour to proceedings. No two runs being the same keeps it feeling fresh, and after a few, you’ll find yourself thinking less and acting more on instinct. The different factions also provide starkly different experiences, with how I played during a Duchy run incredibly different to that of The Republic, or The Tribe, for example.
Reach and his story in REPLACED is an apt one in a time where AI is slowly replacing us, both in every day life and artistically. You’d be hardpressed to find a better looking 2.5D platformer, or one that is as tight and enjoyable an experience as this one. I cannot get it out of my head, and would urge anyone to give it a go.
During my time with Tides of Tomorrow, I had a lot of fun exploring the game’s colorful and unique world, as each location had plenty to explore and uncover while also being very different from each other in more ways than one. In terms of the game’s story, I enjoyed it quite a lot as the overall tone of the game was very dark in a lot of ways, but also hit quite hard as it commented on topics like pollution, with other topics sitting with me long after the credits rolled. The best part for me was the gameplay mechanics, as following another player and sharing the response to their actions was a lot of fun, but it did lead me to suffer too many consequences to the point I was locked out of too many options within my playthrough.
The best thing I can say about Opus: Prism Peak is that I was thinking about it long after I rolled credits. It doesn’t do much gameplay wise, but what it does do, it does incredibly well. Tight story, actual important message and some genuinely heartfelt moments meant even my cold, cynical heart was warmed a little. You won’t regret giving this a punt.
Mouse P.I. For Hire is a ridiculous good time, with solid level design, good-to-great voice performances and an art style I will not shut up about. Gunplay is hit and miss, mostly hit, and the pop culture references can be a bit too much sometimes, but if anyone were to ask if they should play Mouse? Well, that’d be the easiest yes of the year.
I loved WWE 2K25, and considered it a massive leap forward for the franchise. For the most part, WWE 2K26 is more of the same. Some additions are good, some not so, and the overall package, whilst arguably having more content and time to play with it, isn’t as valuable as its predecessor in the sense of what it’ll bring you. The attempts at changing up the gameplay with the new Purple Ring fall short, but additions to match types, modes, promos, accessibility options and the absolute size of the library available for customisation more than makes up for it. It’s more than good, but there’s room for some improvement next year.
GRIDbeat! for me, it was a very fun experience that mixed fun rhythm-based gameplay and upbeat music to create a rather unique experience that kept me engaged throughout, even with the gameplay being rather challenging to begin with. Throughout GRIDbeat! I was pleasantly surprised that the game assisted me in a way that most games don’t by having the actual game itself keep the beat of the song rather than an icon or a bar, which was a very fun change of pace in a game like this. Although the notification ding of acquiring collectibles would cause me to lose the beat on occasion, thanks to the game’s indications, it wasn’t too hard to pick up the beat after a few seconds of paying attention. The overall game world itself is very vibrant, with a lot of fun details that made it feel like we were actually inside the cyberspace fighting for our freedom rather than just watching someone do it.
If you’re looking for the next Bioshock, you’ll be looking in the right place, as long as you’re not expecting a super long adventure, or particularly engaging or satisfying gunplay. Atmosphere, art style, and a constant sense of dread over your own blood will keep you coming back for more, or at least, it has for me.
When it comes to Screamer, I had a lot of fun when it came to the actual racing part of the game, although it was a challenge to get used to the various mechanics and their difficulty curves at the start of the game. Once I was used to them, it was a lot of fun. In regard to the game’s story, there was a lot of information to take in, especially at the beginning of the game, as it shows you all the different factions, but as the game goes on, we learn more and more about them, and it is interesting to see why they are there and what their intentions are. The overall game design for Screamer is definitely high tier, as the different races are very detailed both on the track and the surrounding areas, and the fact that each track is varied in a lot of ways was also very fun.
Overall, Resident Evil: Requiem is a very fun game that blends horror and chaotic gunplay well together, allowing for two different gameplay genres to blend together in a way that doesn’t force the player into a bad situation but allows them to alter their gameplay style on the fly. The game’s overall story is brilliant, with a lot of memorable moments that will stick with gamers for years, while also bringing back old memories from the original games. The game’s world is beautiful with so much detail that players will never be able to spot it all, while also being able to use this game world to their advantage within the gameplay loop.
If you’ve played any of Suda51’s previous games, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into with Romeo is a Dead Man. If you haven’t, you’re missing out on arguably the most insane and mind-boggling releases of 2026.
When it comes to Solateria, I had a very fun time exploring the vast world that the game had to offer, as there were plenty of secrets to find both in terms of loot and lore, while also having plenty of challenges to overcome. Speaking of challenges, I massively enjoyed the combat, as it wasn’t just difficult for difficulty’s sake, but it was challenging enough that it kept me engaged and encouraged me to learn the parry and dodge windows so that I was able to conquer my enemies efficiently. The game’s story itself was very heartbreaking as I played through, as a lot of the bosses had very sad backstories that drew on my heartstrings, while also having NPC characters that also had their own stories to tell, while also adding to the main game’s story in their own way.
During my time with John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, I often found myself having a really great time as I explored the various maps that were laid out before me, but over time, this did become rather tedious, with very few points of interest that weren’t very interesting. In terms of gunplay, it was very fun and responsive, allowing for fast kills of zombies, while also benefiting from a variety of abilities at my disposal that helped me when I was in a tough spot. One of the more unique gameplay mechanics for me was using the vehicles, as they allowed me to explore a lot more easily while also using the winch to access new locations and even find loot throughout the game, which made the adventures easier. Overall, the gameplay was a lot of fun, but the story and voice acting were quite underwhelming as I was rather bored when it came to cutscenes and often found myself trying to remember why I was doing a mission in the first place.