Alex Crooks, Author at Thumb Culture

Mystery Egg Shop Simulator: Prologue – PC Review

26May

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

Mystery Egg Shop Simulator: Prologue – PC Review

Obsessed with mini figures? Love opening mystery boxes? Rocinante Games is here to fill the hole in your heart when you're just desperate to open a plastic bag and see which figure you get with their new release. Mystery Egg Shop Simulator: Prologue is a long demo of their upcoming release. I played through the Prologue, which you can find on Steam, to see whether this game had high hopes or was going to end up in a back office never to be shelved. Mystery Egg? Don't mind if I do! Gameplay Mystery Egg Shop Simulator features the pretty generic simulator gameplay. Buy things through a shop; unload boxes from a van; stack the shelves with product; cash out customers. It adds another layer to the gameplay with the collectable mini-figures. Similar to the card elements in the game ...

20May

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Toll Booth Simulator – PC Review

Ever wondered what it would be like to run a toll booth in the middle of nowhere? Well, now you can with Toll Booth Simulator by SifDev. Currently available on Steam for £10.99, we've decided to give it a go. Check out our other PC reviews here to see whether there's anything else you might be missing out on. Can't go over it, can't go under it.... going to have to go through it and pay the toll Gameplay Imagine if Papers, Please was 3D and you could beat up anyone that tried to get by without paying. That's essentially Toll Booth Simulator. Starting with just a small booth and a massive debt, your day begins with a simple law that you must follow. As things start to develop, the admission rules change and the scope of your job gets a bit more hectic. Toll bridge prices aren't t...

12May

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Rival Stars Horse Racing – PS5 Review

They're making their way down the home stretch just in time for Rival Stars Horse Racing to cross the finish line and end up on the Playstation Store. Already available on Desktop, iOS and Android, PikPok is finally launching its horse racing phenomenon onto consoles! Find out what else there is to add to your PS library by checking out our other reviews here! It's the final sprint towards the finish line! Gameplay Rival Stars Horse Racing takes a simple concept and really expands it into a massive game. Upon initially loading the game, it becomes clear quick that this game is not just back to back racing. However, it does so much more than that. The main overarching story is that you are trying to save your family ranch. It needs you to help give it a new lease of life and rebuild...

11May

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Rumbral – PC Review

Travel between realities, find your path and uncover the beauty of being alone in Rumbral the new release from OSEA Innovations. We got out hands on the game to try out to see wether the puzzles were brain melting or a walk in the park. Rumbral is currently available on Steam for £12.99. If you're looking for other games to add to your library, you can check out our other reviews here. Let's get ready to Rumbral Gameplay If you have ever played games like Little Nightmares or Limbo, then you'll know exactly what you're getting with Rumbral. The entire world expands to the right alongside a few puzzles. All seems normal at first until the main character comes into contact with some red goo. After stepping into this goo, you are transported to an alternate reality back in time where ...

Resident Evil: The 90s Trilogy – PC Review

7May

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Resident Evil: The 90s Trilogy – PC Review

Before there was Requiem and a large collection of remasters, there was the original Resident Evil trilogy. The original 90 releases are now available on Steam. You can grab them for £7.99 each now. Check out our other PC reviews here. Once upon a time, these were some of the most terrifying games that ever existed Gameplay Arguably, the first Resident Evil is one of the most important horror games to come out in the 90s, launching the franchise into the public eye and defining a solid run of horror games. After being sent to investigate strange murders just outside Raccoon City, you can play as either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine as you explore the horrors of Arklay Mansion. The second installment introduces Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield trying to flee Raccoon City after a ...

6May

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Beauty Store Simulator – PC Review

In a world flooded with store simulator games, it can be difficult to make yourself stand out in the crowd. Beauty Store Simulator by NovaraGames sets out to set itself above the rest by including some more diverse mini-games and expansion opportunities. Currently available on Steam for £8.99, I tried out the newest release to see whether it was worth adding to your library. If you're looking for other recommendations you can also check out our entire catalogue of PC reviews here! There are certain things that are a foundation to any simulator game Gameplay As with most shop simulator games, the gameplay in Beauty Store Simulator comes from stocking and selling product. When you first load in you get two shelves and a small selection of the catalogue unlocked. This catalogue grows ...

21Apr

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Fantech Revolver 3 Controller Review

We've got quite the collection of Fantech reviews building in our catalogue and we've added one to the roster. We've grabbed the Revolver 3 controller to test and compare to other controllers we've tried. You can get the Fantech Revolver 3 here for just £19! Design / Quality The Fantech Revolver 3 is available in three colour varients: black, white and grey. When comparing it to next gen controllers, the build and design is closest to a PS5 controller. It's a solid plastic build with a light up Fantech logo which serves as your bluetooth connection display. It's a sturdy build and has a decent weight to it which makes ut feel like it is really well made. The design has symmetrical sticks making it perfect for the Playstation fans out there. However, when comparing the Revolver 3 to so...

Poppy Playtime: The Story So Far – PC Review

20Apr

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Poppy Playtime: The Story So Far – PC Review

As horror boomed on Youtube, I was always a Five Nights At Freddy's gal. As a result of that, I've never played any of the Poppy Playtime games. With the release of chapter 5 back in February, I was lucky enough to be play all five chapters back to back. Does Poppy Playtime deserve the hype that it gets? Is it all a big marketing ploy to get you to buy some cuddly toys? I've spent many, many nights playing through to find out whether you need to add this Mob Entertainment franchise to your library. 15 plus hours of sadness, torture, death and running... no hour of joy to be found. A Brief Overview... Each chapter of Poppy Playtime plays into one interconnected story. However, the game introduces new characters, gameplay mechanics and more with each chapter. I have played ...

Lil Gator Game: Gator of the Year – PS5 Review

17Mar

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Lil Gator Game: Gator of the Year – PS5 Review

After first diving into our games libraries in 2022, Lil Gator Game is back in the Gator of the Year edition which includes the main game and the In the Dark DLC. Megawobble's cozy family adventure bubbled to the surface of the Playstation store for a £17.49 for PS Plus members or for £24.99 for non-members. Adventure is this way Lil Gator! Gameplay Making friends and going on adventures is the name of the game in Lil Gator Game. After your sister has finally came home from school, all you want to do is play games like the good old days. Unfortunately for you, she's still got school work coming out of her ears (do alligators have those?) and no time to play. From that little story set up, Lil Gator Game rolls straight into the bulk of the story. Explore an open world island full...

11Mar

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Piece By Piece – PC Review

Pick up your super glue because it's time to get fixing in Gamkat's debut game Piece By Piece. Releasing today, we got our hands on the game early to see whether it's a perfect piece or the cracks are showing. You can get Piece by Piece on Steam now! Everything's a jigsaw when you have to put it back together piece by piece Gameplay Like with most cosy games, Piece By Piece starts with you inheriting grandad's old shop. From there, it is up to you to make the most of what you've got. The main gameplay comes from interacting with customers and fixing up whatever broken item they bring. Fixing the items is like putting a puzzle together. The game breaks every item into pieces, and you put it back together. It's a very simple mechanic, but it is done really well. However, it's ...