Alex Crooks, Author at Thumb Culture

Lil Gator Game: Gator of the Year – PS5 Review

17Mar

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

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 ...

5Mar

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Resident Evil: Requiem – PS5 Review

He's better, bigger, stronger and prettier than ever. Leon Kennedy returns in Resident Evil: Requiem the latest addition in the class Capcom horror/action series. Currently available on the Playstation Store for £64.99, can Requiem live up to its predecessors? How the hell do you get back to Racoon City? Gameplay Resident Evil Requiem immediately goes against the established RE curve by allowing the player to choose their POV. In an attempt to combine the nostalgia of the over the shoulder shots with the first person horror that appeared in Biohazard, Capcom let you personalise your experience from the menu. It recommends playing Grace's story from 1st person whilst using the over-the-shoulder camera for Leon. You can swap and change these settings as you go through the game depending...

Dead Pets: A Punk Rock Slice Of Life Sim – PC Review

23Feb

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Dead Pets: A Punk Rock Slice Of Life Sim – PC Review

Ever wanted to be in a big punk rock band? Well so does Gordy. Unfortunately for her, her bandmates are on the verge of giving up on the dream. Dead Pets is a punk rock slice of life sim by Triple Topping and Akupara Games. Dead Pets is currently available on Steam for £10.79, we turned on our amps and locked in to see whether it deserves space in your library. There's nothing more punk than being constantly hungover and generally sprialling Gameplay Meet Gordy, a 30-year-old demon with the dream of making it big in the punk rock scene. Her fellow Dead Pets bandmates have almost given up on their music dream and are desperately trying to make it through the day. Navigate Gordy's messy life through a mix of mini games. Band practice plays like a mini version of Guitar Hero, whilst ...

Cakey’s Twisted Bakery – Playstation 5 Review

10Feb

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Cakey’s Twisted Bakery – Playstation 5 Review

Take flour, eggs, some missing children and a sprinkle of horror, mix it in a bowl and bake it, and then you've got Cakey's Twisted Bakery. TinyMindz's latest release has you searching for your younger brother who has gone missing somewhere in the bakery. You can currently grab Cakey's Twisted Bakery on Steam for £3.89 Sugar, Spice and the Most Horrific Child-Eating Monsters You Could Ever Imagine Gameplay Cakey's Twisted Bakery starts as you break out of a crate, picking up a flashlight and then provides little explanation to what you're supposed to do. You're set free to figure it out on your own. The aim of the game is to defeat all the baked good baddies and find your brother that has gone missing. To do this you must collect ingredients, bake pies and lob them at any enemie...

Perfect Tides: Station to Station – PC Review

5Feb

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Perfect Tides: Station to Station – PC Review

Explore the difficulties of young adulthood again in Perfect Tides: Station to Station. Play as Mara as you explore a wonderful tale during a year of her life in a point and click adventure. This is the sequel to Three Bees' award-winning game Perfect Tides, which released in 2022. Perfect Tides: Station to Station is currently available on Steam for £16.75 or in a bundle with the first game for £23.92. Perfect Tides - A Game About My Favourite Pastime... Chronically Overthinking Gameplay Point and click games can sometimes find themselves lulling in gameplay. This isn't the case for Perfect Tides: Station to Station. Exploring the world and having conversations with side characters is the name of the game, however, Three Bees add small elements to the game to stop things from gett...

The Berlin Apartment – Playstation 5 Review

15Dec

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

The Berlin Apartment – Playstation 5 Review

They say that a house holds memories and every memory is a story to tell. Blue Backpack uses their new release to explore the sombre reality of Berlin through different eras through a quaint little Berlin Apartment. This narrative focused game takes you through the lives of Josef (1933), Mathilda (1945), Kolja (1989) and Tonia (1967). Available on the PS Store for £19.99, we took a step into The Berlin Apartment to see whether this game deserves a place in your collection. One Apartment, Many Stories, Much Heart Gameplay As a narrative-driven story, the gameplay of The Berlin Apartment is pretty simplistic. You use the analogue stick to move around along with R2 to interact with the environment. However, this simplistic approach works in the game's favour. Absorbing the story is mu...

2Oct

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Town To City – PC Review

Sometimes there are games that you pick up on a whim and think 'oh I'll play this for a few minutes'. Next thing you know, it's one in the morning, and you don't know what day it is because you've been so absorbed. Yeah, Town to City is one of those games. The latest release from Galaxy Grove is currently available on Steam for £19.79. Rome wasn't built in a day, but my town was built in a few hours! Gameplay The point of Town To City is simple. Start with a small settlement and increase your market and population until you're a fully-fledged city. From decorating streets to building markets, it is up to you to maintain your residents' happiness until you can evolve. Unlike other city builders, your creation is not dictated by grids and anchor points. It's up to you whether you cre...

23Sep

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Rita – PC Preview

If you too are mourning the loss of the NY Times mini crossword to the deplorable paywall, then maybe this will tickle your fancy. Rita by Sporktank is an upcoming, crossword solving adventure where you play as a small chick Rita and learn about your world. The demo launched earlier this month and I was lucky enough to snatch it away from everyone else at Thumb Culture! Okay so one down is... something you play? Does this cosy little adventure have a lot of promise? Or is it a failed wordsearch looking for a dictionary? Well, let me tell you everything I know about little Rita. You can try out the demo for yourself here! Gameplay The focus of Rita is the word games. You waddle around the map, collect letters and then solve puzzles that affect the world around you. Starting as a hat...

22Aug

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Catto’s Post Office – PC Review

Waddling onto the Steam store to deliver a little cosy game is Catto's Post Office, developed by In Shambles Studio. This little cosy delight has you delivering the post in the cutest style as you explore an island of cats, each with their own personality. You can grab Catto's Post Office for just £4.29! Delivered faster than Prime, Catto's parcels pack a cute, gift wrapped punch Gameplay Catto's Post Office puts you in the tiny shoes of Catto, a post worker cat who has just woken up on their birthday. Brimming with excitement, Catto leaves their tiny room and greets their boss. There is no mention of any birthday celebration, not even a card! Instead, Catto is immediately set to work delivering packages around the island to his furry friends. This is essentially where the s...