Alex Crooks, Author at Thumb Culture

5Feb

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

Codex Lost – PlayStation 5 Review

Feathers and magic await in Freemana's new souls-like magic game Codex Lost and is currently £19.99 on the PS Store. I was super excited to get a hold of this game, as I've been waiting for someone to make a magic-focused souls-like game. I also like owls quite a bit which is definitely a selling point for this game. This new semi-open world game introduces you to different types of magic and a story of bosses with too much power. Codex Lost Float like a butterfly, sting like a bird curator with lightning magic I'm a big souls fan so I knew what I was getting myself into when I downloaded Codex Lost, but how well does it run and is it a true souls-like? Gameplay Codex Lost introduces you to the Curator and the story through an opening cutscene. As the chosen Curator, it is up to y...

Achilles: Legends Untold – Nintendo Switch Review

3Feb

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Achilles: Legends Untold – Nintendo Switch Review

As someone who's a huge fan of Achilles mythology, souls-like games and needed more reasons to use my Nintendo Switch, I was very excited to be able to get my hands on Achilles: Legends Untold. Initially released in 2022, the game released by Dark Point Games SA came to Switch this January and tells the story of Achilles following his story through the battle of Troy where he's meant to face his destiny. Currently available on the Switch Store for £13.99 - is it worth adding to your Steam library? I've sunk a fair few hours (and ships) into the game to give you some insight. Telling the Untold Legend one chapter at a time Gameplay The story of Achilles has been done so many times and very rarely can you find something that does it different. With Achilles: Legends Untold, the devs ...

23Jan

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Follow The Meaning – PC Review

Follow The Meaning is a new game from developers HiKing Mind Studio and publisher Second Maze. Released last November, this bizarre point and click adventure is a mystery waiting to be unravelled. Available now on Steam for £4.99, is it worth adding to your library? Get ready to point and wait for the story to click Gameplay You start Follow The Meaning as Paul Trilby, a detective investigating a local psychiatric hospital that's conducting strange procedures. It's a pretty dark narrative, with mysterious doctors, people with three eyes and a mystery that follows. The game won't hand you the story, though. Through mini cutscenes, tidbits of information fed to you through dialogue and plenty of things to click on, it is up to the player to uncover the full story that's at play. Ther...

20Jan

By Alex Crooks3 Comments

Hardware & Tech

Fantech Maxfit Air 83 Keyboard Review

Choosing the perfect keyboard can be one of the most difficult things to do when buying for your set up. With budget friendly options, different switches and layouts, it can get very overwhelming. Well, we got our hands on the Fantech Super Maxfit Air 83 and took it for a test drive to see whether this is worth adding to your list of keyboards you might want to invest in. Available from the Fantech website it will set you back £51. Retro designs with modern aesthetics Design The Maxfit Air 83 has an ultra thin design with a classic grey finish and a few pops of colour on the arrow keys. Mine arrived with brown low profile switches that had a nice enough clicky sound for me. There are three different angles you can use, the basic flat angle and then two different height legs you can ut...

15Jan

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Café Paris – PC Review

Have you ever dreamed of running away and settling down in Paris where you open your own coffee shop and get to know the locals? If yes then good news! Café Paris is the latest release from Virtual Sky Interactive that you need to add to your Steam library. If no, then you need to get with the times and realise the dream. Order up... coffee and a view! So, is the hustle and bustle of Café Paris worth it? I've spent a few hours digging around in this game and can give you a run down. Gameplay Café Paris is an endless simulator game that allows you to serve drinks, build relationships with your customers and of course, enjoy Paris! A simple premise that has simple execution. Unlike some café simulator games, the creation of drinks in Café Paris is done at the press of a button. To se...

17Dec

By Alex Crooks1 Comment

PC Reviews

The Cabin Factory – PC Review

The Cabin Factory is a short-run horror game from International Cat Studio in which you play as a woman inspecting cabins for ghosts. Similar to games like PT, I would class it as a spooky walking simulator game full of spooks and scares. I (somehow) managed to correctly process 8 cabins and get through to the end of the game and I'm here to press the button on whether it's worth adding to your Steam library even at the low introductory cost of £2.24! Don't book any of these cabins for your next holiday! Gameplay The job is simple. Start your day, inspect cabins and ensure they're not haunted. After a legal dispute, it's now necessary to make sure there are no anomalies hiding behind the curtains of the cabins that are being sold. If you think there's nothing wrong, press the green b...

9Dec

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

Features

Currently Playing: Forbidden Siren

I've been on a real horror kick recently, from books to films and especially games. When I (finally) realised that Forbidden Siren was available from the Playstation Plus catalogue and I've been slowly making my way through the game ever since. The game came out in 2003 so I feel like I don't need to put a spoiler warning... but I'm going to just in case! How difficult can a game from 2003 really be? Apparently, really really hard! I very very vaguely remembered playing Forbidden Siren a long time ago when it was at its height of release. Back then it was too scary for me and I hadn't turned into a horror fan so getting the chance to revisit was super exciting. I couldn't really remember anything about this game aside from its super odd graphics where the faces kind of morph between what...

9Dec

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Among Ashes – PS5 Review

In a world of horror big hitters like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, it can be hard to come up with something that reinvents the genre in a way that is successful and even more terrifying than the bigger players in the game. Rat Cliff Games decided that it was time to take the reins with their new first-person horror Among Ashes. When I saw the first trailer for Among Ashes, I initially skipped it. Not because it didn't interest me but because I knew a demo wouldn't be enough. The trailer alone had me instantly hooked and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Safe to say this game did not disappoint and is easily one of the best games I've played in 2024. You can grab Among Ashes on Steam and PlayStation now! Just keep playing? Easier said than done! Gameplay Uncover the true horr...

26Nov

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews

Aquatic Store Simulator – PC Review

Step into the vibrant world of sealife in Aquatic Store Simulator from Freemind. Making moves away from your standard shopping simulator, you can now start your own aquatic store. Choose what sort of plant life, decorations and fish you can sell to your customers as well as make the space your own in true shopping sim fashion. You can check out Aquatic Store Simulator on Steam - it's currently available for £7.49 (at time of writing) Out of all the fish in the tank, I chose you Gameplay Your first day in your brand-new aquatic store starts with a mess. To introduce you to the basic controls, Aquatic Store Simulator helps you tidy up your shop space. The controls, whilst pretty similar to other simulation games, felt a little awkward at times mainly because you had to hold down the ...

Women-Led Games and Latin American Games Showcase Announce TGA Showcases

18Nov

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

News & Updates

Women-Led Games and Latin American Games Showcase Announce TGA Showcases

Women-Led Games and the Latin American Games Showcase are excited to announce two showcases at The Game Awards this December, both dedicated to celebrating diversity and representation in gaming. Sponsored by Nani Talent, the Women-Led Games Showcase will present 25 games led by women in the gaming industry. The Latin American Games Showcase (LAGS), presented by Annapurna, Raw Fury, and ID@Xbox, and sponsored by Fellow Traveler, PANIC, Popagenda and Tlön, is set to celebrate and elevate the talent and innovation from Latin American developers. Each showcase will include exclusive announcements, gameplay reveals, and a spotlight on diverse, creative voices from around the world. Where can you watch the two showcases? Latin American Games Showcase at The Game Awards When: Tuesday, ...