Paul, Author at Thumb Culture

30Jan

By PaulNo Comments

Is This Seat Taken? – Cosy Game Reveal

The Wholesome Games publishing label, Wholesome Games Presents, and developer Poti Poti Studios have just announced Is This Seat Taken?, a hilarious logic puzzler coming to Steam, Google Play, and the App Store. It's a game that gives me the same chill vibes as Wilmot's Warehouse, I couldn't wishlist it fast enough. Solve Seating Sadness Is This Seat Taken? is a heartfelt puzzle adventure, all about finding yourself and fitting in, that will have you wondering, “Does this person really smell that bad?” Players can find their perfect seats in an upcoming public Steam demo available February 10th. Window seat or aisle? Booth or table? Lone wolf or life of the party? In Is This Seat Taken?, your mission is to organize groups of people according to their preferences. It’s a cosy, no-press...

28Jan

By PaulNo Comments

News & Updates

Botany Manor Takes Root On PlayStation

Starting today, the stately manor doors of Botany Manor are now open on PlayStation consoles. In the critically acclaimed botanical puzzle game, you’ll be able to explore a historical English homestead. Discover a lifetime of memorabilia and Research on a whole new platform. Uncover long-forgotten seeds and help each rare plant grow by piecing together clues and solving puzzles. Grow Your Indie Puzzle Game Collection Today The enduring estate of Botany Manor is home to retired botanist Arabella Greene. She has amassed a collection of rare, long-forgotten plants, over her career. These plants require some research to help them live again. Play as Arabella and explore the stunning historic manor and its grounds. Determine the correct set of circumstances to help the flora flourish by looki...

28Jan

By PaulNo Comments

Features

Backlog Busting With Bug – #1

At the start of 2025 I have renewed my commitment to attacking my gaming backlog. I have a wide-ranging taste in video games, which results in me wanting to play lots of releases and simply not having the time or funds to do so. Even so, I have amassed a sizeable collection of games, both physically and digitally, and in this feature series I intend to tackle as many as I can. Every so often, I'll report back with thoughts on the games that I've completed. Hopefully by the end of the year I'll have reduced my pile significantly. If there's a game in here you think I should be prioritising, let me know in the comments and I'll try bump it up the list. Alternatively, I've listed most of my backlog, including digital titles, here. A Noble Quest Begins January started off fairly produ...

14Jan

By PaulNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Universe For Sale – PS5 Review

Universe For Sale is a multi award-winning narrative point-and-click adventure from small Italian indie studio Tmesis Studio. Originally released on PC in November 2023, Akupara Games has now extended that to Xbox, PlayStation, Switch. The game is also available on mobile devices via Apple Store and Google Play Store. For the purposes of this review, I've been playing on the PlayStation 5. Drops Of Jupiter In a small colony situated in the clouds of Jupiter lives Lila, a young woman with the amazing gift of being able to conjure universes from mundane ingredients. Universe For Sale explores the story of Lila meeting a mysterious stranger who has an odd fascination with her. The stranger is part of a space-cult in which members sever body parts in order to reach enlightenment. Who is t...

Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip Coming To Consoles

10Jan

By PaulNo Comments

News & Updates

Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip Coming To Consoles

Originally published on Steam by Super Rare Originals to overwhelmingly positive reviews, including our own, Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip lands on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch on February 13th. Get ready to cause chaos, and have wholesome interactions, when snekflat's delightful free-roaming exploration indie hit reaches the console market. Grab Your Flip-Flops And Wrench And Join Terry In Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip, players step into the flip-flops of Terry. Terry is a dreamer with a wild goal: to launch himself into the cosmos in a car of his own invention. From the unassuming beginnings of a simple job application, Terry's adventure takes a giddy turn. Players can explore the tiny open world town of Sprankelwater, bursting with secrets to discover and a menagerie of unforgettable cha...

18Dec

By PaulNo Comments

News & Updates

Exodus Gameplay Trailer Revealed

Exodus, the upcoming sci-fi RPG from Archetype Entertainment, has received a new gameplay trailer. Since being revealed at The Game Awards 2023, the team at Archetype have diligently been releasing lore info and teasers via videos, blog posts, and even a pair of novels by Peter F. Hamilton. I'm really intrigued by this potential contender to Mass Effect, and the gameplay trailer has amplified this further. I've been meaning to cover information around Exodus for a while, so bare with me while I give you some brief background on the project and lore. The Exodus Following the decline in habitability of Earth, humanity construct ark ships to set sail across the galaxy in search of a new home. A portion of the ark ships arrive in the Centauri cluster 16,000 years later and send the Gr...

Edifier M60 Compact Desktop Speakers Review

17Dec

By PaulNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Edifier M60 Compact Desktop Speakers Review

A few weeks back, we brought you news of a new set of speakers from the folks at Edifier, the M60s. We're back now to bring you a full review. The Edifier M60 desktop speakers are designed to be compact while delivering a powerful listening experience. Compact and Performant First and foremost, I was very impressed with the simple and environmentally friendly packaging the speakers arrived in. Very little plastic, no polystyrene, and a minimalistic approach, made the unboxing quick and easy. Once they were out of the box and set up, it was time to start putting them through their paces. Design For the purpose of this review I received the classic oak variant of the Edifier M60s. Although full black, and white editions are also available. In terms of size, each single speaker withou...

Split Fiction – Hazelight Reveals Next Co-Op Title

15Dec

By PaulNo Comments

News & Updates

Split Fiction – Hazelight Reveals Next Co-Op Title

Josef Fares, a regular face at The Game Awards, returned this year with another expletive laden monologue to announce Hazelight Studios' next co-op game. Split Fiction is an action-packed co-op buddy adventure that jumps between sci-fi and fantasy worlds. Hazelight's previous game, It Takes Two, was one of my favourite games of 2021 and won Game of the Year at The Game Awards that year. Getting Cocky With It After completing It Takes Two, my partner and I have been awaiting the next adventure from Hazelight. In March 2025, that time will finally arrive. Introducing the trailer at The Game Awards, Fares said “At Hazelight, we have a saying where we say, 'we f- s- up without f-ing up'… This time it's some next level s-”. He continued, “I know I sound cocky, but it's really hard to not be c...

12Dec

By PaulNo Comments

Features

Paul’s 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2025

With 2025 less than a month away, it's time to get excited about the games releasing next year. This list is but a fraction of the titles I have on my radar — next year is shaping up to be another extraordinary year for gaming. Let's dig in to my most anticipated games of 2025. The list below is in no particular order. Wanderstop Wanderstop is the debut game from indie studio Ivy Road. On the surface it's a game about running a tea shop, gathering resources, and serving customers. Deeper than that, though, it's a story about how you can't force healing from trauma by using escapism purely as a means to an end. With Stanley Parable's Davey Wreden on design duty, it's safe to say not everything will be as it seems. Hopefully we can help Alta find peace and comfort, and learn some...

10Dec

By PaulNo Comments

Features

Paul’s Top 3 Games 2024

With 2024 drawing to a close and awards season underway, I've taken a look back through the games I've played this year and picked my top 3. These are presented in no particular order. They're the games that impressed me the most or provided the most joy. It's been a difficult year to narrow down my top picks, as most of what I've had a chance to play has been wonderful. However, narrow down I have, so let's have a look. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes The first game I reviewed this year and a return to writing after finishing my degree, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes was a fantastic way to come back. A project I'd been looking forward to since finishing up Simogo's previous game, Sayonara Wild Hearts. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is heavily focused on puzzles. The game begins with a very co...