Switch Reviews

23Jun

By Jamie DepledgeNo Comments

Gibbon: Beyond The Trees Switch Review

Developed by Broken Rules, Gibbon: Beyond The Trees is a hand-drawn adventure game featuring three adorable gibbons as they travel through lands unknown. I first played the start of this at WASD Live in London, and it was one of the stand-out titles for me there. I’m very happy to finally finish it and write a review. It is currently available on Apple Arcade, Steam, Nintendo Switch and itch. Gibbon: Beyond The Trees - Move over Tarzan! Beyond the aforementioned cute and fuzzy lesser apes, this is a game focusing on the ecological challenges that gibbons face in the wild. Witnessed from the perspective of Pink (no, not the singer), Beyond The Trees doesn't shy away from showing the destructive force that the human race sometimes is. It highlights issues such as deforestation, poaching an...

Mario Strikers: Battle League Switch Review

22Jun

By Oliver RevoltaNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Mario Strikers: Battle League Switch Review

A couple of hours into my time with Mario Strikers: Battle League the possibilities of the game’s gear system clicked—by gear system, I mean clothing items you unlock to upgrade the characters. Each new bit of gear tweaks the strength, speed, shooting, passing, technique of whichever character you choose. It’s a balanced system—if you increase one stat, another stat declines an equal amount. Before my revelation I’d wondered why anyone would bother with that kind of micro-management. There are ten players to choose from—Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Donkey Kong and so on—and rather than tweak the stats, surely it’s just as easy to choose a different player. If Donkey Kong is too slow, I could go ahead and pick Yoshi instead. Toad is the quickest player in the game. Now I saw some pote...

13Jun

By Oliver RevoltaNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Silt Switch Review

Since it was announced, I’ve paid a fair bit of attention to the conversations around Silt (Spiral Circus, Fireshine Games). Limbo is mentioned as a comparison more often than not. In a way this isn’t surprising. Both indie games share an obvious similarity in their black and white aesthetic. Tom Mead, the lead designer on the project, told me it was a flattering comparison and that PlayDead were one of his favourite studios. But he felt that it was a ‘basic comparison’—only down to the colours. I think he’s right. In a way, I know he’s right. Full disclosure: I’ve known Tom for a long time. We went to university together and have been housemates more than once—in fact, he’s one of my closest friends. Without doubt, this makes my ability to review Silt objectively a little difficult,...

8Jun

By Oliver RevoltaNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Best Month Ever! Switch Review

Best Month Ever! was made by the Warsaw Film School, an intriguing setup for sure. What was a film school doing making a video game? Their website says the game was made by an array of people: ‘students, graduates, and employees’. How did this work? An idyllic picture of a large group of people collaborating sprang to mind, I admit. Best Month Ever! is a Narrative Point and Click Adventure Game, and it is out now on PS5, Xbox, Switch and PC. WOULD A GAME BY ANY OTHER NAME STILL SMELL AS SWEET? One of my main questions before beginning Best Month Ever! was whether a film school would find a good balance between storytelling and gameplay. There are games with a narrative emphasis that struggle to incorporate a good level of gameplay into their mix, often to their detriment. So would th...

31May

By Katie TNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Farm Tycoon Switch Review

Developed and published by Sonka Games, based on the original game by Cleversan Games. Released on May 27th 2022 this port to Nintendo Switch will have you ploughing, sowing, fertilising and tending to your animals. Then the rest, all while counting your pennies. So be prepared to break a sweat with this Farm Tycoon Review. Farm Tycoon - Hiring People To Do The Hard Work Due to my current fascination with farming simulation games I was eager to give this a try. My first surprise was to find that it looked real and not at all like the other games I thought were all in the same category. Such as Stardew Valley and Story of Seasons: Pioneers Of Olive Town. Yes, I realised my error but ploughed on regardless. And to be honest, grew quite used to being the one looking from above and giving in...

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Switch Review

19May

By Ben WilliamsNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Switch Review

Before Disney owned the Star Wars IP, came a game aimed at bridging the gap between the two movie trilogies - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was born. Initially developed by LucasArts, the game has come to the Nintendo Switch via developer Krome Studios and ported by Aspyr. I know what you're thinking - it was only a matter of time really, considering it seems to get released on every console. It even had a Nintendo DS release which was amazing since you could play Star Wars on the go. And a mobile (iOS) release. Players are cast into the role of Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Starkiller. You're trained to hunt down and destroy Jedi. That's right, you aren't playing a hero. You might know that already since the game is rather old now. But if you're new to the game then that's a sellin...

5May

By Gareth TruemanNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Toodee and Topdee Switch Review

Developed and published by Dietzribi, Toodee and Topdee is a 2D platformer that also uses top-down perspective puzzles to give it an extra twist. It was first released on PC back in August 2021 and then now it has been released on the Nintendo Switch. Will we get ourselves in a tangle in this Toodee and Topdee review? If you enjoy this review then why not check out my latest one here. You can also catch up with what the rest of the Thumb Culture team is up to on our social media. Toodee and Topdee - It'll Turn You Every Which Way But Loose They say that puzzle games are good for the brain. Yet while there are some puzzle games out there that stimulate the brain, there are also others that just leave you frustrated and question why you play games in the first place. But Toodee and Topd...

2May

By Oliver RevoltaNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Nobody Saves The World Switch Review

The latest game from Guacamelee 1&2 and Severed developer Drinkbox Studios, Nobody Saves The World is—on the surface at least—a Zelda-inspired, top-down ARPG boasting both online and couch co-op. That’s some good credentials right there, and with the inclusion of the two co-op modes, which are full-blooded experiences, something uncommon in a lot of traditional ARPGs here we should have a guaranteed winner. Available now on every major system. NOBODY SAVES THE WORLD—VARIETY REALLY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE Trailers for Nobody Saves The World promises a lot: an action-intensive experience where you play as different forms—human, animal, monster, and magical characters—all products of a single morphing protagonist. They promise a deep combat system where you can mix and match attacks and...

26Apr

By Katie TNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Cat Cafe Manager Switch Review

Developed by Roost Games and published by Freedom Games. Cat Cafe Manager is a simulation and strategy video game. It was released on 14th April 2022 on the Nintendo Switch and PC. So put your feet up, order your favourite brew and get comfy with this Cat Cafe Manager review. Cat Cafe Manager - Lets Make Granny Proud On the surface it begins like many simulation games, you move to a new place and step into your family's shoes as the newcomer who can revamp the old business. Yet then there are quirky differences which keep you intrigued from the shadow cat with a quest for you and residents with interesting bits of information. If you like this review then why not check out the website's latest review here. You can catch up on what the rest of the Thumb Culture team is up to on our soc...

Flat Kingdom: Paper’s Cut Edition Switch Review

19Apr

By Hunter MooneyNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Flat Kingdom: Paper’s Cut Edition Switch Review

It's time for another inclusion into the 2D side-scrolling genre, where a young hero chooses to save the world from an evil monster bent on world domination. This is our review for Flat Kingdom: Paper's Cut Edition. Flat Kingdom: Paper's Cut Edition is a 2D action puzzle game developed by Flat Panda Games and released by Games Starter. It was released on April 7th, 2016 on PC, Switch, and PS4. Flat Kingdom - Paper Mario's fantasy obsessed brother Seeing that the title, you would assume that it makes this seem like a brand new version of a previous game, but it is not. I'm not sure why they chose that but it's an odd feature to add. Anyway, I'm not the best at puzzle games but I do love me some side scrollers and fantasy games so I'm interested to see what this has. Let's hope it's goo...