Tag: Casual

If you’re looking for a game that won’t take up too much time or brain space, come browse the Thumb Culture news pieces and reviews of the latest casual games.

Clumsy Rush Nintendo Review – Stumbling Out Of The Gate
Switch Reviews

Clumsy Rush Nintendo Review – Stumbling Out Of The Gate

In Clumsy Rush, which was developed by NerfGame and published by RedDeerGames, you play as a feckless hippo whose goal is to reach the end of an obstacle course whilst wearing a crown over a series of 47 levels. Clumsy Rush released on Nintendo Switch at £4.99 on December 23rd 2019. Gameplay As the title suggests, controlling your hippo is intentionally challenging. You control your movement by using the L2 and R2 buttons to pivot upon your left and right legs respectively. There is a button that will cause you to rush forward, but if you are wearing the crown it will fall off immediately, rendering this move useless in single-player mode. Each level has a series of hazards that are designed to impede your progress. Unfortunately, games that revolve around clunky control schemes ca...
Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training Review – Dumb or Dumber?
Switch Reviews

Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training Review – Dumb or Dumber?

Dr Kawashima's Brain Training helped make the Nintendo DS popular with non-gamers and as a result of this, Grannies and Mothers all over the world were putting down their knitting needles and picking up a stylus. Fast forward to 2020 and Nintendo are back with an updated version of the classic, however does it still have the same appeal as previously?   Gameplay Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, Brain Training gives you a range of exercises to complete which helps you in preparation for the dreaded 'Brain Age' test! These training exercises focus around maths, logic and memory-based task, which I know doesn't sound terribly fun but trust me, it is! Due to how the game tracks your progress, you constantly want to better your score and as a result, you'll pick ...
Untitled Goose Game Review – I’ve Been Goosed!
Switch Reviews

Untitled Goose Game Review – I’ve Been Goosed!

adveAs one of Yorkshire's foremost amateur geese enthusiasts, when I was offered the chance to review Untitled Goose Game, I considered it an excellent opportunity to educate bird-brained Thumb Culture readers about the majestic beauty of the family Anserinae. Upon accepting the honour, however, I was somewhat chagrined to discover that I had not been chosen to review the game due to my expert knowledge of geese, but rather because the particular goose-protagonist in question had a vindictive and irritating nature, and it was suggested that I had an unparalleled grasp of such personality traits. Whilst deeply upset at what I considered a somewhat spurious claim, in the end, I agreed to evaluate the game, all the same, so long as I could litter the review with atrocious puns [I don't...
Cyber Protocol Review – Hack my Switch up!
Switch Reviews

Cyber Protocol Review – Hack my Switch up!

I was sitting on my sofa in a mundane area of North England when I loaded up Cyber Protocol, a Cyberpunk infused arcade puzzler by RedDeerGames. The opening sets the scene, and the soundtrack transported me to a world influenced by classic cinema such as Blade Runner.  I was a hacker, tasked with bringing G0X6 back to life by activating the protocol. I had no idea who G0X6 was and what the ‘protocol’ was but I was invested.  Starting the campaign, I hoped to feel like Mr Robot’s Elliot Alderson, a cool but socially awkward vigilante taking down E Corp, however that fantasy was quickly squashed. I had been thrown out of the Matrix, and the promise of a neo-futuristic world dissipated into a muggy September evening in the North of England. My adventure as a hacker started and finished bef...
LEGO Movie 2 PS4 Review – Is Everything Still Awesome?
LEGO, PlayStation Reviews

LEGO Movie 2 PS4 Review – Is Everything Still Awesome?

Hot on the heels of the new LEGO Movie 2 film is, of course, the latest game for pc and all consoles.  Developed by TT Fusion and published by Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment, what can we expect of this latest LEGO offering? Gameplay Ok, confession time, I have played all of the LEGO games so far, partly due to having children and also due to a wife that loves most things LEGO.  I am used to the way they all play and so far most have seemed very similar in gameplay style with the exception of LEGO Worlds which was the first LEGO game to allow you to freebuild and do almost whatever you wanted while taking on the role of a Master Builder. I was expecting to play LEGO Movie 2 on my Playstation with the same old family friendly tried and tested game mechanics of the previous LE...
Lego DC Super-Villains: Sometimes it’s good to be bad!
LEGO, PC Reviews, Switch Reviews

Lego DC Super-Villains: Sometimes it’s good to be bad!

It is that time of year again when most gamer's attentions are on which of the mega Triple A titles they are going to spend their hard earned cash on. This year has seen some absolutely epic games released in what is always an exciting time for gamers. It is therefore very easy for games to slip under the radar and with yet another entry in the long running Lego series released you could be forgiven for thinking that it's not worth looking at. However, although many of the usual elements are present Lego DC Super-villains could be just the ticket if you fancy a break from endless horse riding or hunting down murderous Greek cultists. Gameplay To be fair to both Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment and Traveller's Tales the Lego video games have been massively successful and popu...
The Incredibles Lego Game Review – Does The Formula Still Work?
LEGO, PC Reviews

The Incredibles Lego Game Review – Does The Formula Still Work?

Adding to the Lego gaming franchise that is brought to us by Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment and Traveller's Tales comes Disney Pixar The Incredibles.  Launched just in time with the release into cinema of the second instalment of The Incredibles movies, is the Lego gaming franchise still its humorous fun self or has it grown old and tired? Gameplay As ever, The Incredibles game follows the very much tried and tested Lego gaming formula comprising of witty dialogues, short dynamic cut scenes and essentially teamwork between characters to solve puzzles and complete the levels.  Here we get to play as The Incredible family, starting off with Mr Incredible and Elastogirl as we are thrown straight into the action onboard a huge tunnelling machine.  Now it is at this point I must ...
House Flipper PC Review – If Only Housework Was Really This Easy!
Gaming, PC Reviews

House Flipper PC Review – If Only Housework Was Really This Easy!

House Flipper is a Casual DIY / building sim from Empyrean. Basically you’re a one man renovation machine. Working from doing odd jobs for people who need repairs etc. all the way up to flipping houses for a profit (Guess the title makes sense.. although not going to lie I was imagining flipping houses like burgers, with a giant spatula). The biggest question for me was, Can Virtual house work actually be fun? Let’s find out… Gameplay Let’s be honest, you have to be a pretty ‘special’ person to enjoy doing house work or DIY, I’m sure 99% of people would much rather have someone else do it for them (or else why would house keepers and repairmen have jobs?). Well at the start of House Flipper you’re basically a housekeeper. You need to do odd jobs to earn cash to take on and unlock t...
Mowy Lawn Review – You Thought Gardening Was Relaxing?
Gaming

Mowy Lawn Review – You Thought Gardening Was Relaxing?

Mowy Lawn is brought to us by Playstack, who are based in London, and who were founded on the belief that even the greatest developers need support in order to create their best work. They offer support in three key ways; end-to-end funding, publishing expertise, and tech to build a strong gamer audience and community. So, usually when you hear of an app with the premise being about gardening you'd assume that it would be a Zen experience. Something after a hard day of slogging it at the office, you'd come home and play a nice relaxing game, get in touch with your inner Buddha and get those tired fingers nice and green...unwind and chant a few om's right? WRONG! well, at least after the first couple of levels and then it's pedal to the metal. Welcome to lawnmower heaven - where lucky...
Blasters of the Universe Review – Pew Pew Die
PC Reviews

Blasters of the Universe Review – Pew Pew Die

[Advisory Warning: This review contains details which disclose that the reviewer is old enough to remember the 80’s. Reader discretion is advised.] Odd socks, impossibly large hair, guys in Porsches, women in shoulder pads and everyone wearing shades, all the time, even indoors. That was the 80’s. ET was everything, Transformers were huge, everyone listened to Madonna and Pop Tarts were considered the food of the future. Most video games could only be found in arcades and that is where this story begins. Back then the guns in video games had very little reference to real life. Overpowered guns fired impossibly large bullets that travelled visibly slowly across the screen, from hero to antagonist and vice versa. The aim of the game was nothing more than to dodge bullets and kill the bad ...