Cosy

2Oct

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

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...

10Sep

By CharlieNo Comments

PC Reviews

Stone Simulator – PC Review

Stone Simulator, developed and published by STFGames, is a new immersive simulation game that released on Steam on August 19th. The game aims to finally answer the ultimate question: "What is it like to just be a rock?" Just Be So I must ask: who among us, in this current date and time, does not dream of a life with no tasks, no pressure, and no taxes? An existence free from all burdens? To truly be free from the constant expectation that you have to do things in order to be happy? Today, I might just be able to offer a solution for this matter. A way to truly feel at ease. Gameplay Stone Simulator allows you to experience pure tranquillity, for what may be the very first time in your life. Much like a real stone, your activity options are rather limited, and that is how it should...

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar – PC Review

9Sep

By CharlieNo Comments

PC Reviews

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar – PC Review

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, a remake of the original Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar, is a newly released farming game developed and published by Marvelous Inc. The game released on August 27th on Steam, Switch and Switch 2. In this game, you take on the role of a new farmer who has just moved to Zephyr Town, a place whose bazaar was once one of the grandest in the world. However, the bazaar has lost its spark, and it's now your job to help restore its prosperity and make the town thrive again! The Grand Remake While I unfortunately didn't get to play the original game, I used to be absolutely obsessed with watching Harvest Moon speedruns for a good while. I kind of remember most of the general gameplay. That's gotta count for something! Anyways. I've had an absolute blast playing this ga...

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...

18Aug

By CharlieNo Comments

PC Reviews

Whimside – PC Review

Whimside is a cute little creature-collecting game that lives right at the bottom of your screen, in which you can find and catch adorable creatures called Whimlings. Developed by Toadzillart and published by Future Friends Games, the game was recently released on Steam on August 7th. A Little Piece Of Whimsy I have been waiting for this game to release for ages. The big question now is: will it live up to my expectations and its hype? Gameplay In Whimside, your main objective is to collect adorable little creatures called Whimlings. Every Whimling you come across is a unique mix of different parts from different animals and mythical creatures, from their head and body to their ears and tail. It's really fun to see what kind of cute or wild combos you will discover next, like a cha...

11Aug

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Ritual of Raven – PC Review

The planted seeds have finally blossomed and are ready for harvesting. And not with our hands, of course! Back in June, I took a peek at the demo of witchy farming (and loose intro to coding) sim Ritual of Raven by Spellgarden Games, and the time has finally come to see what it has grown into. Merry Meet Time to dig out the grimoire, charge my crystals and make a cup of witch’s brew - I’m ready! Available now on Nintendo Switch and PC , Ritual of Raven is playable on Steam Deck (with only small text size as a slight issue), so the sofa is calling. Storytime A typical grad student obsessed with the arcane, you are plucked from your mundane life and sucked through a portal to the magical world of Leynia. You learn the ways of magic as an apprentice to the witch Sage in the village of...

28Jul

By Tyler DenyerNo Comments

PC Reviews

Let Them Trade – PC Review

City builders can often be an overwhelming juggling act of spinning plates and spreadsheet economics, but Let Them Trade tosses that stress out the castle window and invites you into a cosy world of carved wooden cuties and economic hijinks. Developed by Spaceflower and published by ByteRockers' Games, the game is out now on Steam, This Game Is Well Made So - Let Them Trade With its whimsical tone, charming visuals, and intuitive gameplay, it's hard not to smile, even when bandits are cheekily robbing your merchant carts. But what really sets Let Them Trade apart? The king doesn't rule alone. No, his most trusted advisor is an adorably smug squirrel named Mr. Nuts, who perches loyally on his shoulder and, frankly, steals every scene he's in. So before you read on, tell us: who's your fa...

24Jul

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Everdeep Aurora – PC Review

Digging deep, metaphorically and literally, is the heart of the matter in Everdeep Aurora by developer Nautilus Games and publisher Ysbryd Games. Completely switching out combat for conversation and cavern delving, this exploration-centric adventure game takes inspiration from the 16-bit era and Game Boy Metroidvania classics. In a world perpetually beset by apocalyptic meteor showers, the population has relocated underground to rebuild their lives. As Shell the kitten, you awake on the surface to find your mother gone, leaving only a vague note. To track her down, you must bravely venture underground. Using your trusty drill, you must uncover the secrets of the deep and the people who now dwell in the darkness. I Am A Cat and I'm Digging A Hole As one of Thumb Culture’s resident pixe...

30Jun

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Fruitbus – PS5 Review

Back in October of last year, I wrote a review for the PC launch of Fruitbus and gave it our Gold Award. The game has now released on consoles so I decided to hop back in the driver's seat of Krillbite Studios' game to see what changes had been made. Fruitbus is now available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S & X as well as Steam. Today I'm taking a look at the PS5 version. Fruit really does grow on trees! And bushes! And in the dirt! Fruitbus is currently on the PlayStation store for £13.49 if you're a PS Plus member or £14.99 for non-members. But just how does the console version play? Let's find out. Gameplay Fruitbus is still a game about meeting characters from your Grandma's life, foraging for fruit and creating delicious recipes for your customers....