Jordan Rooker, Author at Thumb Culture

Wildkeepers Rising – PC Early Access Preview

14Apr

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Wildkeepers Rising – PC Early Access Preview

Wildkeepers Rising is a horde survivor meets bullet hell, meets creature collector by Lioncode Games. A roguelite set in a hand-drawn world, free Guardians to help fight back against attacking hordes. The game just recently went into early access and is available on Steam. A Unique Blend of Genres If it wasn't obvious by now, I seem to be playing various roguelites often lately. From the most recent bullet hell, Odinfall, to the more survival-like Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel. Each thus far, including Wildkeepers Rising, has thankfully been unique in its own way to keep things interesting. Anyone else play variations on the same genre of games to keep things more interesting? Check out my thoughts on the game's current build below. Gameplay Wildkeepers Rising is a game that combines...

2Apr

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Odinfall – PC Early Access Preview

Odinfall is a fast-paced, roguelite bullet-hell now available in early access. It is an evolution of the game Gaunt Valkyr by indie studio Ember Paw Games. With publishing by Fireshine Games (Core Keeper, Shadows of Doubt), you can pick it up today over on Steam for £11. Weapons Abound in Odinfall I sure seem to be hitting up a lot of roguelite games lately. Not only that but ones relating to Norse mythology too. The pace of bullet-hell games has kept me mostly away from this area of the genre, but Odinfall has been a positive experience. Has a game's pace ever kept you from trying something new? Check out my thoughts on this early access entry below. Gameplay Odinfall is fast. It's also a bullet-hell. But fear not, it's also a roguelite! Loki, in disembodied form, has been sent to...

1Apr

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Previews & Early Access

Wreckfest 2 – PC Early Access Preview

Wreckfest 2 recently became available in early access on Steam. Developers of the first Wreckfest, Bugbear, return with the demolition derby racing simulator with publishing by THQ Nordic. They feel its initial tracks and vehicles ready for playing and want to share their work with the community for further feedback as development continues. Wreckfest 2 is currently available only on Steam, with console releases with the 1.0 build yet TBD. I'm gonna wreck it! One of my core childhood memories is attending a demolition derby with my grandpa. I'm not sure if it was the loud destruction or just the fact that it was something like I'd never seen before. Regardless, any chance to play a game like Wreckfest 2 is one I'm going to take. Come to think of it, it was likely the destruction as I'm m...

Dragonkin: The Banished – PC Early Access Preview

17Mar

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Dragonkin: The Banished – PC Early Access Preview

Eko Software (How to Survive, Warhammer: Chaosbane) teams up with publishing from Nacon for their latest ARPG project Dragonkin: The Banished. Take up the fight as a hero of the realm to fight back draconic forces threatening to corrupt everything. It is now available in Early Access on Steam with a plan for release on consoles at a later date. Dragonkin: The Banished is Certainly Not Eko Software's First Rodeo Having just recently taken a look at Coridden, it felt appropriate that I take a look at another contender in the isometric ARPG genre. Dragonkin: The Banished appears to be a completely different aesthetic though, with a darker but still striking setting. So what else does it have to offer with the experience Eko Software has under their belt? Quite a bit for an early access rele...

28Feb

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Sancticide – Early Access PC Preview

Sancticide is an early access third-person action game with souls-like combat and roguelite systems. Red Square Games (SlavicPunk: Oldtimer) and Sylen Studio (The Sin Collector: Repentless) are both developing and publishing the game. Explore the dark world of an apocalypse of biblical proportions today only on Steam. The Apocalypse is a Dark, Brutal Place... Reading up on a game description can really only gets you so far. I really am not sure what I was expecting going into Sancticide. What I found was definitely not it. Have you ever run into this before? Where the content within the game isn't what you were expecting? I mean I had an idea but check out my thoughts in the preview below. Gameplay Sancticide is a third-person action game based in the midst of the biblical apocalyp...

26Feb

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Turbo Overkill – PS5 Review

Turbo Overkill is an intense retro shooter by Trigger Happy Interactive. Previously only available on PC, thanks to publishing by Apogee Entertainment it is now available on consoles. If you want to grab a PS5 version you can do so for around £16. If you're looking for your next Doom-esque throwback while awaiting The Dark Ages, then take a moment to read this review. Trust me. The Most Colourfully Lethal Boomer Shooter There have been at least a couple of other Doom-like boomer shooters that have come my way in my time writing for Thumb Culture. Each had its own bit of flair but still not quite as visual of one as Turbo Overkill. The colour palette is nothing less than a striking, modern retro too. Must be that cyberpunk theme I suppose. But check out my thoughts of this pc gone consol...

24Feb

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

PC Reviews

Coridden – PC Review

Coridden is a new action RPG co-op game from Aftnareld, a small Swedish developer and published by Anshar Publishing (Gamedec, Weakless). Go on a shapeshifting adventure with up to three of your friends and become the very same creatures that you face in the wild. It is available now on PC via Steam or GOG for £16.75. Who Needs a Mount when you ARE the Mount? I am admittedly somewhat of a Diablo junkie. It's hard to find something that scratches that same itch. Path of Exile, though enjoyable, is just too deep for me to really get into. Coridden looks to try and scratch that itch with a unique framework and focus on co-op play. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to play with anyone yet, but I'm hoping to have others join me soon! Gameplay Coridden is an isometric action roleplayi...

11Feb

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Previews & Early Access

Astronomics – PC Early Access Preview

Astronomics is a top-down space mining and exploration game by Numizmatic (Light Fingers). It launched into Early Access on Steam just yesterday i.e. February 10th, 2025. Best Mining Game since Deep Rock I'm always up for a chance to check out a new space or sci-fi game. Especially if they involve mining space rocks like in Astronomics. I wasn't looking for something that felt overly complex like Elite Dangerous or EVE Online. Astronomics caught my eye for looking simple and enjoyable at my own pace. Anything that brings something close to those Stardew Valley vibes, right? Gameplay Astronomics is a casual, yet exciting adventure of asteroid mining. As an employee of Cube Corporation, you'll mine your "claim" in space by landing on space rocks passing through. Do so by gathering al...

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel – PC Early Access Preview

6Feb

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel – PC Early Access Preview

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is a roguelite horde survival game by Games Farm (Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms) and ARTillery (Catie in Meowmeowland). It is available now in Early Access with publishing by Grindstone (Preserve, Die by the Blade). You can pick it up for PC on either Steam or Epic for about £8.50. Raise Hell against the Hordes of Hel in Jotunnslayer A driving factor for me these days when looking at games on Steam is "Can I play it on my Steam Deck?" Having a portable library of quality PC games has definitely been a boon. Among those games, Vampire Survivors, Halls of Torment, and Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor reign supreme. Looking at the trailer for Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel it got me thinking that this could be another addition to that set. I will tell you right now that I'm...

4Feb

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Aloft – PC Early Access Preview

Aloft is a new survival crafter co-op game from Astrolabe Interactive Inc. (Sacrifice Your Friends), with publishing by Funcom (Conan Exiles, Secret World),. Explore floating islands alone or with up to seven other friends as you glide between them collecting resources and secrets. Aloft is currently only available as Early Access on PC via Steam. Aloft Brings Gliding Galore Survival games come in varying degrees of complexity and difficulty. Many of them still fall into the same patterns of gameplay. I'm usually looking for something that sets a survival game apart, and the setting for Aloft certainly caught my attention. The simple mechanic of having biomes/areas separated by sky in particular. I think the last survival game I've played that was laid out this way would have been when I...