Jordan Rooker, Author at Thumb Culture

29Sep

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Encased Review

Encased has officially broken out of Early Access as of September 7th, 2021. It can be found on Steam and Epic as well as GOG. The game is a single-player tactical sci-fi RPG that is set in an alternative timeline of the 1970's, after the Cold War. Encased began as a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2017 for developer Dark Crystal Games and is published by Prime Matter (Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Outward, Kingdom Come: Deliverance). Explore the Dome in Encased I wasn't entirely certain what to expect from Encased when I first took a look at it. I don't have a whole lot of experience with turn-based combat or tactical games such as XCOM or Gears Tactics. What I do love is games that make your choices matter and offer alternative endings and gameplay based on those choices. So I was pleasant...

10Sep

By Jordan Rooker1 Comment

PC Reviews

Dice Legacy Review

Dice Legacy takes tabletop games in digital form to a whole new level. It uses dice-based mechanics to gather resources, defend your settlement, and expand into the unknown while also being a challenging survival city builder. It is developed by DESTINYbit (Empires Apart) and published by Ravenscourt (Redeemer, Road 96, Kona). Dice Legacy was released on September 9th, 2021 on PC via Steam, GOG, and Epic as well on Nintendo Switch. Dice Legacy is a Challenge in Strategy and Luck One of the biggest problems I find with tabletop games is that reading through the instructions for most of them seems to take forever. Even after reading them, I usually still have no idea what I'm doing and learn best by playing. Dice Legacy does just that; gives you the tips and info you need for gameplay ...

6Sep

By Jordan Rooker1 Comment

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Rogue Spirit Early Access Review

Rogue Spirit is a 3D rogue-lite action game now available for Early Access on Steam. The developers, Kids With Sticks, have partnered up with publisher 505 Games to bring this third-person adventure to the masses. Kids With Sticks already spent about 19 months developing the game and plan to have it be in Early Access for 7 months. Of course, this is an estimate and not set in stone. If you're a fan of roguelites such as Hades, Dead Cells, Risk of Rain 2, and the like, then Rogue Spirit will be one to add to your collection. Bounce between bodies in Rogue Spirit The aspect of possessing bodies to switch up abilities is what made Rogue Spirit catch my eye. I did not prepare myself for the challenge of playing another roguelite though. Needless to say I will be playing through my frust...

29Aug

By Jordan Rooker1 Comment

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Mosaic Chronicles Early Access Review

I recently took a look at Mosaic Chronicles, developed and published by Error300 for PC. The game entered early access on Steam on August 25th and appears to be one of two games currently in development by the small indie studio. Error300's website shows the game displayed on a phone, but I haven't been able to confirm if this will be an available platform. As the game title states, Mosaic Chronicles couples beautiful mosaic pieces of art together with a tale to follow along. Mosaic Chronicles definitely takes a different path to the puzzle game genre than that of my previous review of Seed of Life. Chill and Puzzle in Mosaic Chronicles The timing of my review for Mosaic Chronicles couldn't have been better. I just got home from a week-long vacation with my family and another family. On ...

15Aug

By Jordan Rooker1 Comment

PC Reviews

Seed of Life Review

Seed of Life, developed by MadLight studio and published by Leonardo Interactive, became available for purchase through Steam on Wednesday, August 11th, 2021. Though Wednesday releases aren't common, this game is fairly unique as well. Seed of Life is an action-adventure puzzle game that will have you asking how much it takes to save a planet. MadLight studio, a small indie developer from Spain, sets up Seed of Life to be a visually pleasing and emotional journey. Sometimes the Hardest Puzzles to Solve are the Easiest in Seed of Life Over my thirty-some years of gaming, I can't say puzzle games fall high up in my library. The two main ones that stand out in my mind are Portal and Portal 2. Both felt mostly like puzzle games with a bit of story. However, Seed of Life is much more of a...

8Aug

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

PC Reviews

Hell Let Loose Review

On Tuesday, July 29th Hell Let Loose rolled out of Early Access and into its 1.0 release with its Update 10. A hardcore, first-person shooter set in World War 2, Hell Let Loose is the flagship game of developer Black Matter Studio and published by Team17. It prides itself in being a realistic multiplayer shooter, with open 50 vs 50 battles. These consist of infantry, armour and strategy. There is also a resource-based meta-game. Other titles in the World War 2 setting simply don't compare to the simulation of war brought forth by Hell Let Loose. Originally developed for PC in Unreal Engine 4 and is available for purchase on Steam. Black Matter Studios has announced plans to port the game to the latest Xbox and PlayStation platforms as well. PREPARE FOR THE BRUTAL, REALISTIC PAIN OF WAR IN...