Kyle McGrath, Author at Thumb Culture

29May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Riven: Remake – PC Review

I already checked out Myst, and now I'm exploring its cult classic sequel, Riven! This remake did come out in 2024, and Is out on the Steam Store, for £31.49. But if you do wish to pick both remakes up for one deal, then it will cost you £53.54. The theme with books kinda reminds me of the movie Inkheart. Gameplay Riven picks up right where Myst left it, with the player being asked to go to the actual world of Riven. A place that holds a man who is looking to do harm to others called Gehn. Besides, actually getting context for why we are in Riven. The player must navigate and explore the areas, which in turn will hopefully lead them on the correct path. From what I could understand, my main goal, or what I made my main mission, was to light marbles from each of the gold domes. As I sa...

29May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Myst Remake – PC Review

One thing I love about remasters and remakes is that they offer a chance to people who may have missed out on the originals. It's me; I'm people. That is why I will finally get to check out the latest version of Myst. This version has been remade from the ground up, thanks to the team at Cyan Worlds Inc. Besides hearing about the game now and then, I have no actual clue what Myst is actually about. So I will be interested just what mind-breaking puzzles I will get to do. You can grab Myst on the Steam store for £31.49 and apparently players can experience the game in VR too! After all these years is this game a hit or Myst? Gameplay After a brief intro of a man being killed and dropping a book with the title Myst, we awake as a no-named character on a mysterious island without knowing...

Necrophosis: Full Consciousness – PS5 Review

27May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Necrophosis: Full Consciousness – PS5 Review

The team that brought you The Shore is now releasing their newest title, Necrophosis, on the PS5. With this edition being called Necrophosis: Full Consciousness, and will be priced at £15.99 on the PlayStation Store. I did play the demo a little ways back and loved how it looked, and I'm now here to see the whole product. I think I'm growing a "Consciousness" Gameplay We awake in a small crypt like room with no real clue why we are here. Most of Necrophosis' story is given through dialogue from the entities you meet along your journey, with some extra added context coming via tablets or effigies. Beside the way they put things I think the story was rather easy to understand after you listen to the first couple of beings. For gameplay, the whole thing essentially has you walking around...

27May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Scale The Depths – PC Review

Scale The Depths is a new fishing game created by Glass Gecko Games. And has us on a rustic old boat catching, scaling, and prepping fish, all while taking in the calm music. The game is out now on Steam, and also has a demo for those who prefer to try before they buy. Some Weird Customers Gameplay In Scale The Depths, you must catch fish to feed the customers that arrive next to your boat. There's a variety of different customers, all with their own preferences on what kind of fish they like and dislike. Giving them fish they like fills their hunger meter faster, but there's no real penalty for feeding them fish they aren't as fussed on, it just fills a little slower. Once satisfied, they'll leave, and you'll receive payment of the total value of fish you fed them. Eventually, you ca...

Vultures – Scavengers of Death – PC Review

21May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Vultures – Scavengers of Death – PC Review

What if you took the classic Resident Evil games, and turned them into a tactical turn-based game. It looks like you'd create Vultures - Scavengers of Death!. Or that's what the game looks like to me. If you want something a little different to other survival horror, then why not pick it up on Steam for £14.99. They also have a supporter pack available that gives you two outfits, one for each character. The soundtrack and art book, all for an extra £4.29. Vultures only appear after something has died Gameplay Vultures - Scavengers of Death, has us controlling to covert operatives that belong to the title named Vultures. The team consists of three characters, with two of them being the field operatives we play. Amber, and Leopoldo, and lastly their brains behind the team Satsuki, who p...

21May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Deadhaus Sonata – PC Early Access

Deadhaus Sonata is a new title from someone who worked on Legacy of Kain and Too Human. In this game we will be assuming a role of an undead vampire that will bring terror and fear to the world. The game is now out and begins its early access life on Steam for just £16.75. I personally haven't played any of his previous work, so I won't know if there are any nods to his other games. But maybe check out our reviews for some of the Legacy of Kain releases. Bring terror to a new land. Gameplay Deadhaus Sonata, throws you into the tutorial after a small screen of dialogue. There is not much in the way of story-telling from what I could see, rather most information is placed in lore stones. These are green obelisks found in the world and the hub. In the hub I could do a couple of things; e...

20May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Space Haven – PC Review

Releasing out of early access is Space Haven a sci-fi, management sim, set in space. We can take to the stars thanks to the team at Bugbyte Ltd. You can pick up the game on Steam right now, for £19.99. Or pick up the soundtrack for an additional £4.49. Like any of my reviews I try my best to give a run-down of the game for more of a beginner's perspective. Space Haven, or Space Hell, I guess it depends on how things turn out. Gameplay Space Haven offers two different game modes for players to select. The normal one has us build a ship and explore the galaxy, and the other has us assume control of a space station and slowly grow it over time. Whatever one you pick, you can customise your beginning crew's stats to further change up your gameplay. Change their attributes to give them mor...

Trash Goblin: The Artist of Brimhaven DLC – PC Review

19May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Trash Goblin: The Artist of Brimhaven DLC – PC Review

I'm happy to return to Trash Goblin with its new DLC called The Artist of Brimhaven where we will be restoring an old ruined district with some old friends! I have reviewed the base game for PC, if you're interested in that. The DLC is out now on Steam for £7.45, which seems fair to me. It's not trash, it's art! Gameplay The DLC picks up right where Trash Goblin ends, with Aimon returning and suggesting a new business venture for the benefit of Silver City. He asks us for aid in renovating the ruined district of Brimhaven, where he will need our trinkets to catch the eye of new benefactors. As the DLC name suggests, the player will become an artist, and with this we add a new tool to our repertoire, called Hughe. This is a device that we will use to extract or apply colour to our trin...

18May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Hotel Architect – PC Review

Looking for a new place to stay, I am sure I can create something to your liking in Hotel Architect. A new management sim where we design large or scaled hotels, all while trying to keep everything moving smoothly. The game has just left its early access and is officially in 1.0! So if you love management sims, then you will find it on Steam for £25.99. Maybe looking for something different? Why not check my review for Sintopia Hope you enjoyed your stay. Gameplay In campaign mode, each level will give you a task for you to fulfil, which will unlock the next destination. There are bonus objectives also for the player to work towards that will provide new items. And for those players who aim for perfection, you can work towards each hotel being 5 stars. Just like any other management s...

8May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Dark Pals: The 1st Floor – PC Preview

Happy to be checking out another studios attempt at the Mascot-Horror theme. This time we get Dark Pals from the team at Skunx Games. We enter another ruined factory called the Upwards and attempt to find out or escape, who know? If you are in the market for a new horror Dark Pals' demo is available now on Steam. Here we go again. Gameplay We awake in a run-down toy factory with no context of how we got here. We then use a small octopus that looks like it is sporting a ski mask to solve some puzzles and progress the story. Most of the information we learn comes from Televisions that play around the levels, with a Mr. Grin spewing the typical stuff. The puzzles themselves though are not that bad, with most being related to colours, and some others come from shooting targets. Between al...