Kyle McGrath, Author at Thumb Culture

20May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

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...

6May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

The Last Gas Station – PC Review

The Last Gas Station is a cosy game that says it has a little bit of a dark twist. Which is exactly what I love! The game itself is developed and self-published by Alawar. We will be running and restoring a run-down gas station, all while playing a cute red panda. If your curious about the game, then it is out now on Steam for £12.99 Nothing ever bad happens in the country. Gameplay In The Last Gas Station we assume the role of a Red Panda, who takes over management of a gas station. Not much is known about our character as most of the game focuses on running the place, but some strange things do occur in the night. At the start players will man the basic gas pump and restock some shelves with products. All of which are purchased at the computer in the back of the station. After savin...

28Apr

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Sintopia – PC Review

A new management sim hits the Steam store, and this time we will be punishing the damned in Sintopia. Where we take the role of overlooking the hellish realm for the big man himself. The game is out now on Steam for £29.99, with also a Deluxe Edition, that nets you the soundtrack and art book. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Gameplay Sintopia splits has the player watching over two domains, the Overworld where the denizens called Humus live. And the Underworld, where you will punish - or, well, reform them - into better people. There is a story mode that will take you step by step on how to build an efficient hell. Players will get buildings that aid in dealing with one of the seven deadly sins. Most of your efficiency will be based on the roads and paths you create, since si...

23Apr

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Gaming

Replaced – PC Review

Replaced caught my eye from the beautiful screenshots on the Steam page. The game itself is developed by Sad Cat Studios, and is set in the alt history of the 1980s. Where a new bigger and smarter artificial intelligent has gone and ended up in a human body. The game is out now on Steam and is price at £16.99, and has a demo available too. Limbs are replaceable, memories aren't! Gameplay So the game starts with Warren, who is a scientist working on a new A.I. named R.e.a.c.h. After something goes terribly wrong, which ends with the A.I. somehow entering Warren's body. With mass hysteria in the facility this whole story starts in, we escape and wind up at the Station. A place where outcasts known as Disposals inhabit. Replaced is heavy on the platforming side, rather than the combat. W...

22Apr

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire – PC Review

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, has been on my radar for a good while, and that is mainly due to my love for both Rubber Hose animation and classic 90s style FPS games. The game is out now on Steam for £24.99, with some extra goodies like, the soundtrack and comic being available. Only cheese taste better when you leave it, not crime. Gameplay Time to hit the streets as Mousebergs very on Jack Pepper, a P.I. whose only fun comes from cracking heads or cracking cases. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, drops us straight into a case, and quickly gives us the rundown of the controls through a mid-case mission. Afterwards we move onto Jack's next case. Players will go through several cases, but the game itself will have an over arching story as well. For the game-play, it is heavily inspired by classic shooters...

16Apr

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss – PC Review

Lovecraftian horror, who is insane enough not to love the mythos. That is why I am checking out Big Bad Wolves' new narrative, cosmic horror game, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss. I watched the trailer a while back, and that caught my attention, but now I will finally get the chance to try it out on Steam. When he calls, maybe it's best not to answer. Gameplay We will be playing an Ancile Agent named Noah, who is tasked with investigating an underwater facility. This soon leads him rather quickly to the ancient city of R'lyeh. But he won't investigate alone thanks to his A.I. companion Key, who helps him stay focused and talks through his findings. Each chapter acts as its own little investigation, and most of them offer two ways to proceed. As one will cause Noah's brain to suffer with ...

16Apr

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

OPUS: Prism Peak – PC Review

The game might be familiar if you have played some of Sigono's other works. For the record, I have not. But I am checking their new narrative adventure called OPUS: Prism Peak, where we step into a new land. All while aiding a young girl who isn't able to recall anything from her past. I hope you brought some tissues just in case this one is a tear-jerker. The game is available on Steam now. A single picture can hold a lifetime of memories. Gameplay OPUS: Prism Peak begins with us experiencing the memories of Eugene, who serves as the game's protagonist. While travelling home to attend his grandfather's funeral, he crashes his car and awakens in the Dusklands. It is here he meets our secondary protagonist, a mysterious girl who can not recall how she got there or her name. The game he...