Kyle McGrath, Author at Thumb Culture

16Aug

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Level Zero: Extraction – Preview

Level Zero: Extraction is a multiplayer tactical shooter with survival horror elements. Developed by Doghowl Games and published by tinyBuild, Level Zero: Extraction is currently in early access and available on Steam for £16.75. Get that data at any cost After scientific expeditions to discover a new lifeform, New Horizons Corporation breed the discovered alien lifeforms with humans for military experiments. Now Megacorps across the world are sending Mercenaries (or Mercs) to retrieve that data for themselves. Play as a Merc versing both other Mercs and Aliens, or play as an Alien to hunt down every human on sight. Merc Gameplay A Merc’s goal is to retrieve data or items wanted in the Contract Menu and exit the area. Before entering a mission, you can choose which weapons and ...

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit – PC Review

14Aug

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit – PC Review

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit is a new game created and published by Mega Cats Studios. Although it’s based on the book of the same name, it only tells one of the three stories. The game has been out since August 7th on Steam and looks great from some of the screen shots I’ve seen. It’s available for £16.75. May be a short game, but it's gonna be a long night. I’ve always enjoyed the Five Nights at Freddy's games and the lore surrounding them. I admit, however, that the books are something I haven't touched. Not for any particularly reason but because it’s not my preferred media of choice. When I heard a game was being made based on (I think) the first book, I was happy to check it out. This way I can enjoy the book without having to read it! Gameplay Within Into The Pits...

13Aug

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Nowhere – PC Preview

Nowhere is a horror game with detective and survival horror elements. Developed and published Midnight Forge LTD, Nowhere features Nordic aesthetics and lore. There is no release date yet, but the game is available to wishlist on Steam right now. Someone In The Middle Of Nowhere Your unnamed character is searching for a group of young adults that have gone missing in a forest in Norway. You begin near their abandoned campervan, and set off to follow a series of notes, polaroids and other disturbing clues to unravel what happened to them. Gameplay At its core Nowhere has the player exploring areas and collecting evidence to add to a Case Board. This Case Board holds all the information on the missing group and their whereabouts you have collected thus far. During exploration you...

13Aug

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Crime Scene Cleaner – PC Review

Today I'm checking out first-person cleaning simulator Crime Scene Cleaner. Developed and published by President Studio, with additional publishing by notorious simulator developer, PlayWays S.A. Releasing on August 14th on Steam, Crime Scene Cleaner is available to wishlist right now. What About The People He Murdered?... What Murder?! Crime Scene Cleaner follows the story of a janitor by the name of Kovalsky who has fallen on hard times. With mounting hospital bills for his sick daughter, he receives a call to clean up the aftermath of a gruesome scene for exceptional pay. Getting entangled in the mob, Kovalsky takes on bloodbath after bloodbath. Let’s see if he can keep his own nose clean. Gameplay The first job the game throws our way involves cleaning an apartment followin...

2Aug

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Gym Manager – PC Review

Gym Manager is a management simulator game, developed by Han GAMES and published by PlayWay S.A., who have published various simulator games I’ve covered here at Thumb Culture, such as Thief Simulator 2 and Bum Simulator. Released earlier this week, Gym Manager also has a free demo available for those who want a brief taste of the gameplay. Cash Gains From Customer Gains Gym Manager has the player renovating a run down gym in a rough part of town while competing with the adjacent gym, Daddy’s Gym. While you are predominantly managing and running your gym daily, there are small quests to take part in for extra cash, goals to reach and customers to appease. I’m no stranger to simulator games, and I was curious what Gym Manager would entail. Gameplay The player starts in a grimy, ...

31Jul

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Zoo Simulator – PC Review

This week has been all about simulation games for me. Today's is another new release from publishers PlayWays S.A. and developed by Game Incubators. This time around, I'm taking on the role of a zoo owner in Zoo Simulator. Although the actual zoo doesn't start off as much, hopefully I can make it a place Steve Irwin would have been proud of! You can pick up Zoo Simulator right now on Steam for £15.49. An animal kingdom to be proud of Gameplay Upon starting the game your zoo is rundown. Which means you have to start by renovating enclosures. We do this in a variety of ways, such as fixing faucets, so that the animals can drink, and removing old broken habitats, to keep the same animals safe. You can buy all the necessary tools via the computer in the main office and later on via a ta...

Chocolate Factory Simulator: Prologue – PC Preview

31Jul

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Chocolate Factory Simulator: Prologue – PC Preview

In Chocolate Factory Simulator: Prologue the player steps into the shoes of an upstart Chocolatier who aims to make a name for themselves. The devs Games Incubator and PlayWays S.A. have made a small demo available on steam so you can try this prologue out too. Let’s get to cooking! Bite sized Chocolatiering Gameplay In the prologue, we get access to only a few areas, the workshop in where we will find a trash chute and our assistant Nougat. Nougat is a robot who teaches you the fundamentals of chocolate making. This leads us to the main area where the magic happens, and where you will find a trusty manual and some pots. The manual holds information such as recipes for making white, milk and dark chocolate. These are the only three options available to us. Although I am hop...

30Jul

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Nobody Wants to Die – PS5 Review

Today I’m checking out Nobody Wants to Die, a new Detective Noir brought to us by the team at Critical Hit Games. Set in a futuristic-dystopian New York City, where society has achieved immortality through transferring the consciousness of a person into a new body, or now named "Vessels". Nobody Wants to Die is available now on PlayStation, Xbox and Steam. New Body, Old Problems. In Nobody Wants to Die, we step into the shoes of our main character James Karra. After attempting to get back to his job as a cop, he instead gets offered to work an investigation for the Chief of Police “off the books”. This job leads James to look into an “accident” which then spirals into a whole conspiracy of life and death. Gameplay Whilst playing Nobody Wants to Die, a tool you will quickly get ve...

28Jun

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Taora: Survival – PC Preview

I’m checking out a new open-world crafting and survival game called Taora: Survival. The developers at Tulpar Games released the game for early access in May and placed a road map to show what new features they want to add later on. You can purchase Taora: Survival on the Steam store for £11.79. Looting, killing and surviving, oh my! Craft, loot and build your character’s skills on a zombie-ridden island in the name of survival. Players will recruit characters, complete missions and build their base. Featuring an open world, players will also be able to utilise vehicles to travel across and explore the island. Gameplay The game loads you in and gives you missions to help slowly build up your base. The missions are simple and great for teaching you the basics. You will build vario...

The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication – PC Review

22May

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication – PC Review

I’m playing The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication, although this is the second game from Softstar Entertainment, you don’t need to play the first. The game is out now and is available is on Steam for £20.99. I haven’t played the previous entry, but this game caught my eye with their Steam page saying it was also based on a popular movie. For the movie enthusiast out there, the two movies I found are The Bridge Curse (2020) and The Bridge Curse: Ritual (2023). There can't be darkness without light. Gameplay In The Bridge Curse 2, you will play from the perspective of four individuals, starting with the young reporter Sue Lian. Sue gets offered to interview the members of the film club at Wen Hua University. Like most horror games, things aren’t that simple, and she gets pulled into a n...