Paul Wright, Author at Thumb Culture

Curse of the Dead Gods Review – Just One More Run?

23Feb

By Paul WrightNo Comments

Curse of the Dead Gods Review – Just One More Run?

After spending almost a year in Early Access on Steam, Curse of the Dead Gods 1.0 is finally here. Feb 23rd 2021 sees the game receive a full release across multiple platforms. Developed by PassTech Games and published by Focus Home Interactive. Caradog McCallister has entered a temple cursed by the God of Death, Xbeltz'aloc. Trapped in an endless loop of death and reincarnation, can you reach Xbeltz'aloc and destroy him to end the cycle? Curse of the Dead Gods - Bring on the corruption This made my top 10 most anticipated Indie Games of 2021 and for good reason. Did you check this out in Early Access? Let us know what you think of the game in the comments. Gameplay Enter the cursed temple and attempt to fight your way through, avoiding enemies and corruption as you search for gold...

18Feb

By Paul WrightNo Comments

Features

10+ Indie Games Coming In 2021

It seems that every year I become more attuned with Indie Games and stray further from AAA titles. 2021 is going to be no different. With so many great games on the horizon, I feel like it's going to be a great year. From long-awaited follow-ups to debut games from super talented studios, we've got it all. Check out the list below and let us know in the comments what games you're excited for this year! Games appear in alphabetical order. 12 Minutes Starting with a game that should be on everyone's list already. Billed as an interactive thriller, 12 Minutes sees you play as a husband stuck in a time loop, desperately trying to break a cycle of events that ends with his death and his wife accused of murder. Can you put what you learn in each loop to use in the next and alter the cou...

Bonkies Review – Pay Bananas, Get Monkeys

11Feb

By Paul WrightNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Bonkies Review – Pay Bananas, Get Monkeys

Developed by Studio Gauntlet and published by Crunching Koala, Bonkies made it's way onto Playstation 4, Xbox One/Series consoles, PC and Switch a the end of January 2021. It is equal parts challenging, chaotic and fun and will certainly make a great addition to your multiplayer party game line-up... if your relationships can handle the strain. Bonkies - Bonkers Monkeys in Space! Bonkies provides a welcome return to couch co-op, albeit at a time when we perhaps can't get 4 people onto our sofas to play with. What are your favourite couch co-op party games? Shout them out in the comments below! Gameplay Bonkies is a physics based couch co-op party puzzle game. The aim of your crew is essentially to organise and stack shapes, Tetris style, within a set area using various tools and te...

Helheim Hassle Review – To Helheim And Back

22Jan

By Paul WrightNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Helheim Hassle Review – To Helheim And Back

Helheim Hassle is a puzzle/platform game originally released in late 2020. It was developed and published by Perfectly Paranormal, the team behind Manual Samuel. You play as Bjørn, a Viking who shies away from violence and confrontation. After a freak accident and a botched resurrection, Bjørn joins Pesto, a being from human hell, on a quest to collect Satan's new sword from Hel. In return for his assistance, Bjørn gets Pesto to agree to try and help him stay in Helheim. To Helheim and back again. Pleasure or hassle? We're only in January, sure, but Helheim Hassle is my favourite game of the year so far. What have you played so far in 2021? Are you planning to add this to your list? Let us know in the comments. Gameplay The main mechanic in Helheim Hassle centres around Bjørn and h...

Override 2: Super Mech League PS4/PS5 Review

6Jan

By Paul WrightNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Override 2: Super Mech League PS4/PS5 Review

Imagine at the end of Pacific Rim when all the Kaiju had been defeated and the Jaegers had served their purpose, the world governments decided to use the Mechas in WWE. That's the premise for Override 2: Super Mech League. Developed by Modus Studios Brazil and Maximum Games, and published by Modus Games, it is available on Steam, PS4/PS5, Switch and Xbox. This is the follow up to Override: Mech City Brawl which got average review scores seemingly due to framerate issues, lack of depth and difficulty in finding online matchups. Can the sequel address these issues successfully? I've not really picked up a Beat 'em Up since the likes of Tekken 3 and Soul Caliber 2. I'm interested to jump in and see what Override 2: Super Mech League has to offer. Override 2: Super Mech League - Rock 'e...

Spirit Of The North Enhanced Edition Review – Who Let The Fox Out?

11Dec

By Paul WrightNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Spirit Of The North Enhanced Edition Review – Who Let The Fox Out?

Spirit of the North Enhanced Edition on PS5 was developed by indie team Infuse Studio and published by Merge Games in November 2020. It was previously released on PS4 in February 2019 and later on Switch and Steam in May 2020. This Enhanced Edition boasts 4k 60fps gameplay and updated textures, lighting and objects. There are also 3 new skins, 2 of those are exclusive to PS5. Spirit of the North was created by Taylor Christensen and Jacob Sutton who both specialise in art rather than programming. They’ve done a tremendous job at using this as a strength, rather than a weakness; leaning into visual design being a core element of the game. Spirit of the North Enhanced Edition PS5 Review - Who Let The Fox Out? This is a game almost devoid of hand-holding and relies on the player to pay a...

23Nov

By Paul WrightNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Wonder Blade Review – Streets of Blade?

If you’ve played Streets of Rage or more recently and fittingly, Castle Crashers, then Wonder Blade will seem very familiar to you. This is a 2D side-scrolling brawler that doesn’t do much to separate itself away from other games of it’s kind. That’s not to say this is a bad game, but there is no new ground broken here. Filled with pop culture references and comical cartoon violence. It’s hard not to enjoy the simplicity of mashing hordes of enemies and bouncing around the screen in this colourful adventure. Having won iOS GOTY in 2018 from Reddit, TouchArcade and AppAdvice, Wonder Blade makes its way to Playstation 4. If you've had a chance to play Wonder Blade, I'd love to hear what your take on it is. Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts in the comments below! As always, y...

Lair Of The Clockwork God Review – Point And Quip

20Nov

By Paul WrightNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Lair Of The Clockwork God Review – Point And Quip

Lair of the Clockwork God is brought to you by BAFTA-winning indie developer Size Five Games. Initially released on Steam in February 2020 and now available on PS4. It offers a never before seen mix of mechanics. On one hand, it's a point and click puzzle adventure in the vein of LucasArts classics such as Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle. On the other hand, it's an indie darling platformer complete with double jumping and Naruto running. The blend of gameplay approaches itself creates new ways to pose, and solve puzzles. You'll play as both Dan and Ben and will find yourself switching between the 2 frequently in order to utilise their skill sets. You'll have a blast as Dan and Ben muddle through old school adventure puzzles and platforming sections. Together you'll need to tea...