Rowen Cameron, Author at Thumb Culture

11Aug

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

Ritual of Raven – PC Review

The planted seeds have finally blossomed and are ready for harvesting. And not with our hands, of course! Back in June, I took a peek at the demo of witchy farming (and loose intro to coding) sim Ritual of Raven by Spellgarden Games, and the time has finally come to see what it has grown into. Merry Meet Time to dig out the grimoire, charge my crystals and make a cup of witch’s brew - I’m ready! Available now on Nintendo Switch and PC , Ritual of Raven is playable on Steam Deck (with only small text size as a slight issue), so the sofa is calling. Storytime A typical grad student obsessed with the arcane, you are plucked from your mundane life and sucked through a portal to the magical world of Leynia. You learn the ways of magic as an apprentice to the witch Sage in the village of...

24Jul

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Everdeep Aurora – PC Review

Digging deep, metaphorically and literally, is the heart of the matter in Everdeep Aurora by developer Nautilus Games and publisher Ysbryd Games. Completely switching out combat for conversation and cavern delving, this exploration-centric adventure game takes inspiration from the 16-bit era and Game Boy Metroidvania classics. In a world perpetually beset by apocalyptic meteor showers, the population has relocated underground to rebuild their lives. As Shell the kitten, you awake on the surface to find your mother gone, leaving only a vague note. To track her down, you must bravely venture underground. Using your trusty drill, you must uncover the secrets of the deep and the people who now dwell in the darkness. I Am A Cat and I'm Digging A Hole As one of Thumb Culture’s resident pixe...

Rift of the NecroDancer: Hatsune Miku DLC – PC Review

26Jun

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Rift of the NecroDancer: Hatsune Miku DLC – PC Review

As Thumb Culture’s resident NecroDancer fanatic—Rift gained a TC Gold Award from me!—my eyes immediately lit up at the announcement of more new music packs. Celeste and Pizza Tower tracks got the Rift treatment in previous packs, as well as some Super Meat Boy tracks and Crypt of the NecroDancer favourites for free (cue many squees from me!). Now Cadence is back to conquer even more rifts, this time with an old friend who is no stranger to NecroDancer DLC. Virtual pop star and Vocaloid legend Hatsune Miku joins the fray with 6 new tracks to sharpen your rhythm skills and bop till you drop. Miku Miku Beam! Admittedly, despite being familiar with her, my only experience of Miku songs is through the Crypt DLC. So naturally, it stands to reason that I hear more of her virtual vocals through...

24Jun

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Quantum Witch – PC Review

Metroidvania meets point-and-click meets choose-your-own-adventure in Quantum Witch, a pixel art “plot-former” by solo dev NikkiJay. The game releases today on Steam. Heavily inspired by the ZX Spectrum, Jay explores her experience of growing up in a religious sect and embracing her true self through a tale of comedy, fantasy and the far-reaching effects of choice. In her own words: “a queer emancipation story”. You play Ren, a young woman living in the perfectly idyllic realm of Hus. Life seems quiet and simple: find your lost flock, pick a pretty flower for your wife, confront and dethrone God. Wait, what?! Suddenly, you get a glimpse of a destructive and encompassing force entwined in the roots of this slightly saccharine utopia. And you’ll be damned if you’re not going to get the bo...

17Jun

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Ritual of Raven – PC Demo Preview

Cosy? I’m listening. Colourful? Go on. Collectathon farming sim that celebrates all things witchy? You had my curiosity, now you have my attention! Ritual of Raven is the next wholesome outing developed by the aptly named Spellgarden Games—creators of the highly popular Sticky Business—and published by Team 17. Celebrating the practices of the craft and with a unique take on farming and tarot, it has all the hallmarks of an experience that speaks to the witch in all of us. Witch Card is your Card? Out of nowhere, you are promptly plucked from your grad student life and sucked through a portal to the magical village of Nevar. Under the tutelage of the witch Sage, you learn the fundamentals of witchcraft, gaining a familiar in the process. But Sage reluctantly departs through a portal ...

5 Rift of the NecroDancer Tracks You’ll Have On Repeat

18Mar

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

Features

5 Rift of the NecroDancer Tracks You’ll Have On Repeat

It’s been just over a month since Cadence and friends were sucked into the modern world in a blaze of musical glory and I'm still not quite over it. Rift of the NecroDancer brought the best of Crypt of the NecroDancer and a Guitar Hero-like mechanic today and mixed it all up with a first-class roster of composers, because—in the words of Raul Julia’s M. Bison—of course! Danny Baranowsky assembled the best of best of musical talent, both Crypt mainstays and newcomers, and got them to work their magic on the soundtrack. And let’s just say, you’ll be hard-pressed to get it out of your head! A soundtrack like this makes choosing highlights a mammoth task, but if you’re playing this game, a challenge is par for the course. So, here are five of my favourite tracks I’ve been listening to on re...

12Mar

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

Features

Game Pass Games March 2025

Spring has sprung and so has the full first wave of Game Pass titles for March 2025. An anticipated open-world title and a large-scale co-op roguelike get their day one releases. A short but superb shooter comes to Xbox for the first time. The days are getting brighter in more ways than one! Here are 6 new additions to the Game Pass roster this March. Got these on your radar? Any other titles you’re hoping to be added in the next wave? Drop a comment below. Monster Train Genre: Card-Battler Longevity: 3.5 - 103 hours | Achievements: 53 Metacritic: 86 | OpenCritic: Strong Available: Now (Cloud, console & PC) Tiers: Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard Released: 21st May 2020 https://youtu.be/ZJ6ayvNJDjs?si=EVTMaID12cSs04to Hell freezing over has finally a...

27Feb

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

Features

Game Pass Games February 2025 – Wave 2

Fittingly keeping it short for the shortest month of the year, only three titles join Game Pass in February. As one Warhammer leaves, another steps in, a second EA Sports title joins the fray and dystopian London is yours to explore. Will you be checking these out as February comes to a close? Let us know in the comments! Here is the trio of games in the Game Pass February second wave: EA Sports F1 24 Genre: Sports Longevity: 6 - 60 hours | Achievements: 50 Metacritic: 72 | OpenCritic: Strong Available: Now (Cloud, console & PC) Tiers: Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass Released: 28th May 2024 https://youtu.be/NnyCWsA6KSI?si=2pKTwDNicefTtMWF Feel the high-octane thrill of the track like never before in F1 24. Experience the trials of a real race weekend, from practice rou...

12Feb

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

Features

Game Pass Games – February 2025

While only a few additions have been confirmed for February on Game Pass, there are still some things to love. Not only does a popular pixel art strategy game make a comeback, but a long-awaited Obsidian RPG finally gets its release. Check out February’s first wave below: Far Cry New Dawn Genre: First-Person Shooter Longevity: 11 - 29 hours | Achievements: 50 Metacritic: 71 | OpenCritic: Fair Available: Now (Cloud, console and PC) Tiers: Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Standard, PC Game Pass Released: 14th February 2019 https://youtu.be/6eLHk2Eug78?si=6MIS8SnWogXpP5Iy Step into the standalone sequel to Far Cry 5 and return to the fictional post-apocalyptic Hope County, Montana. Now populated with colourful flora and mutated animals, it's a volatile new world. As the unnamed “Se...

3Feb

By Rowen Cameron1 Comment

PC Reviews

Rift of the NecroDancer – PC Review

9 years after their critically acclaimed beat-busting dungeon delver, Brace Yourself Games teams up with Tic Toc Games and returns with a sequel that puts a new spin on a familiar mechanic, NecroDancer style. And here I am, an avid fan. Let’s rock! Rift of the NecroDancer fully leans into the rhythm genre and transports Cadence and co to a strange new world: ours. After dispatching a strange purple slime, crypt explorer Cadence is sucked into a strange rift which drops her into the present day. She soon discovers she’s not the only one mysteriously jettisoned and now working a day job, not to mention more strange rifts opening and turning regular folk into monsters from the Crypt. Using teamwork and sick guitar skills, Cadence and her friends must get to the bottom of this otherworldly phe...