Rowen Cameron, Author at Thumb Culture

17Jun

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

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...

15Jan

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

Features

Game Pass Games – January 2025

However you’ve been kicking off 2025, January Game Pass has a bunch of exciting titles to ensure a great virtual start to the year. With three day-one releases, two returning games, and a legendary action-RPG—to name a few!—we’ll be spoiled for choice! Carrion Genre: Horror Longevity: 4.5 - 6 hours | Achievements: 21 Metacritic: 75 | OpenCritic: Strong Available: Now (Console, PC and Cloud) Tiers: Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard Released: 23rd January 2020 https://youtu.be/Ozknd5FBFE4?si=pzcXXq1mXg8C00BU The pixel art “reverse-horror” makes a return to Game Pass to kick the year off with a bang. Carrion lets you become the monster as you try to escape confinement and take revenge on the scientists that imprisoned you. Uncover ability capsules to learn new ...

11Dec

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

Features

Game Pass Games December 2024

December is here and we’re all well into the festive season. Whether you’re planning to party it up or snuggle up cosy, Game Pass has plenty of holiday cheer to go around with a packed first wave of games for December. Here are the seven (yes, SEVEN!) titles available in December so far: Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled Genre: Racing Longevity: 5 - 35 hours | Achievements: 47 Metacritic: 83 | OpenCritic: Strong Available: Now (on Console) Tiers: Ultimate, Standard, Core Released: 21st June 2019 https://youtu.be/WgwA1gYDb5Q?si=RtxjEweGyXL8lNbW The beloved bandicoot kart racer returns and is more juiced up than ever! Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled brings back the tracks from the PS1 classic and all other Crash racing titles. Zoom across chemical labs, ancient Aztec pyramids and ...

29Nov

By Rowen Cameron1 Comment

PC Reviews

Petit Island – PC Review

What better way to keep the chill of winter at bay than to set off on a cosy tropical adventure? Xelo Games, the Bali-based studio behind Escape from Naraka, goes from brutal action platforming to adorable relaxing exploration with the long-awaited Petit Island. Making and Reawakening Memories Protagonist Lily has grown up on her beloved Grandpaw’s stories of his adventurous youth on Petit Island. But his memories are beginning to fade and his stories are being lost, save for the bits and pieces of his old journal. With this journal as her guide, Lily sets out to Petit Island to recapture her Grandpaw’s lost memories and make a few of her own. Gameplay As soon as she leaves the airport, Lily’s adventure begins. While her poster image depicts her as a calico, you can customise her ...

27Nov

By Rowen Cameron1 Comment

Features

Game Pass Games November 2024 – Wave 2

As the November chill signals “Winter is coming!” (cue the Game of Thrones theme), the second wave of Game Pass titles gives us plenty of excuses for a warm night in with a good game. Grab your comfies and prep your download queues - here are the four new additions to November’s Game Pass line-up: Spyro: Reignited Trilogy Genre: Platformer Longevity: 17 - 34 hours | Achievements: 105 Metacritic: 82 | OpenCritic: Strong Available: Now (all platforms) Tiers: All Released: 13th November 2018 https://youtu.be/3j9o1OptMS8?si=UIwR5eoDEmvlwSyJ The purple powerhouse of the PlayStation finally glides onto Game Pass! Experience Spyro’s first three PS1 adventures remastered in full HD and brought to life like never before. Jump, charge and flame your way through unique vibrant worlds fil...