TC Staff Writer, Author at Thumb Culture

31Mar

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

The Complex Review – Intense Isolation

Wales Interactive is slowly becoming the ‘go-to’ company for narrative-driven games. They reignited the FMV, interactive film genre with fantastic games such as The Bunker and Late Shift. Does The Complex reach the heights of their previous outings or is just a bit too simple? After a bio-weapon attack in London, the city is on high alert. Dr Amy Tenant, the lead scientist at Nanocell Technology, is somehow connected to the blood-vomiting event that is being circulated in the media. Due to a string of events, she finds herself trapped inside a laboratory deep in the depths of London. With little time and air, will you be able to connect the dots and make the right decisions to uncover the secret that ties the events together? Gameplay Every choice you make matters and that it the ...

Shinsekai: Into the Depths Review – Going Deeper Underground

30Mar

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Shinsekai: Into the Depths Review – Going Deeper Underground

Shinsekai: Into the Depths is a deep dive into an expansive underwater world. Beginning life as an Apple Arcade exclusive, the Metroidvania, survival puzzler has tunnelled its way to the Nintendo Switch. Full disclosure. Whenever I hear the words ‘mobile game’, I shudder. All I think of is shovelware trash, littered with microtransactions. Games that are not for real gamers. Yes, when it comes to my views on mobile games, I’m narrow-minded. In steps Capcom, a company who I adore and have arguably been the best developer in recent years. Could they finally pull my head out of my arse? In short, the answer is yes. Gameplay In Shinsekai: Into the Depths, you take control of a silent, nameless protagonist who has been forced to take refuge in the ocean due to the land above being cov...

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Switch Review

27Mar

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Switch Review

This is my first ever Animal Crossing game. Somehow previous titles have flown under my radar. Quarantined within a fairly small flat with a health pandemic circling the globe and many economies in free-fall, the carefree socialisation and mingling in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons trailers looked massively appealing. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is like a tiny ray of sunshine peeking through ever-darkening clouds. On your not-quite-deserted island nothing can (seriously) hurt you, and the only bugs you can catch are those which are too slow for your net. You don’t need to get into arguments about who is in charge or worry about where your next pay cheque is going to come from. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is exactly what isolated, confined, frightened people need right now. It’s q...

26Mar

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

PC Reviews

Those Who Remain Preview – Stay in the light

Those Who Remain is a first-person psychological horror game developed by Camel 101 and published by Wired Productions and is scheduled for release on May 15th on PC, Xbox & PS4 with a summer release coming for the Nintendo Switch. Those Who Remain is set in the sleepy town of Dormont where your character named Edward is unaware how much this night will change his life. You need to navigate Edward to unravel what is happening around you whilst surviving the intruding darkness by staying in the protection of the light. Let's jump into this playthrough. Gameplay I have had Those Who Remain in my Steam wishlist for quite a while now so when I had the opportunity to give this demo a try, I couldn’t pass it up. My demo playthrough starts with you, Edward, sitting at his desk, bott...

Murder By Numbers Review – Elementary my dear quadrature

26Mar

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Murder By Numbers Review – Elementary my dear quadrature

Remember the 90's? Flannel shirts, MTV, Furby, Tamagotchi's, bowl Cuts, neon patterns, amazing cartoons, and the idea that all robots are sentient. Murder By Numbers dives headfirst into all the nostalgia possible, and in classic 90's fashion, sends you and your robot buddy to hunt down bad guys. Only, instead of muscle-bound action heroes, these criminals will face the wrath of cognitive thinking. Developed by Mediatonic games, Murder By Numbers is available now on Nintendo Switch and PC. Gameplay Murder By Numbers is at its heart a series of logic puzzles (commonly known a Picross or Nanogram puzzle) wrapped in a visual novel. Set in the '90s, you follow Honor Mizhari, an actor who finds herself in a somewhat forced career change. She used to be a hit TV detective but now fin...

Doom Eternal Review – In League With Satan

17Mar

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Doom Eternal Review – In League With Satan

Let's face it, Doom Eternal needs no introduction. It's the latest release in the genre-defining series, and after Doom (2016) ran in, punched a big hole in our chest, and tore our hearts out, fans have been eagerly awaiting more. For those of our readers who have no idea what I'm talking about, the original Doom revolutionised first-person shooters way back in 1993. Developer ID Software took everything they learnt for their previous title, Wolfenstein 3D, and turned it up to 11. It's a frantic, unrelenting game, which pits you against the toughest S.O.B's Hell has to offer. ID Software have always shown great reverence when it comes to Doom. It's a game that has been ported to everything (even calculators), but when it comes to sequels, there's only a small handful. As such, when a...

Yes, Your Grace Review – A Crowning Achievement?

16Mar

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

PC Reviews

Yes, Your Grace Review – A Crowning Achievement?

Lo! Sound the bugle! A new game this way comes and thou will now bow and pay homage to its review. Be the latest offering from developer Brave at Night fair or foul? Gather close, simple peasant, and all shall be revealed. But hark, speak ye not unless spoken to, and reply to my demands only with 'Yes, Your Grace', otherwise you'll be in an iron maiden for so long people will start mistaking you for Eddie. Gameplay Yes, Your Grace is a story-based medieval fantasy kingdom management simulator (or an SMFKMS, as the genre is more commonly known...). You play King Eryk, a man devoted to his wife and three daughters, and ruler of the small realm of Davern that is somewhat down on its luck. Aside from the usual pressures that rulers face, some years ago, you rather stupidly promised you...

Dead or School Review – Perverted by Language

13Mar

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Dead or School Review – Perverted by Language

Dead or School first came to the public's attention via an ultimately unsuccessful Indiegogo campaign which began in 2016. Thankfully developers StudioNanafushi were able to find enough yen down the back of their sofas to finish their work, and it seems to be paying off as hype continues to build around this zombie-themed 2D action RPG. How does it fare against other titles in the already over-crowded Metroidvania genre? Dead or School mirrors Metro 2033 in terms of its basic plot. Many years ago mutant/zombie things overthrew the world, and the survivors took up residence in the Tokyo subway tunnels to avoid becoming dinner for the undead. You play as Hisako, the granddaughter of the village elder, who has long-since dreamed of visiting the surface. She has heard of wonderful place...

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX Review

11Mar

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX Review

The Pokemon series has had a plethora of spin-off titles ranging from Picross to Pokken. As the Switch enjoys recycling games more than Snorlax enjoys a snooze, we were bound to get more remasters. Next on the long list of ports and re-releases is Spike Chunsoft's remaster of their first two Pokemon Dungeon games, which have been re-worked into one complete title: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX - catchy right? Gameplay The game starts with a personality test. You answer a range of questions to determine your spirit Pokemon. "Psyduck? What the..." but don't worry, if you are not happy with the Pokemon selected based on your answers, you can select one of the 16 Pokemon as your main character and an extra one to take the mantel of being your partner. The plot is at the forefro...

6Mar

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Bloodroots Review – Roots Bloody Roots

The age-old argument about video games being too violent has plagued the industry I love for decades. Games have been branded with derogatory terms and parents have campaigned against the release of particularly controversial games. To counter this, gamers of all ages have argued that games don't glorify violence but rather use it as a tool to increase engagement and entertainment in the medium, similarly to the film industry. Gameplay Hotline Miami, Katana Zero and My Friend Pedro have helped to elevate the over the top action genre to new heights, and Paper Cult have recognised this and developed the formula with the bloody fantastic Bloodroots. An appealing element of the genre is the core gameplay loop and Bloodroots nails this. You are tasked with brutally annihilating all the e...