PC Reviews

16May

By Mal KeenanNo Comments

Harold Halibut – PC Review

I recently took a dive into uncharted waters to take a closer look at Harold Halibut, a narrative-driven story game released on the 16th of April on all platforms. It's also available on Xbox Game pass to download for anyone with a membership. The developer, Slow Bros, has gone above and beyond crafting this game using a mix of Claymation and digital effects. Take an underwater journey with me as I see what's under the surface of this interesting-looking game. A QUIRKY GAME WITH HEART AND SOLE Nothing beats a cozy, chill story game with an abundance of great narrative and interesting characters. There are so many out there too and over the years I've spent many an hour getting lost in them. What are your favourite narrative adventures and what draws you to them? This game excel...

15May

By Kyle A McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Crow Country – PC Review

Let’s check out a new survival horror game which was developed by SFB Games, called Crow Country. You’ll explore an abandoned theme park while looking for the owner who’s gone missing. When has an amusement park not been fun? The player will have to solve environmental puzzles and mange their ammo as they wander this dilapidated place. The game is out now as of May 4th this year and you can pick it up on Steam for £16.75. Gameplay Crow Country plays a lot like some of the earlier Resident Evil games except without the tank controls and no fixed cameras. We play as Mara Forest, a young woman who goes to Crow Country Amusement Park to locate the owner, Edward Crow. You start with nothing but a handgun, but can find other weapons as you play. As you explore the park, kee...

7May

By Kyle A McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Harvest Hunt – PC Review

Harvest Hunt is a first-person survival horror developed by Villainous Games Studio and published by Neonhive Games. Reap What You Sow This dark roguelike releases on May 22nd on Steam. Gameplay The Warden you play as is random, with a Strength and Lore unique to them. The overall goal of Harvest Hunt is to survive Harvest Season. To complete a Harvest Season, players must get through five Nights. During the Nights, players must navigate the farmlands of Luna Nova and collect Ambrosia, which looks like a cluster of red fruit, with larger clusters taking longer to harvest. The Devourer It's a race against the Devourer, who'll taint the Ambrosia, making it useless and therefore unobtainable. The Devourer will find and attack you, either itself or through Fiends. Fiends will lurk...

7May

By Kyle A McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Phantom Fury – PC Review

Published by 3D Realms and created at Slipgate Ironworks™ comes a new retro-shooter called Phantom Fury. The game was released for Steam on April 24th, for £20.49, with a Digital Artbook also available for purchase at £2.49. Some players might know the protagonist from the developer's other work called Bombshell. Although that game was a top-down shooter, their new game changes to an FPS style. This is one Phantom that doesn't hide in the shadows We take the role of Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison after she awakes in a lab thanks to a character called the Colonel. The area you are in is being attacked by the GDF, and your first task is to arm up and get out of there. This takes the player across various areas and wielding a large armoury or weapons. This may be Shelly’s second game, but th...

Aarik And The Ruined Kingdom – PC Preview

30Apr

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Aarik And The Ruined Kingdom – PC Preview

Set to release on June 20th, Aarik and the Ruined Kingdom is indie developer Shatterproof's first release. New perspectives on old favourites... As the perfect addition to the library of fans of Evo Explores and Monument Valley, the game combines simple yet beautiful graphics and perspective puzzles to build a mystic world and story filled with intrigue perfect for puzzle fans. Gameplay The demo of Aarik and the Ruined Kingdom is short yet packs a punch. With an introduction to Aarik, as well as his father, old pet and mother, the mystery of the story is present from the get go. The kingdom is already in ruin but there is not explanation for why it's so quiet, why Derek (Aarik's old pet) is dead and why his father refuses to wake up and get out of bed. The controls for the g...

26Apr

By Tom McMylorNo Comments

PC Reviews

Deceit 2- PC Review

Deceit 2 is the sequel to 2016’s “Deceit.” It originally launched as a pay-to-play title in September of 2023 and has now been released as a free-to-play title as of April 3rd, 2024, coinciding with the console launch. Compensation will be granted to those who previously purchased the game in the form of the Werewolf DLC and some in-game currency. Upon logging into the game, I received a choice of legacy skin for playing the first game. Deception? In a game called deceit? Never... Deceit 2 launched to a rocky reception at first, with players highlighting the switch from free to paid play, and changes to the mechanics; with a majority of players sticking with the first game over the second. Now that the game has launched free-to-play and on consoles, is it worth a go? Gameplay Decei...

26Apr

By Mal KeenanNo Comments

PC Reviews

Knock’em Out – PC Review

Do you ever find yourself in need of an effective way to vent some steam after a hectic day? Instead of punching friends or fellow students/colleagues, game developer Adribeh has kindly created a forum to allow you to safely punch your friends to a bloody pulp with Knock'em Out. This early-access game was released on 4th April. At the moment there's a sale on reducing the price to £3.99. The developer provides a simple description on its Steam page, "Keep a cool head to knock out your opponents in the most violent and fun way!" I got the chance to get within punching distance with fellow Thumb Culture reviewers Stuart and Kyle to give the game a fair whack. See what we thought below. A Smash Hit That's Hard To Beat! Nothing beats the adrenaline when clutching a win in a fast-paced multip...

25Apr

By StuartNo Comments

PC Reviews

Bootleg Steamer – PC Review

From the horror specialists comes something completely different. Bootleg Steamer, a game about prohibition, moonshine and coastguards. Released today April 25th it is available on Steam. What makes this game stand apart and bring you to spend your hard earned money? Boats. Lots of Boats! Good Morning Moonshine! If you've not heard of the team over at Junkfish before, they are synonymous with Monstrum and Monstrum 2, among a couple of other games. The idea behind Bootleg Steamer came out of an internal Game Jam! So does bringing a rogue-lite style game to the water work? Or does it just become a complete shipwreck? Let's find out Gameplay What do you get if you cross Moonshine, Rum, Vodka, Whisky and grain? That's right! Prohibition! Bootleg Steamer is based in the 1920's prohibition e...

23Apr

By Kyle A McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

Sker Ritual – PC Review

I'm checking out the new game from Wales Interactive called Sker Ritual. The name might ring some bells as they did have a previous horror game as well called Maid of Sker. Although, that entry was a single-player horror experience. Their new game, however, takes a rather bold direction by switching to a round-based zombie shooter similar to Call of Duty Zombies. You and up to three friends can fight waves together as Sker Ritual is available now on Steam for £19.99. The game is still in early access, but its full 1.0 release will be on the 18th of this month. There's a demo also available for the game for those looking to try before you buy. Nôl i mi eu heneidiau! From the Steam page, the Sker Ritual takes place after the events of Maid of Sker. The story primarily will appear throu...

19Apr

By StuartNo Comments

PC Reviews

Ready, Steady, Ship! – PC Review

Have you ever received a parcel and thought you could give that a go? Well now you can, with Ready, Steady, Ship! From Solo developer Jollybits Games and published by Untold Tales. This parcel packing puzzler will bring you perilously to... prustration* Yeah I know, the alliteration kind of lost me there. Pop the right word down in the comments if you fancy a suggestion Evri Time, Always on Time! Releasing on the PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 as well as Nintendo Switch and Xbox. Ready, Steady, Ship! brings a puzzler for you and a couch coop buddy to get your brains around. So sit down relax and get ready to see whether you should answer the door when the delivery man comes. Gameplay At its core, Ready, Steady, Ship! is a straightforward puzzler. You are tasked with sending specifica...