Previews & Early Access

25Apr

By StuartNo Comments

Darkwater – PC Preview

Recently released in early access on the PC, Darkwater aims to deliver something new to what some may call an overcrowded survival genre. Targon Studios has opted to take some of the best features of a number of similar games, jiggle them all into a nice pie, then bake it for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. With the hope that a nice pudding comes out. Were they successful? To find out I assembled some other members of the Thumb Culture team to hold my hand fill all the crew spots. Watch Out For The Darkness So, are you a fan of this genre? The Steam page lists a number of genres, action, adventure, casual, indie, RPG and strategy all feature. How would you describe Darkwater? Let us know, once you've read the review of course. Gameplay Starting up the game for the first time, you are asked ...

15Apr

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Used Cars Simulator – PC Preview

Used Cars Simulator is (you guessed it!) a simulator game developed by DreamWay Games and published by none other than (you guessed it again!) PlayWay S.A. The game features an open world and is available on Steam in Early Access. Hit or Miss, you decide! Gameplay Used Cars Simulator drops you right into a seedy bar, and your objective is to speak to a woman in a red dress named Mercedes. She asks you to perform a stunt in her car, which, after the case, turns out to be her boyfriend’s. After her angry boyfriend demands that you fix his car, an onlooker offers you the opportunity to fix up cars for profit. There are two ways to get used cars: illegally and legally. The legal way is to either find someone selling via your computer, or people with their parked shabby cars out...

Wildkeepers Rising – PC Early Access Preview

14Apr

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Wildkeepers Rising – PC Early Access Preview

Wildkeepers Rising is a horde survivor meets bullet hell, meets creature collector by Lioncode Games. A roguelite set in a hand-drawn world, free Guardians to help fight back against attacking hordes. The game just recently went into early access and is available on Steam. A Unique Blend of Genres If it wasn't obvious by now, I seem to be playing various roguelites often lately. From the most recent bullet hell, Odinfall, to the more survival-like Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel. Each thus far, including Wildkeepers Rising, has thankfully been unique in its own way to keep things interesting. Anyone else play variations on the same genre of games to keep things more interesting? Check out my thoughts on the game's current build below. Gameplay Wildkeepers Rising is a game that combines...

11Apr

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Stygian: Outer Gods – PC Preview

Stygian: Outer Gods is the prequel to the old game Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones. But this new survival horror is being made Misterial Games. In this early preview, I’ll be looking around the small village of Kingsport. And uncovering clues and events leading up to the Black Day. The game will be releasing on April 14th on Steam. So click here if you think it's up your alley. Warning! This article contains GIFS with flashing images. The whispers, they talk to me. Gameplay The devs aimed for Stygian: Outer Gods focus to be exploration. This is to allow the player to get fully immersed in the story and its characters. We will get to make choices that will create events leading up to the Black Day. Whatever that is. This will come into play when interacting with NPC and how you act w...

10Apr

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Features, Previews & Early Access

Crimson Desert PC Preview Event

I was luckily enough to be invited to London by Pearl Abyss to play their up-coming game Crimson Desert. There I watched a video explaining the game’s combat and some information about each of the four bosses. Afterwards we got to get hands on with the game, and what a treat it was. Warning! GIFs in this article contain flashing lights. Skill is the key Within this preview event I got to play as the main character Kliff in a small segment from the game. In the full launch we will get to venture into the large continent of Pywel, but sadly I didn't get to see this, this time! I’m looking forward to checking out the various towns and biomes we might get. If you’re looking forward to Crimson Desert, why not check the Steam Page here and give it a wishlist! Gameplay The focus of the...

Into The Dead: Our Darkest Days – PC Preview

9Apr

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Into The Dead: Our Darkest Days – PC Preview

Set in 1980s Texas and soon to be entering its early access life cycle, comes Into The Dead: Our Darkest Days. A side-scrolling survival horror game with management mechanics. It’s developed by PikPok and looks rather similar to This War of Mine except with zombies. If any of this catches your eye and you’d rather give it ago yourself without reading this article. Then a demo is available now on Steam with the game launching today. Even in the darkest of days, there is always hope. Gameplay At the start of Into The Dead: Our Darkest Days, we get to pick what duo of survivors we wish to play. Each has its own traits that will either benefit or hinder them during the game. I found it neat that they do have brief backstories to show how they know one another. Once selected, we spawn in...

8Apr

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Forecursed – PC Preview

Hide and seek takes a turn in Forecursed by William Van Herck. In this action survivor you can play with up to twelve players across a range of maps and try to survive as your friend hunts you down to pass on the curse. We got the chance to get a couple of TC friends together to try out early access. Hide and seek just because a whole lot whackier You can currently grab Forecursed in Early Access from Steam for £8.50. Let's take a look. Gameplay Forecursed is madness from the get go. Even just loading into the player hub you can waste time flinging yourself across the hanger or dip into the jail to test the curse out. It's a nice little training ground that you can back and forth in with other people in the lobby to figure out the controls. That's not necessary however as the contr...

4Apr

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Car Dealer Simulator – PC Preview

I’ll be taking a look at Garage Monkey’s new game, Car Dealer Simulator. We aim to turn old cars into “fresh” sales, all while working for a man named Little Sam. The game is out now, but if you want to try the demo before paying for the full game, click here. Used cars, but new game? Gameplay We play a nameless character who is hired by Little Sam to help run his run-down Car Dealership. Our job is to find used cars, then repair/clean them up ready for reselling. Car Dealer Simulators’ tutorials are straightforward and do well to teach you the fundamentals. We use our Tow Truck to load up cars and then deliver them back to the dealership. Here we have several ways to improve the pricing of our car. We will look over the car for any parts that need to be replaced. And we do...

Gardener: Master of Trees and Flowers PC Preview & Dev Interview

3Apr

By JasonNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Gardener: Master of Trees and Flowers PC Preview & Dev Interview

Released 7th of March, Gardener: Master of Trees and Flowers is an early access sandbox botanical simulation game by solo developer Koksny.com. Also known as Wojciech Górny, he has been working on the title for four years. With a keen interest in genetics, simulation, shading, and gardening, Gardener: Master of Trees and Flowers is very much a work-in-progress game that has a surprising purpose. Something that you will find out more about during the dev interview! Grow & Flourish With an active Discord where both gamers and Wojciech are constantly feeding ideas back and forth along with new updates, Gardener: Master of Trees and Flowers has been changing nearly every day that I have logged in to play. Gameplay The idea of this time-lapse game is to successfully grow a divers...

2Apr

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Odinfall – PC Early Access Preview

Odinfall is a fast-paced, roguelite bullet-hell now available in early access. It is an evolution of the game Gaunt Valkyr by indie studio Ember Paw Games. With publishing by Fireshine Games (Core Keeper, Shadows of Doubt), you can pick it up today over on Steam for £11. Weapons Abound in Odinfall I sure seem to be hitting up a lot of roguelite games lately. Not only that but ones relating to Norse mythology too. The pace of bullet-hell games has kept me mostly away from this area of the genre, but Odinfall has been a positive experience. Has a game's pace ever kept you from trying something new? Check out my thoughts on this early access entry below. Gameplay Odinfall is fast. It's also a bullet-hell. But fear not, it's also a roguelite! Loki, in disembodied form, has been sent to...