Previews & Early Access

15Oct

By Mark HudsonNo Comments

Space Boat Preview

Currently in development by Recombobulator Games, "Space Boat is a new narrative adventure game with interactive elements." Funded through Kickstarter, at the time of this preview Space Boat has raised £3,426, which is a little way from its target goal of £23,554. With a 15 minute playable demo now available, will they reach their crowdfund goal and give us a finished game? Join me below as I attempt to figure that out. Well Hello There Space Traveller! "You’ve been waiting to travel for a long time? It's now possible to go to the most beautiful places in the galaxy!... or whatever you can afford." - Allen, Space Boat Travel Agent. Gameplay With a development team who boasts an impressive resume of Mass Effect, Dead Space, and Thief, we walk into this demo with high expectations. Pl...

5Oct

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Balsa Model Flight Simulator Review

Balsa Model Flight Simulator by Canadian-based devs Floating Origin Interactive is exactly as it sounds. Simply put it is a flight simulator game that allows you to build and fly your very own balsa wood planes! Balsa Model Flight Simulator - Glory to Destruction in 10 Seconds Headed by Felipe Falanghe who created the acclaimed Kerbal Space Program, Balsa Model Flight Simulator keeps you in the air but this time on planet Earth. Ready to test your creative skills and take to the skies? Let's do this! If you enjoy my review please check out my past articles here! Gameplay It is worth pointing out that at the time of review, the game was in early access with a huge caveat that many things may not be functional or work quite correctly. Indeed there were many features that have no...

4Oct

By Mark HudsonNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Arboria Review

Developed by Dreamplant and published by All in! Games, Arboria is a dark fantasy rogue-lite. Entering early access on Steam in May 2020, the game will release fully September 9th 2021. Gobbok And The Evil Hat We begin our journey as a Yotun warrior birthed from the father tree with a singular purpose - to hunt down Gobbok. Gobbok is another Yotun, who's been corrupted by a cursed hat and who's fled the village against the will of the elders, descending into the Durnar. After we too become corrupted by defeating Gobbok and equipping his hat, we find ourselves back at the troll village once again being birthed a Yotun from the father tree. What do you think about a character's death being permanent? Gameplay Arboria is best described as souls-like, with elements of the game bearing r...

21Sep

By MikeNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodhunt

Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodhunt is the debut foray into AAA games for Swedish company Sharkmob. It is an online multiplayer third-person battle royale taking place in Prague, Czech Republic. Fighting through the city and the only rule is to keep your existence a secret, the titular masquerade. I didn't come across any plot for the game but it is faithful to the World of Darkness setting. Definitely inspired by games like Apex Legends and PUBG, Bloodhunt however is like their goth cousin. Going it alone or in a trio, fighting to be the last vampire standing, and maintaining the masquerade is all that matters. Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodhunt - Something to Sink Your Teeth Into I kept up on news and other player's thoughts and I found there was some disappointment. Many people were expe...

6Sep

By Mark HudsonNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Malum Review

Releasing September 2nd with a retail of £3.99, Malum is a cooperative horror survival game for up to 4 players, Developed and published by MalumGames. Malum features procedural puzzles which players must solve while being stalked by a range of gruesome monsters. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope! Whether it's a scream, a shout, or a little cry.. we all have our own way of expressing fear, our own little quirk. For me it's repeatedly saying "Nope!" while running in the opposition direction, and that's something I did ALOT during this game. What's your quirk? Let me know in the comments below. Gameplay First of all, the game is very simple in its design - something that I feel is reflected in the £3.99 price tag - we'll circle back to this later. It appears to have been built atop an Unreal ...

6Sep

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Mechajammer Preview

Mechajammer by Devs Whalenought Studios is a tactical cyberpunk turn-based RPG that allows you to take your turns simultaneously with those around you. Set in an off-world grindhouse of an urban and jungle colony it is down to you to recruit your crew and adventure through the gloomily lit city. Mechajammer - Urban Survival At Its Heart Are you ready to read on? Mechajammer is currently in demo form for PC over on Steam so you can join in as well. Let's do this then and don't forget to check out my other articles here on Thumb Culture! Gameplay I played the Mechajammer demo therefore elements of the gameplay are limited in some respects, however, it still allows you to get an overall feel for the game. In the beginning, you can either choose from a pre-made character or create y...

6Sep

By Jordan Rooker1 Comment

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Rogue Spirit Early Access Review

Rogue Spirit is a 3D rogue-lite action game now available for Early Access on Steam. The developers, Kids With Sticks, have partnered up with publisher 505 Games to bring this third-person adventure to the masses. Kids With Sticks already spent about 19 months developing the game and plan to have it be in Early Access for 7 months. Of course, this is an estimate and not set in stone. If you're a fan of roguelites such as Hades, Dead Cells, Risk of Rain 2, and the like, then Rogue Spirit will be one to add to your collection. Bounce between bodies in Rogue Spirit The aspect of possessing bodies to switch up abilities is what made Rogue Spirit catch my eye. I did not prepare myself for the challenge of playing another roguelite though. Needless to say I will be playing through my frust...

29Aug

By Jordan Rooker1 Comment

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Mosaic Chronicles Early Access Review

I recently took a look at Mosaic Chronicles, developed and published by Error300 for PC. The game entered early access on Steam on August 25th and appears to be one of two games currently in development by the small indie studio. Error300's website shows the game displayed on a phone, but I haven't been able to confirm if this will be an available platform. As the game title states, Mosaic Chronicles couples beautiful mosaic pieces of art together with a tale to follow along. Mosaic Chronicles definitely takes a different path to the puzzle game genre than that of my previous review of Seed of Life. Chill and Puzzle in Mosaic Chronicles The timing of my review for Mosaic Chronicles couldn't have been better. I just got home from a week-long vacation with my family and another family. On ...

25Aug

By MikeNo Comments

Features, News & Updates, Previews & Early Access

Saints Row Reveal Press Event

It has been 8 years (0r 6 including Gat Out of Hell), since a new addition to the Saints Row series. For the fans (myself among them), the wait is now over. Volition & Deep Silver have been working on the latest title, Saints Row, releasing on 25th February 2022. As the title suggests, Saints Row is a full reboot that takes the series back to its roots like the days of Stillwater & Steelport. I learned the game takes place in the fictional city of Santo Ileso, heavily inspired by the American South West. Growing tired of working for others, the nameless protagonist forms their own gang, The Saints. As the boss, this means building The Saints from the ground up alongside your trusted lieutenants Neenah, Kevin & Eli. Together they pursue their own goals carving out a piece...

24Aug

By Martin HoskingNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

KUR Review

Welcome to my review of KUR. Brought to us by developers Really Ragdoll and publishers The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild (Tumblestone, Space Otter Charlie), KUR is a first-person shooter game that is based upon classic games of the genre such as Doom and Quake. KUR is available on PC now. KUR - Some Things Should Stay In The Past We play as a gun for hire, brought in to take down an AI created by "The Augmented Intelligence Corporation". It's our job to bail out The AIC and take down a horde of flesh-wearing robots with no aim other than to end our life. Will KUR keep me on the edge of my seat? Or will I be wishing that I should have stuck to modern shooters? Find out below. If you enjoy this review, check out my previous review here where I played Zool Redimensioned. Gameplay When sta...