Previews & Early Access

6Sep

By Mark HudsonNo Comments

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...

15Aug

By Martin HoskingNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Glitchpunk Early Access Review

Welcome to my review of one of the latest games to hit Steam Early Access, Glitchpunk. It is brought to us by developers Dark Lord and publishers Daedalic Entertainment (Deponia, Unrailed!, State of Mind). The game is a top-down shooter/fighter akin to classics such as GTA 2 on the PlayStation. You play as an android bounty hunter earning a few bucks from doing missions for gangs just to get by. Glitchpunk Takes Me Back To Those Classics Whilst Glitchpunk certainly has a classic top-down vibe to it, can it really keep you entertained long enough to want you coming back for more? Let's find out in my early access review. Check out my previous review here if you like this one. Gameplay Glitchpunk starts us off with a basic choice, which city to start on. This choice is very limited to on...

11Aug

By MikeNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Hokko Life Early Access Review

Hokko Life is the debut game of Swedish based indie developer Wonderscope in partnership with publisher Team17. It is a community sim game very much in the vein of the Animal Crossing series and Stardew Valley. I don't recommend falling asleep on public transport but in this case, it led to ending up in the small but welcoming town. Over time the town has dwindled but perhaps helping the community means turning this around. Being quickly welcomed by the anthropomorphic animal residents, repaying the hospitality leads to it feeling like home. The plot feels similar to Stardew Valley with the emphasis on change from urban life. And the gameplay & design very much feels like Animal Crossing: New Horizons (AC: NH). If you enjoyed those, especially the latter, then you won't be disappoin...

3Aug

By Jason1 Comment

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Lemnis Gate Preview

Lemnis Gate, by devs Ratloop Games Canada is a tactical first-person shooter at heart, but with one hell of a twist. I was lucky along with a few other of the TC staff to take part in the recent Beta and with the game being deployed across PC, Playstation, and Xbox on the 28th of September it was time to get this preview written! Lemnis Gate - COD Meets Time Travel, Can Your Reality Survive? If you enjoy strategic turn-based fps-styled games, read on but be warned, all is not as clear-cut as it seems! Gameplay Lemnis Gate comes with 4 game modes across 7 maps at launch featuring ditties such as seek and destroy, domination, retrieve XM (capture the flag), and deathmatch. With single-player, co-op, and PvP, every eventuality is covered. The team that you control currently consist...

2Aug

By Mark Hudson1 Comment

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

New World Preview

New World is an upcoming MMORPG currently in development by Amazon Game Studios and Double Helix Games, Powered by the Amazon Lumberyard engine. After an alpha test all the way back in October 2018, New World is finally open for beta testing. Join me as I delve into the game to see what awaits us at the final release of August 31st. Fans of New World will no doubt be aware of the controversy surrounding the title! Back in the alpha test many players were confused by the game's lack of PVE content and left questioning whether the game would be worth picking up on the final release. Since then, the developers have worked hard to introduce PvE content, as well as reduce the consequences for PVP deaths. How did you find the balance of PVE and PVP during the beta? Is there anything else you h...