Previews & Early Access

16Jun

By Martin HoskingNo Comments

RiMS Racing Preview

RiMS Racing is brought to us by the development team at Raceward Studio and publishers Nacon. RiMS Racing is due to release on 19th August 2021 and we were fortunate enough to be invited to play an early press release of the game. The game will be coming out on the PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. RiMS Racing Preview - Will You Play Long Enough To Empty The Tank? Will RiMS Racing stand up in the crowd of racing games featuring motorbikes, or should it have stayed in the pits? Keep reading to find out my initial thoughts on the preview version of RiMS Racing. If you enjoy this article, check out my previous review here. Please bear with me below as there are certain things I am not allowed to tell you about. Gameplay RiMS Racing has a lot...

9Jun

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

The Hand of Merlin Preview

Knights, archers and wizards circle around for I, Jas of House Thumb Culture, have been recently spending my time on turn-based rogue-lite RPG The Hand of Merlin. Currently available on Steam in early access, The Hand of Merlin is developed by Croatian-based Room-C Games and Croteam. Although loosely based around the Arthurian legend, this is certainly a game with a slight twist! The Hand of Merlin - Arise and arise a lot more! Can you make the treacherous journey with the holy grail or will you be killed by the local yobs or alien monsters? Yes, you heard me correctly! Game on! Gameplay When I first had the opportunity to review The Hand of Merlin, the first thought that I had was of commanding a gallant King Arthur and his comrades X-com style across an olde world land. Litt...

28May

By DanNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

PowerWash Simulator Early Access

Futurlab has officially released the latest title they have developed and published into early access. It is a title that we have seen all over the gaming channels on social media. It also looks like one of the most satisfying simulators to this day. We are indeed talking about PowerWash Simulator! At only £15.99 (at the time of writing) on the Steam store, I am excited to jump in and do some cleaning. A sentence which I have never said before. The escape from cleaning, where you... clean? Simulator games for me can sometimes be extremely boring. On the other hand, they can sometimes be the most ridiculous addictive game since some of the old school MMO titles. However, PowerWash Simulator on the cover is essentially a cleaning simulator? Which is one of the household task which can be e...

In Retrospect Preview – Where Will Your Life Take You?

4May

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

In Retrospect Preview – Where Will Your Life Take You?

In Retrospect by devs Paper Salamander Games is a side-scrolling 16-bit inspired music action platform game that uses your life to create the levels. Currently, in demo form over on Steam, this is certainly not the usual run-of-the-mill get from start to finish game that I was expecting. In Retrospect delves deep into your soul! If you have had a chance to play the demo, let us know what you think in the comments section below! Gameplay At the start of In Retrospect you wake up in a heavenly looking place whereby you are asked and reassured by another character, named Dee, as to how you are. What ensues is a number of fairly easy levels as you learn the basic controls of the game. Your character is continually moving forward, leaving you to time jumps and glides in order to avoi...

Out of Line Preview – Sharp Visuals, Sharper Puzzles.

28Apr

By PaulNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Out of Line Preview – Sharp Visuals, Sharper Puzzles.

Out of Line is an upcoming 2D side-scrolling puzzle game developed by Nerd Monkeys and published by Haninh Games. It is due out on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch this year. Playing through the preview the game gave me Inside/Limbo vibes in a big way. I dare say that if you enjoyed those games, this is going to be a must-play for you when it releases. Out of Line - Exploring, San's memory. Play as San as he attempts to escape the factory he once called home. Judging from the trailer, the story will revolve around uncovering memories and discovering the truth about who you are as you journey eventually, hopefully, to freedom. Gameplay In Out of Line, San's primary talent is a spear throw. Along with the standard sideways movement and jump, your puzzle-solving is achieved via a combo o...

First Class Trouble Preview – Personoids Are Among Us

12Apr

By Dan1 Comment

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

First Class Trouble Preview – Personoids Are Among Us

First Class Trouble is the latest title to come from developers Invisible Walls and publishers Versus Evil. First Class Trouble is currently in early access. It is available on Steam for £8.79 or if you are across the pond $14.99 (USD). I thought the connection was real - Then they turned out to be a Personoid! Having never played a title from the murder mystery style genre before I was quite excited to get involved in First Class Trouble. I am interested to see actually how deceiving I can be amongst friends, whilst stuck in outer space! Gameplay Let us first of all set the scene, you are aboard the ISS Alithea, A luxury spacecraft that is under attack. Believe it or not, the ISS Alithea is its own worst enemy. The onboard AI system of the ship aka CAIN (Central Automated Intelligence...

Astral Ascent Demo Preview – Fight Your Way To Freedom

29Mar

By Martin HoskingNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Astral Ascent Demo Preview – Fight Your Way To Freedom

Astral Ascent is the latest PC game I had the pleasure of checking out early. Man what a game we're in for with this one. Astral Ascent is a rogue-lite action-adventure game brought to us by Hibernian Workshop (Dark Devotion). Astral Ascent - Fight Your Way To Freedom In Astral Ascent, you must escape from the Garden. The Garden is an astral prison that is guarded by 12 strong and vicious bosses, The Zodiacs. Will this game fight its way to the top or be another drop in a pool of rogue-lites? Read on to find out my initial thoughts for this preview. You can read my previous article here. Gameplay The gameplay in Astral Ascent kind of reminds me of Dead Cells. Jump, hack, slash, use a spell. You get the idea. Of course, there's more to it than that, but that's a general idea. If you've ...

Ranch Simulator Preview – Home, Home on the Range

24Mar

By CraigNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Ranch Simulator Preview – Home, Home on the Range

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to revive a ranch and care for livestock? What about mowing the grass to make space for a new barn? Well, then you're in luck! Ranch Simulator developers Toxic Dog have got you covered. Releasing on Steam's Early Access program on the 4th of March, Ranch Simulator joins an ever-growing list of other life simulator games. Ranch Simulator is being published by Excalibur Games. Ranch Simulator - Spending Some Time in the Not-So-Hidden Valley I'm a fan of these types of simulator games; Truck sim, Farming Sim, Bus Sim, etc. So when I saw the trailer for Ranch Simulator, my interest was piqued. I was looking forward to being able to hunt the wild animals that might come and steal my chickens. So without taking too much time to get into it, let's ta...

Fights In Tight Spaces Early Access – Can I Squeeze Through?

22Mar

By DanNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Fights In Tight Spaces Early Access – Can I Squeeze Through?

Fights In Tight Spaces, the minimalistic deck and turn-based action strategy developed by Ground Shatter and published by Mode 7 is now available in Early Access. Ground Shatter are known for their previous titles Nico and Sky Scrappers, whilst Mode 7 are known for publishing some amazing indie titles. Fights In Tight Spaces is available for PC and Xbox. Fights In Tight Spaces - Minimal Game With Maximal Range Titles like Fights In Tight Spaces have to offer great gameplay to fit with the minimalistic graphics. I am interested to find out whether or not the developers managed to do this. If you enjoy this article, head over to the Thumb Culture site where you can access more great content. Gameplay As described, Fights In Tights Spaces is a minimalist turn-based game. Whereby, you use...

Trashed Early Access Preview – It Has Potential!

22Mar

By Martin HoskingNo Comments

PC Reviews, Previews & Early Access

Trashed Early Access Preview – It Has Potential!

Trashed (also known as Wasted Worlds, so I've seen) is an action-adventure game that is currently in Steam Early Access. It is brought to us by developer Josh Presseisen (Metagroove) and publishers Crescent Moon Games (The Deer God, Metagroove). This game is in the very early stages of early access (pre-alpha v0.14 as of writing this), so please bear with me whilst I explain the pros and cons of this game at its current stage of development. Trashed Early Access Preview - It Has Potential! So how does Trashed play so far? Will it belong in a pile of garbage or can it be recycled to give it some shine? Continue reading to find out. You can read my previous article here. Gameplay Okay so please bear with me on this one, this game is currently in a super early version so bugs are to be ex...