Previews & Early Access

23May

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Mountaincore – PC Preview

Mountaincore (formerly known as King Under the Mountain) is a fantasy colony sim, now available for PC in Early Access. Taking inspiration from Dungeon Keeper and Dwarf Fortress with the art/design style of Prison Architect, Mountaincore has been a passion project of developer Rocket Jump Technology for nearly a decade. The development cycle seems to have had its ups and downs over those years, but it is now available for further community playtesting and input via the developer's Discord server. You can pick it up over on Steam, Epic, and Itch.io. Throw Out the Micromanagement in Mountaincore I've spent my fair share of time in Rimworld. And just like many people probably will at first glance, I instantly thought Mountaincore was a Rimworld rip-off. It has the same art style and core me...

23May

By Mal KeenanNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Eresys – PC Preview

Eresys is a horror survival game inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft by developers Ares Dragonis. It was released on 23rd April 2023 as an early-access game on pc. Just before writing this review, the developers have updated the game and you can expect more in the future. Unlike their previous release with a similar theme, The Shore, this game features a four-player co-op. I gathered up some Thumb Culture elite and we all ventured into the unknown to experience this game firsthand. Exorcising the Demons Within I had actually played through game developer Ares Dragonis's previous release The Shore. In that game, you explore a photo-realistic Lovecraftian environment solving puzzles and combating demons. I fell in love with this type of game and knew I had to try Eresys. Do you love th...

Starship Troopers: Extermination – PC Preview

23May

By Kyle A McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Starship Troopers: Extermination – PC Preview

I'm happy to check out Starship Troopers: Extermination, a new co-op online FPS with base-building mechanics. It was developed and published by Offworld Industries. They're the ones who brought you Squad, another online shooter that was released back in September 2020. Starship Troopers was released for early access on Steam this May for £20.99. The only good bug is a dead bug! Like many others, I grew up with the 1997 Starship Trooper Film and prayed for a game based on it. Offworld Industries must have heard me because now I get to fight off mass hordes of bugs. Who doesn't love taking on hordes of enemies in hopes of saving humanity, I sure do, and that's why "I'm doing my part!". Gameplay Starship Troopers: Extermination holds up to sixteen players per match, and each person ca...

18May

By Mike DifferNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Solasta: Palace of Ice – PC Preview

Palace of Ice is the latest DLC for Solasta and is a direct follow-up to Crown of the Magister. I was kindly invited to play with a few of the game's developers & publishers at Tactical Adventures. Solasta is their debut game and I was thrilled to be able to see their passion for it. The hour-long preview showcased 3 new regions with the return of the Soraks and new enemies demons & devils. The new campaign comes to PC on May 25th, almost exactly two years after Crown of the Magister. Fans of the base game will undoubtedly enjoy the 25+ hours of this high fantasy non-linear story. I also had the pleasure of reviewing previous Solasta content which I've linked below. Solasta: Palace of Ice - the cold never bothered me anyway I've had a great time playing past Solasta content an...

15May

By StuartNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

MotoGP 23 – PC Preview

We got an opportunity to give MotoGP 23 a go way before its release and needless to say we jumped at the opportunity. See an excerpt from the press release below detailing a brief introduction to the MotoGP 23 Preview. Among the most important novelties of MotoGP™23 is the design of the career mode, conceived to give players the freedom to build their own journey to becoming a two-wheel legend. Indeed, the introduction of turning points will affect career paths based on the performance achieved and the decisions made by each player. After debuting in the final part of a Moto3™ season, it will be possible to move faster through the different classes depending on the results obtained; however, finding a contract will not be easy, as each team will only have two spots and players will have t...

11May

By JasonNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Park Beyond – PC Preview

Fans of Theme Park, rejoice! Park Beyond by devs Limbic Entertainment and publishers Bandai Namco possibly have the fix that you have been seeking! Out across PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC on 16th June, are you ready to create the ultimate theme park? Become the Theme Park Master! I have been fortunate to have had a play on Park Beyond prior to the closed beta. Was it the thrilling "off the rails" game I was hoping for? Would it invoke my past Theme Park memories? Let's find out. Gameplay The preview that I played included the first 3 missions of the campaign and some time on Exploration Park within the sandbox mode. Upon loading up Park Beyond I had an inclination as to what I was expecting. Some sort of walled grassy area where I could deploy rides and connect with paths. Rig...

10May

By Mark HudsonNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

World Turtles – PC Preview

World Turtles has just hit the market for PC and is available for both Windows & Mac OS via Steam. This is primarily a city builder/colony sim with aspects of strategy and exploration, developed by 'Re: cOg Mission' (who I think is a solo developer out of South Africa) and published by Freedom Games. Upon A Turtle's Back "The World Turtle carries entire civilizations on its back through outer space, and the gentle Meeps are the only ones on a quest to save it. Cooperation, rather than conquest will save the day, so prepare to harvest, build, research, and explore the void in this wholesome turtleback builder." - Re: cOg Mission Gameplay Primarily, World Turtles is a city builder colony sim strategy game which offers 3 modes/maps; the Hatchling map, Juvenile map and Adult map. Thank...

3May

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Supplice – PC Early Access Preview

Supplice is a retro style FPS now available in Early Access. In development by Mekworx with publishing by Hyperstrange (Jupiter Hell, Frozenheim), this throwback to the mid 1990's is heavily inspired by Doom and its mod community. You can pick it up today only on Steam. Supplice Throws Doom Into the Modern Day There have been many games like Doom since it debuted 30 years ago. From the original Quake and Rise of the Triad to modern entries like Dusk and ULTRAKILL to name a few. Though Doom probably wasn't my first PC game I'm sure it may have been for a lot of 90's kids. And despite the number of similar games I've seen over the years, Supplice is one that stood out to me. I'm glad to have the opportunity to play it and share the experience with you. Let me know which 90's FPS was your f...

Survival: Fountain of Youth – PC Preview

2May

By Kyle A McGrathNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Survival: Fountain of Youth – PC Preview

If you're looking for a new open-world survival game similar to Green Hell, check out Odinsoft Inc.'s latest game Survival: Fountain of Youth. Twin Sails Interactive and CE-Asia helped publish this game on the Steam Store in early access on April 19th of this year. What people will do to look young again? Set in the 16th century, players take the role of a crewman who set sail with Juan Ponce de Leon to seek out the legendary Holy Grail. After your ship gets destroyed in a storm, players get washed up onto a beach alone. They must survive the harsh elements and deadly wildlife during their ongoing journey to uncover the ancient relic. Gameplay The player wakes up on the beach and gets greeted with a tutorial to help them learn the basics, such as explaining how to craft and where to fi...

26Apr

By Mal KeenanNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Shadows of Doubt – PC Preview

We had a chance to get a sneak peek of Shadows of Doubt, a detective stealth game from ColePowered Games released into Early Access on 24th April 2023 on PC. The Devs boast of an immersive game where you have the freedom to play the game how you want. Let's take a closer look. If in doubt, Stakeout! ColePowered Games offers here a character-rich and immersive detective thriller. Being a crime/detective game fan I had to check this title out. Are you a fan of this style of game? Leave a comment below and let us know what games you enjoy. Gameplay Shadows of Doubt is essentially a detective game, more particularly one with a feel of neo-noir crime drama. While not explained much I got the feeling the character you play is a retired detective. The game starts with a dark room with text sa...