Previews & Early Access

18Jun

By MichaelNo Comments

Sintopia – PC Preview

A God sandbox, meets micromanagement simulator? Sign me up! Think Black & White meets Theme Hospital, and when you add in the cartoonish humour of Worms you might just find yourself in a gaming Utopia Sintopia. Developed by Piraknights Games, a Sintopia demo can be downloaded from Steam right now. Early Access is planned for 4th September 2025. I Write Sins This is my first contribution to the Thumb Culture community, so I wanted to have a go with something that really stood out for me. And what stood out the most was the prominent character of Lili, advertising the PC game Sintopia. My initial reaction was “What in the mobile gaming ad hell?” but my concern was immediately laid to rest when I found that this game was published by Team 17. The company that gave us the excellent Worms...

17Jun

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Ritual of Raven – PC Demo Preview

Cosy? I’m listening. Colourful? Go on. Collectathon farming sim that celebrates all things witchy? You had my curiosity, now you have my attention! Ritual of Raven is the next wholesome outing developed by the aptly named Spellgarden Games—creators of the highly popular Sticky Business—and published by Team 17. Celebrating the practices of the craft and with a unique take on farming and tarot, it has all the hallmarks of an experience that speaks to the witch in all of us. Witch Card is your Card? Out of nowhere, you are promptly plucked from your grad student life and sucked through a portal to the magical village of Nevar. Under the tutelage of the witch Sage, you learn the fundamentals of witchcraft, gaining a familiar in the process. But Sage reluctantly departs through a portal ...

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers – Preview Event

16Jun

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Features, Previews & Early Access

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers – Preview Event

When I was asked by the Senior Editors here at Thumb Culture if I wanted to attend a preview event of Leenzee and 505 Games upcoming title Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, I'm sure you can guess my answer. Even if I had to make my way from Wales to that there London! I had intended to go into this game blind upon launch, but who can say no to playing a game early and getting to chat to the developers about it? Warning, the GIFs used in this article may contain flashing images! Destiny is a heavy burden for such small wings. For those who aren’t aware of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, it’s an upcoming Souls-like game with a Chinese Mythology setting. If you know how most Souls-likes go, then you’re fully aware of what to expect, but there are a couple cool things to point out. If you’re wondering ...

10Jun

By PaulNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Cairn – PS5 Preview

Climbing a mountain is one of those activities that seems exciting and life changing, but one that I will never actually do because of the risks, much in the same way as skydiving, spelunking, and weekend trips to IKEA. Cairn aims to deliver at least one of those experiences to you without the risk of flat pack divorce. Following Sony PlayStation's State of Play showcase on 4th June, a PS5 demo was released, and I wasted no time clambering into it. I'm amazed by The Game Bakers' apparent ability to turn their craft to vastly different genres of video game. From the ultra-fast twin-stick shooter Furi, to laid back adventure narrative Haven, and now a surprisingly deep mountain climbing/survival simulation. They've even tackled a drag-and-fling, top-down RPG about squids. Is there nothing...

Deadzone: Rogue – PC Early Access Preview

6Jun

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Deadzone: Rogue – PC Early Access Preview

Deadzone: Rogue is a roguelite FPS by Prophecy Games (Tribes 3) now available in Early Access via Steam or Epic. Live, die, repeat in this foray onto a drifting colony ship to Mars that never made it. Fight your way through bots, cyborgs, and even reanimated corpses as you search for answers not only about the ship but about yourself. Going Rogue in the Deadzone Deadzone: Rogue has been on my radar for a while now. I spent a good amount of time playing the demo, which left me wanting more. Even as an Early Access launch, the game has not been disappointing in the slightest. Check out my thoughts on this latest roguelite below! Gameplay Deadzone: Rogue is a first person shooter roguelite that can be played solo or co-op. As a [insert spoiler here], fight and die to upgrade and fight...

4Jun

By PaulNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

MIO: Memories In Orbit – PC Preview

Action, mystery, and wonder await in MIO: Memories In Orbit, a new Metroidvania from Shady Part Of Me developer Douze Dixièmes (Twelve Tenths). They are a small, French team who form part of PulluP Entertainment (formerly Focus Entertainment) since their acquisition in 2021. This should immediately give you a sense of the quality to expect, given the publisher's history backing titles such as Curse of the Dead Gods, Dordogne, and A Plague Tale: Innocence, among many others. You can play the demo and add MIO: Memories In Orbit to your Wishlist on Steam now, with a release due sometime this year. Remember MIO? MIO, an agile robot with flowing, tendril hair, is awoken on the Vessel; a decaying spaceship drifting through space. The ship's AI overseers have seemingly gone offline, leaving ...

Drop Point Preview With Tiny Indie Studio

30May

By StuartNo Comments

Features, Previews & Early Access

Drop Point Preview With Tiny Indie Studio

Recently, I received a very interesting email. It was purely titled Days Gone Meets Rust. This piqued my interested as these are both games that I absolutely love. Fast-forward a few days, and I'm getting an invite to a special, exclusive showing of Drop Point. The brainchild of Tiny Indie Studio. A small studio from Hamilton, New Zealand. Could you read this before I Drop my Point? Jumping onto a video call, they had an awesome presentation ready to go. I honestly felt the excitement from the start of the call. It also helped that both Mike (Project Manager) and Piripi (Art Lead) from Tiny Indie Studio were absolutely awesome guys to talk to! Gameplay Drop Point is a base-building, base raiding, harvesting, crafting, and combat survival game. The game is set on an island where a large...

29May

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

The Drifter – PC Preview

Follow Mick into a world of unknown as he awakens from death again in The Drifter. Powerhoof's upcoming release has players unravelling a conspiracy while trying to understand why Mick has come back to life. Whilst the game doesn't launch until July 17th on PC (Windows, Mac, Linux), we were lucky enough to get our hands on a small preview build. Watch as he drifts from one life to the next! Before you start reading you need to head to Wishlist for The Drifter on Steam. Trust me. Now you've done that, let's get into this preview. Gameplay Albeit short and simple, The Drifter drags players into a brand new world full of mystery. After waking up in a train, Mick is ready to go meet his family in his old home town but things go awry when the homeless man in the carriage with him seems ...

Hordes of Fate: A Hand of Fate Adventure – PC Demo Preview

27May

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Hordes of Fate: A Hand of Fate Adventure – PC Demo Preview

Hordes of Fate: A Hand of Fate Adventure is an action roguelite, horde survivors-like based on the setting of the Hand of Fate games by Defiant Development. Spitfire Interactive (Capes) is developing the game in this genre though, with Defiant Development (Hand of Fate) publishing. The game is currently only available to Wishlist on Steam, but you can download and play the demo now. My Games are Blending Together... Ok, so maybe roguelites aren't the only games I seem to end up playing around here. Horde survivors-like games seem to be just as likely. Hordes of Fate: A Hand of Fate Adventure is the more latter leaning of the two. So where does it stand up currently with the rest? Check out my thoughts on the demo build below. Gameplay Hordes of Fate: A Hand of Fate Adventure is the...

Hotel Architect – PC Early Access Preview

20May

By CharlieNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Hotel Architect – PC Early Access Preview

Step into the chaotic life of being a hotel owner in Hotel Architect! Developed by Pathos Interactive and published by Wired Production, this hotel construction and tycoon management game allows you to build your hotel from the ground up and to tackle the challenging demands of your guests. Get ready to check in for Early Access today on Steam! Is Breakfast Included? I've got high hopes for this one! The game is still “under construction” but already feels very nice and smooth to play. It's got quite a bit of content already, too! I'm excited to jump into the game, especially since my knowledge of hotels in general is very limited. All I really know is the fact that even looking at the mini-bar will most likely bankrupt you immediately. Do you have any fun hotel stories to tell? What ...