Puzzle

3Feb

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Rainbow Gate – PC Review

Time to play another mascot horror game. And this time it is called Rainbow Gate. This game was developed and published by 7EVIL Studio. I have not seen anything on this before so I'll be going in blind. It is up for wish listing on Steam right now, for anyone who is into mascot horrors. Horror has such a variety of colours. Gameplay We get a letter from a client who informs us that her brother has gone missing. And she believes that the police aren't looking harder enough, so she pleads for our help. The only information we have to go on is that the brother was last seen near an old toy factory. So we know how this will go. On arrival, the place is not much to look out, but quickly turns to reveal the evil that lurks. As we ended up being knocked out and now have a camcorder strap to...

13Jan

By Jordan RookerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Cloudheim – PC Early Access Preview

Cloudheim is a new third-person co-op action RPG available on PC in Early Access. Noodle Cat Games, a studio founded in 2022 with a industry veterans at the helm, is both developing and self-publishing the title. You can pick it up now only on PC via Steam or Epic Games. Console versions for Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S plan to come out with full release. Explore Everywhere, Destroy Everything in Cloudheim I don't recall if it was originally a Vine or a TikTok - but one of my favorite short-form bits was of someone acting out Link going into a shop full of vases. Link destroys them all to the horror of the shop owner to collect rupees. He then leaves and returns to rinse and repeat. One of the top things I enjoy about Cloudheim is this simple mechanic. But there's more to the game t...

The Pharaoh’s Tomb: Online Escape Room Experience – PC Review

5Jan

By JasonNo Comments

PC Reviews

The Pharaoh’s Tomb: Online Escape Room Experience – PC Review

Wolf Escape Games has made a habit of dropping players into strange situations and calmly asking them to think their way out, and with The Pharaoh’s Tomb, the studio dives headfirst into ancient mystery. This is the fourth escape game in their catalogue, and having reviewed both Hallows Hill and Phantom's Hour it feels like a confident step forward rather than a simple repeat of past ideas. Swapping modern locations for dusty ruins and long-forgotten secrets, the game invites you to step into a cinematic puzzle adventure inspired by classic archaeological tales and golden-age detective fiction. Set in Cairo, 1901, you play as Sherlock and Watson, and the setup is immediately enticing. A priceless artefact has vanished, a lost heiress, clues point to Egypt, and an ancient tomb hides answ...

23Nov

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

PC Reviews

UMAMI- PC Review

Christmas is creeping closer each day, and nothing beats wrapping up warm and relaxing with a new cosy game. For me, this comes with Mimmox's, newly released puzzle game called UMAMI. A game that will have solving 3D puzzled food served up by some adorable chefs. Make sure to play while eating something. UMAMI is out now on Steam for £11.99. Is this ne you've got on your Wishlist? Or is this brand new to you? Let us know in the comments, and tuck into this review. Gameplay UMAMI's gameplay is basically a jigsaw, but 3D. You pick up pieces that you are able to rotate. When finding the correct slot, the piece will become locked in. Which is great because I'd sometimes think the piece was in the correct spot only for it to pop off. Each level follows the theme of an adorable chef with...

11Nov

By PaulNo Comments

Switch Reviews

All Hands On Deck – Switch Review

Looking for your next couch co-op game to play with a friend or test the boundaries of your relationships? Enter All Hands On Deck, a cosy, co-operative puzzle-platformer, self-published and built primarily by a small Dutch development team, Studio Mantasaur. Released today, I'll be taking a look at the Nintendo Switch version. Lend Your Friend A Helping Hand In a Children's day care centre, plushie toys have gone missing from the toy box. It's up to two handy friends. Lefty and Righty, to track them down and retrieve them. As this is a strictly 2-player co-op title, my partner and I joined hands and forces on the sofa to mount a daring rescue. Gameplay Each player controls a hand character, capable of switching between Rock, Paper, or Scissors. You'll use these abilities to interact w...

25Oct

By MikeNo Comments

Gaming, PC Reviews

Strange Antiquities – PC Review

Strange Antiquities is the latest game from developer Bad Viking and published by Iceberg Interactive. It is their follow-up to the very successful Strange Horticulture, taking place in the same town/universe. And it is shaping up to be just as well-received. The game is a shopkeeper sim with a twist, much like its predecessor. You play as the nameless assistant thaumaturgist who is left in charge of the titular store as bizarre events occur. Set in town during an alternate version of Victorian Era England, where the supernatural is commonplace. Each day, you'll do your best to help the townsfolk as something evil stirs within Undermere, and hopefully, your knowledge will solve it in time. Strange Antiquities is available now on PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch. Alright, let's get to th...

23Sep

By Alex CrooksNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Rita – PC Preview

If you too are mourning the loss of the NY Times mini crossword to the deplorable paywall, then maybe this will tickle your fancy. Rita by Sporktank is an upcoming, crossword solving adventure where you play as a small chick Rita and learn about your world. The demo launched earlier this month and I was lucky enough to snatch it away from everyone else at Thumb Culture! Okay so one down is... something you play? Does this cosy little adventure have a lot of promise? Or is it a failed wordsearch looking for a dictionary? Well, let me tell you everything I know about little Rita. You can try out the demo for yourself here! Gameplay The focus of Rita is the word games. You waddle around the map, collect letters and then solve puzzles that affect the world around you. Starting as a hat...

28Jul

By Tyler DenyerNo Comments

PC Reviews

Let Them Trade – PC Review

City builders can often be an overwhelming juggling act of spinning plates and spreadsheet economics, but Let Them Trade tosses that stress out the castle window and invites you into a cosy world of carved wooden cuties and economic hijinks. Developed by Spaceflower and published by ByteRockers' Games, the game is out now on Steam, This Game Is Well Made So - Let Them Trade With its whimsical tone, charming visuals, and intuitive gameplay, it's hard not to smile, even when bandits are cheekily robbing your merchant carts. But what really sets Let Them Trade apart? The king doesn't rule alone. No, his most trusted advisor is an adorably smug squirrel named Mr. Nuts, who perches loyally on his shoulder and, frankly, steals every scene he's in. So before you read on, tell us: who's your fa...

28Jul

By PaulNo Comments

PC Reviews

Occlude – PC Review

What if you could erase your past mistakes? All it would take is for you to play a simple card game and figure out the hidden rules. Yes, you'd be tearing apart reality itself, but isn't that worth it? This is the premise of Occlude, where a card game similar to Solitaire, including 4 mysterious self-moving coins, stands between regret and relief. Or does it? Occlude comes to us from the small UK/US indie team at Tributary Games, whose previous title, King of the Castle, was highly praised by our EIC, Stuart. I've been enjoying my puzzle games recently, so I'm looking forward to racking my brain again. Occult Cards & Concealed Rules Join me as I doubt my intelligence and fight with RNG while making my way through this occult puzzler. Gameplay Do you know the rules of Solitai...

No Sleep For Kaname Date – From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – PC Review

25Jul

By Ruddy CelestialNo Comments

PC Reviews

No Sleep For Kaname Date – From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – PC Review

No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES is an Adventure game, made by the wild minds from Spike Chunsoft. They're behind not only this series, but many others like Danganronpa and Stein's Gate. Basically, most of my favourite story telling adventure games came from this company. No Sleep for Kaname Date is the third instalment of the AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES series and launches today (25th July) on Steam. As someone who's invested over a combined 80 hours from the first two alone, this was actually an amazing addition. Remember, when you're feeling sad or lost, just pick up a Porn-o mag to wash away the pain. When it comes to the timeline of the game, this one take place between both the first game and nirvanA Initiative. Getting to do the puzzles so blind that I had no guides...