Tag: Strategy

Discover detailed reviews of top strategy games, including real-time tactics and turn-based challenges right here on Thumb Culture. Perfect for players who enjoy deep thinking, careful planning, and mastering complex gameplay mechanics.

The Lamplighters League – PC Review
PC Reviews

The Lamplighters League – PC Review

Ready up for a new turn-based adventure game published by Paradox Interactive and developed by the Harebrained Schemes team. The Lamplighter League will have players building up their teams and preparing them to fight back against evil. The game is out now on Steam for £41.99. The Deluxe Edition is also available and offers a new character known as Nocturne and both the Soundtrack and Digital Artbook. When the world is in darkness, The Lamplighters League jump into action! The Lamplighters League starts off with a mail courier being pursued and killed. We then jump to one of our unlikely heroes, Ingrid, a femme fatale hired by the mysterious Mr L. After Ingrid investigates the courier's body, she and The Gentlemen-Djin, known as Lateef, head off to save a nearby pilot. Their adventure ev...
Tenebris Pictura – Xbox Review
Xbox Reviews

Tenebris Pictura – Xbox Review

The world is a weird and wonderful place, and Pentadimensional has taken a slice of the weird and wonderful and captured in Tenebris Pictura. What do I really know about the paranormal, the fifth dimension or out of body experiences? Well not a lot, well I say that there was this one time when me and this girl were..... I think I'll leave that there. So time to strap on my big boy pants and enter the world where all is not as it seems. I'm sure that the padded cell can wait for me a little longer. Tenebris Pictura - What even does it mean? Google Translate Anyone? The look of Tenebris Pictura has definitely got my excitement levels up. It has a certain Lovecraftian feel to it that I really like. Hopefully, the gameplay will live up to my expectations. I have just drawn a huge pentagram a...
Homeseek – PC Review
PC Reviews

Homeseek – PC Review

Released 20th July 2023, Homeseek is a post apocalyptic colony sim developed by Traptics and published by The Iterative Collection - with QA credited to iXie Gaming. Homeseek is a new venture for Traptics, whose previous games were both 2D. Being an avid fan of colony sims, I've been looking forward to getting my hands on this one. June 6th - 2101 "Born, bred, and educated in underground bunkers, we emerge to stake our claim on the sparsely inhabited surface. What awaits us is a wasteland ravaged by drought and scarred by ancient wars. It may not be as devoid of life as we had imagined, but that does not make it any less perilous; end even where the barren land meets sea, the undrinkable water only taunts us more." Story First up, let's talk story. Rather than an 'everything all at onc...
Demon Lord Reincarnation Review
PC Reviews

Demon Lord Reincarnation Review

Demon Lord Reincarnation, developed by the talented team at Graverobber Foundation, is a role-playing game that brings the essence of darkness and intrigue to the forefront. Venturing into the eerie depths of this title with great anticipation. With a simple yet challenging premise, Den invites you to assemble a party of brave adventurers and embark on a perilous journey through treacherous dungeons. Prepare to face hordes of menacing monsters as you strive to defeat the fearsome Demon Lord that looms over the land. Demon Lord Reincarnation shouldn't have been resurrected The depth of this dungeon isn't that deep, with characters with no back story, some with names, others not. Battles you can run from without penalty and enemies that scale alongside your level, making it almost pointles...
Pikmin 1+2 – Switch Review
Switch Reviews

Pikmin 1+2 – Switch Review

Developed by the talented team at Nintendo, the world of Pikmin has always been a quirky, enchanting adventure, and now it returns with a stunning remaster in Pikmin 1+2. With revamped graphics and improved gameplay mechanics, Pikmin 1+2 is a nostalgic trip for veterans and an inviting introduction for newcomers to this whimsical world. Play Pikmin 1+2 and build a plant army to help you. Don't miss this opportunity to relive the magic of these beloved classics or experience them for the first time. Join Captain Olimar and his trusty Pikmin companions on a thrilling adventure where friendship, courage, and teamwork can conquer any challenge. Dive in, contribute your skills, and let Pikmin's wild and wonderful world capture your heart. Gameplay Pikmin 1+2 retains the innovative gameplay ...
Lakeburg Legacies – PC Review
PC Reviews

Lakeburg Legacies – PC Review

Newton's Third Law states "For every action in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction". Imagine you're playing Jenga. Each block removed from the tower solves your current problem but adds a potential future issue. Now, imagine that each Jenga block has a thread linked to 2 or 3 other blocks. When one moves, the others are affected, and the effects cascade further and further. Oh, and the blocks are on fire. Welcome to Lakeburg Legacies! This juggling act of a Social Management sim is developed and published by French studio Ishtar Games, who have a strong background in the genre. Lakeburg Legacies - All's fair in love and resource management I first covered this game briefly in my 4 Games Still To Come In 2023 article last month which you can check out here. I'm hoping to br...
Dwerve – PC Review
PC Reviews

Dwerve – PC Review

If you're a fan of tower defence games, then the developers at Half Human Games have brought us their take on the genre with Dwerve. Released in May 2022, players can pick it up on Steam for £15.49. The soundtrack is also available for an additional £7.19 for those who love to collect music. Not all heroes carry swords I find this genre relaxing and not too demanding, which makes it a great way to pass the time. Games like Bloons TD 6 and Plants vs Zombies instantly come to mind. Both were great games, but what interested me with Dwereve is that it is more story-focused. I'm hoping for a nice selection of towers to use and a rich story I can get lost in. Let me know in the comments about some of your favourite tower defence games and what I should check out. Gameplay In Dwerve, our...
Aliens: Dark Descent – PC Review
PC Reviews

Aliens: Dark Descent – PC Review

Released on 20th June this year, players will be exploring hives and gearing up their squads in Tindalos Interactive's new game Aliens: Dark Descent. This RTS action-adventure game is on Steam, PlayStation and Xbox for £34.99. That’s it, man. Game over, man. Game over! I am a massive nerd for anything related to the Xenomorphs, from the original 1979 movie to comics. The last game I played and enjoyed with Xenomorphs was Alien: Isolation. When I heard about a new RTS aliens game, my mind rushed back to the classic PS2 game AVP: Extinction which allowed players to control the Xenomorph army. Now here's my chance to relive those memories with a modern take that seems to have drawn some inspiration from the more recent XCOM games. Gameplay The Story in Aliens: Dark Descent starts with...
Havendock – PC Preview
Previews & Early Access

Havendock – PC Preview

There was a time once when the oceans were full of only fish and whales. Beautiful mermaids would swim freely without the fear of banging into driftwood or having a plane crash on them. Times have changed, and YYZ has brought us Havendock to reflect on the different times that the world is in today. Do you have the skills to not only survive a wreck but thrive from it and let others thrive with you? Well, I guess it's time to find out for me. Pretty sure I'll need some supplies, so it's a packed lunch and a waterproof coat ready, and time to wash myself up on a little piece of land. Havendock - for those whose favourite colour is maroon. Havendock has its work cut out if it's going to make an impact on the masses of settlement building games. The pressure certainly is on in this cate...
Occupy Mars – PC Preview
Previews & Early Access

Occupy Mars – PC Preview

Occupy Mars released for PC on 10th May, available in early access via Steam. Built upon the Unity engine, this sandbox survival game sees players build and survive on Mars. Being an avid fan of all things space travel and an ex game developer, I'm excited to see a space game developed in Unity for a change. Too many games are built (half-heartedly) upon the Unreal Engine level templates. Not Just A Dream, But Reality We work for ERA, and have been sent to Mars to help make the colonisation of our nearest neighbouring planet not just a dream, but a reality. Landing in the [zone], our job is to begin colonisation procedures. Gameplay Before jumping into the game, we're able to customise our character, and quite thoroughly too. Growing up on games such as Oblivion, Skyrim and World of Wa...