Visual Novel

The Demons Told Me To Make This Game – PC Preview

6Aug

By Richie VernonNo Comments

The Demons Told Me To Make This Game – PC Preview

The Demons Told Me To Make This Game is the debut title from self-proclaimed “reckless artist” Haunted Dude is a wild mash of genres. It’s part horror, part mystery, and a bold take on the visual novel format. Can you steer one of gaming’s oddest couples from the jaws of death? Or would you rather let them walk straight into it? In The Demons Told Me To Make This Game, the choice is truly yours. It's also available in early access now on Steam for just £11. The Devil Is In The Detail If games were about first impressions, then The Demons Told Me To Make This Game leaves a weird and confusing one. You progress through the desolately dark town of Red Hives, trying to comprehend why the town’s inhabitants are behaving so strangely. With possessed individuals at every turn, there is some...

Rift of the NecroDancer: Hatsune Miku DLC – PC Review

26Jun

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Rift of the NecroDancer: Hatsune Miku DLC – PC Review

As Thumb Culture’s resident NecroDancer fanatic—Rift gained a TC Gold Award from me!—my eyes immediately lit up at the announcement of more new music packs. Celeste and Pizza Tower tracks got the Rift treatment in previous packs, as well as some Super Meat Boy tracks and Crypt of the NecroDancer favourites for free (cue many squees from me!). Now Cadence is back to conquer even more rifts, this time with an old friend who is no stranger to NecroDancer DLC. Virtual pop star and Vocaloid legend Hatsune Miku joins the fray with 6 new tracks to sharpen your rhythm skills and bop till you drop. Miku Miku Beam! Admittedly, despite being familiar with her, my only experience of Miku songs is through the Crypt DLC. So naturally, it stands to reason that I hear more of her virtual vocals through...

24Jun

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Quantum Witch – PC Review

Metroidvania meets point-and-click meets choose-your-own-adventure in Quantum Witch, a pixel art “plot-former” by solo dev NikkiJay. The game releases today on Steam. Heavily inspired by the ZX Spectrum, Jay explores her experience of growing up in a religious sect and embracing her true self through a tale of comedy, fantasy and the far-reaching effects of choice. In her own words: “a queer emancipation story”. You play Ren, a young woman living in the perfectly idyllic realm of Hus. Life seems quiet and simple: find your lost flock, pick a pretty flower for your wife, confront and dethrone God. Wait, what?! Suddenly, you get a glimpse of a destructive and encompassing force entwined in the roots of this slightly saccharine utopia. And you’ll be damned if you’re not going to get the bo...

1f y0u’re a gh0st ca11 me here! – PS5 Review

10Jun

By Richie VernonNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

1f y0u’re a gh0st ca11 me here! – PS5 Review

1f y0u’re a gh0st ca11 me here! is not only difficult to type, but also a new visual novel from Furoshiki Lab. It's live now on the PlayStation Store for £9.99. Disclaimer: This is not your usual text-based trip through Japanese school life. Instead, we have a story set somewhere between heaven and hell. It’s your job to work the help desk, receiving calls from lost souls in need of direction. Sounds normal? It isn’t. Who ya gonna call? To play 1f y0u’re a gh0st ca11 me here! is to experience one of the strangest video games ever created. Are you ready for a lore-laden trip to the netherworld? Then come with me. Just bring some biscuits and tea. This is going to be stressful. Gameplay Unlike many visual novels that sacrifice gameplay for story beats, 1f y0u’re a gh0st ca11 me he...

27May

By CharlieNo Comments

PC Reviews

Best Served Cold – PC Review

Best Served Cold is a brand-new detective-themed visual novel by the independent developer and publisher Rogueside Games. It's currently available on Steam with a planned launch on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X at a later date. Serve drinks, solve cases, and make sure the cops don't shut down your illegal little speakeasy. Whodunit? Oh, this one's a good one, alright. I have not touched a visual novel game in years, but I am so happy that I picked this game up. I got really invested in the story and basically binged the game in one day, much to the demise of my sleep schedule (once again). It's not my fault! I expect a handwritten apology letter from the devs for making their game too engaging. While we wait for that, let's have a look at the game, shall we? Also, let me...

8May

By CharlieNo Comments

News & Updates

Best Served Cold Is Out Now

Best Served Cold, the brand new detective-themed visual novel by the independent developer and publisher Rogueside Games, released earlier this week. Its currently available on Steam with an introductory price of £13.50. The title will also launch on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X at a later date. The game plays in an alternate history Europe. At the Nightcap bar, prohibition is a killer and so are some of your customers. Get ready to serve your best drinks and put your conversation skills to the test to solve a murder mystery! Shaken, Not Stirred As the city of Bukovie lies in strife, with labour strikes, rationing, unrest and a looming war over the peoples' heads, citizens choose not to cower in fear. Instead, they flock to the dance halls and speakeasies - this is wh...

13Mar

By Tyler DenyerNo Comments

Previews & Early Access

Scarlet Hollow – PC Preview

There’s something deeply unsettling about small towns. Maybe it’s how everyone knows your business, or perhaps it’s the sense that you might never leave once you’ve arrived. Scarlet Hollow, developed and published by Black Tabby Games, leans into that creeping dread with a masterful blend of mystery, horror, and pitch, black humour. Best known for Slay the Princess, the indie duo behind Black Tabby Games have crafted another narrative-driven gem where your choices matter, your relationships evolve, and no one is getting out unscathed. With four episodes currently available (out of seven planned) on Steam, Scarlet Hollow is already shaping up to be one of the most immersive experiences in gaming. Scarlet might be Hollow but this game is full of greatness What are you most excited about in...

7Feb

By StuartNo Comments

VR Reviews

Human Within – Quest 3 Review

We recently covered the news of Human Within releasing dev diaries, so we thought it best we follow that up with a full review. Developed by SignalSpace and published by Signal Space Lab, Human Within is a narrative-driven experience. Released at the start of January this year, let's check out whether it's worth your £15.99 (at time of writing on the Meta store) Immense Processing Power Are you a fan of narrative-driven games? Well, let us know in the comments what your favourite of all time is. Gameplay We join Nyla and her sister, Linh being held against their will. They are both Cyber Engineers who have developed a way to harness the power of the brain to create the ultimate computer. Unfortunately, with great power comes great responsibility, and Nyla wants to back out. We join the...

3Feb

By Rowen Cameron1 Comment

PC Reviews

Rift of the NecroDancer – PC Review

9 years after their critically acclaimed beat-busting dungeon delver, Brace Yourself Games teams up with Tic Toc Games and returns with a sequel that puts a new spin on a familiar mechanic, NecroDancer style. And here I am, an avid fan. Let’s rock! Rift of the NecroDancer fully leans into the rhythm genre and transports Cadence and co to a strange new world: ours. After dispatching a strange purple slime, crypt explorer Cadence is sucked into a strange rift which drops her into the present day. She soon discovers she’s not the only one mysteriously jettisoned and now working a day job, not to mention more strange rifts opening and turning regular folk into monsters from the Crypt. Using teamwork and sick guitar skills, Cadence and her friends must get to the bottom of this otherworldly phe...

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – PC Review

30Jan

By KatNo Comments

PC Reviews

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – PC Review

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector takes players to the Starward Belt, a richly realised, ramshackle set of habitats in an asteroid belt full of secrets, stories, and characters trying to make ends meet. Developed by Jump Over The Edge and published by Fellow Traveller. This is a massively anticipated sequel to one of 2022’s most acclaimed dice run RPGs. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is now out on Steam, grab your sleeper jacket and jump into this thrilling adventure! Great, another character that will haunt my nightmares. Developers Jump Over The Edge push the boundaries of the first game to make this an even more compelling story driven adventure now with even more challenge than before. The stakes are high but so is the reward. And with that in mind, let's get into it. Game...