Geek Culture Reviews

Karma: The Dark World is not a game that tries to entertain with fast action or familiar horror tropes. Instead, it quietly unsettles you, pulling you into a slow descent through memory, guilt, and psychological decay. It is a disturbing, visually intense experience that trades jump scares for emotional tension and abstract storytelling. If you come into it expecting combat or traditional survival elements, you may be surprised by just how different it is from most horror titles. Story & Atmosphere - A Deep Dive Taking place in a dystopian version of East Germany in the year 1984, under the control of a shadowy corporate regime known as Leviathan The narrative places you into the shoes of Daniel McGovern, a special investigator with the strange ability to enter the minds of others. These so-called memory dives are where most of the game happens. You are not just reviewing crime scenes or solving clear mysteries. Instead, you are exploring fractured memories filled with hidden meani...

Could you survive the harsh environment of the Great Ursee?  Bulwark is the second title in the trilogy of games that’ll eventually make up the Falconeer Chronicles . Created by solo developer, Tomas Sala , the trilogy focuses on the inhabitants of the vast water world, The Great Ursee. A few years ago the debut title, The Falconeer took us to the skies on the back of a great falcon as we battled across various scenarios that depicted a war between the various houses that call the Ursee their home. This second game changes perspectives as we leave the skies behind to become city builders on the Ursee’s rocky archipelagos. The third game - when it’s released - will then change the perspective again, but for now, Sala hasn’t revealed much as to how.  For a bit of perspective, I’ve delved into The Falconeer before for both Geek Culture Reviews and further back, Flickering Myth. While my original review for FM is lost to the annals of time, you can check out my Nintendo Switch r...

16 characters brawling whilst dressed as dinosaurs! What could go wrong?… OutRage: Fight Fest is a party brawler that’s been developed by Hardball Games. The main premise of OutRage is to pit 16 players and allow them to pummel the snot out of each other in various ways. Where other brawlers task you with being the last fighter standing, OutRage mixes this up by adding objectives into the mix.  While I’m no stranger to battling my friends across various brawlers, I’m not a fan of performing complex combos. Where one of my mates reigns supreme in button combinations and flashy moves, I can just about perform a Hadouken! Thankfully OutRage forgoes these for a more casual experience that allows for anyone of any skill to pick up and play. It’s a simple brawler that’s not afraid to poke fun at itself and offers lightning-quick rounds that’ll throw you straight into the action.  There are plenty of brawlers to choose from and each comes with its over-the-top look. Costumes bor...

Rob reviews Alterium Shift on PC… Over the years the humble JRPG has found its home over on PC. While console players have their own market for the genre, it’s more prevalent on PC marketplaces such as Steam and the Epic Store. As such most fans of the genre have taken part in enough epic adventures that there’s probably not many more they can go on before the same old tropes come to the surface. Alterium Shift is the new kid on the block and is starting its life out within Steam’s Early Access. That being said, it’s definitely one that you need to consider as it’s interesting story, and vast landscape keeps its pixilated head above the JRPG waves.  Alterium Shift starts its narrative under those typical JRPG conditions. Recovering from a traumatic war with the local Dark Elves, the people of Alteria find themselves in a time of relative peace. However, this fragile peace is soon threatened by the existence of a set of magical amulets that allow for travel between dimensions. Soon ...

Rob reviews Gord on PlayStation 5… When it comes to base-building sims, you don’t often find the genre appearing on consoles. Head on over to Steam and you’ll be thrown into a figurative world of base-building delights. However, on consoles aside from the likes of Halo Wars , it’s hard for me to even think of a recent example.  Gord, which has been developed by Covenant.dev, and published by Team17 is a grim base-building experience that’s found it’s way onto consoles (as well as PC). Taking inspiration from Western Europe’s Dark Ages, Gord tasks you with taming the wild lands for your King, and surviving to tell the tale.  As Steward to the King, it’s all down to you on how this crusade will go. Get your decisions wrong, and your people will soon meet their maker. Thankfully you're not alone in this task and you’ll have the ear of three advisors to give you some well needed guidance. First off is local tribe leader Bogdhan who teams up with you to then offer his own people a...

Rob reviews Torchlight Infinite on PC… Torchlight and I have quite the checkered history. While I absolutely loved the original - and it’s sequel -  for me Torchlight 3 was when the rust started to show. The clear switch to a mobile oriented system that wasn’t quite realised at the time clearly hurt the game, with the end result being a “freemium” mobile title disguised as a full-fledged console title. As such Torchlight 3 ended up being just another failed Diablo clone.  Jump to 2022, and Chinese developers XD have their hands on the Torchlight universe. Now dubbed Torchlight: Infinite, XD have taken the classic formula and given it an MMORPG make over with a live service feel. Not only this, but the game is also available on iOS, Android, and Windows devices as a free2play title. And the icing on the cake? Well, Diablo founder David Brevik has been involved in the title’s development.  So, does Torchlight: Infinite reignite the dungeon crawler fire? Or does it hammer t...

Rob reviews Zool Redimensioned on PlayStation 5… When I ever reminisce about Zool it often brings memories of Christmas trips to my brothers house after he moved out. Back in 1992 when Zool first released I was 6, and my older brother Paul was the coolest person ever. Why? Well he had an Amiga with an absolute tonne of floppy discs, all in various boxes, cases, and just strewn across his floor. While 6 year old me would contend with the likes of Chaos Engine, and other forgotten gems - there was always one that stuck in my memory. From first discovering Zool, and getting my sibling to match up codes to then get another code that actually let us play the game (good old anti-piracy at its best!), and the opening that placed the space ninja into a candy filled world, I was hooked! While I can’t recall if I ever got off the opening level, seeing a badass ninja tackling a variety of confectionery - as a kid - was a pure delight. I mean…come on…Ninjas…and killer sweets!  Anyway, while I ...

Rob reviews Last Year on PC… If I had known that Last Year  was a 5 Vs 1 horror before accepting the code to write this review - I probably would of declined. Don’t get me wrong, while the genre does have its fans, I’m sadly not one of them. In the past I’ve dabbled with the likes of Dead by Daylight, Friday The 13th, and Evil Dead , but the premise didn’t really resonate with me. However, I am a fan of cheesy horror movies that feature dumb characters, doing stupid things, and ultimately getting their comeuppance in typically gruesome ways. This is where Last Year sets its atmosphere. It’s those cheesy horrors movies that have become a guilty pleasure for so many of us.  So, come with me back to high school as we attempt to survive the nightmares that Undaunted Games has in store. Set in the 90s, Last Year follows a group of teenagers as they’re  thrown into an alternate universe. Now trapped within a location that looks exactly like their school campus, the group soon f...