Latest articles by Alan Wen
How Cyberpunk 2077 accidentally inspired this gorgeous anime football platformer
Peter Soerensen quit his job, learned Unreal Engine and made Kick, a side-scrolling football game.
Directive 8020 review: a sci-fi horror that loses tension despite its Unreal Engine 5 upgrade
Supermassive's new technical highs can't overcome the lacklustre gameplay choices.
How Unreal Engine 5 helped Thick As Thieves build its gorgeous magic-punk world
Art director Matt Moore reveals how Lumen lit the Edinburgh-inspired world of this painterly gothic fantasy.
Will: Follow the Light review – stunning Unreal Engine 5 visuals can hide the rough edges
This indie nails lighting in the harsh north, but left me lost at sea.
Mixtape review: a stop-motion-like, post-Spider-Verse aesthetic you can play
The spirit of John Hughes, Take on Me and MTV in playable form.
How Unreal Engine 5 indie game Beastro uses 'paper puppets' to reinvent RPG art
Art director Kate Rado explains how tactile food, puppet theatre and a “charmingly weird” world are being made.
Why Splatoon Raiders' single-player focus is a ray of sunshine in a sea of competitive shooters
This lower-priced spin-off could be the Switch 2's sleeper hit this summer.
How Bubsy 4D turns a retro joke into a modern platformer worth playing
Indie developer Fabraz's take is more than a nostalgic re-skin.
Saros review: a smarter, sharper evolution of Returnal’s best ideas
A PS5-exclusive that blends retro headomism with Sony's cinematic gaming polish.
The weird brilliance of 'broken' realism in this upcoming game about AI
Prove You're Human uses FMV and photogrammetry in uncanny ways.
Forget nostalgia, modern pixel art is more than retro gaming
How Hattori Graphics, the Tokyo-based artist and animator behind Romeo is a Dead Man, is turning pixels into art.
“The opposite of AI slop”: how Mixtape’s handmade animation builds real emotion
The art direction and rendering tricks behind Mixtape's nostalgic feel are explained.
I played 25 hours of Pragmata on PS5 Pro and Switch 2 – here’s the real difference
RE Engine's tech is pared back on Switch 2, but it offers one unique way to play.
The Mii I made is still with me, and this is why Nintendo's design endures
From Wii Sports to Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, the timeless appeal of Miis explained.
Pragmata review: innovative AA action with AAA sci-fi sheen shoots for the moon and scores
One of the most original Capcom games I've played is refreshingly old-school.
This indie studio's first 3D adventure in an anime spirit world is like Spirited Away for grown-ups
Behind the lens of Opus: Prism Peak.
How Crushed In Time reimagines Sherlock Holmes as a LucasArts-inspired adventure
A 3D game disguised as 2D, and you can break it.
A decade in the making, Clockwork Ambrosia reinvents how Metroidvanias fight
Realmsoft's Nathan Hiemenz explains how mixing Super Metroid, Mega Man X, and Slay the Spire can work.
Darwin’s Paradox is an Unreal Engine 5 platformer turning an octopus into a Pixar-style hero
ZDT Studio's art director, Mikael Tanguy, on making a debut game with Looney Tunes absurdity.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Switch 2) review: old-school Nintendo with Pixar polish
The gorgeous visuals still do most of the heavy lifting in Ember Labs' Switch 2 debut.
This painterly indie game turns a children’s book into a playable illustration
How Hyper Luminal recreated Guridi's hand-drawn magic into 3D for The Day I Became A Bird.
Screamer review: the '90s arcade racer gets an anime redesign, and I love it
Italians do it better, with a little Japanese inspiration.
This solo dev is making a retro PC horror game that taps into Y2K internet fears perfectly
Shutter Story is like a nostalgic J-horror version of Her Story.
