Latest articles by Alan Wen
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.
How The Mermaid Mask introduces 3D objects to its detective work without compromising its 2D vision
The latest game in the Detective Grimoire series is also a continuation of its predecessor's aesthetic, with an extra dimension.
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake on Switch 2 is as beautifully terrifying as it is clunky and frustrating
A shot in the dark.
This solo dev's cosy game is set in a hand-painted Japan-inspired world made with Unreal Engine 5
How rural Japan and Shinto influenced Argyro Brotsi's debut game.
Why new sci-fi adventure Obex leans into low-fi DIY effects (and not AI)
“There are smarter, faster ways, but they lose something,” director Albert Birney says of his ode to retro games and physical media.
Resident Evil Requiem is Nintendo's best since the GameCube era, as our retrospective reveals
Resident Evil's history on Nintendo hardware has been one of innovations and limitations, including Requiem.
Why this solo dev rebuilt his Zelda-like Playdate game for Switch
Ratcheteer DX is a retro-inspired game with a clever lighting twist.
Virtual Boy was a design disaster in 1995, so why did I buy one for Switch?
Just $99 for the ‘authentic’ Nintendo VR experience.
