
Alan Wen
Alan Wen is a freelance journalist writing about video games in the form of features, interview, previews, reviews and op-eds. Work has appeared in print including Edge, Official Playstation Magazine, GamesMaster, Games TM, Wireframe, Stuff, and online including Kotaku UK, TechRadar, FANDOM, Rock Paper Shotgun, Digital Spy, The Guardian, and The Telegraph.
Latest articles by Alan Wen

This brilliant parody of The Elder Scrolls was made possible with pre-made assets
By Alan Wen published
The solo indie dev behind The RPG explains how customising off-the-shelf 3D models has helped.

Redesigning football? How Rematch reimagines the sport as utopian 'painterly and impressionistic' cartoon chaos
By Alan Wen published
Art director Sabrina Tobal on an aesthetic that's "futuristic, optimistic, with movement and cooperation".

The Midnight Walk review: like stepping into a Studio Laika animation
By Alan Wen published
This hand-crafted, stop-motion cosy horror game impresses.

How an inspired gamble on Nintendo Switch 2's mouse controls led to party game Mouse Work
By Alan Wen published
Nitrome's Mat Annal reveals how one of the best-looking Switch 2 launch games came about.

How the new fantasy world of video game Absolum was created in collaboration with an animation studio
By Alan Wen published
Supamonks' Maxime Mary discusses comic influences and the challenge of merging animation and game design.

The Midnight Walk is a 'cosy' stop-motion horror game completely made by hand
By Alan Wen published
Indie devs Moonhood's Klaus Lyngeled and Olov Redman have 3D scanned hundreds of hand-crafted models.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves review – a triumphant comeback that rekindles the series' classic fighting spirit
By Alan Wen published
SNK's original prize fighter still packs a punch with its comic book roots.

How indie rhythm game Unbeatable takes inspiration from Dreamcast and early 90s anime with its stylish hand-drawn animation
By Alan Wen published
Art director Andrew Tsai on the appeal of a style that embraces limitations.

I've been testing Switch 2's mouse controls for hours in Metroid Prime 4 – they're way better than expected
By Alan Wen published
Seamlessly switching between Joy-Con functions makes this more than just a mouse.

How Tanuki: Pon's Summer infuses its art style with the aesthetic of rural Japanese festivals and anime
By Alan Wen published
DenkiWorks' Liam Edwards explains why this is not just another 'Ghibli style' game.

Promise Mascot Agency review: Showa-era Japanese retro vibes, modern game design chores
By Alan Wen published
What if one of Yakuza's wild mini-games broke free?

The decades-old Doom 3 engine proves perfectly suited to new indie game Skin Deep
By Alan Wen published
Dev Brendon Chung explains why old "laser-focused" tech still matters.

South of Midnight review: Southern Gothic blended with fantasy in a tightly woven action-adventure
By Alan Wen published
Southern creature comforts.

How the South of Midnight art team achieved its artisan animation style inspired by stop-motion
By Alan Wen published
Art director Whitney Clayton and animation director Mike Jungbluth reveal how the Xbox game's eye-catching look is made.

How Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves reimagines its anime pixel art fighters for a new era
By Alan Wen published
SNK veterans Nobuyuki Kuroki and Yoichiro Soeda reveal what goes into updating a retro gaming icon for a new generation.

How Wax Heads hand-drawn 'cosy-punk' aesthetic was made using Godot
By Alan Wen published
Pattatie Games' Murray Somerwolff on recreating a music store narrative game with a brash post-punk comic book style.

Assassin's Creed Shadows PS5 review: feudal Japan at its most beautiful
By Alan Wen published
Great care is given to depicting this Japanese open world, though its dual gameplay is more conflicting.

How Ikumi Nakamura's 'art bible' helped create Promise Mascot Agency's grotesque mascots, and why collaboration in indie game development is vital
By Alan Wen published
Kaizen Game Works' developers discusses working with the former Tango Gameworks artist.

Wanderstop review: a surprisingly intricate, de-stressing tea-making indie game
By Alan Wen published
Self-reflection over a cuppa.

How Unreal Engine 5 is harnessed to blend photoreal environments with fantasy folklore in Among The Trolls
By Alan Wen published
Game director Luca Simonotti reveals how UE5 enables a perfect mix of art and game design.

How Wheel World's massive rolling landscapes were made possible with Houdini
By Alan Wen published
Small game dev teams can build large worlds without losing the human touch.

"The environment is like a character in the game": how Wanderstop's world design blends Art Nouveau and Impressionism
By Alan Wen published
The art inspiration behind the The Stanley Parable dev's new game.

How Unreal Engine and Epic's Megascan library made solo-developed Lushfoil Photography Sim possible
By Alan Wen published
Dev Matt Newell shares how he turned his hobby into a zen photography game.
Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.