Jess Kinghorn

Jess Kinghorn

Freelance writer

Jess is PLAY Magazine’s games editor, and is known for championing the weird, the wonderful, and the downright janky. A fan of cult classic JRPGs and horror, her rants about Koudelka and Shadow Hearts have held many a captive audience. Outside of writing about all things PlayStation, she’s also a lifelong fan of Nintendo’s handheld consoles. Having whiled away most of her college years playing The World Ends With You on the original Nintendo DS, she’s looking forward to uncovering all of NEO’s secrets too. Beginning her career as Official PlayStation Magazine’s staff writer in 2017, she’s since written for PC Gamer, SFX, Games Master, and Games TM.

Latest articles by Jess Kinghorn

Silent Hill 2 review; a man in a foggy street

Silent Hill 2 review: it's still a 'special place'

By Jess Kinghorn published

A worthwhile retro game to revisit.

Gaming
Hands-on Silent Hill 2 remake; moody images from a haunted American town

Hands-on with Silent Hill 2 Remake - I visited Konami in Tokyo to spend four hours playing its ambitious horror remake

By Jess Kinghorn published

Better than I could imagine.

Gaming
The art of making open world video games; images of fantasy characters from the game Baldur's Gate 3

The art of making open world video games

By Jess Kinghorn published

Game world-building masters from Larian Studios, Techland, HoYoverse, Billy Goat Entertainment and CD Projekt Red reveal what goes into crafting your favourite places on PlayStation.

Video Game Design
The art of Destiny 2: The Shape; sci-fi characters stand on a moon

Destiny 2: The Final Shape - game art 10 years in the making

By Jess Kinghorn published

Bungie's art team opens its doors and shares how the magic is made.

Gaming
Best anime games; a collection of anime characters

The best anime games of 2025 (so far)

By Jess Kinghorn published

Our expert gamer picks the best anime games games of 2023 to date, including the best anime games on Switch.

Gaming
Best horror games; a bearded man in green light

The best horror games of 2023 (so far)

By Jess Kinghorn published

Looking for the best best horror games to play right now? Our expert gamer picks the best scary games of 2023 to date.

Gaming
Alan Wake 2; making atmospheric game environments

Alan Wake 2 interview: the art of crafting chilling horror

By Jess Kinghorn published

Discover how the Alan Wake 2 creative team harness art and VFX tech to craft its survival horror vision.

Video Game Design
How to make an FMV game; a series of film stills

How to make an FMV game: 10 pro tips

By Jess Kinghorn published

Leading game developers reveal how to make an FMV game.

Video Game Design
The best FMV games; a woman surrounded by vampires with a 70s pattern

Wildly inventive and a little cheesy, these are the best FMV games

By Jess Kinghorn published

The best FMV games include retro revivals and BAFTA-winning artistic achievements. So which will inspire you you create your own video game?

Gaming
Most anticipated games of 2023; a mix of hit games for 2023

The most anticipated games of 2023

By Ian Dean published

The most anticipated games of 2023 include Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Starfield and The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom.

Gaming
Horizon Forbidden West review; people ride mechanical beasts

Horizon Forbidden West review: a large world you've explored before

By Jess Kinghorn published

Games Our Horizon Forbidden West review reveals a PS5 game with big ambitions but old ideas.

Games
PlayStation VR 2 developer reaction; a VR headset

Developer reacts to PlayStation VR 2 – will PSVR 2 be any good?

By Jess Kinghorn published

PlayStation VR 2 is only months away, so we asked VR developers Polyarc for their impressions of the new tech.

VR & AR
Best Switch Lite cases: photo of someone picking up a Switch Lite from a case

The best Switch Lite cases

By Jess Kinghorn last updated

The best Switch Lite cases that are either stylish, practical, durable, or all of the above.

Gaming
A man stands in front of red background in a promotional photo for Sony Talent League

Sony Talent League by THU is empowering future artists today

By Jess Kinghorn published

Turning pipe dreams into reality with Sony’s artist mentorship program that fosters new talent.

Digital Art