The best rebrands have the power to breathe new life into a brand, and Purple Garden's serenely beautiful new identity is no different. Born of spontaneity and experimentation, this unique rebrand is proof that the unconventional can result in something truly divine.

With Mother Design’s Wild Card initiative in mind, the team worked with a Purple Garden holistic practitioner to encourage experimentation with unfamiliar disciplines. Creating instinctively with paper and charcoal, the designers sought to bypass conscious thought, with the resulting forms, textures and feelings becoming a creative foundation for the identity.

"Transferring something as intangible as psychic power into a brand identity was a chunky challenge that we wanted to get right," explains Jo Tulej, creative director at Mother Design. "It had to begin with the audience. Purple Garden is aimed at people who have had spiritual readings and practices, and the business objective was to cement the brand’s place as the leader in the category. Therefore, we had to create something visual and verbal that would feel familiar and resonate with these ‘seasoned seekers’, but in a fresh way, that would communicate Purple Garden’s elevated offering.

In order for us to tap into that, we knew we had to experience it ourselves to understand and make something that felt authentic. Some of the Mother Design team had experience with spirituality; others didn’t, so we enlisted the help of a holistic practitioner from the platform to guide us through a chakra reading and automatic drawing and writing workshop. A brand audit with a twist, you might say!"

"The word séance comes from the words sitting or session. We were inspired by Hilma af Klint and The Five, a group of women who would come together and enter trance states to bypass conscious thought and draw and write freely. They believed they were connecting with a higher consciousness and receiving messages which translated into the marks they were making. Af Klint is a pioneer of Western abstract art, and her work predates the likes of Kandinsky and Mondrian.

We wanted to immerse ourselves in spirituality and see if that could be baked into a design process in order to create great work. The chakra reading and automatic drawing/writing took place as a group workshop in which the whole team participated. We then came back a few days later and sat alongside the drawings and writing and discussed what we were seeing and noticing. To have had this experience with an advisor from Purple Garden was an invaluable way to gain insight as well as an invigorating creative process," Jo continues.

Life and vitality breathe throughout the design, manifesting in the wordmark's combination of elegant serifs and curved junctures that appear to grow outwards. Paired with a digital-first, crystal-like glyph, the design positions Purple Garden as a source for "grounded guidance", while Literatura Present and ABC Social typefaces balance feelings of whimsy with practical legibility.

Spiritual energy emanates from the brand's diverse imagery, capturing images of "charged objects" to represent services like dream analysis and psychic readings. With "solarised glows and flame-like ripples", each image represents the energy exchange between practitioner and customer. Naturally, the colour scheme features a variety of rich purples associated with intuition and higher consciousness.

"This year we’ve been so lucky to rebrand not one but two psychic services platforms (Keen and Purple Garden)," Jo says. "What has surprised me is how different the two product/brands now feel, and how divergently we’ve been able to explore and push their identities. Again, this all comes down to getting under the skin of the audiences and aims of the business in order to sharpen the creative ideas and design expression.

For the Purple Garden process specifically, I was struck by how the initial séance experiment gave us a totally different way of starting a branding project. It was slow, unclear and required a lot of trust and to a certain extent, vulnerability, from our team. By protecting this time, and removing a traditional ‘KPI’ from the output, I believe it gave our client a much richer, robust output, sensitive to the category and its audience.

So often in the branding process we have less time that we’d like, and the more intangible ideas can get pushed to the side, but at Mother Design we always try to protect this ‘wild card’ time and encourage our brilliant team to experiment."

"One challenge we faced was how to create a world that feels of the spiritual category and familiar to its fans, but also fresh and exciting, avoiding the clichés whilst drawing on symbolism that would feel universal. So we did use the category (and namesake) purple, of course, but built out a much earthier, richer palette of 7 hues to stand out against the category’s usual flatter tone. We also used pictures of nature, but they appear transformed through these solarised glows, so they have a new, magical quality to them.

Similarly, in messaging we had to find the right balance of engaging customers to take action without falling into the category tropes of urgency and pressure, ie. Book fast. Get answers. Act now. Instead, we created a voice based around a duality: Active Contemplation, that can meet you where you are and either guide you forward or slow down for more reflective moments," Jo explains.

"There’s a ton of detail and craft that went into everything, for example, creating a wordmark with ligatures that feel as though they’re sprouting, and the organic, interconnecting letter placement. The team spent a long time experimenting with lots of different processes and tools till they found a visual style for the charged objects that felt right for depicting spiritual experiences. I’m really proud of all those details that emerge the more you engage with the identity and the impact it has.

I’m also proud of the way each part of the identity, from the charged objects, to the living type, to the guiding voice, all work together to express the Living Practice idea and sense of continual growth; so it really feels like a world as opposed to disparate elements," Jo concludes.

Discover more about Mother Design and Purple Garden.

With over 20 years in the filmmaking industry, Christopher has seen a huge evolution (check out our previous interview for more). As a production designer leveraging the power of practical effects, he argues that there's still space for tactile design in the film world – all it takes is a bit of courage and open-mindedness.

You'll need one of the best drawing tablets to get started, but more specifically, it has to be one of the best iPads for drawing, since Procreate is not available for Android tablets, Windows PCs, or standard desktop computers.

Take a look at Phoebe's tutorial below and let us know if you have any questions.

Brush number 3 that Phoebe creates is the coolest, in my opinion, and looks perfect for creating blood, dust or dirt splatters in the places you need it.

For more on the basics of drawing, see our how-to-draw tutorial series. You might also like to check out the best drawing books.

Starring in some of the best adverts of the 2000s, the Dolmio family carries quite the legacy for the brand. In a world of social-first branding and AI slop advertising, Dolmio's return to form is an ingenious response to audiences that are growing increasingly hungry for human-led design.

To understand more about the Dolmio family's grand return, I caught up with Kyle Whybrow, ECD at Elmwood London, to understand the value of nostalgia and the art of reviving brand heritage.

Every detail was considered and balanced: the subtle nuances in their features that feel familiar yet new, the clothing, the choice of material, the texture of their skin and hair, right down to the micro facial expressions and the wrinkles under the eyes. We took learnings from the great puppet and animation houses, because those tiny movements are what make a character feel alive and let people connect with them.

It was all about respecting where they came from while making them feel right for a modern audience. The red dot and the family make each other stronger: one gives instant recognition, the other gives people something to love. Fresh doesn’t have to mean new. Sometimes it just means sharper.

For the 40th, the family was rebuilt digitally, so we held every frame to the standard of the handmade originals. That’s why I don’t see it as analogue versus technology. Unreal Engine, motion capture, or the Puppetiser in Australia that lets families ‘puppetise’ themselves are brilliant when they serve the idea. Slop happens when the tool becomes the idea.

That makes sense, because typically in video games, the people who walk past you on the street are visual wallpaper. They give the impression that other humans are around, but they have no individuality.

This is exactly why the 2021 film Free Guy, in which Ryan Reynolds lives a repetitive, meaningless existence in a video game world, worked so well. We were all already in on the joke.

But now comes Grand Theft Auto 6, and its makers, Rockstar Games, are about to blow the concept of non-player characters right open.

Beyond the algorithm

In a cover feature for Edge, Creative Bloq's sister print magazine, the studio reveals it art-directed every one of the game’s NPCs, creating around 600,000 animations in the process.

Normally, procedural systems assemble background NPCs, making them largely interchangeable. Grand Theft Auto VI's non-player characters, however, will have their own personalities. Which means any Free Guy sequel (long mooted, but never confirmed) may have to rethink its premise entirely.

According to the Edge article, Rockstar set up a dedicated LA-based team of writers, directors and producers whose job was to make the pedestrians of Leonida, the game’s fictional take on Florida, feel individually realised.

In practice, this means NPCs have personality traits that shape how they react to you. These include their temperament and aggression, where they are, what they’ve seen and how you’ve treated them. Different districts even have their own demographic and professional mix.

Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, describes a process of constantly asking how people might behave. “Who’s going to be aggressive? How many people will go for a weapon? How many are going to test me?”

Why creatives should care

Not only is this making me even more excited to play the game – even more excited than this brilliant GTA/South Park tie-in or these saucy GTA ads – it also says a lot about where we are as a culture. At a time when much of the creative industry is looking for faster, cheaper ways to fill digital worlds, Rockstar has done the opposite. And the rewards, I feel, will be immense.

We all talk endlessly about games being "immersive". But a city doesn’t feel real because of its landmarks. It feels real because of the passer-by who takes offence to something at precisely the wrong moment.

As D&AD’s AI & Creativity Report put it this year, AI has raised the floor, but not the ceiling. GTA 6 looks like an attempt to raise the ceiling the hard way, and I simply can't wait.

The catch is, it ain't cheap. So for Amazon to trim it down, with the $1,999 configuration down to $1,839, is a big deal.

That’s a saving of $160, which is not nothing. So if you’ve been nursing an older MacBook, this is a great opportunity to upgrade.

The star of the show here is the M5 chip, which makes everything super-fast. It topped Geekbench’s single-core results when we tested it, and the GPU has also taken a big leap over the M4. If you're running a lot of demanding creative software then, this is the model for you.

Storage is quicker too, with the SSD now running at over 6,000MB/s, almost twice as fast as the previous generation. Finally, the 120Hz display offers excellent colour reproduction, and in our tests it covered 93% of the P3 gamut.

It’s not perfect. It has Thunderbolt 4 rather than Thunderbolt 5, and video and 3D pros may get more from a Windows machine with a dedicated Nvidia card. But for graphic designers, illustrators and photographers, it’s hard to beat. Read our full MacBook Pro M5 review for more.

“In the dark there are secrets and things to be explored,” he says as he explains his approach to the art and creature design you'll find in FLASK. “I see my work as a dark room, with a door slightly ajar at the end, where a little light comes in.”

That ajar door has made Mortensen a go-to name for the macabre. Now he’s opening it onto video games with FLASK, a dark fantasy roguelike deckbuilder from Chop Chop Games.

Inspired by Jim Henson’s 1986 cult classic Labyrinth and the thrash metal of Slayer, FLASK mixes gruesome fantasy, medieval imagery and black humour. Nightmarish creatures roam, magic is best handled with caution, and even a wizard has to worry about the mortgage on his tower.

For Mortensen, the leap meant taking his pen-and-paper illustrations digital, working with a team of artists to turn his monochrome creations into a playable world. That’s a big shift for an artist who has spent most of his career working solo across books, comics, animation, TV and exhibitions.

I caught up with Mortensen to talk about finding his visual identity, the music behind his monsters, and what it’s like to step into game development for the first time. And, of course, you can download FLASK on Steam this Halloween weekend (and beyond), and follow Mortensen on Instagram for more eerily good art.

Read the full Q&A with Mortensen below, and he's even shared a couple of new creatures coming to FLASK very soon.

Game marketing usually runs on slick trailers and carefully managed hype. A dog poo weapon demo inside a crudely animated cartoon is the opposite of that, but it works. The latest episode of South Park (or is it South America now?), ‘Guinea Pig on a Stick’, aired on 28 October and included around 20 seconds of previously unseen gameplay from the forthcoming open-world game, GTA 6.

The clip follows protagonists Jason and Lucia along a busy Vice City beach before switching to Jason, who spots a dog doing its business on the sand. The owner dutifully bags the mess, but Jason has other ideas. He throws something at the hapless dog walker, grabs the bag of poo and smacks the NPC round the face with it. Charming.

GTA 6 gameplay debuts in South Park episode

The visual clash is half the fun. South Park’s flat, cut-out look has barely changed in decades, and dropping a few seconds of Rockstar’s richly detailed, near-photoreal world into it makes the game’s fidelity stand out more than another polished trailer would. The footage is the real thing, too, with Rockstar Games credited in the closing credits.

From a branding point of view, it’s a refreshing move. GTA 6 is the biggest entertainment release of the year, if not the decade, and Rockstar could simply keep releasing bigger trailers and let the internet amplify them (having begun with an equally unique Netflix reveal). Instead, it’s placing the game inside a piece of pop culture that already has an audience, and a voice, of its own.

It’s in keeping with a campaign that has been playful from the start, from a neon logo that reads as a love letter to Vice City and box art that leans hard into PS2-era nostalgia to cheeky parody ads that blur reality and fiction on the streets of Miami.

Rockstar's new GTA 6 gameplay in South Park follows a trend

It also doesn’t feel like an ad. South Park has been referencing GTA 6 all season, so the appearance lands as a punchline rather than a paid slot. Both brands trade on irreverence and a willingness to go further than their rivals, so the tone matches. Nothing feels forced. That’s more than can be said for the brands trying to borrow the Vice City look, from Burger King to Shrek. Rockstar keeps official tie-ups tightly controlled, and the Miami Heat’s Vice City merchandise is a rare example.

There’s a nice bit of brand history here, too. The narrator of the gameplay footage is voiced by Tish Hicks, who also provided the voiceover for GTA 5’s official gameplay video back in 2013. It’s a small touch, but it’s the kind of consistency that makes a brand feel coherent over time, and longtime fans will spot it.

What I like most is that Rockstar is letting a comedy show poke fun at one of its biggest selling points: the extraordinary detail of its worlds. That apparently includes weaponising dog mess.

With GTA 6 due on 19 November, there’s still time for more surprises. If this is the template, I’d take it over another dozen predictable cinematic trailers.

Pre-order GTA 6 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S:

But such an eccentric story needs immersive production design to match – that's where Christopher Glass comes in. To understand the meticulous practical effects process behind I Love Boosters and more, I sat down with Christopher to uncover the intricate artistry of production design and the evolution of the industry.

When there is work, it tends to be less creative and completely risk-averse. There is a focus on collecting libraries of “content” versus actually having an interest in making great films, TV shows or commercials. That’s why movies like “I Love Boosters” and what NEON and A24 are doing is much needed today.

In an ideal world, film companies would break away from these monstrous corporations and return to smaller autonomous studios, run by people who truly care about telling unique and compelling stories.

We used miniatures on “I Love Boosters” in a different way. Almost the entire third act is a combination of full-scale and 1/6th and 1/12th scale miniatures. We have stop-motion characters running across moving vehicles, down streets and alleys. It was an intentional choice for the handmade look.

In fact, when we were shooting, our Director Boots Riley thought some of the miniature shots started looking too real and told the folks at Blind Beagle FX (the miniature company run by Christopher Warren) to make them look more “miniature.”

One time Spike asked me to move the coffee table about 4 inches in one direction. I had to explain to him that the metal table, with a spring-loaded stretching magazine was attached to the stretching rug, and both were bolted into moving tracks underneath the floor connected to levers hidden just out of view of the perpendicularly moving walls at the end of the room… So it wouldn’t be easy.

Everything in that set depended on precise placement, choreography and movement. Every pattern and texture of fabric had to be precisely made and printed to achieve the “pixel” stretching effect throughout. The umbrella on a stand, a bike and a lamp had to be meticulously sculpted to be extruded by movement.

The large moving wall actually hovered on air bearings and was timed to the music. The hallway was made of ribbons stretched with so much tension, it bent the original steel frame and had to be rebuilt before shooting. The list goes on and on. Nothing was easy about that project. I thought it was the end of my career, and it was all going to go down in flames. But to my pleasant surprise, we won a Gold Cannes Lion for Film Craft.

Coming in close second for most difficult was “I Love Boosters!”

Discover more about Christopher Glass.

From its trend-defying product design to its slick campaigns, Nothing oozes style in an effortless way that many brands will spend an eternity trying to capture. Sometimes it's not about competing for the best adverts or the swankiest product launches, but building something authentic.

Nothing has been on my radar for a while, particularly after it employed 365 party girl Charli XCX to promote its Headphone model. Nothing came out swinging, announcing Charli as its first Global Brand Ambassador, marking a distinct finger on the pulse of pop culture. With a Midas touch for all things cool, getting the BRAT composer to be the face of its brand was an instant boost in social clout.

But Nothing doesn't just embrace this party lifestyle as a fleeting trend. The return of its Club Nothing (R) initiative sees the brand support grassroots music scenes, underground parties, and alternative sound experiences with a $40,000 grant. This year's winners, Black Bass Collective, Oroko Radio, Whorechata and Signal, represent a diverse array of independent music culture, providing a much-needed boost for the struggling and uncertain status of the live music scene.

In short, Nothing's 'cool' image isn't just performative; it's productive. Often, brand philanthropy can come across as virtue signalling, but Nothing knows its place in culture and is actively helping to improve the industry that supports it. Being cool is much more than getting the latest trending celeb to rep your tech – it's about living and breathing community.

For more Nothing news, check out why Nothing designs its phones “like logos” or take a look at why the Nothing Phone (4b) makes no sense, but we still love it.

One moment early in his career led to one of Patrick Stewart's most inspirational quotes. Near the end of his time at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, his director Duncan Ross hauled him in for a dressing-down: Stewart was holding back, and it showed on stage. Ross’s advice stuck with him for years, when he was told: "You will never achieve success by insuring against failure".

As reported by Broadway World, Patrick Stewart repeated that advice over the years, and it’s easy to see yourself in it. We all have a go-to subject, a favourite brush, a style we know will land. And when a sketch starts heading somewhere odd, it’s tempting to bin it and start again. Play it safe long enough, though, and you end up making the same piece on repeat.

So next time you’re facing a blank canvas, try the thing you’re not sure about. It might flop. It might also give you something you’d never have found by sticking to what works.

The Star Trek and Marvel Cinematic Universe art books you need:

Apple and Samsung have been at war for what seems like an eternity, resulting in some of the best adverts of all time. While brand beef can, at times, be a little overplayed, Samsung's latest ad demonstrates how it can be used to create a welcome bit of buzz for both brands.

The ad stars a shiny green apple with a "NEW" sticker pasted on it (no points for guessing what this represents). In swoops the Galaxy Z Fold 8, slicing the competition with ease. From its thinner profile to its many generations, Samsung boasts it's been "years ahead in foldables", while the fresh apple slice struggles to fold itself.

Created by Samsung partner FOREAL, the design studio boasts, "Every frame [was] made by actual humans," joking, "We know, very 2019 of us." Fans praised the human-made design, with one writing, "Wow, beautiful effects!" while another called it a "10/10 Apple diss."

For more brand beef, take a look at how Etsy shaded Bezos in its anti-Prime Day campaign or check out why Apple iPhone Duo screens are cracking in exactly the same place.

The DaVinci was one of the early high-profile IEMs associated with the JM-1 target and the “New Meta” tuning trend. In terms a normal human can understand, that means a broadly balanced sound, with a generous dollop of extra bass and a relatively relaxed treble. In practice, many people loved its warm, full-bodied sound, but others found the bass overdone and the treble a little too subdued. Still, some of the best representatives of this sound are featured on my list of the best IEMs under $500 for a reason. You'll also find them on my list of the best budget IEMs too.

On paper, the Vitruvian looks like Dunu’s answer to those critics, and suggests the brand is moving in the same direction as much of the industry: towards a more natural, neutral sound. Let's dig into what we can expect...

What's changed?

Interestingly, Vitruvian started life as the DaVinci 2, and the first prototype essentially turned everything up: the same big bass, extra treble drivers and even a bone-conduction driver.

But then, in response to feedback at the Shenzhen International Audio Show, the brand changed tack. Consequently, it reduced the bass, boosted vocal clarity and dropped the bone-conduction driver.

The new name – inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man; a naked male figure in two overlapping poses – reflects that shift towards balance. The design pairs two dynamic drivers, one for deep sub-bass and one for bass, with five balanced armatures handling mids and treble.

That’s one more than the DaVinci, and Dunu says the extra treble driver brings smooth, open highs with more air and no harshness. It also promises the bass hits harder and faster than before, even though there’s less of it.

In the box, you get a modular cable with swappable 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs and 13 pairs of ear tips. The earpieces themselves sport vintage-inspired faceplates with precision gear details.

Industry shift

For years, the Harman target, with its boosted bass and bright upper mids, has shaped how most headphones and IEMs sound. Lately, though, brands seem to be going for something more natural.

Sennheiser’s HD 480 Pro is a great example. In our review, we called them the best closed-back headphones we’ve heard due to their neutral, balanced sound, with just a touch of bass warmth. As for IEMs, the CrinEar Reference tops our guide to the best IEMs under $500 thanks to its balanced tuning.

The Vitruvian probably won't go that far: Dunu talks up its “enveloping warmth” and “deep bass presence”, making it sound more like a nudge towards neutral than a leap. That said, for anyone who found the DaVinci’s low end overwhelming, that nudge could make all the difference.

That’s what Steve Jobs said about the idea of a touchscreen MacBook in 2010. Those comments have been dredged up far and wide across the internet this week, as Apple yesterday launched, yes, the first ever touchscreen MacBook Pro. Clearly Apple thought the moment had finally come to give the concept a chance. And after testing it at the launch event in LA, I think the company might just be right.

But even before touching the device, I was intrigued by Apple’s marketing of it. The name, MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, makes no mention of touch (although ‘PROLED’ is up there with ‘Apple Intelligence’ as an example of the company’s hilarious penchant for ‘brandifying’ existing words and phrases). Right from the bat, it seems Apple isn’t trying to pitch touch as the laptop’s headline feature. Indeed, judging by the cheer in the room, you’d think the return of the illuminated Apple logo was the biggest update.

When viewed as a bonus, an additional input option to sit alongside the traditional trackpad and keyboard, touch starts to make sense on the Mac. It’s useful for certain tasks, such as scrubbing through the timeline in Final Cut Pro, playing a virtual keyboard in Logic Pro, or pinching to zoom in on photos or maps. But it’s clear that, unlike the iPad, the Mac simply isn’t a touch-first device. But for creatives, a brand new input option can only be a good thing.

It helps that Apple has got the hardware and software just right. The PROLED display is absolutely stunning, and the touch super responsive (I experienced no latency when testing the aforementioned Logic Pro keyboard). And small software touches, such as the way the close/minimise window buttons enlarge when touched, make the experience much less fiddly than you might expect.

But it isn’t perfect. Apple claims that it has strengthened the hinge to reduce wobble when touching the upright screen, but I still noticed a fair amount of rebound. And while testing Final Cut, there were times when I found the trackpad more accurate.

Simply put, it’s a nice-to-have. And it’s a nicer-to-have than I expected. Had Apple gone ahead and called this the ’MacBook Ultra’, my eyebrows may have raised considerably more. Because on a notebook-style laptop, a touch screen is never going to feel like an ‘Ultra’ feature. In this case, though, it’s a delightfully well-executed bonus feature.

The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is available to pre-order now, starting at $2899.

The independent studio has opened Early Access, by request, to the Atelico AI Engine, a toolkit for adding language models, image generation, speech systems and AI-driven character behaviour to games. It works with Unreal Engine, Unity, and Godot, and runs on players’ own hardware rather than cloud servers.

Atelico says developers can give NPCs personalities, motivations, relationships, and memories that shape their later actions, so a character could react to something you did hours earlier instead of following a fixed dialogue tree. In a video released today, it shows some rough ideas of how this works, with the player character offering an amount for a sword and the shopkeeper 'remembering' the day before the same player offered more coins, and so he ups the price. The release doesn’t name a game that uses this system yet.

Games have remembered player decisions for decades, though. Branching dialogue and reputation systems are hardly new, so the question is whether generative AI makes them more convincing, less memory-intensive, or just less predictable. An NPC that remembers you betrayed them sounds good, but if the game only gives them a different line of dialogue, that’s not much of a leap.

What matters is whether developers use those memories to change how a character behaves, so your choices feel like they count without driving the game down dead ends; after all, that shopkeeper could keep raising prices or even decide you don't have good credit, and any kingdom-saving shenanigans are over because one guy wouldn't sell you a sword.

Gameplay AI versus asset AI

Atelico's AI Engine idea differs from simply prompting an algorithm to vibe a game or asset. Most of the backlash against AI in creative industries has centred on how it produces work. Artists have objected to models trained on their work without permission, and developers worry studios will use generative tools to cut costs and jobs. In the 2026 Game Developers Conference survey, 52% of industry professionals said generative AI was bad for the industry, up from 30% the year before.

Generating a background texture or creating a 3D model from a sketch or text, as Maxon's AI announcement is teasing, and managing an NPC’s memories are different propositions. The first can replace an asset an artist might have been paid to make. The second is a gameplay system, and could give designers new ways to build interactive stories.

The two do overlap. The AI Engine also generates images, and Atelico’s debut game, Bobium Brawlers, lets players describe a creature in plain language and get a portrait and playable deck on their phone.

Several questions remain open. Atelico says the engine supports open-source language models and uses its own image-generation technology, but it doesn't say how any of those models were trained. It's also unclear how much control developers have over output, or what happens when an NPC says something that undermines the story. The studio says the engine has safeguards to keep output aligned with a game’s creative direction, including a safety pipeline that rewrites problematic outputs instead of blocking them. Those claims will need testing in real games.

Running on-device means, in Atelico’s account, no recurring server costs, no network latency and player data staying on the player’s hardware. It doesn’t answer the training question, and local inference still strains players’ devices, though Atelico has the ethical agreement ARC, the Artist Rights Contract, a creator-agreement framework that proposes upfront compensation and consent for how its AI is implemented.

I'm interested in developments like the AI Engine and Nvidia's similar ACE platform for gen-AI NPCs, because they could lead to new gameplay ideas and ways to interact with game worlds where choice matters. An NPC that remembers what you’ve done could make a game feel personal, or at least offer choices that matter, not the illusion of choice.

Sign up to Atelico's Wishlist for Early Access to AI Engine and see if there's anything to it.

For full details on why I think this is the best closed-back headphone, head over to my detailed HD 480 Pro review. It's my top overall pick in my list of the best-sounding wired headphones of any price.

Usually retailing at $439, the HD 480 Pro Plus package is down to $399, matching the list price of the base model while bundling Sennheiser’s dedicated protective travel case and premium accessories at no extra cost. In short: you get the best closed-back headphone out there, and a free hard travel case!

The new benchmark

For me, the Sennheiser HD 480 Pro is simply the finest closed-back pair I've tested, setting a fresh benchmark in a slightly compromised category.

Any manufacturer can tune cans to sound exciting, with booming mid-bass and ear-piercing treble spikes. Sennheiser took the far more difficult route of making everything sound fundamentally correct. It's basically the most exciting 'boring' set I've ever heard.

Instead of the boomy, loose bass that plagues most closed-back sets, the HD 480 delivers low frequencies with speed, detail, and grip. It avoids encroaching on the lower midrange (for the most part), ensuring vocal clarity remains intact. Those vocals and acoustic instruments sound lifelike, avoiding the scooped or honky timbre common in studio tracking headphones.

Lower highs are smooth and relaxed without sacrificing detail or a sense of space, giving high-frequency elements actual body rather than harsh sizzle. I can totally understand if someone wants more treble than the 480 Pro gives, but sibilant treble is fatiguing. You don't get that issue here.

At just 272 grams, the chassis avoids the heavy clamping force associated with traditional tracking cans. The modular architecture with washable, replaceable components also means you'll be able to hang on to yours for decades of daily listening.

At Creative Bloq, we also felt for the artists who'll never get to build these games or see their Mass Effect 5 work seen widely. Now one of those artists has just added his voice to the chorus in quite an unexpected way.

On X, Sparth revealed that from April until last week, he'd quietly been working as art director of the Mass Effect franchise. In other words, he was responsible for what the next Mass Effect would look like. Yet now, nobody will ever see it.

It's a story every creative will recognise: a talented team doing some of the best work of their careers, only for it to vanish into nothing because of decisions made by people way above their pay grade.

So what just happened?

In case you haven't been paying attention, here's a quick recap. Founded in Canada in 1995, BioWare made role-playing games where you play a character whose choices shape the story. Its Mass Effect trilogy (2007-12) became one of gaming’s most celebrated series, but recent releases disappointed, and its umbrella company EA, now carrying around $20bn of debt after a Saudi-led buyout, has cut 400 jobs and closed the studio.

Now, here's the skinny on Sparth. Real name Nicolas Bouvier, he's worked as a concept artist in video games since 1996, with credits including Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, the original Assassin's Creed, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, and Halo Infinite.

Outside gaming, he's painted more than 100 sci-fi and fantasy book covers and authored the Structura series of art books. He's been a regular presence on Creative Bloq and our sister title ImagineFX over the years, sharing everything from his custom Photoshop brushes to VR sculpting experiments.

In his X thread, he says it was "a privilege to work alongside such a talented team, with the shared ambition of exploring new creative territories while staying true to the legacy and spirit of the Mass Effect trilogy."

Next comes the sucker punch. "Knowing that this work will never see the light of day is truly heartbreaking. We were good at this. We really were. I'm thinking about the team, the talent, what we could have achieved."

And then, perhaps the most telling line of all: "In nearly 30 years in this industry, I've rarely seen a group so tightly knit, so experienced, and so good at working together. And I feel extremely honored to have been part of it."

As for his own future, Sparth is candid in saying: "I simply don't know. For now, I'll take some time before figuring out next steps. In the meantime, I wish everyone affected all the very best for what lies ahead."

Big shoes to fill

So why is this such a big deal? Well, it's largely because of who Sparth was replacing. Derek Watts was Mass Effect's long-time art director, and the man most responsible for the trilogy's distinctive look. He retired before work on the new game was complete, and replacing him would never be easy.

Mike Gamble, BioWare's project director on Mass Effect, makes that clear in a reply to Sparth's thread. "Nic, you were incredible," he writes. "There are few people on the planet I would have chosen to replace Mr Watts after he retired, and I'm glad we got to work together." Sparth's response is characteristically modest. "Derek's legacy was everything. I was humbly an extremely dedicated participant to an amazing human adventure, thanks to you, him, and the team."

On paper, this appointment was inspired and looked set for great things. In practice, we may never see Sparth's work on the project, which EA owns.

What might have been

Agonisingly, though, we've learned a fair bit about what the team was building. An internal trailer has leaked online, reportedly revealing the title "Mass Effect: Universe", and YouTuber Dantics, who sat on a panel of fans BioWare consulted during development, has shared details that IGN says it has verified.

According to Dantics, the game is set more than 600 years after the original trilogy, in a galaxy split into three rival power blocs, more like an interstellar cold war than another apocalyptic invasion. One of those, the Geth (a race of sentient machines from the original games), had become a superpower that built huge megastructures.

Players would have taken the role of a customisable secret agent, a James Bond type with experimental implants that let you see through walls and hack your surroundings. Missions would have been handcrafted, but with lots of freedom in how you tackled them, and fan-favourite character Liara was set to return.

Dantics says it "looked incredible", and the responses to Sparth's thread suggest that many fans agree. "I have to say the artistic vision was/is phenomenal," writes one. "I can only imagine what else there could have been."

It'd be great if EA released some of the Mass Effect concept art one day. It would be a small but meaningful way to honour the BioWare staff who've lost their jobs. In the meantime, whatever Sparth does next, I'm sure we'll be featuring his work on Creative Bloq again soon.

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Croc. I remember playing a demo in a Virgin Megastore in Canterbury and falling in love with the little green crocodile, the daft characters, and the bright worlds, but then I played the full game, and it tested my patience. You’d line up a jump, the camera would disappear, you'd misjudge the distance, and you'd end up back at the start of the level. Charming? Yes. Infuriating? Also yes.

Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos arrived in 1999 as an ambitious sequel for the time, with larger levels, hub worlds to explore, more secrets, and fuller controls. It was also a time when 3D platformers were still figuring out how to work in three dimensions. Super Mario 64 had set the standard for camera-relative movement, while Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon found their own ways to make 3D spaces feel natural. Croc, like Gex and Bubsy 3D, stuck closer to tank-style controls, which could feel stiff and unresponsive.

Twenty-seven years on, that background and context matter because Croc 2 remains a curious bit of gaming history, but Argonaut has done something sensible and simple with this remaster: it’s made Croc less annoying.

Croc learns some new tricks

The big change is the controls, and the difference is immediate. Croc now moves with the freedom you’d expect from a modern 3D platformer. Running, turning and jumping feel natural, transitions are smoother, and the new triple jump gives you the height to reach platforms that once demanded a fiddly mix of positioning and luck.

The improved camera helps too, especially when you’re judging a leap and trying to work out where a platform sits; those spiked pits, rope swings, and elevator platforms no longer have me tearing my hair out, thankfully, because nearly 30 years on, I have less of it to tug out in frustration. None of this sounds revolutionary, but it’s exactly what the game needed to be playable in 2026.

If you grew up with the original and prefer the old tank controls and all the pain that comes with them, you can switch back. You can even mix things up, using the shoulder buttons to sidestep and line Croc up for a jump, while still using modern controls. The original experience remains: longer levels, tricky jumps, weird little characters, and collectables; you just don’t have to put up with its flaws.

The graphics get the same light touch. The old worlds are brighter and more colourful, with updated textures that freshen things up without losing the charm of those chunky, low-poly characters. Croc still looks like Croc, with boggle eyes and a little squat run, but it's sharper, cleaner, and brighter. You can flip back to the original visuals, complete with CRT scanlines, at any point from the Pause menu, and the old textures have their own scruffy charm that will take you right back to playing on the first PlayStation.

A bigger adventure, with some very odd characters

The adventure spans more than 40 levels across four villages: Sailor, Cossack, Caveman and Inca. It offers more variety than the first game, with different environments, missions, and vehicles. Croc can ride minecarts, race cars and speedboats, glide through the air and even fly a wooden aeroplane. But some of these mini-game-like additions are fairly basic; for example, calling them ‘speedboat’ races wouldn’t pass the Trade Description Act, maybe ‘trundle-boat racing’. Essentially, don’t expect Mario Kart.

Putting aside the remaster’s updates, Croc 2 remains a fairly straightforward platformer, and some levels feel like a string of small rooms with obstacles rather than carefully built playgrounds. You can collect crystals, rescue Gobbos and hunt for secrets, but don’t expect the intricate design of a modern indie platformer or even the sandbox of Toy Story 3 Complete Edition.

Even with the better controls, the levels often lack depth. Some are short and sweet, others drag, and the challenge can still come down to nailing a jump rather than solving an interesting bit of level design.

Argonaut has made some useful behind-the-scenes changes. Footprint Gongs have been refined so respawns put you closer to where you fell, meaning less ground to cover. Anyone who remembers the original will appreciate that. You can still lose all your lives and get booted out of a level for a hard restart. There are no rewinds or quick saves to bail you out. I don’t mind, though there are moments when you wish the game were a little kinder, such as when you get close to the end of a level with one Heart remaining and a series of platforms you know will slide the little fella into a lava pool, because the game still has some historic design choices like slightly drifting momentum.

But for those of us who liked the character but struggled with the originals, this Croc 2 remaster is a much more enjoyable way back into a semi-classic game.

The Croc2pedia is a little treasure

I could happily have played the remaster just to see how much better it feels, but the Croc2pedia is what makes this release interesting.

This in-game museum is packed with original development material: design documents, marketing assets, 3D models, animation tests, and cut content. Poking around these old files and seeing how the game came together is a real treat. I especially liked the design files that detail how the game was pitched and what the developers wanted to achieve at the time – 360-degree movement, yay! – and the character and level models, which show the thinking behind the finished game and the ideas that were dropped along the way. Stuff like this usually vanishes into a studio archive or ends up scattered across fan sites.

The 90-minute Croc2mentary is another highlight. It pulls together interviews with members of the original and remaster teams, split into five- and ten-minute chunks, so you can dip in, watch a few and get back to the game without committing to a full documentary.

And for a series with a complex history, Croc began life as a 3D Yoshi platformer before becoming its own thing; it’s a reminder of how projects change direction and how characters and mechanics evolve as a team wrestles with creative and technical problems.

I ended up spending more time in the Croc2pedia than I did playing the game itself. Even if you’re not a Croc 2 fan, it’s well worth a look if you’re into game art, character design or world-building. As I said in my recent Joe & Mac Retro Collection review, the more remasters that offer historical extras, the better, and Croc 2 does it better than most.

Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos is a fun time capsule

Is Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos a great game? Not really, and it never was (don’t hate me, Croc fans). It’s cute, colourful and fun in short bursts, but the level design is simple, and it still carries the limitations of its era. It does play better than I remember, though. The new controls, triple jump, and improved camera remove much of the original's frustration.

And if you really hate yourself, you can set everything back to the original settings and remind yourself just how awkward ‘90s platformers could be. The option to switch back to tank controls and old-school visuals means you lose nothing. You can play Croc 2 as it was, or give the little mascot the freedom it probably should have had all along.

For me, the Croc2pedia is what makes this worth buying. The interviews, design documents, artwork, curated insights and cut content give an otherwise solid remaster a reason to exist beyond nostalgia. As a platformer, Croc 2 is an enjoyable little curio, but as a window into how games were made, it has teeth.

Over on X users bombarded the teaser video with reactions, from the somewhat restrained, “You guys are gulping the whole AI stuff without its users in mind” to the angry, “I’m going to have a good laugh when they use AI to reverse-engineer all your programs, and you go bankrupt. If you’ve got the nerve to screw us artists over, I hope you get a taste of your own medicine,” and the blunt, “A slop generator, cool”.

Some looked beyond outrage and perhaps gave Maxon some leeway to see where this can help: “If you want to use AI in a 3D program, the most useful feature would be for making UVs. I hate UV'ing; it's like making the model again,” says a user.

Of all the comments, I find this one from ‘Augenhorn’ sums up the situation generally with AI in creative apps, with just the right balance of cynicism, scepticism and grudging concession: “This is not how people will use it. They will feed in AI slop to get out a slop Model and then fiddle around with it tiredly, only to go all the way over to get scammed by Higgsfield. Anyway, nice feature though; it’s all not your fault… love and pay C4D for 14 years now.”

Maxon embraces generative AI

This isn’t Maxon’s first time with AI, and it follows Autodesk's lead in using the tech to make 3D modelling and animation more accessible. In March, Maxon announced a partnership with Tencent Cloud to bring its HY 3D generative AI engine into Cinema 4D, letting artists generate base 3D models and UVs from text prompts or image references. The plan is to let artists take those AI-generated starting points into Cinema 4D's existing tools to sculpt, refine, animate and render them. This could tease a fuller reveal of that integration.

Cinema 4D remains one of the best 3D modelling software packages, and also now supports AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude, which can use the software's tools to handle jobs like organising scenes, creating material variations, and setting up renders. The idea is to take some of the more repetitive work off an artist's hands while keeping them in control of the scene.

But there's a difference between an assistant that helps you get through a tedious afternoon of production work and a tool that generates 3D assets from a prompt, and artists have different opinions on where that line should sit, even as brands like Maxon, Autodesk, and Adobe begin to blur it. Maxon's AI plans have already attracted criticism, including its response to Digital Twin, its tool for placing existing 3D product models into AI-generated marketing environments.

The wider creative AI dilemma

With all this in mind, and knowing AI is affecting creative jobs, it's unsurprising that when another AI tease appears, some artists don't exactly reach for the champagne. The bigger concern is how quickly creative software companies are embracing generative AI, and whether the promise of faster workflows is worth the potential cost to the craft and the people who make a living from it.

It's not yet clear whether this latest teaser ties into the planned Tencent integration, Cinema 4D's existing AI assistant tools, or something entirely different. Until Maxon provides more detail, it's hard to judge what the tool will actually do, let alone whether artists should welcome it or worry about it.

Still, Maxon is finding that selling AI features to a creative audience isn't as easy as some software companies might have hoped. Artists want to see what these tools can do, but they also want to know why they're being made, how they'll fit into a real working day and what the company thinks the future of 3D art should look like.

Since the launch of the MacBook Neo, we've seen Apple opt for a quirkier marketing style, and I, for one, am here for it. From the introduction of the Lil' Finder Guy mascot to the release of some of its best adverts to date, Apple finally feels like a brand with personality.

In a new Instagram post, Apple flexed its classic #shotoniPhone campaign with a twist, showcasing the work of young creatives. From a Photo Booth inspired mirror to a larger-than-life hand-crafted iPod Nano, Gen Z are looking to the past with a contemporary twist.

"Reminds me of the 90’s PlayStation ads more of THIS please," one fan responded. "Seven photographers, one phone, and every frame feels like a different mood. It's a nice reminder that the best camera is mostly about who is holding it," another added.

Over on X, the attention was on one particular image – a high-fashion jacket comprised of tangled wired EarPods. "Apple this is stuff of nightmares," a fan on X joked.

The selected images strike a perfect balance of nostalgia and modern design. As Gen Z transforms the familiar into tactile contemporary art, there's an element of disorder and playfulness that signals Apple is finally letting go of its slick, space grey stuffiness.

For more design inspiration, check out Apple Music's new logo or take a look at how this modded iPod became our design editor's favourite piece of tech,

But the Italian studio's crowdfunded Food Devils, due for release on 3 November on PC via Steam, is the Fire Emblem-style tactics RPG he's always wanted to make.

Beyond the grid-based battles, it's a different take on the genre, not just because it's also a roguelite. You play as the last chef in a post-apocalyptic world, hunting monsters and turning them into tasty dishes for your restaurant. You won't be alone, though, because you can also sign contracts with the Food Devils, each representing a different aspect of food throughout humanity's history.

"When approaching such a vast theme, we wanted a mix of concepts commonly associated with food, without being too cliché," Kamon tells me. These include the Hunter Devil inspired by prehistoric cavemen and dinosaur themes, the Fisher Devil that takes the form of a refined Japanese-style swordsman (with the irony that all fish have disappeared in this world), and even a Vegan Devil, which is a twist on the typical nature theme, since it wouldn't be vegan to eat a vegetable monster.

"For each character, we went through various design phases, from initial brainstorming to a pool of three possible designs," Kamon explains. "We then put those three designs up for a vote among our VIP Kickstarter backers and collected a lot of useful feedback, which we used to create the final designs."

Given the Fire Emblem inspirations, the character design is notably influenced by anime, including the suggestive fanservice the aesthetic is also associated with. It's fair to say that a factor in the popularity of many modern JRPGs includes how visually appealing the characters are, and whether you can romance them, something Food Devils consciously leans into.

"We adore making anime games, but we also wanted the appeal of the art style to be immediately recognisable on social media, so we followed the 'meta' of the anime games community and made very appealing characters and scenes. I must say, it worked," Kamon laughs, just as aware it's not going to convert anyone who already assumes anime is for perverts. "We can’t make a game that literally everyone will love, and we want to focus on our target instead."

There's nonetheless a lot of substance to the game's loop itself, which you can also check out for yourself in a pretty meaty prologue demo that contains around 3-4 hours' worth of content, which should put to bed assumptions that it's just 'thirst trap' or 'waifu bait'. "Unfortunately, there's a tendency nowadays to associate suggestive content with low-effort bait, due to the huge number of AI-generated hentai games or the increasingly revealing characters in gacha games," Kamon admits. But even as a small remote studio that relies on outsourcing, including 2D animation and localisation, the team has kept core aspects in-house, including concept art, while layered art is prepared before being sent to freelance animators.

While the Food Devils are the obvious highlights, you can also recruit countless procedurally generated human adventurers. Creating all the possible variations arguably required far more effort and assets, even though they were intentionally designed to be less memorable.

"In a roguelike, you often lose units, and that's part of the stakes of the game (and part of the fun)," Kamon explains. "So we designed the Devils to be the main story characters, while the adventurers serve as the units that accompany you on your adventure. They're more akin to the custom heroes in Etrian Odyssey or Darkest Dungeon."

While he admits it would have been easier to generate these units as 3D characters, the 2D character presentation, whether on the grid or side-by-side in battle, was intentionally meant to evoke the 2D Fire Emblem games. "We opted for a 'seinen' art style with thick, black lines and darker tones in character portraits, especially for the Devils," Kamon adds. "One of our main inspirations was Berserk. There's a stark contrast between how Guts and the demons are drawn and how the 'kinder' characters are. So we wanted to replicate that contrast in our aesthetic too, with the Devils and monsters versus the human adventurers and colourful food."

When it comes to designing the food, Kamon actually drew on his own experience as a home cook. "To me, food is what connects people," he concludes. "It's also one of the main reasons why I made a game about food: everyone has to eat, no matter their background. When designing the recipes, I keep this concept in mind and try to make something that I could imagine a lot of people enjoying in real life too, then swap the ingredients for monstrous ones!"

Food Devils launches on 3 November for PC, and you can download the free prologue demo on Steam.

Well, until a couple of years ago, anyhow.

For the last two Christmases, unfortunately, the soft drinks giant has ruined it all for me by sticking AI-generated effects into its commercials. Not just that, but actively boasting about it. (If you were lucky enough to miss last year's monstrosity, our article Coca-Cola's AI ad just ruined Christmas... again allows you to relive it in all its gruesome glory.)

I mean, I can understand the shop down the road – the one that never seems to have any customers and is clearly operating on a shoestring – reaching for gen AI to save a few pennies. But a company valued at $400 billion? Do me a favour.

So it's a real pleasure to see Prada heading in the right direction here. Drawing Prada, its holiday campaign for 2026, brings its celeb ambassadors (Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Chen Haoyu, Kelvin Harrison Jr and Luther Ford) into cartoon worlds drawn entirely by hand.

A sardonic fox trails Maya through the snow; a goofy lynx peers out from behind a tree at Kelvin; and a trio of mice make off with Sadie's spotty loafers. It all feels very "classic Disney", and that's no coincidence.

The animation was directed by John Pomeroy, who started out at Disney in the 1970s, co-founded the studio behind The Secret of NIMH with Don Bluth, and later returned to the House of Mouse for Pocahontas.

Alongside him on the Prada campaign is lead animator Tom Bancroft, whose credits include Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and Mulan.

"What's great is that John called the band back together," Tom explains in Prada's behind-the-scenes reel. "He called a bunch of us that had been working at other studios for many years doing traditional hand drawn animation. It's great to be back and doing this for Prada."

That experience and that enthusiasm show. Prada itself never mentions AI slop, but then it doesn't need to. This is the antidote, staring you in the face, and it's utterly delightful.

A campaign that puts experienced animators back to work, and celebrates what they do, is certainly something I'd like to see a lot more of. If a fashion house can see the value in that, then surely the world's biggest soft drinks brand can too. Over to you, Coca-Cola.

After getting a few days listening to these new earphones, what's important to me is that the MiracleOne, on sale today for $199.99, prioritises comfort and design just as much as sound quality. It's enough for me to consider it for our list of the best IEMs under $500.

What am I talking about? Well, the MiracleOne uses just one driver, so it’s tiny (6mm across, where most single-driver sets use 8-10mm). That means smaller shells, lessening the strain on your ears over long sessions. And the design is a really cool transparent resin that allows you to see what's going on inside. A design choice I can definitely get behind.

Looks and specs

The shells are made from transparent resin, so you can see the gold 2-pin sockets, the acoustic tubing and a small black circuit board, finished off with a polished metal nozzle. In short, if you like seeing the gubbins in your gear – the sort of approach popularised by the Nothing range – you’ll love it. If you don't, you won't.

The driver is made from a soft, springy silicone material, and sits inside two small sound chambers designed to tune the sound. One of these is designed to take the harsh edge off high notes. The other keeps the bass tight.

Handily, the cable detaches from the earpieces, so you can replace it if it breaks. You also get a carrying case and ear tips in three styles, each of which tweaks the sound slightly (fuller, clearer or more spacious). Note that you’ll need to pick your plug when you order. The standard 3.5mm suits most people, while the 4.4mm might be better for dedicated music players and headphone amps.

Here's the killer question, though: how does it compare with similarly priced IEMs? Well, listening to the MiracleOne, I immediately thought of the classic New Meta Kiwi Ears KE4 – one of our choices among the best IEMs under $500?

The KE4 is a hybrid with two dynamic drivers and two balanced armatures, while the MiracleOne relies on just one driver. Both have a warm, easy-going sound, but the KE4’s big strength is its midrange – vocals and instruments come through rich and detailed, backed by a wad of bass that can sometimes get a bit boomy.

I'd say that both the KE4 and the MiracleOne share a similar deep, rumbling bass, but MiracleOne has better separation between that bass and the midrange. They're both smooth in the upper mids, but I feel that vocals are a little more forward with MO than the KE4.

Ultimately, I think this is a strong single-dynamic IEM that trades punches with an established classic, so it's well worth checking out. The fact that it looks better than 90% of IEMs isn't going to hurt its chances of success either.

The pair that first opened my eyes was the Sennheiser HD 550, and it blew me away because its neutral/bright sound profile encouraged me to focus on higher frequency detail that I otherwise wouldn’t have noticed. The HD 550 also offers an excellent midrange with natural timbre, but it was the exciting treble that I fixated on.

The $400 Sennheiser HD 480 Pro isn’t here to excite you. Made for studio pros, specifically for tracking and mixing, the 480 Pro isn’t made for audiophiles, so instead of throwing fireworks at you, it delivers a neutral, balanced, accurate sound signature.

The result is the best closed-back pair of headphones that I’ve heard yet, and my new go-to recommendation if you’re looking for a set of the best-sounding headphones on sale today.

Sound profile

Overall, bass and treble are gloriously well-balanced without overshadowing the midrange. That’s a feat for any type of headphone – including the more forgiving open or Bluetooth sets – let alone a closed-back pair. The overall sound is correct-sounding with a touch of warmth. Nothing is out of place, and listening to music I’ve been familiar with for several decades, it all just sounds as it should.

The only negative aspects to the 480 Pro are preference-based, as opposed to glaring tuning errors. For example, you might prefer a different approach to treble than the 480 Pro – yet the 480 Pro’s treble is the best version of its approach that I’ve heard. Altogether, this is an exceptional-sounding headphone, and the best closed-back I’ve ever used.

Bass: This bass is full with plenty of detail and slam, putting a focus on sub-bass yet still offering plenty of mid-bass punch. I find this presentation detailed, with some nice ‘grip’ to it. If I’m nit-picking, I can totally see it being too much bass for audiophiles searching for Perfect Neutral, yet what’s on offer here doesn’t step on the toes of the midrange. It does, however, lend a warmth to things that some might not like (it’s definitely my jam).

You can get bigger bass in the far less expensive $160 FiiO FT1. However, you don’t hear bass in a vacuum, and where the FT1’s midrange’s clarity is hit by the wads of (wonderfully executed) low range, the 480 Pro’s overall balance remains faultless.

Playing Parliament’s Give Up The Funk, I love the fullness of Bootsy Collins' guitar bass in the intro. It has body and slam, backed up with a substantial sub-bass that grounds the whole thing. On lesser sets that simply ramp up the bass, lower frequency details get lost easily, and listening to familiar music becomes frustrating – you can't hear the detail you know is there. That’s not the case with the 480 Pro. I get quality and quantity, and let there be no doubt, there’s plenty of quantity here!

Midrange: There’s more focus on the mid and upper mids, and less on the lower mids here. That makes the bass and lower mids seem more distinct, which is a presentation some people will love, and some will feel lacks cohesion. For me, the 480 Pro has the best of both worlds here, with the mid-bass being distinct enough from the mids so it hits hard, but not so much that the lower mids sound lean.

The ear gain region – the bane of many a headphone tuner – is exceptionally well done. I hear a little dip just before an elevation around 2.45kHz then again at 2.9-3.5 kHz, followed by a noticeable dip around 4kHz. The former elevations are never too much, and serve as extra seasoning on male and female vocals.

4kHz is actually an area which usually gives me issues, so I tend toward headphones that plateau around 2-4kHz instead of putting a spotlight on that area. The HD 480 Pro isn’t shy in this region, but it still doesn’t come across as shouty or grating. Instead, everything in the midrange comes across as timbrally correct. That’s basically the hardest thing to do with audio – any chump can make headphones sound ‘exciting’. The HD 480 Pro makes instruments and vocals sound correct, all balanced with each other. And when you put on a beautifully-produced track, the results are ‘right’.

Treble: To my ears, there’s a generally relaxed approach to the lower treble that I initially read as dark. However, the more I listened to the 480 Pro, the more I found Sennheiser’s approach to the treble was purposeful and in accordance with the balanced approach of the bass and mids.

I get a little spice around 6.6-7kHz, a dip around 8kHz, and then a little bit more around 9kHz. But as with the ear gain region, these slight peaks give added dimension to the sound, rather than sounding piercing or sibilant. In fact, this is the smoothest detailed treble I’ve heard, whether open- or closed-back. Michael Jackson’s remarkably bright Billie Jean has all its stabbing peaks rounded off, and Lucinda Williams’ jarringly sibilant Sweet Old World blends in rather than stands out. That never happens!

Of course, as I've said, a subtle, smooth, balanced treble isn’t everyone’s idea of audiophile-grade audio (Grado still sells headphones, after all). I happen to love the HiFiMan HE1000, with its comparably elevated treble profile. I love that it, along with its incredibly open ear cups, gives me a sense of crisp detail – it’s what I think of when I think ‘audiophile’. And yet, the HE1000 isn’t a practical set for everyday use. It’s a specialised headphone for specific moments. With its balanced sound, the Sennheiser is both an everyday set for YouTube doom scrolling and a specialised set for critical listening. It’s a rare bird in that it excels in every area, so that it may appear unexceptional. That's far from the case.

Price, value, alternatives

At $399/£339, the Sennheiser HD 480 Pro is in a competitive price bracket. It's also in a tricky spot for budget-conscious creatives who may look to the cheaper workhorse classic, the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro ($200).

The value proposition here, however, is undeniable and convincing. Where the DT 770 Pro offers bucket-loads of perceived detail with its incredibly elevated, sibilant treble, the 480 Pro offers unparalleled neutrality that can be enjoyed for hours on end without fatigue.

Closed-back headphones notoriously struggle with boomy bass, due to internal acoustic reflections and resonant standing waves trapped inside the sealed ear cup. But Sennheiser tames low-end clutter without muddying the mix. This is really very rare. Factor in the featherlight 272g build and washable components, and it’s a brilliant, durable investment. For me, at $400, this represents excellent value. After all, it's one of the best headphones I've heard, and it will last many, many years.

HD 480 Pro vs Focal Azurys

The HD 480 Pro slams just as much as the renowned Focal Azurys in the bass, but it's cleaner and clearer, without reverting to the overly-bright approach of the Focal set.

The Azurys is a very comfortable, cool-looking pair of headphones, but it offers more of a V-shape sound profile than the perfectly-balanced HD 480.

The upside of that is that the Azurys is a more exciting, dynamic pair of headphones. More bass and more treble mean more contrast. The midrange is really good with the Azurys as well. Yet it's not the star, as it's slightly overshadowed by all the excitement. You get none of these compromises with the HD 480 Pro.

For me, the smoothness of treble in the HD 480 allows everything to pull focus, whereas the comparatively sharper Azurys can sound almost hollow in comparison. And I think this is largely down to treble, as both cans sound very similar in the midrange (and certainly graph so).

The Focal Azurys retail for $599, though you can currently (and frequently) get them for more like $449 over at Amazon, and though I'd recommend them to certain people, I'd recommend the HD 480 Pro to everyone.

HD 480 Pro vs FiiO FT1

I have a soft spot for the FiiO FT1 – and not just because they are one of the best value pair of closed-back headphones in existence, at $165 over at Amazon. They sound fantastic, with their vaguely absurd levels of bass, which is plenty detailed and only messes with the lower mids a bit (coping much?!)

But A/B testing the FT1 with the HD 480 Pro, I still think it holds up... kind of. Sure it offers a more dynamic V-shape sound profile to the Sennheiser cans, but just like the Azurys, it does exciting well. The bass is definitely the boss here, but the midrange isn't just bullied around as is the case with so many bass cannons.

However, when comparing the treble responses, it's like comparing a scalpel to a sledgehammer. The HD 480 Pro walks a fine line between detail and sibilance.

Switching between the two on K-Lone’s glitchy treble showcase 'slk', the FT1 ramps up the highs, almost shouting the detail at you. While the 480 Pro conveys all the same top-end information with more body. I know that might sound weird, to refer to treble having body, but that's what I get from the 480 Pro – a far fuller picture.

DAC/Amp requirements

The Sennheiser HD 480 Pro is relatively easy to drive despite its 130 Ω impedance, because its sensitivity is reasonably high at 107 dB SPL (1 Vrms) or 98 dB SPL (1 mW).

What that means in practice is an M-chipped MacBook or modern PC will drive the HD 480 Pro effortlessly with ample headroom.

For music listening, a $9 Apple dongle will give you all the clean power you actually need. The only real limitation would be maximum volume if you're working with quiet, uncompressed studio recordings – which I don't!

Bottom line: for the majority of music fans thinking about buying the HD 480 Pro, as long as you have a $9 Apple dongle, you're golden.

Build & comfort

Build and comfort are big wins for the Sennheiser HD 480 Pro. Although it may look like a lot of other headphones, this set really is amongst the most comfortable out there.

It's the combination of light plastic, stainless spring steel, and soft velour ear cups that make this a durable, lightweight headphone that doesn't register even after hours of use. And with that steel, you know this headphone is going to retain its shape, no matter how it's treated.

This level of comfort is rare on a single headband headphone (ie, not headphones with dedicated comfort straps to distribute the weight on your head). I've previously had to add an additional Capra strap to make most single-band headphones bearable – such as the FiiO FT1, or the HEDD D1. And all these super light materials are replaceable – the detachable headband padding is even washable!

The width and depth of the ear cups are such that my average-sized ears never touch the driver housing, and the depth and soft materials of the cups mean that the passive isolation is excellent.. This is actually one of the highlights for me, as I work in a home office with my beautiful (noisy!) wife and an equally beautiful, noisy gaming PC. With the 480 Pro, I get to immerse myself in great sound, and not be distracted by either.

This is a well-designed headphone that's not built for show, but is built to last a very long time. For $400, this should be the standard – if I'm going to spend $400 on headphones, I want to be listening to them in 20 years' time. And there's no reason that won't be the case with the HD 480 Pro.

Should you buy it?

I've given this pair of headphones a full five stars, so the answer is obviously, 'yes, yes, yes – of course you should buy it'. But that doesn't mean they're for everyone.

So, who is this headphone not for? I think any audiophile who wants a detail monster set that offers high-treble sizzle excitement and accompanying hearing loss should give the 480 Pro a miss. Instead, pick up a HiFiMan– my current favourite is the HiFiMan HE1000 Stealth.

The Sennheiser 480 Pro doesn't get in the way of the music. It presents it honestly and clearly. It lacks the fireworks of the more exciting sets out there, but this is a pair of headphones that you can use all day, every day with absolutely no issues – in sound or comfort.

If you want timbral accuracy, supreme comfort, and the passive isolation benefits of a closed-back, there is currently no better option than the Sennheiser 480 Pro.

I always preferred Bonk!'s oddball platforming and Toki's tighter, almost shooter-like design to the Joe & Mac series, but in the early ’90s, if you owned a console, you needed Data East's caveman ninja. The cavemen were daft, the dinosaurs were enormous, and the colours leapt from my old CRT. I was happy to revisit these games on Switch 2 (I'm playing the Switch edition), but I wasn’t expecting the two sequels to leave the biggest impression.

The Joe & Mac Retro Collection brings together three Data East SNES games: Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja, Congo’s Caper, and Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics (known as Joe & Mac 3 in Japan). They’re all variations on the same prehistoric platforming idea, but each takes it in a slightly different direction. The original is an arcade conversion, Congo’s Caper is a proper console platformer of the era, and the third game adds a small map, some exploration and the option to build a camp and woo cave girls. Well, you didn’t get that in Toki.

Three caveman games, three different takes

The original Joe & Mac is the simplest of the bunch. You run, jump and fling weapons at dinosaurs and other prehistoric nasties, moving through colourful stages until you reach the next boss. It’s straightforward arcade stuff, and the loose animation makes it easy to forgive the old-school frustrations like sudden deaths, enemies respawning just off-screen, and forced weapon pick-ups that make life harder (does anyone really like the stone wheel throwables?).

The dinosaur designs are still adorable. Their eyes bulge when they’re hit, and their little bodies wobble, and even getting battered by one is funny to watch. The bosses, though, rarely offer much of a challenge, and the action doesn’t have the staying power of the games that follow.

Congo’s Caper is where things get more interesting. Its core design has more in common with Sonic the Hedgehog and Kid Chameleon than the arcade original, with greater emphasis on platforming, exploration, and finding things tucked away off the main route. Hidden rooms and collectables give you a reason to poke around, and the climbable vines that grow up the screen are a lovely bit of old-school design. Take the easy route, or hang around while the vines grow and see how far up you can get?

Then there’s Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics (erm, 3?), which returns to the original's action-platform template but takes it a step further. There’s a map, you choose which levels to tackle, and between bouts of dinosaur-bashing you can build a camp and woo cave girls by spending collected stone coins on flowers. It’s a much bigger game than the original, with a bolder art direction and more to do than just reach the end of a stage.

I can’t escape the feeling that this one owes something to Toki. The bigger pixel designs and seed-spitting combat remind me of that game’s mix of shooting and traversal. The ground shifts beneath your ape’s weight, ice makes him slide, and the levels offer more than just platforms and enemies to clear. It borrows from a good source, and the extra ideas work.

Having all three together lets you watch the series work through those ideas. The first game nails the basic formula; Congo’s Caper makes platforming the main thing in a very 90s console-specific way – more complex levels, secrets, power upgrades, collectables – and Lost in the Tropics brings the two together with some exploration and more ways to dispatch dinosaurs. Most people will remember the original, but the sequels have more legs, more ideas and, in 2026, more playability.

Bosses, bonkers animation and rewind

The art is what keeps me coming back, and honestly, it's what I loved about these games back in the '90s. These games are bright, chunky, and full of character, with exaggerated 16-bit animation that makes everything feel slightly over-the-top and vibrant. The bosses show it off best in their exaggerated, head-heavy designs and attack methods: a T-Rex spits its caveman lunch, and a diplodocus spurts water jets.

The new Boss Rush mode lets you take on the bosses from all three games in succession. The later games offer more variety, and it’s a good excuse to enjoy the designs without replaying entire levels. I particularly like how Lost in the Tropics teases its bosses before you fight them. The triceratops that smashes through an ice wall piece by piece is wonderfully dramatic. The effect is simple, but the build-up makes the reveal land.

Red Art Games has included the modern conveniences you’d hope for. Rewind rescues you when an old platformer catches you out, and save states mean you don’t have to replay the same sections to get back to where you were. It also offers an optional CRT filter and a selection of custom frames, which smooth out the old pixels like the TVs would.

More than a ROM collection

There’s some real preservation work here. You get the Western releases alongside the Japanese editions, including the uncensored Japanese version of Caveman Ninja, which will interest anyone curious about how these games were presented in different markets.

The virtual unboxing lets you look over the original SNES boxes, cartridges and manuals, and an art gallery gathers concept designs and character sketches. You don’t get the feel of a real manual, as the physical editions will, due for release in 2027, but you can flick through the originals.

I’d have liked more on the people who made these games, perhaps interviews or oral histories. Digital Eclipse has shown how much richer a retro collection can be when it pairs development stories with the artwork and packaging, as I found in the recent Toy Toy Story: Retro Roundup! + Toy Story 3 Complete Edition. Here, I wanted to know more about the artists behind those bulging dinosaur eyes and how the games changed from one entry to the next, but I only had the sketches to look at.

Should you buy Joe & Mac Retro Collection on Switch 2?

This collection is better than I expected. Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is still a charming slice of early-’90s arcade platforming, though it shows its age. Congo’s Caper is more inventive and rewards exploration but feels like a very of its time platformer, while Lost in the Tropics takes the series somewhere bigger and more involved.

The lack of developer interviews is a missed opportunity, and these are still old platformers with all the quirks that entails. But rewind, save states, and Boss Rush give them new life, and the virtual packaging and art gallery show that someone cares about preserving them properly.

If you remember playing Joe & Mac in the ’90s, you'll find plenty here. If you don’t, the two sequels might surprise you, and that's why I’d recommend it.