Brandon R Chinn

Opinion

Final Fantasy VI is the Most Important Final Fantasy

Why this 1994 classic remains a fixture of the series

Opinion

How Playing Picross Has Forced Me To Re-Examine My Manuscript

The addictive nonogram puzzler is a bountiful insight for writing a novel

Opinion

How Unions Could Heal a Sick Gaming Industry

Game development is a labor rights issue

Opinion

Revisiting Crimson Shroud, a Forgotten Cousin of Ivalice

Part visual novel, part tabletop RPG, all Yasumi Matsuno

Feature

Yoshi's Island, the Perfect Platformer

The best entry in the Super Mario franchise doesn’t focus on the plumber

Opinion

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors: An Equation of the Unknown Self

How this escape room visual novel remains unparalleled in character and story

Opinion

Golden Sun is the Best RPG You’ve Never Played

This handheld masterpiece deserves to stand tall beside its role-playing brethren

Opinion

The Architecture of the End

Living in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne’s beautiful hellscape

Opinion

The Inviting Brutality of Mega Man

Gleaning joy from intense difficulty

Opinion

My Unstoppable Love for Sonic the Hedgehog

Despite a bumpy road, the Blue Blur is as fast as ever

Opinion

Revisiting The Last Guardian

Does this flawed, beautiful masterpiece hold up five years later?

Opinion

Final Fantasy XIV and the Video Game Constant

The comfort game that is always there

Opinion

P.T.’s Haunted Soul Lives in Resident Evil Village

Beneviento’s Dollhouse is memorable and terrifying

Opinion

Breath of Fire IV is the Apex of Original PlayStation RPGs

This underrated gem remains impressive, years later

Feature

NieR: Replicant and Experimental Narrative

The video game medium excels at defying expectations

Opinion

Bayonetta 2 is Pure, Blissful Fun

Sometimes enjoyment truly is the goal

Opinion

How to Talk About Video Games

Why Resonant Arc’s analysis on Final Fantasy VIII is a refreshing take on game critique

Opinion

Disco Elysium and the Advancement of Video Game Storytelling

Something beautiful is going to happen

Opinion

Final Fantasy X-2, and Recovering After the Fall

The Sphere Hunters’ dystopian romp is much more than just “the girl Final Fantasy”

Opinion

Fatum Betula and Games as Atmosphere

The surrealism of the unknown

Feature

Revisiting Gravity Rush

Why this criminally forgotten game is one of the best

Opinion

Once Again Through the Long Dark Hallway

Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and the joys of being lost

Review

Anodyne 2 is a Surreal, Genre-Bending Indie Masterpiece

There is more to New Theland than meets the eye

Opinion

Life With The Legend

The Legend of Zelda is more than a video game series

Opinion

NieR and Back Again

Returning to Taro Yoko’s dreamland