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Zara Chen
Critical Theorist & Features Writer
Zara Chen approaches games with the comparative rigour of a film critic: every mechanic has a lineage, every genre convention has a history worth interrogating. With a background in film criticism and a decade covering games for print and digital outlets, she specialises in metroidvanias, RPGs, and design-history deep-dives. Zara's writing is dense, argumentative, and structurally precise — she challenges obvious interpretations, argues both sides before picking one, and delivers single-sentence verdicts after paragraphs of careful setup.
- Background in film criticism
- 10 years games coverage
- Genre theory and design history specialist
metroidvaniarpgdesign-historygenre-theoryfeatures
68 articles by Zara Chen
Feature
Mixtape Launch May 7: Annapurna's '90s Memory Adventure
Mixtape launch: Annapurna's stop-motion '90s memory adventure from the Artful Escape team arrives May 7 with day-one Xbox Game Pass support.
· 8 min read
Guides
Die in the Dungeon Achievements: All 59 and Dice Unlocks
Die in the dungeon achievements unlock 31 unique dice that persist across runs. Half clear naturally: here's how to target the rest and what each unlocks.
· 10 min read
Feature
MOTORSLICE Launches: Chainsaw Parkour With DnB Vibes
MOTORSLICE drops on Steam May 5: Regular Studio's parkour action-adventure pits a chainsaw girl against massive robot bosses in a brutalist megastructure.
· 7 min read
Guides
Die in the Dungeon Characters: Which to Pick First
Die in the dungeon characters guide: 4 frog warriors with distinct starting dice. Which suits your playstyle, which relics to chase, and who to run second.
· 8 min read
Feature
Far Far West Early Access: 250k Sales and What to Expect
Far Far West Early Access launched April 28, 2026: Evil Raptor's 7-person co-op roguelite hit 250,000 copies in 48 hours and 43,770 peak concurrent players.
· 8 min read
Guides
All Hail the Orb Obelisk Guide: Stages and When to Advance
All Hail the Orb Obelisk guide: the 6 stages, when to advance vs. let automation run, pre-finale checklist, and what the April 22 patch changed.
· 8 min read
Guides
All Hail the Orb Secrets: Hidden Rooms, Duck, Alchemy
All Hail the Orb secrets guide: the four hidden dungeon achievements, how Resonance Crystal chains work, and which alchemy discoveries you can miss
· 8 min read
Feature
The Spell Brigade 1.0: Co-op Bullet Hell Exits Early Access
The Spell Brigade 1.0 launched April 29 on PC: 18 months of early access, 15,000+ Steam reviews, and a co-op bullet hell with friendly fire that got better.
· 9 min read
Guides
ARC Raiders Other Raiders: Survive Player Encounters
ARC Raiders other Raiders guide: how to avoid, outmaneuver, and survive contested extractions. Extraction types ranked by silence and run behavior.
· 9 min read
Feature
INDUSTRIA 2 Out Now: Bleakmill's UE5 Narrative FPS Sequel
INDUSTRIA 2 arrives on Steam today: Bleakmill's UE5 narrative FPS runs 4-6 hours, sends Nora into a parallel dimension ruled by rogue AI ATLAS.
· 7 min read
Guide
How Long to Beat All Hail the Orb: Story, 100%, Routes
How long to beat All Hail the Orb: story ends at ~3 hours, but the April 22 patch created two distinct 100% routes: 4-4.5h in-run or 5.5h post-story.
· 8 min read
Feature
Windrose Roadmap 2026: Ashlands Biome Next, Full Patch Log
Windrose roadmap 2026: Ashlands biome is next, 1.0 expected 2027-28. Full patch notes since the April 14 launch plus everything Kraken Express confirmed.
· 8 min read