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
95 articles by Zara Chen
Best Early Access Games Worth Buying Right Now: May 2026
Early access games worth buying in May 2026: six picks including Windrose and Subnautica 2, with real content counts and honest risk assessments.
· 14 min read
Battlestar Galactica Scattered Hopes: Launch Analysis
Battlestar Galactica Scattered Hopes launches May 11 on PC. Alt Shift and Dotemu adapt the BSG TV license as a tactical roguelite fleet survival game.
· 8 min read
Die in the Dungeon Guide: All Tips, Builds & Characters
Die in the Dungeon guide: characters, dice builds, relics, and all 59 achievements. The complete 2026 resource for ATICO's turn-based roguelite.
· 13 min read
All Hail the Orb Guide: 9 Alchemy Discoveries & All Systems
All Hail the Orb guide: automation priority order, all 9 alchemy discoveries, Obelisk stage timing, hidden achievements, endings, and playtime.
· 13 min read
Besmirch Early Access: FAITH-Inspired Farming Horror
Besmirch Early Access launches May 11. FAITH-inspired farming horror where you tend crops by day and survive pixel art nightmares at night. $9.99.
· 8 min read
Farever Early Access: Shiro Games' New Co-op RPG Launches
Farever Early Access launched May 6 from the Wartales studio at $19.99. Four classes, co-op action RPG, open world Siagarta. What's in the build.
· 8 min read
Far Far West Spells Guide: Schools, Combos, and Reactions
Far far west spells guide: all 25 spells across 5 schools, unlock levels, cooldowns, and every cross-school combo that can double your damage output.
· 15 min read
Amberspire Launches: Dice City Builder by Bithell Games
Amberspire is out now on Steam: Lunar Division's dice city builder drops you on an alien moon to build, manage factions, and survive the ecology.
· 4 min read
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
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
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
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