Dana Reyes
Editor-in-Chief
Fifteen years covering RPGs and immersive sims; obsessed with how level design tells stories.
Melbourne · Est. 2019
Games, framed like art.
Long-form criticism, developer profiles, and video essays — hung on stark white walls so the work speaks for itself.
Coverage tiers
What we publish
Three levels of coverage, each written by hand, edited twice, and published without sponsor influence. Studio partnership rates in AUD.
| Format | Quick Take | Full Review | Featured Essay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word count | ~600 words | 1,800–2,500 words | 4,000+ words |
| Turnaround | 48 hours | 7–10 days | 3–4 weeks |
| Original photography | — | Included | Included |
| Companion video | — | — | Included |
| Studio partnership rate | from A$180 | from A$640 | from A$1,450 |
Editorial desk open Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm AEST · Hardware Lane, Melbourne CBD.
The desk
Writers & critics
Five contributors rotating through the Hardware Lane studio. Swipe through the desk.
Marcus Thorne
Video Critic
Cuts our video essays and argues that framerate is an aesthetic choice, not a spec.
Priya Nandakumar
Indie & Experimental
Champions Australian indies and games that refuse to sit still in a genre.
Leo Kowalski
Hardware & Preservation
Restores old consoles and writes about why we keep the games that shaped us.
Sofia Blanco
Interviews
Sits down with developers across APAC to trace how a game actually got made.
On screen
The video review
Our featured essays ship with a companion film. This month: a 22-minute study of pacing in modern open worlds.
"Dead Air: Why Open Worlds Are Learning to Slow Down"
22 min · Presented by Marcus Thorne
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Reviews published
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Developer interviews
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Monthly readers
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Years on the wall
From the guestbook
What readers say
"The Hades II essay made me replay the game with completely new eyes. Nobody else writes about games this carefully."
"As a small studio, the Full Review coverage brought us more considered feedback than any launch trailer ever did."
"I subscribe for the video essays. The pacing piece was genuinely better than most film criticism I read."
Get in touch
Pitch us a game
Studios, PRs and readers welcome. Send a review request, a story tip, or say hello. We read everything.
- Phone
- +61 3 9654 7382
- [email protected]
- Studio
- 54 Hardware Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
- Hours
- Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm AEST