Jon Bailes

author | critic | freelance writer

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Features

Freelance Features Portfolio

I’ve written commissioned work for many online and print publications, including interview-based features, opinion pieces and essays. Below are the more substantial examples.

Click article titles below for external links to the original material, where available.

For my game reviews portfolio click here.

Highlights

Mass Effect Oral History Article

Mass Effect: The oral history of a game-changing RPG

Techradar | November 2022
Mid Tier Games Article

Mid-tier gaming is having a revival, and the industry is better for it

Input | March 2022
The New Normal Article

The New Normal: The indie developers changing our conceptions of difficulty

Wireframe Magazine | February 2022
Taiwan Indies Article

The rise of Taiwan's indie scene and why it deserves our attention

Eurogamer | January 2022
Making of Returnal Article

The Making of Returnal

Edge Magazine | December 2021
Paradise Killer Article

Watergate in Paradise

Heterotopias | September 2021
Aging Gamers Article

Can People Still Play the Same Games as They Get Older?

Wired | July 2021
I Care a Lot Article

I Care a Lot: The Respectable Face of Mobster Mentality

Byline Times | March 2021
Cyberpunk Indies Article

The cyberpunk game boom ‘speaking truth to power’

SyFy Wire | November 2020

All Articles

Final Fantasy XV Article

Time Extend - Final Fantasy XV

Edge Magazine | April 2023
Final Fantasy XVI Article

Final Fantasy XVI - Logical evolution, or follower of trends?

Whynow Gaming | April 2023
Severed Article

Classic Game: Severed

PLAY Magazine | April 2023
Resident Evil 4 Ashley Article

Resident Evil 4 Remake - Ashley Graham’s depiction has evolved, but not by much

Whynow Gaming | April 2023
Asobo Studio Profile Article
Edge Magazine | March 2023

Studio Profile: Asobo Studio

Alien Article

Alien: why the xenomorph is perfect for games, and so hard to get right

Whynow Gaming | March 2023
Suikoden II Article

Classic Game: Suikoden II

PLAY Magazine | February 2023
Lords of the Fallen Article

Out of the Shadows: The Lords of the Fallen

Edge Magazine | January 2023
Astral Chain Article

Time Extend: Astral Chain

Edge Magazine | December 2022
Objectively Good Article

Objectively Good: God of War Ragnarok

Bullet Points Monthly | December 2022
Tarsier Studios Article

Studio Profile: Tarsier Studios

Edge Magazine | December 2022
Surviving Humanity Article

Surviving Humanity: Endling and Stray

Unwinnable Magazine | November 2022
Mass Effect Oral History Article

Mass Effect: The oral history of a game-changing RPG

Techradar | November 2022
Tim Willits Article

Collected Works: Tim Willits

Edge Magazine | November 2022
Staying Humble Article

Staying Humble: Where will Humble Bundle go next?

Edge Magazine | October 2022
Making of Norco Article

The Making of Norco

Edge Magazine | September 2022
Tiny Teams Festival Article

Small Wonders: Tiny Teams Festival

Edge Magazine | September 2022
FMV UK Article

Escaping the Night Trap: The British Studios reinventing FMV games

Wireframe Magazine | September 2022
Into the Breach Article

Toying with the insect invasion in Into the Breach: Advanced Edition

PC Gamer | August 2022
Disgaea Article

Classic Game: Disgaea

PLAY Magazine | August 2022

End of Innocence: A Plague Tale Requiem

Edge Magazine | July 2022
Bayonetta Article

Classic Game: Bayonetta

PLAY Magazine | June 2022
Jam GG Article

Social Distance: Jam.gg

Edge Magazine | June 2022
Return of the Obra Dinn Article

Time Extend: Return of the Obra Dinn

Edge Magazine | May 2022
Subscription Gaming Article

Sub Domination: The future of videogames via subscription

Edge Magazine | May 2022
Motorstorm RC Article

Classic Game: Motorstorm RC

PLAY Magazine | May 2022

Studio Profile: Dotemu

Edge Magazine | April 2022
Octopath Traveller Article

Pieces of Eight: Octopath Traveller

Wireframe Magazine | April 2022
Walking Simulators Article

Wanderlust: Looking back on a decade of emotional experiences and simulated strolls

Edge Magazine | March 2022
Mid Tier Games Article

Mid-tier gaming is having a revival, and the industry is better for it

Input | March 2022
Making the Mundane Meaningful Article

Making the Mundane Meaningful

Media Foundry | March 2022
Nex Machina Article

Classic Game: Nex Machina

PLAY Magazine | March 2022
Edith Finch Article

Birds of a Feather: What Remains of Edith Finch

Wireframe Magazine | March 2022
Golf and Everything Article

Golf, the universe and everything

Edge Magazine | February 2022
Breath of Fire IV Article

Classic Game: Breath of Fire IV

PLAY Magazine | February 2022
The New Normal Article

The New Normal: The indie developers changing our conceptions of difficulty

Wireframe Magazine | February 2022
Taiwan Indies Article

The rise of Taiwan's indie scene and why it deserves our attention

Eurogamer | January 2022
Lost Odyssey Article

Time Extend: Lost Odyssey

Edge Magazine | January 2022
Gravity Rush Article

Classic Game: Gravity Rush

PLAY Magazine | January 2022
Fizbin Studio Profile

Studio Profile: Studio Fizbin

Edge Magazine | December 2021
Time Loops 0f 2021 Article

Loops, I did it again: why 2021 was the year of the time loop story

NME | December 2021
Making of Returnal Article

The Making of Returnal

Edge Magazine | December 2021
Elden Ring Bosses Article

‘Elden Ring’ could be a fresh reboot for FromSoftware’s boss design

NME | November 2021
Metroid Dread Article

‘Metroid Dread’ is cutting-edge in some ways, behind the times in others

NME | November 2021
Soulslikes Article

Dark Souls’ influence on game design refuses to die

PCGamesN | November 2021
Sin and Punishment Article

Time Extend: Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Skies

Edge Magazine | October 2021
God Complex Article

God: Complex

Wireframe Magazine | October 2021
Paradise Killer Article

Watergate in Paradise

Heterotopias | September 2021
Dark Souls Article

On its 10th anniversary, Dark Souls is still the best game I've played

Video Games Chronicle | September 2021
Time Loop Games Article

Time loop games are evolving, and challenging a fantasy of perfection

Input | September 2021
Uncomfortable Violence Article

We should value games that make violence uncomfortable to experience

NME | September 2021
Bionic Commando Rearmed Article

Time Extend: Bionic Commando Rearmed

Edge Magazine | August 2021
Everybody Hates Capitalism Article

Corporate criticism is rife in games these days, but to what end?

NME | July 2021
Aging Gamers Article

Can People Still Play the Same Games as They Get Older?

Wired | July 2021
Mundaun Article

The Making of... Mundaun

Edge Magazine | June 2021

Games Are Reimagining the Road Trip for a Modern Era

Wired | June 2021
Returnal Article

Returnal doesn't need a save system, it needs you to embrace mortality

GamesRadar+ | May 2021
Celeste Time Extend Article

Time Extend: Celeste

Edge Magazine | May 2021
Playing Politics Article

Playing Politics - The developers refusing to shy away from the politics in their games

Edge Magazine | May 2021
Roguelike Evolution Article

Over and Over and Over: Roguelike Evolution

Edge Magazine | March 2021
Ghosts n Goblins Article

Have you tried... seeing how your arcade skills have aged with Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection?

GamesRadar+ | March 2021
I Care a Lot Article

I Care a Lot: The Respectable Face of Mobster Mentality

Byline Times | March 2021
Plague Tale Article

Time Extend: A Plague Tale: Innocence

Edge Magazine | February 2021
Cyberpunk 2077 Consumerism Article

Do Consumers Dream of Electric Phalluses? - Cyberpunk 2077

Bullet Points Monthly | January 2021
Social Media in Games Article

From GTA To Spider-Man: Games Show Us the Highs and Hell of Social Media

Gaming Bible | January 2021

Diluted dystopias: what’s the value of corporate cyberpunk?

Wireframe Magazine | January 2021
Virtually Ideological Article

Virtually Ideological: The Games of 2020

Medium | December 2020
Cyberpunk Ultimate Article

Breaking down the key ingredients of the cyberpunk genre

GamesRadar+ | November 2020
Cyberpunk Indies Article

The cyberpunk game boom ‘speaking truth to power’

SyFy Wire | November 2020

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Interview: ‘This series still has a lot of possibilities’

Video Games Chronicle | November 2020
Spitting Image Why Politicians Collude with Their Latex Lampoons

Spitting Image: Why Politicians Collude with Their Latex Lampoons

Byline Times | October 2020
COVID-19 Could Mark the Beginning of the End for Obsessive Consumerism

COVID-19 Could Mark the Beginning of the End for Obsessive Consumerism

Byline Times | July 2020
Feat of Klei: How Griftlands Exemplifies a Nurturing Approach to Game Development

Feat of Klei: How Griftlands Exemplifies a Nurturing Approach to Game Development

Uppercutcrit.com | June 2020
Sci-Fi Dystopias No Longer Warnings but an Inspiration to Silicon Valley Billionaires

Sci-Fi Dystopias No Longer Warnings but an Inspiration to Silicon Valley Billionaires

Byline Times | June 2020
In Defence of Boredom

In defence of boredom

Wireframe Magazine | June 2020
Rewriting the playbook: The independent studios making sports work

Rewriting the playbook: The independent studios making sports work

Gamesindustry.biz | May 2020
Boris Johnson’s COVID-19 Message Exploits a Long-Established Culture of Individualism

Johnson’s COVID-19 Message Exploits a Culture of Individualism

Byline Times | May 2020
Fighting for Lost Causes

Fighting for Lost Causes - Final Fantasy VII Remake

Bullet Points Monthly | May 2020
The Fantasies of Video Game Cities Can’t Escape Real Social Contradictions

The Fantasies of Video Game Cities Can’t Escape Social Contradictions

Byline Times | March 2020
Journey to the Savage Planet Can Help Us Rethink Satire in Games

Journey to the Savage Planet Can Help Us Rethink Satire in Games

EGM | March 2020
Complex Control System: Science as the Master Manipulator in Remedy’s Control

Science as the Master Manipulator in Remedy’s Control

EGM | February 2020
Hollywood’s Take on Poverty and the Financial Crisis Lacks Political Bite

Hollywood’s Take on Poverty and the Financial Crisis Lacks Political Bite

Byline Times | January 2020
Call of the Wild: How Playing as Animals Can Tell Us More About Ourselves

Call of the Wild: How Playing as Animals Can Tell Us More About Ourselves

EGM | January 2020
The Neoliberal Parent Trap: Family and Its Anti-Social Fantasies

The Neoliberal Parent Trap: Family and Its Anti-Social Fantasies

Everyday Analysis | November 2019
Time Extend: Detention

Time Extend: Detention

Edge Magazine | November 2019
The Guilty Pleasures of Video Game Violence Are a Mirror for Our Consumerist Nightmare

The Guilty Pleasures of Game Violence Mirror Our Consumerist Nightmare

EGM | November 2019
Yes, Tetris is political too

Yes, Tetris is political, too

Wireframe Magazine | October 2019
Game of Pawns: Power and Agency in Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Game of Pawns: Power and Agency in Fire Emblem: Three Houses

EGM | August 2019
Time Extend: Persona 5

Time Extend: Persona 5

Edge Magazine | August 2019
The ‘Sekiro’ Effect: How It Gets In Your Head

The ‘Sekiro’ Effect: How It Gets In Your Head

Junkee.com | May 2019
Time Extend: Invisible Inc.

Time Extend: Invisible Inc.

Edge Magazine | May 2019
How Great Puzzle Games Deconstruct Our World

How Great Puzzle Games Deconstruct Our World

Kotaku UK | May 2019
Child Characters Article

Save yourself! The video games casting us as helpless children

The Guardian | May 2019
Hints of Depth

Hints of Depth

Unwinnable Magazine | April 2019
Time Extend: Dragon Quest IX

Time Extend: Dragon Quest IX

Edge Magazine | March 2019
Time Extend: Dead Space: Extraction

Time Extend: Dead Space: Extraction

Edge Magazine | January 2019
Live, Die, Upgrade, Re[eat: The Modern Roguelike

Live, Die, Upgrade, Repeat: The Modern Roguelike

Kotaku UK | November 2018
Choice, Guilt and Life Is Strange

Choice, Guilt and Life Is Strange

Zeal | October 2018
Modern Life, Self-Improvement and Celeste

Modern Life, Self-Improvement and Celeste

Kotaku UK | August 2018
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